Patent Publication Number: US-2005121851-A1

Title: Method of and apparatus for gaming

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 10/860,398 filed Jun. 3, 2004, currently pending, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/403,275 filed Apr. 1, 2003, currently pending. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
      This invention relates generally to games of chance and more particularly to improvements in the gaming activity known as craps.  
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      As is well known to those skilled in the art, the gaming activity known as craps is a table game, that is, craps is played on a gaming table as opposed to a gaming machine. Gaming machines which emulate the craps table game are also known, and the present invention is equally applicable thereto.  
      Craps differs from other table games in that the bets or wagers which are available to the player are clearly delineated on the craps table. Stated conversely, the only bets that can be made in the game of craps are identified with and stated on segregated areas of the craps table. In order to make a bet, a craps player places a selected number of chips on the segment of the craps table corresponding to the selected bet, whereupon the bet is made.  
      Referring to  FIG. 1  of the drawings, there is shown a conventional craps table  10 . As stated above, all of the bets or wagers that are possible in the game of craps are clearly stated on the craps table  10  and are associated with a particular designated segment thereof. Thus, if a player wishes to place a “COME” bet, the player places one or more chips in one of the segments  12  of the craps table  10  at the designated time during play of the craps game.  
      Having particular reference to the segments  14  of the craps table  10 , two of the bets which are disfavored by craps players are known as “Big 6” and “Big 8”. The “Big 6” and “Big 8” bets are generally referred to in the industry as “sucker bets” because the odds of winning these bets favor the house to a much greater extent as compared to other bets or wagers which are available on the craps table  10 . Also, the payout resulting from a winning “BIG 6” or “BIG 8” is considered inadequate by most craps players.  
      Although a wager favoring the house might at first seem advantageous to the operator of the craps, table  10 , in the long run this is not the case. Thus, although a novice might occasionally make a “Big 6” or “Big 8” wager, the player will not do so again upon learning that the odds pertaining to such a bet so strongly favor the house. Therefore, because the areas of the craps table  10  associated with the “Big 6” and “Big 8” wagers go virtually unused, the areas  14  of the crap table  10  represent wasted space which does not earn revenue for the operator of the craps table  10 .  
      The present invention comprises an improvement in the game of craps which overcomes the foregoing and other difficulties which have long since characterized the prior art. In accordance with the invention, one or more segments of the craps table heretofore associated with the bets known as “Big 6” and “Big 8” are replaced with different betting or waging opportunities which are much more favorable to the player. Alternatively, some craps tables may already have the “Big 6” and “Big 8” betting options removed, in which case the present invention comprises additional betting opportunities than those already presented on the craps table. The assignment of the portion of the craps table to betting opportunities more favorable to the player is ultimately advantageous to the operator of the craps table in that craps tables incorporating the present invention will attract additional players as compared with conventional craps tables not incorporating the present invention. Thus, because all bets or wagers available in the game of craps ultimately favor the house to a greater or lesser degree, operators of craps tables incorporating the present invention will ultimately realize increased revenues as opposed to operators of conventional craps tables.  
      Having particular reference to the segment  16  of the craps table  10 , another bet with odds favoring the house, but popular among craps players is betting the “Hardways.” The “Hardways” wagers that the Shooter must roll either a double two, double three, double four, or double five, resulting in a hard four, six, eight, or ten respectively, before a seven is rolled. If the shooter rolls the selected “hard” number in doubles, the payoff is high for the player, specifically a ten-to-one payout. However, if the selected number is rolled in a combination other than doubles, the player loses the bet.  
      In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a different wagering opportunity for a player to wager that a “hard” number will be thrown, but where the bet is not lost if the selected number is thrown in a combination other than doubles. This provides a better betting alternative to the player, because the only throw that defeats the bet is a seven, and may be referred to as a “Softways” bet.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had by reference to the following Detailed Description when taken in connection with the accompanying Drawings, wherein:  
       FIG. 1  is an illustration of a prior art craps table;  
       FIG. 2  is an illustration of novel craps wagering opportunities comprising the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  is an illustration of a craps table incorporating the wagering opportunity shown in  FIG. 2 ;  
       FIG. 4  is an illustration of another novel craps wagering opportunities comprising the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is an illustration of a craps table incorporating the wagering opportunity shown in  FIG. 4 ;  
       FIG. 6  is an illustration of yet another novel craps wagering opportunity comprising the present invention;  
       FIG. 7  is an illustration of a craps table incorporating the wagering opportunity shown in  FIG. 6 ;  
       FIG. 8  is an illustration of yet another novel craps wagering opportunity comprising the present invention;  
       FIG. 9  is an illustration of a craps table incorporating the wagering opportunity shown in  FIG. 8 ; and  
       FIG. 10  is an illustration of a variation of the novel craps wagering opportunity shown in  FIG. 8 .  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      Referring now to the Drawings, and particularly to  FIG. 2 , there is shown a craps table segment  20  incorporating the present invention. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the craps table segment  20  is intended as a replacement for the segments  14  of the craps table  10  shown in  FIG. 1  whereby the wagering opportunities afforded by means of the present invention replace the Big 6 and Big 8 wagers of a conventional craps table. Alternatively, some craps tables may already have the “Big 6” and “Big 8” betting options removed, in which case the present invention comprises additional betting opportunities than those already presented on the craps table.  
      The segment  20  includes an odd portion  22  and an even portion  24 . By placing one or more chips on the odd portion  22 , the player wagers that five, seven, nine, or eleven will be thrown on the next roll of the dice during the play of the craps game. If an odd number is thrown, the player receives a payout equal to one time the original bet while retaining the original bet. If an even number is thrown, the player loses the original bet. If a three is thrown, the player does not receive a payout nor does the player lose the original bet. The bet remains for the next throw of the dice, unless the player opts to take down the bet.  
      By placing one or more chips on the even portion  24 , the player wagers that a four, six, eight, or ten will be thrown on the next roll of the dice during the play of the craps game. If an even number is thrown, the player receives a payout equal to one time the original bet while retaining the original bet. If an odd number is thrown, the player loses the original bet. If a two or twelve is thrown, the player does not receive a payout nor does the player lose the original bet. The bet remains for the next throw of the dice, unless the player opts to take down the bet. As will therefore be understood by those skilled in the art, the bets provided to the craps player by this embodiment of the present invention resemble, in some respects, the conventional “field” bet.  
       FIG. 3  shows a craps table  30  incorporating the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The craps table  30  is identical to the craps table  10  of  FIG. 1  except that the craps table segment  20  shown in  FIG. 2  replaces both of the craps table segments  14  shown in  FIG. 1 . The use of the craps table  30  of  FIG. 3  is highly advantageous both to the player and to the table operator as compared with the use of the craps table  10  of  FIG. 1 . With respect to the craps player, the use of the segment  20  and the wagering opportunities afforded by means of the present invention provides better odds and more payout opportunities. With respect to the craps table operator, the use of the segment  20  and the wagering opportunities of the present invention attracts more players to the craps table which ultimately results in a larger return to the table operator.  
       FIG. 4  shows a craps table segment  40  intended as a replacement for the segments  14  of the craps table  10  shown in  FIG. 1 . The segment  40  includes a low portion  44  and a high portion  46 . By placing one or more chips on the low portion  44  the player wagers that a two, a three, a four, or a five will be thrown on the next roll of the dice during the play of the craps game. If a two is thrown on the next roll, the player receives a payout equal to five times the original bet while retaining the original bet. If a three, a four, or a five is thrown on the next roll, the player receives a payout equal to two times the original bet while retaining the original bet.  
      If a player places one or more chips on the high portion  46  of the segment  40 , the player wagers that a nine, a ten, an eleven, or a twelve will be thrown on the next roll of the dice during the play of the craps game. If a twelve is thrown on the next roll during play of the craps game, the player receives a payout equal to five times the original wager while retaining the original wager. If a nine, a ten, or an eleven is thrown on the next roll during play of the craps game, the player receives a payout equal to two times the original wager while retaining the original wager. As will therefore be understood by those skilled in the art, the bets provided to the craps player by this embodiment of the present invention resemble, in some respects, the conventional “field” bet.  
       FIG. 5  shows a craps table  50  incorporating the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 4 . The craps table  50  is identical to the craps table  10  of  FIG. 1  except that the craps table segment  40  shown in  FIG. 4  replaces both of the craps table segments  14  shown in  FIG. 1 . The use of the craps table  50  of  FIG. 5  is highly advantageous both to the player and to the table operator as compared with the use of the craps table  10  of  FIG. 1 . The advantages to both the player and table operator are substantially similar to the advantages gained by operating the craps table  30  shown in  FIG. 3  described hereinabove in conjunction therewith.  
       FIG. 6  shows a craps table segment  60  similar to the craps table segment  40  illustrated in  FIG. 4 . Many of the portions of the craps table segment  60  are substantially identical in construction and function to the segments of the craps table segment  40  illustrated in  FIG. 4  described hereinabove in conjunction therewith. Such identical component parts are designated in  FIG. 6  with the same reference numerals utilized above in the description of the craps table segment  60 , but are differentiated therefrom by means of a prime (′) designation.  
      The craps table segment  60  differs from the craps table segment  40  of  FIG. 4  in that the craps table segment  60  offers two additional betting options. Below the low portion  44 ′ is an alternate low portion  64  allowing the player to wager that a two, three, four, five, or six will be thrown on the next roll of the dice. If a two is thrown, the player receives a payout equal to five times the original bet while retaining the original bet. If a three, four, five, or six is thrown on the next roll of the dice, the player receives a payout equal to the original bet while retaining the original bet. Below the high portion  46 ′ is an alternate high portion  66  allowing the player to wager that an eight, nine, ten, eleven, or twelve will be thrown on the next roll of the dice. If a twelve is thrown, the player receives a payout equal to five times the original bet while retaining the original bet. If an eight, nine, ten, or eleven is thrown on the next roll of the dice, the player receives a payout equal to the original bet while retaining the original bet. As will therefore be understood by those skilled in the art, the bets provided to the craps player by this embodiment of the present invention resemble, in some respects, the conventional “field” bet.  
       FIG. 7  shows a craps table  70  incorporating the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 6 . The craps table  70  is identical to the craps table  10  of  FIG. 1  except that the craps table segment  60  shown in  FIG. 6  replaces both of the craps table segments  14  shown in  FIG. 1 . The use of the craps table  70  of  FIG. 7  is highly advantageous both to the player and to the table operator as compared with the use of the craps table  10  of  FIG. 1 . The advantages to both the player and table operator are substantially similar to the advantages gained by operating the craps table  30  shown in  FIG. 3  described hereinabove in conjunction therewith.  
       FIG. 8  shows a craps table segment  80  intended as a replacement for the segments  14  of the craps table  10  shown in  FIG. 1  whereby the wagering opportunities afforded by means of the present invention replace the Big 6 and Big 8 wagers of a conventional craps table. The segment  80  includes six “Softways” segments, wherein the player can wager that a hard number will be thrown before a seven is thrown. A “Hard” number is thrown by rolling doubles. Distinct from the “Hardways” segment  16  of the craps table  10  shown in  FIG. 1 , the “Softways” segment allows the player to wager that a “hard” number will be thrown, but the wager is not lost if the selected number is thrown in a combination other than doubles. Specifically, the segment  80  includes a multi-number portion  82  that allows the player to wager that a double two, double three, double four, or double five, resulting in a hard four, six, eight, or ten, will be thrown in doubles on the next roll of the dice. If doubles are thrown, the player receives a 7 to 5 payout while retaining the amount of the original bet. If a four, six, eight, or ten is thrown in a combination other than doubles, or any other number besides a seven is thrown, the player neither wins nor loses their bet. The player may keep the bet posted for the next roll of dice or opt to take the bet down. The only roll that results in the player losing the bet is if a seven is thrown.  
      In addition to the multi-number portion  82 , the segment  80  includes a four-ten portion  84  and a six-eight portion  86 . The four-ten portion  84  is similar to the multi-number portion  82  with the only difference being that the bet is narrowed to only a four or ten being thrown. Similarly, the six-eight portion  86  wagers only for a six or an eight to be thrown in doubles. For both the four-ten portion  84  and the six-eight portion  86 , the player wins if the selected numbers are thrown in doubles. The payout is 14 to 5 while retaining the amount of the original bet. Finally, the segment  80  includes individual portions  88 ,  90 ,  92 , and  94  for each of the hard numbers four, six, eight, and ten  94 , respectively, allowing the player to wager only one number being thrown in doubles. The only roll of the dice causing a player to lose their bet on any portion of the segment  80  is a seven being thrown by the shooter. As will therefore be understood by those skilled in the art, the bets provided to the craps player by this embodiment of the present invention resemble, in some respects, the conventional “place” bet.  
       FIG. 9  shows a craps table  96  incorporating the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 8 . The craps table  96  is identical to the craps table  10  of  FIG. 1  except that the craps table segment  80  shown in  FIG. 8  replaces both of the craps table segments  14  shown in  FIG. 1 . The use of the craps table  96  of  FIG. 9  is highly advantageous both to the player and to the table operator as compared with the use of the craps table  10  of  FIG. 1 . The advantages to both the player and table operator are substantially similar to the advantages gained by operating the craps table  30  shown in  FIG. 3  described hereinabove in conjunction therewith.  
       FIG. 10  shows a craps table segment  100  similar to the craps table segment  80  illustrated in  FIG. 8 . Many of the portions of the craps table segment  100  are substantially identical in construction and function to the portions of the craps table segment  80  illustrated in  FIG. 8  described hereinabove in conjunction therewith. Such identical component parts are designated in  FIG. 10  with the same reference numerals utilized above in the description of the craps table segment  80 , but are differentiated therefrom by means of a prime (′) designation.  
      The craps table segment  100  differs from the craps table segment  80  of  FIG. 8  in that the craps table segment  100  offers two additional betting options. The two bet portion  102  allows the player to wager that the number two will be rolled via double ones before a seven is thrown. The twelve portion  104  provides the player to wager that a twelve will be rolled via double sixes before a seven is thrown. Both the two segment  102  and twelve portion  104  awards a 28 to 5 payout plus the amount of the original bet if the chosen number and dice combination is thrown before the shooter throws a seven. As will therefore be understood by those skilled in the art, the bets provided to the craps player by this embodiment of the present invention resemble, in some respects, the conventional “place” bet.  
       FIG. 10   a  illustrates a craps table segment  110  similar to the craps table segment  100  illustrated in  FIG. 108 . Many of the portions of the craps table segment  110  are substantially identical in construction and function to the portions of the craps table segment  100  illustrated in  FIG. 10  described hereinabove in conjunction therewith. Such identical component parts are designated in  FIG. 10   a  with the same reference numerals utilized above in the description of the craps table segment  100 , but are differentiated therefrom by means of a double prime (″) designation. The craps table segment  110  differs from the craps table segment  100  of  FIG. 10  in that the craps table segment  110  illustrates the numbers two in the two portion  102 ″ with two die showing the number one, and the twelve portion  104 ″ illustrates the number twelve with two die showing the number six.  
      Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions of parts and elements without departing from the spirit of the invention.