Abstract:
The invention comprises an independent event game that is easy-to-play and utilizes conventional six-sided dice. The game employs a method of developing a player&#39;s hand and a dealer&#39;s hand, each of which may have a value between 1 and 6 inclusive, or a wildcard value. After all rolling is completed, a comparison of player and dealer hand values determines the outcome of the main wagers. Several optional side bets including a jackpot bet are also available and may be wagered upon at various times throughout the game. The game is played on a playing surface with delineated areas for tracking the development of the game and for making wagers. Because both player and dealer see their hands evolve, culminating in a comparison of their values, the gaming method generates considerable excitement and interest.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to betting games suitable for casino play. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Casino games generally fall into two classes. The first class includes those games in which individual hands comprise dependent events. Blackjack, baccarat, Acey-Deucey, and any other card game with no shuffle in between hands are examples of dependent event games. The second class includes those games in which individual hands comprise independent events. This includes craps, roulette, and all other games in which every new game is, in principle, totally unrelated to past and future games. From the casino point of view, with all else being equal, independent event games are preferable because there is no mathematical way for a customer to develop a system to beat the game. 
     All casino games by their nature must have a positive expectation for the house. In addition, casino games should be easy to understand, easy to deal, and fun to play. These are attributes found in all table games. The most popular table game, blackjack, has an additional very important virtue, namely that players play against the dealer. The player and dealer each have unique cards associated with their respective hands and the hands are played separately. Players can see the development of each hand before a final comparison (unless the player busts) to determine the winner. Thus there is a spirit of competition between the player and the house. 
     In a game comprised of independent events in which player and dealer have separate hands, a break in symmetry must occur in order to assure the house advantage in the long run. In principle, this can be created in two ways: there can be an asymmetry in the way the dealer&#39;s and player&#39;s hands are constructed, so that the dealer&#39;s hand is preferentially stronger; or there can be a symmetry in hand construction but an asymmetry in payoffs so as to prefer the dealer, e.g. by inclusion of &#34;bar&#34; hands or a &#34;dealer wins ties&#34; stipulation in the determination of the payoffs. 
     Another desirable trait is to have the players interact in the game by physically taking part. The tactile sensation of holding a set of cards or rolling a pair of dice should not be underestimated in accounting for the popularity of games like craps and blackjack. Too, by touching the gaming apparatus, many players subscribe to the popular notion that their destiny can be somehow controlled. A drawback of American-style baccarat and roulette is that the player never touches the apparatus of the game. 
     Yet another desirable feature is to have a jackpot side bet. This jackpot bet is a popular feature of the Caribbean Stud card game, and jackpot side bets have appeared recently in variations of craps, roulette, and blackjack as well. Because some players are wary of their own chances, knowing &#34;the odds are stacked for the dealer&#34;, a jackpot bet utilizing not only the player&#39;s hand but also the dealer&#39;s hand is especially alluring. Only the &#34;Top of the Deck&#34; blackjack side bet presently offers a jackpot reward if both player and dealer achieve a special hand. A drawback is that the Top of the Deck bet is only offered the first game after a shuffle and is thus unavailable most of the time. 
     All presently dealt casino dice games lack either the player vs. dealer motif, player involvement, or hand development. In particular, craps, 4-5-6, Pyramid dice, and Survival dice (DiLullo &amp; Jorasch, U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,175) all have rules wherein a player tries to achieve a certain roll or sequence of rolls in order to win the game. There is no dealer hand, per se, and the only dealer interaction is as banker and administrator to the game. Another proposed game, Casino Merry Go Round (Page, U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,559), incorporates arbitrary &#34;hands&#34; for the dealer and player, but in fact the &#34;hands&#34; are established in one roll, so no development takes place. Furthermore, the non-standard dice are never touched by any player, so betting aside, there is no player interaction. 
     There is therefore a need for an independent event game that is exciting, easy-to-play, utilizes standard apparatus, and pits the players against the house via the means of distinct player&#39;s hands and dealer&#39;s hands, which the players and dealers themselves produce and can see develop. Ideally, such a game includes a jackpot side bet that is available every game and is dependent on both the player&#39;s and dealer&#39;s hand. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a method for playing a betting game that employs conventional six-sided dice or their video or mechanical equivalent. The game is played on a playing surface with delineated areas for tracking the development of the game and for making wagers with money, gaming chips, credits, or their video or mechanical equivalent, on whether player or dealer will win. The game employs a method of developing a player&#39;s hand and a dealer&#39;s hand, and comparing their respective values to determine the outcome of the main wagers. 
     In general, a player&#39;s score and dealer&#39;s score can each be established via one of five hand embodiments, with payoffs modified to account for the needed house advantage. Three of the hand embodiments use a series of one- or two-dice rolls and result in score distributions where each of the values 1 through 6 is symmetrical and equally likely to occur, with a chance of obtaining a wildcard score, called a &#34;Six Shooter&#34;. Two hand embodiments use a total of 6 rolled dice and result in score distributions that are skewed toward either high or low values, also with a chance of obtaining a Six Shooter. 
     A preferred method of play is comprised of a designated dealer using a roll of four dice and a roll of two dice to establish a dealer score which is skewed toward high values. A designated &#34;shooter&#34;, representing all players, uses a series of two dice rolls to establish a symmetrical player score. After both player and dealer score are established, the main wagers are resolved. 
     In a preferred embodiment, players are also allowed to place wagers on a jackpot side bet at the beginning of play, and other optional side bets throughout the course of play. Each side wager has its own rewards and rules for wagering and resolution. In particular, a jackpot side bet is offered with a very large payout for a &#34;Double Six Shooter&#34;, whereby both player and dealer roll Six Shooters. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is a top view illustration of a preferred layout for the preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a table showing the theoretical distribution of scores for each embodiment of establishing the scores; 
     FIG. 3 is a table showing the theoretical house advantage for the preferred rewards in the preferred embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 shows a playing surface 8 for a betting game that employs conventional six-sided dice or their video or mechanical equivalent. A designated dealer or dealers, representing the casino, brokers the game and rolls to represent the house. A designated player, called a &#34;Shooter&#34;, rolls to represent the players. In the preferred embodiment, the Shooter rolls red dice, while the designated dealer rolls brown dice. 
     A &#34;Player&#39;s Corral&#34; area 14 and a &#34;Dealer&#39;s Stable&#34; area 16 are each depicted with images of die faces indicating the numbers 1 through 6. In conjunction with a &#34;Throws&#34; area 18, these are the regions in which the progress of the game is recorded. In addition, several betting areas are indicated on the layout. These betting areas include a &#34;Player Showdown&#34; betting zone 26, a &#34;Dealer Win&#34; betting zone 28, two &#34;Tie&#34; betting zones 20, a &#34;Throws&#34; betting zone 12, a &#34;Player&#39;s claim&#34; betting zone 30, a &#34;claim Next Throw&#34; betting zone 24, a &#34;No claim Next Throw&#34; betting zone 22, and a plurality of &#34;Jackpot&#34; betting zones 10, said Jackpot zones being represented by individual betting squares placed on the layout. Payoffs are set for winning each type of bet. 
     Before play begins, players, by placing bets of money, gaming chips, credits, or their video or mechanical equivalent in the appropriate areas, :may wager on the main Player Showdown, Dealer Win, and Tie wagers or the Jackpot, Throws, or Player&#39;s claim side bets. The Player&#39;s claim side bet is made on the die in the Player&#39;s claim area 30 corresponding to the anticipated value. 
     Though the dealer will altogether roll six dice, the dealer initially begins by simultaneously rolling four dice whose values are measured by the number of dots appearing on the uppermost surface. For each of the four said rolled values, a D button 22 is placed on the corresponding number in the Dealer&#39;s Stable area 16. After the dealer initially rolls and before the Shooter begins rolling, players may continue to make wagers on the Throws 12 or Player&#39;s claim 30 side bets. 
     It is then the Shooter&#39;s turn. The player begins and continues to roll a pair of dice until a player&#39;s score is established subject to the following provisions. After each roll a counter button 36 is moved to the appropriate number of rolls on the Throws area 18. The Player&#39;s Corral area 14 of the layout starts off empty. During the player&#39;s rolling while the Player&#39;s Corral is still empty, players may make wagers on the Player&#39;s claim 30 side bets. If the player at any time rolls two different numbers neither of which appears in the Player&#39;s Corral 14, then these numbers are placed in the Player&#39;s Corral via the means of a dealer putting a P button 34 on each of the two corresponding numbers in the Player&#39;s Corral 14 area. If the player rolls doubles or two different numbers each of which already have buttons in the Player&#39;s Corral 14 area, there are no changes to the Player&#39;s Corral. The player&#39;s turn ends when the player rolls two different numbers such that one and only one of the rolled numbers matches an existing number in the Player&#39;s Corral, said matching number becoming a &#34;Player&#39;s claim&#34;, said Player&#39;s claim becoming established at this point with the dealer placing an enlarged Player&#39;s claim button 38 on the appropriate die face of the Player&#39;s Corral area 14. If the player fills the Players Corral by rolling each of the numbers 1 through 6 before establishing a Player&#39;s claim, this is designated a &#34;Player Six Shooter&#34;, (not a Player&#39;s claim) and the dealer leaves P buttons 34 on all six numbers in the Player&#39;s Corral area 14. 
     Once at least two numbers have been placed in the Player&#39;s Corral 14, players may make one-roll wagers on the No claim Next Throw 22 and claim Next Throw 24 side bets at any time while the shooter is rolling. No claim Next Throw and claim next Throw bets are always resolved on the next throw of the dice. In making the No claim Next Throw bet, a player is wagering that the shooter will not make a Player&#39;s claim on the very next throw of the dice. A Player Six Shooter does not count as a Player&#39;s claim. If the Player&#39;s claim is not established on the next throw of the dice, the payoff is 1 to 1, unless it is by reason of doubles being thrown, in which case the bet is a push. The house&#39;s theoretical expectation for the No claim Next Throw side bet is +5.56%. In making a claim Next Throw side bet, a player is wagering that the shooter will establish a Player&#39;s claim on the very next throw of the dice. A Player Six Shooter does not count as a Player&#39;s claim. Winning bets are paid 1 to 1. The house&#39;s theoretical expectation for the claim Next Throw side bet is +11.1%. 
     After the shooter has finished rolling and either established a Player&#39;s claim or a Player Six Shooter, all Throws side bets and Player&#39;s claim side bets are resolved. In making the Throws side bet, a player is wagering on the total number of throws the player will make. In the preferred embodiment, all throws count, including doubles and those which don&#39;t change the contents of the Player&#39;s Corral. All bets are resolved at the end of the player&#39;s hand. Winning hands are paid as follows: 2 Throws, 3 to 2; 3 Throws, 2 to 1; 4 Throws, 4 to 1; 5 or more Throws, 4 to 1. The house&#39;s theoretical advantage ranges from+7.41% to+17.12%. In making a Player&#39;s claim side bet, a player is wagering on final numerical value for the player&#39;s score. All Player&#39;s claim side bets lose if the player makes a Player Six Shooter. Winning bets are paid 5 to 1. The house&#39;s theoretical expectation for any Player&#39;s claim side bet is +4.76%. 
     The dealer then rolls the final pair of brown dice. Additional D buttons 32 are placed on the appropriate values in the Dealer&#39;s Stable 16. At this point the rolling for the game is over. If any values in the Dealer&#39;s Stable 16 have more than one D button 32 on them, then the Dealer&#39;s claim is established as the value with the most D buttons 32 on it, with the dealer placing a Dealer&#39;s claim button 40 on the appropriate die face of the Dealer&#39;s Stable 16. That is, the Dealer&#39;s claim is the number appearing the most times among the 6 dealer dice. If two or more numbers each are tied in having the most buttons (e.g. 2 buttons each on the numbers 2 and 5 assuming rolls of 2,4,5,5 and 2,6), then the Dealer&#39;s claim shall be the highest of these numbers (the number 5 for the example above) and displayed in the same manner with a Dealer&#39;s claim button 40. If the six numbers rolled are all different, so that each value in the Dealer&#39;s Stable 16 has exactly one D button 32 on it, then this is designated a Dealer Six Shooter. 
     At this point, all remaining bets are resolved. 
     The Player Showdown bet is paid 1 to 1 if a Player&#39;s claim is greater than a Dealer&#39;s claim. If a Player&#39;s claim is equal to a Dealer&#39;s claim, then the bet is a push or tie. If a Dealer&#39;s claim is greater than a Player&#39;s claim, the Player Showdown bet is lost. A Player Six Shooter, with any Dealer claim, wins for the Player Showdown bet and is paid 3 to 1. A Dealer Six Shooter loses for the player unless the player also rolled a Player Six Shooter, in which case a Double Six Shooter is said to have occurred. A Double Six Shooter pays 6 to 1 for Player Showdown betters. The house&#39;s theoretical expectation, or advantage, for the preferred embodiment of the Player Showdown bet is +2.20%. 
     The Dealer Win bet pays 1 to 1 if a Dealer&#39;s claim is greater than a Player&#39;s claim. If a Dealer&#39;s claim is less than or equal to a Player&#39;s claim, then Dealer Win betters lose. A Dealer Six Shooter, with any Player claim, pays 1 to 1. A Player Six Shooter loses for the Dealer Win bet unless the dealer has also rolled a Dealer Six Shooter. In this case, the Double Six Shooter wins and is paid 6 to 1. The house&#39;s theoretical expectation for the preferred embodiment of the Dealer Win bet is +3.16%. 
     Tie bets pay 5 to 1 if the Player&#39;s claim is equal to the Dealer&#39;s claim or if there exists a Double Six Shooter. Otherwise the bet is lost. The house&#39;s theoretical expectation for the Tie bet is +6.16%. 
     For wagers on the Jackpot circle area 10 of the layout, a lone Six Shooter (Player or Dealer) pays 6 to 1. A Double Six Shooter pays 600 to 1. The house&#39;s theoretical expectation for the Jackpot side bet is +12.73%. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, other variations or modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention should not be limited by the foregoing description. Rather, the scope is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims.