Abstract:
A method of playing a card game is disclosed wherein receiving a first wager from a player to play standard blackjack against a dealer; receiving a second wager from a player to play a secondary game; dealing an initial hand of cards to the player and to a dealer; dealing additional hit cards to the player to complete the initial player hand; checking the player&#39;s initial final hand total or score to see if it qualifies for the secondary game.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention generally relates to card games. More particularly, it relates to a secondary wager which will play in combination with standard blackjack out over one or more consecutive standard blackjack hands which is suitable for virtual and traditional casino play and similar environments. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Blackjack is a game that has become old and stale in the eyes of some which has lead to the development of several new games and wagering options that may be added to the game and are known as side wagers. Side wagers are optional wagers placed in combination with another base game wager like that of blackjack. Side wagers allow a player to place other bets along with their standard blackjack wager, making the combination game more exciting for all involved. Some side wagers may offer maximum payouts that reach as high as 1000 to 1. 
         [0003]    Side wagers for blackjack include several variations, all of which play out over the course of a single hand. An example of a side wager game is one where a player places a wager in hopes that they receive a pair on their first two cards. Another blackjack side wager game allows a player to place a wager in hopes that their first two cards will total twenty. These types of wagers are becoming much more prevalent on gaming tables currently found in casinos. 
         [0004]    All known Blackjack game variants feature a wager that is resolved after every hand or round of play. There is yet to be a game that offers a player the ability to place a wager on a combination Blackjack game that will play out over several successive hands, creating more excitement for less money, until now. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The object of the present invention is to create a game with an associated pay table that gives players a fair chance of success. The game to be described herein will offer low odds payouts for more common occurrences while also offering high odds payouts for more extreme or rare occurrences in return for a player&#39;s wager. 
         [0006]    The game of the present invention is a secondary wager which may be played alone or in combination with standard Blackjack. This game will require a player to play several successive hands before their wager is eligible to win. The game may even require the player to six of more consecutive hands before their wager may be resolved. 
         [0007]    To play the game a player will place a wager in the hope that they will achieve several different qualifying final hand totals or scores over several successive hands or rounds of play. 
         [0008]    A qualifying final hand total or score will include; seventeen (17), eighteen (18), nineteen (19), twenty (20), twenty-one (21) and Blackjack (a two-card twenty-one), also known as the hand totals that will cause a dealer to stand on their Blackjack hand. A hand that results in a bust or that results in a player standing (stopping) on a hand total or score of sixteen (16) or lower will result in a non-qualifying hand or result. 
         [0009]    A player who wagers on this game will be looking to make a minimum number of consecutive final hand totals, scores or points which may or may not include duplicate results and which may or may not keep the player wager alive and active. A hand that results in a bust or that results in a player standing (stopping) on a hand total or score of sixteen (16) or lower will either be resolved and lost or be resolved and paid if the player has previously acquired the minimum number of qualifying final hand totals, scores or points before achieving a non-qualifying hand result. 
         [0010]    The game of the present invention looks to create a secondary wager with an associated pay table based upon a minimum number of different final hand totals or scores (which may also be referred to as points) that will be required by a player to win the game. 
         [0011]    A player could win by achieving as few as three (3) or four (4) different points from among the six available before receiving a non-qualifying hand. Achieving as many as five (5), six (6) or six (6) different points in-a-row will qualify a player to win a much larger payout. 
         [0012]    The game may be played on any blackjack style gaming table using any number of standard or modified decks of playing cards or on an electronic gaming platform using any number of standard or modified decks of simulated playing cards. 
         [0013]    Pay tables may or may not include all or some of the following payouts and may or may not include others that are riot contemplated below;
       Six Points on six successive hands in a precise order (e.g. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and Blackjack),   Six Points in any order,   Five Points in any order,   Four Points in any order,   Three Points in any order,   Two Points in any order.       
 
         [0020]    The game will feature a Progressive Jackpot, a simple pay table or a combination platform offering both payout options. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0021]    The features of the present invention will become more apparent from the drawings which: 
           [0022]      FIG. 1  is a top view of a single player position according to one embodiment of the present invention, for the playing of a final hand total, score or point matching game for use on a combination blackjack game using one or more decks of standard playing cards, a standard blackjack wager spot  10 , a secondary wager spot  20  and a set of six qualifying final hand total tracking circles  30 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  is a top view of a table layout for the playing of a secondary blackjack wager with six player positions  40 , a dealer position  50  and a dealer chip tray  60  according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0024]    The casino game described herein will make reference to the casino game layout shown in  FIG. 2 . The term “casino game” is intended to encompass a game in which the house or the dealer acts as the banker on the game collecting all losing wagers and pays all winning wagers. The dealer is employed by and represents the house or casino. The casino may be a traditional brick and mortar casino, an on-line casino over a network such as the internet or other virtual type casino. The game may also be played with mobile devices and technologies. 
         [0025]    The dealer&#39;s position  50  is provided opposite the player positions  40  and is preferably adjacent to a chip rack  60 . The chip rack  60  is of a conventional design and used to store poker chips and/or other gaming tokens. The dealer uses the chip rack  60  to hold the gaming tokens that belong to the house. When a player loses his wager on this game, the gaming tokens won by the house are stored in the chip rack  60 . When a player wins his wager on this game, the player will be paid from the gaming tokens stored within the chip rack  60 . The layout in  FIG. 2  indicates the dealer position  50 , the dealer&#39;s chip rack  60  and the player positions  40 . 
         [0026]    One embodiment of this invention is a combination game that is played using any number of standard decks of playing cards and may be played by up to seven players or more during any given hand or round of play. Any number of decks of cards may be used, but in the preferred embodiment, eight decks of standard playing cards are used or two alternating sets of eight decks of standard playing cards (of differing color) are used and reshuffled at the completion of the shoe using an automatic shuffle machine. When there is not an automatic shuffle machine installed on the game, the dealer will shuffle the eight decks deck of standard playing cards before restarting the game. If there is an automatic shuffler on the game, the dealer will insert the most recently used shoe of cards into the machine for shuffling. The dealer will then remove the eight decks of pre-shuffled cards awaiting deployment from inside the automatic shuffler. 
         [0027]    The term shoe refers to a device that holds several decks of cards which shelters them from view until they are dealt to a player as part of a standard blackjack hand by the dealer. The shoe and the cards within may also take a virtual form that accomplishes the same function as the traditional device and playing pieces. 
         [0028]    The game is played on a combination blackjack game and combines seamlessly into standard blackjack play without interfering procedurally with the underlying blackjack game. The game may be played by as few as one person against a dealer on an individual gaming table within a casino or similar environment. The preferred embodiment will offer the game as part of a combination game that also offers standard blackjack wagering. 
         [0029]    The game of the present invention is a secondary wager for the standard game of blackjack where a player wagers on the fact that they will achieve several different and qualifying final hand scores from among the six (6) qualifying hand totals or scores available. The preferred embodiment will use the qualifying final hand totals or scores of seventeen (17), eighteen (18), nineteen (19), twenty (20), twenty-one (21) and Blackjack (a two-card twenty-one). 
         [0030]    The game uses any number of standard decks of playing cards, and will preferably use one, two, four, six or eight decks as these are the most common forms of blackjack offered by casinos. 
         [0031]    To begin, players may place a standard blackjack wager on the oval logo  10  and/or a secondary wager on the smaller circle logo  20  of the present invention. Two cards are then dealt to the player face-up, and two cards are dealt to the dealer, one face-up and one face-down as per standard blackjack protocol. Logos  10  and  20  may take any shape or form. 
         [0032]    During play on this combined game, the secondary wager on the small circle logo  20  may only be resolved when a player achieves a non-qualifying hand result or when a player hits the maximum number of points available (6) thereby completing the game. If the player chooses to play a standard blackjack wager as well, the hand will also be played against the dealer and will be resolved once all of the player hands and the dealer hand have been finalized. 
         [0033]    The combination layout shown in  FIG. 2  would be mounted atop of a conventional blackjack style gaming table in a casino. In the preferred embodiment, six player positions  40  are provided on a layout as seen in  FIG. 2 , but the number of player positions  40  can be varied depending on the size of the table and the number of players that a casino wishes to accommodate. A standard casino table layout like the one in  FIG. 2  will accommodate five to seven player positions  40 . 
         [0034]    Each player position  40  on the game is identical and offers each player two separate and distinct wagering options. These wagering options offer a player two unique looking wagering spots  10  and  20  for which to place their wager(s). The wagering spots  10  and  20  seen in  FIG. 1 , allow the two games to be played simultaneously together during a single hand or several successive hands or rounds of play. The oval and circles in  FIG. 1  show one embodiment of the present invention illustrating a simple standard blackjack wager oval  10 , a secondary wager circle logo  20  and a series of indicator circles  30  for recording outcomes over multiple hands for the multi-handed secondary wager of the present invention. Other themes are contemplated. 
         [0035]    If a player chooses to stand (stop) with a final hand total below seventeen (17) or the hand results in a bust, the hand is determined to be a non-qualifying result. A non-qualifying result will end the game causing the player wager to be resolved (have it paid or taken) by the dealer. 
         [0036]    If a number of successive blackjack hands achieve a minimum predetermined number of different qualifying final hand totals or scores before achieving a non-qualifying result, the player is a winner and will be paid at the rate as posted on the pay table on the game based upon the number of different qualifying final hand scores achieved during the process. 
         [0037]    In the preferred embodiment, the game will require a player to hit a minimum of four (4) of the six (6) different qualifying final hand totals or scores to be eligible to win the game. A player that does not hit the minimum number of different qualifying final hand totals or scores before achieving a non-qualifying hand will lose the game and forfeit their wager from within the secondary wager circle logo  20 . 
         [0038]    Overall player results that do not qualify against the posted pay table will see their losing wager taken from the secondary wager circle logo  20  in  FIG. 1  by the dealer and it will be placed into the dealer&#39;s chip tray  60  shown in  FIG. 2 . Losing side wagers will be taken once a player achieves a non-qualifying result and has not successfully achieved the minimum number of different qualifying final hand totals or scores required to win. 
         [0039]    When a player hand busts, if a player is playing a standard Blackjack wager in the oval logo  10 , the losing wager within the oval is always taken by the dealer before resolving the secondary wager within the secondary wager circle logo  20  which may or may not be a winner. 
         [0040]    When a player hand busts, if a player is not playing a standard Blackjack wager in the oval logo  10 , the dealer will resolve the secondary wager within the secondary wager circle logo  20 . 
         [0041]    In one embodiment, when a player places a secondary wager on the smaller circle logo  20  without placing a standard Blackjack wager, the player hand(s) will be dealt for them by the dealer (or virtual dealer) without allowing the player to have any input with regard to hitting or standing on a specific hand total. Each new hand, bonus hand or successive hand without a standard blackjack wager in play will cause the player hand to be dealt by the dealer using the dealer&#39;s “House Ways” guidelines, delivering cards to the player hand until it either hits a qualifying final hand total or score of either seventeen (17), eighteen (18), nineteen (19), twenty (20), twenty-one (21) and Blackjack (a two-card twenty-one) or it busts by going over twenty-one (21). 
         [0042]    If a number of successive blackjack hands achieve a minimum predetermined number of qualifying final hand totals or scores before a player hand busts, the player is a winner and will be paid at the rate as posted on the pay table on the game immediately following the non-qualifying result. A player that achieves all six different qualifying final hand totals or scores without a achieving a non-qualifying hand result will win, receive their winning payout and cause the game to end. 
         [0043]    Any qualifying payout that exceeds a dealer&#39;s responsibility and/or casino protocol may need approval from supervisory staff before the payout can be made to the winning player. 
         [0044]    In another embodiment of the present invention, the casino game contemplated herein may feature a “progressive jackpot” which will still require the player wager be placed in the secondary wager circle logo  20 . A player may or may not place a wager for a predetermined amount (e.g., one token) as set by the casino. The combined amount of each of the player&#39;s jackpot wager(s) placed during the round will see a portion added to the corresponding jackpot along with a portion of all previous accumulating wagers that make up the current jackpot that has yet to be awarded to a qualifying player. 
         [0045]    If a player places a progressive jackpot wager within the secondary wager circle logo  20 , the player becomes eligible to win a portion of the jackpot amount if the player receives a predetermined number of different qualifying hand totals or scores before achieving a non-qualifying result. For example, if a player receives six different qualifying hand totals or scores in a specific order (lowest to highest) on six successive hands, the player would win the entire jackpot or 100% of the progressive jackpot. Other qualifying results could see a player win a percentage of the jackpot (e.g., a player achieving six different qualifying final hand totals or scores could win 20% of the progressive jackpot. The series of outcomes that either qualifies a player to win the entire jackpot or share in a percentage of it may be altered without departing from the spirit of the invention. 
         [0046]    The attractiveness of the jackpot wager is elevated by its progressive nature. At the conclusion of each round, losing jackpot wagers made on previous hands are added to the previous jackpot amount thereby creating an accumulating or “progressive jackpot”. When a player wins part of this jackpot, the amount won is subtracted from the total jackpot and any remaining jackpot will start compiling losing wagers until it is won again. 
         [0047]    When a progressive jackpot is offered by a casino, the house will collect a percentage of each wager placed, e.g., 3-5%, as the house&#39;s fee for providing the progressive jackpot on the game. If the casino has a plurality of tables which are full of players and several of them are wagering on the progressive jackpot, the jackpot total can increase quite rapidly to accumulate a substantial sum of money which will eventually be awarded to a winning player. 
         [0048]    It is contemplate that the game noted herein may be played as a base game or standalone game on a single casino style gaming table. Any form of counting may be used on the wager contemplated herein. Wagering should be taken to include tokens, poker chips, currency, coins, or the like, as means for keeping score. 
         [0049]    Various adaptations and modifications may be made to the game without deviating from the scope or intention of the invention. Any version of the game may be played using wagering tokens that do not have a monetary value. Instead the players can bet, win and lose points so that, after a designated number of rounds, the player with the highest point total can be declared the winner which may be described as tournament play. 
         [0050]    Adaptations or modifications to this game will be easily recognizable to those skilled in the art. The inventions described herein should not be restricted to the foregoing description, but rather should be characterized only by the following claims. 
       PAY TABLE—PAYOUT EXAMPLES 
       [0051]      
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Qualifying Hand Totals 
                 Table 1 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 (6) Six-in-a-row (lowest to highest) 
                 1000 to 1  
               
               
                   
                 (6) Six in ANY order 
                 100 to 1  
               
               
                   
                 (5) Five in ANY order 
                 25 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (4) Four in ANY order 
                 10 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (3) Four in ANY order 
                  2 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (2) Four in ANY order 
                  1 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 HOUSE ADVANTAGE: 
                 6.98% 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 NOTE: 
               
               
                   
                 The math in the table above is intended as an example only and not meant to be accurate. 
               
             
          
         
       
     
       PAY TABLE—PAYOUT EXAMPLES 
       [0052]      
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Qualifying Hand Totals 
                 Table 1 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 (6) Six-in-a-row (lowest to highest) 
                 1000 to 1  
               
               
                   
                 (6) Six in ANY order 
                 50 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (5) Five in ANY order 
                 20 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (4) Four in ANY order 
                  8 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (3) Four in ANY order 
                  1 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 HOUSE ADVANTAGE: 
                 7.21% 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 NOTE: 
               
               
                   
                 The math in the table above is intended as an example only and not meant to be accurate. 
               
             
          
         
       
     
       PAY TABLE—PAYOUT EXAMPLES 
       [0053]      
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Qualifying Hand Totals 
                 Table 1 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 (6) Six-in-a-row (lowest to highest) 
                 1000 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (6) Six in ANY order 
                  100 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (5) Five in ANY order 
                  25 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (4) Four in ANY order 
                   5 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 HOUSE ADVANTAGE: 
                 6.74% 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 NOTE: 
               
               
                   
                 The math in the table above is intended as an example only and not meant to be accurate. 
               
             
          
         
       
     
       PAY TABLE—PAYOUT EXAMPLES 
       [0054]      
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Qualifying Hand Totals 
                 Table 1 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 (6) Six-in-a-row (highest to lowest) 
                 1000 to 1  
               
               
                   
                 (6) Six in ANY order 
                 100 to 1  
               
               
                   
                 (5) Five in ANY order 
                 25 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (4) Four in ANY order 
                 10 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (3) Four in ANY order 
                  2 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (2) Four in ANY order 
                  1 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 HOUSE ADVANTAGE: 
                 6.98% 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 NOTE: 
               
               
                   
                 The math in the table above is intended as an example only and not meant to be accurate. 
               
             
          
         
       
     
       PAY TABLE—PAYOUT EXAMPLES 
       [0055]      
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Qualifying Hand Totals 
                 Table 1 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 (6) Six-in-a-row (highest to lowest) 
                 1000 to 1  
               
               
                   
                 (6) Six in ANY order 
                 50 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (5) Five in ANY order 
                 20 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (4) Four in ANY order 
                  8 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (3) Four in ANY order 
                  1 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 HOUSE ADVANTAGE: 
                 7.21% 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 NOTE: 
               
               
                   
                 The math in the table above is intended as an example only and not meant to be accurate. 
               
             
          
         
       
     
       PAY TABLE—PAYOUT EXAMPLES 
       [0056]      
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Qualifying Hand Totals 
                 Table 1 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 (6) Six-in-a-row (highest to lowest) 
                 1000 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (6) Six in ANY order 
                  100 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (5) Five in ANY order 
                  25 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 (4) Four in ANY order 
                   5 to 1 
               
               
                   
                 HOUSE ADVANTAGE: 
                 6.74% 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 NOTE: 
               
               
                   
                 The math in the table above is intended as an example only and not meant to be accurate. 
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0057]    Pay tables on this game could be modified to include an envy bonus for players who are at the table and wagering on the secondary wager logo  20  when another player wins one top awards from the pay table, acting much like an insurance policy for other wagering players. These additional payouts would be made to players immediately following the awarding of the larger payout to the player with the exceptional qualifying result. 
         [0058]    Adaptations or modifications to this game will be easily recognizable to those skilled in the art. The inventions described herein should not be restricted to the foregoing description, but rather should be characterized only by the following claims.