Patent Publication Number: US-7581732-B2

Title: Method of playing a poker-type game

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   The present application is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 11/184,268, filed Jul. 19, 2005 for METHOD OF PLAYING A POKER-TYPE GAME in the name of John Feola. 

   STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
   Not Applicable 
   REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX 
   Not Applicable 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to games of chance, more specifically, to a game based on poker in which necessary knowledge of the game is minimized and skill is not a factor in playing. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Texas Hold&#39;em, a form of stud poker, has seen its popularity skyrocket as a result of various television shows that feature the game. With the popularity, many people are playing the game at home and more casinos are installing tables for the game. While watching people playing on these shows and at neighborhood gatherings, a novice to the game may feel overwhelmed and intimidated. This intimidation can take the form of feelings of embarrassment at not knowing how to play the games or not being able to play as fast or well as others, and can manifest itself by not trying the game or even in not gambling at all. 
   Texas Hold&#39;em is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The dealer deals out a hand to each player. Each hand receives two cards face down (the hole cards). The player to the left of the dealer antes an amount equal to half the minimum bet (the small blind) and the player to that player&#39;s left antes an amount equal to the minimum bet (the big blind). All players except the small and big blinds look at their hands and a round of wagering takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the big blind. After the round of wagering is complete, three community cards are dealt face up in the center of the table (the flop), followed by a second round of wagering beginning with the player to the dealer&#39;s left. After the second round, another community card is dealt face up (the turn card), followed by a third round of wagering. After the third round, the fifth community card is dealt face up (the river card), followed by the final round of wagering. 
   After the final round of wagering, each player turns their hole cards face up. The highest hand that can be made with any combination of a player&#39;s hole cards and the five community cards wins the pot. If two or more players have the same hand, the next highest card in each of the tied players&#39; hands (the kicker) is used as a tie-breaker. If there is no kicker, that is, the tied players used both hole cards or have the same hand, the pot is split between them. 
   As is clear, many wagering choices need to be made by each player during the course of the game. For the player that is unsure of herself, this can be a cause of anxiety and intimidation, especially when playing along side people who are experienced in the game. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is an object of the present invention to provide a game that is suitable for use in gambling. 
   Another object is to provide a game suitable for use in gambling based on a game where the player can feel comfortable learning the game. 
   Yet another object is to provide a game suitable for use in gambling based on a game where minimal knowledge of the rules of the game is necessary to play the game. 
   A further object is to provide a game suitable for use in gambling based on a game where the player can acquire knowledge of the rules of the game as games are played. 
   The present invention provides a game based on Texas Hold&#39;em poker where little knowledge of the rules of Texas Hold&#39;em poker is necessary to play. In the current implementation, there are five, revealed, two-card hands and five hidden community cards. The community cards are part of all five hands. A player wagers on one or more of the five hands to be the winning hand. After wagering, three of the community cards are revealed. The player must then either raise or fold each hand previously wagered. The last two community cards are revealed and the winning hand is determined. 
   The playing surface has a central dealer position with five card locations for each of the community cards. Player positions surround the dealer position. Each player position has a plurality of hand locations. Each hand location has a wager spot that represents the first cards of a hand and a raise spot. Since the first two cards of each hand are fixed, every game begins with the same five hands so that the odds of winning are known and remain the same from game to game. Also, the fixed cards are removed from the deck of playing cards. 
   To begin, a player selects the hand or hands that she thinks will win by placing the amount to be wagered on the wager spot of the desired hand. The dealer deals out the community cards face down in the community card locations. Since the community cards are part of every hand, the only difference between hands is the first two cards. After the first wagering round, the dealer reveals three community cards, followed by a second wagering round where the player must either wager an additional amount or fold each previously wagered hand. The remaining two community cards are revealed and the winning hand is determined by comparing the hands based on a predetermined criteria. Typically, the winning hand will be the highest rank among the best five cards. It does not matter if no one wagered on a particular hand, it may still be the winning hand. A player that wagered on the winning hand receives a predetermined payout according to a pay table. 
   Optionally, side bets, set jackpots, and/or progressive jackpots may be played as an adjunct to the game of the present invention. One optional side bet allows a player to wager that a particular hand will have a rank that is found in a pay table. Optionally, the hand is limited to the winning hand. Another optional side bet allows a player to wager that the hand composed only of the community cards will have a rank that is found in a pay table. Another optional side bet allows a player to wager that the hand composed only of the first three community cards will have a rank that is found in a pay table. 
   The present invention contemplates that the game may be played using other media, such as scratch or pull-tab tickets, video poker-type machines, personal computers, hand-held devices, slot machines, over an on-line computer network, or on another type of one-way or interactive gaming or entertainment equipment, such as keno-style or lottery-style equipment. 
   Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the following drawings and detailed description of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a fuller understanding of the nature and object of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  shows a table layout of the game of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  shows a detail of one version of a player location of the table layout of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  shows a detail of a second version of a player location of the table layout of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a table showing the winning frequency for each of the five hands of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 5  is an example pay table for hands of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 6  is an example pay table for the optional seven-card bonus side bet; 
       FIG. 7  is an example pay table for the optional community card bonus side bet; 
       FIG. 8  is an example pay table for the optional flop bonus side bet; 
       FIG. 9  shows a scratch ticket implementing the basic game of the present invention; 
       FIG. 10  shows a block diagram of a keno-style system implementing the basic game of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 11  shows a video screen implementing the basic game of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides a game based on Texas Hold&#39;em poker where little knowledge of the rules of Texas Hold&#39;em poker is necessary to play. The game is played with a basic set of rules and includes several optional enhancements. The essence of the game is that a player wagers on one or more hands that she hopes will be the winning hand. The chances of winning are not enhanced by the skills of the player because the players do not play against each other. Because a player can wager on any hand, it is irrelevant to each player how the other players are playing the game, for example, which hands they are wagering on and how much they are wagering. 
   The game of the present invention is played with a standard 52-card deck of playing cards. The present invention contemplates that more than one deck may be used and/or that wild cards, such as jokers, may be used. In the present implementation, standard poker rankings determine winning hands. 
   The term “playing card” is used in the present application to indicate a playing card, a symbol representing a playing card, any facsimile thereof. For example, a playing card can be a paper playing card, a representation of a card on a table layout, an image of a card on a video display, an image of a card on a scratch ticket, etc. Any representation of a playing card is contemplated. 
   In the game as it is currently implemented, there are five hands, each having two predetermined revealed (face up) cards, and five hidden (face down) community cards. The community cards are part of all five hands. In other words, each hand consists of the two predetermined cards and the five community cards. A player can wager on one or more of these five hands to be the winning hand. After wagering, three of the community cards are revealed. The player must then either raise or fold each hand previously wagered. The last two community cards are revealed and the winning hand is determined. 
   Before game play begins, the house selects the rules of the game to be played, which includes such items as the cards for the predetermined hands, how many hands are dealt, the ranking of hands, how the winning hand will be determined, and any side bets that are permitted. The number of hands dealt is not related in any way to the number of players, so it does not matter how many players there are in the game. There may be from two hands up to the maximum number of hands that can be made from the number of playing cards available. For a standard 52-card deck, there can be as many as 23 hands. 
   The game is played on a playing surface, typically a tabletop, although other playing surfaces are contemplated, as described below. Example configurations of a playing surface  10  are shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . The playing surfaces  10  of  FIGS. 1-3  are merely examples and any other playing surface configuration that provides the functionality needed to play the game of the present invention is contemplated. 
   The central dealer position  12  has five card locations  14   a - 14   e  (collectively,  14 ), one location for each of the community cards. 
   The dealer position  12  is surrounded by a plurality of identical player positions  20 . Typically, the player positions  20  are evenly spaced in a semicircle around the dealer position  12 . Typically, there are six player positions  20 , but because the number of players is not related to the number of player hands, the number of player positions  20  may vary. Each player position  20  has a plurality of hand locations. In the example of  FIG. 2 , there are five hand locations  22   a - 22   e  (collectively,  22 ). Each hand location  22  has a wager spot  24   a - 24   e  (collectively,  24 ) and a raise spot  26   a - 26   e  (collectively,  26 ). 
   The wager spot  24  represents the first cards of a hand. In the present implementation, this is two cards, although the present invention contemplates one, two, three, or some other number of first cards. In the present implementation, the first cards for each hand are predetermined, that is, each hand has the same first cards for every game. To highlight this, optionally, the predetermined cards for each hand are printed on the playing surface. In the example of  FIG. 2 , hand A has a 2 of clubs and a 7 of hearts, hand B has a 5 of diamonds and a 5 of hearts, hand C  22  has a jack of spades and a queen of spades, hand D has a 9 of diamonds and an 8 of diamonds, and hand E has an ace of clubs and a king of hearts. These particular card combinations are chosen for the odds of winning that each hand represents. The win frequency for each hand, a proxy for the odds of winning, is shown in  FIG. 4 . The present invention contemplates that the hands can have any desired two card combinations. 
   In the present implementation, where the first two cards of each hand are fixed, every game using the same playing surface begins with the same five hands. This means that the odds of winning are known and remain the same from game to game. A player does not have to figure out the odds of winning for each hand for every game, simplifying the game for beginners, which is one of the objects of the game. 
   As indicated above, the present implementation of the game is played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards. However, because the present implementation fixes the first cards of each hand, those cards are removed from the deck so that there are no duplicates. In the example of  FIG. 2 , the 2 and ace of clubs, the 5, 8, and 9 of diamonds, the 5, 7, and king of hearts, and the jack and queen of spades are removed, so that there are 44 cards remaining in the deck. 
   To begin the game, each player selects the hand or hands that she thinks will win. In the present implementation, the hand that ends up with the highest poker rank is the winning hand. The present invention does contemplate that other criteria may determine the winning hand, for example, the lowest poker rank. The selections are made in this first round of wagering by placing the amount to be wagered on the wager spot  24  of the desired hand. The wagered amount is indicated by any marker or markers that acceptably signify value, such as cash, chips, credit vouchers, or other cash equivalents. 
   Before, during, or after the wagers are placed, the dealer deals out a number of community cards face down in the community card locations  14 . Alternatively, one or more of the community cards may be face up. The community cards are considered to be part of every hand, which means that the only difference from one hand to another is the first two cards of each hand. In the present implementation, there are five community cards, but any number may be used. 
   After the first round of wagering, the dealer reveals the community cards in the first three locations  14   a - 14   c  by turning them face up. At this point, a second round of wagering takes place. For each hand that the player wagered on, the player must either wager an additional amount or fold the hand. The player makes an additional wager by placing a marker in the corresponding R spot  26 . In the present implementation, the additional wager is equal to the first wager. After this second round of wagering, the remaining two community cards  14   d ,  14   e  are revealed by turning them face up. Alternatively, rather than a second round of wagering, all of the community cards  14   a - 14   e  are revealed after the first round of wagering. 
   In the present implementation, the community cards are all dealt face down before, during, or after the first round of wagering and then turned over to reveal the card value when needed during the game. Alternatively, each community card may be dealt face up as it is needed during the game. 
   The winning hand is determined by comparing the hands based on a predetermined criteria. In the present implementation, that criteria includes determining which hand has the highest rank among the best five cards of each hand where, as indicated above, each hand consists of the first two cards plus the five community cards. If two or more hands tie, all of the tied hands are considered to be the winning hand. It does not matter if no one wagered on a particular hand, it may still be the winning hand. A player that wagered on the winning hand is a winning player. The winning player receives a predetermined payout according to the pay table in use. 
   Optionally, the payout is based on the rank of the winning hand. A sample of such a pay table is shown in  FIG. 5 , where a player wagering on the winning hand receives a payout of 2 to 1 if the hand has a flush or lower. If the winning hand has a full house or higher, a player wagering on the winning hand receives a payout shown in the table. The payout is based on the odds that the hand will achieve the ranking. For example, the odds that hand A (2 of clubs/7 of hearts) will end up with a ranked hand are much worse than that of hand 2 (5 of diamonds/5 of hearts). This difference is reflected in the payout for the two hands, as can be seen in the “Full House or Better” column of the payout table of  FIG. 5 . 
   Optionally, side bets and/or jackpots may be played as an adjunct to the game of the present invention. Those players that play the game are given the option of playing a side bet or jackpot. It is optional with the house whether or not to allow a side bet or jackpot to be played without also playing the game. Only those players who wager on a side bet before a game begins are eligible to win that side bet on the completion of the game. 
   A jackpot may be “set” or “progressive”. In a set jackpot, the amount put into the jackpot for each game is fixed, but the fixed amount may be adjusted periodically, for example, after the jackpot is won. If more than one eligible player wins a set jackpot, each winner is paid a predetermined amount. In a progressive jackpot, the amount put into the jackpot increases for each game played during which the jackpot is not won. If more than one eligible player wins a progressive jackpot, its value is divided equally among the winners. 
   One contemplated bonus side bet or jackpot allows a player to wager that a particular hand will have a rank that is found in a pay table, whether or not the hand is a winning hand. If the player wishes to place this side bet, he indicates so by placing the amount to be wagered on the appropriate B spot  28   a - 28   e  of the desired hand or hands, shown in  FIG. 2 . The side bet is won if the rank of the hand is found in the pay table. An example pay table for this side bet is shown in  FIG. 6 . 
   Alternatively, the side bet is limited to the rank of the winning hand. If the player wishes to place this side bet, he indicates so by placing the amount to be wagered on the W spot  30 , shown in  FIG. 3 . If the winning hand has a rank that is found in the pay table, the side bet is won. The side bet does not require that the player wager on the winning hand. 
   Another possible form of a bonus side bet or jackpot allows a player to wager that the hand composed only of the community cards will have a rank that is found in a pay table. If the player wishes to place this side bet, he indicates so by placing the amount to be wagered on the C spot  32 , shown in  FIG. 2 . The side bet is won if the rank of the community cards is found in the pay table. An example pay table for this side bet is shown in  FIG. 7 . 
   Another possible form of a bonus side bet or jackpot allows a player to wager that the hand composed only of the flop will have a rank that is found in a pay table. The flop is composed of the first set of community cards that are revealed. In the present implementation, this is the first three community cards in locations  14   a - 14   c . If the player wishes to place this side bet, he indicates so by placing the amount to be wagered on the F spot  34 , shown in  FIG. 3 . The side bet is won if the rank of the community cards is found in the pay table. An example pay table for this side bet is shown in  FIG. 8 . 
   Optionally, the jackpots from more than one table may be linked together as a single jackpot. 
   The present invention contemplates that, rather than being played on a table surface with a live dealer, the game is played using other media, such as scratch or pull-tab tickets, video poker-type machines, personal computers, hand-held devices, slot machines, over an on-line computer network, or on other types of one-way or interactive gaming or entertainment equipment, such as keno-style or lottery-style equipment. 
   In one example of a scratch ticket  40 , shown in  FIG. 9 , the five two-card hands  42   a - 42   e  are shown exposed and there is a scratch location  44   a - 44   e  for each of the community cards. The player selects one or more hands to be played and the ticket  40  is marked to show the selection(s). In the ticket of  FIG. 9 , the two selected hands are marked with a star  46 . The community cards are randomly selected prior to printing. The player scratches to reveal the community cards  44   a - 44   e . The ticket is a winning ticket if the player selected the winning hand. 
   In a keno-style lottery system  50 , a block diagram of which is shown in  FIG. 10 , a player typically makes her choice of player hands at a remote location  54  by marking a slip of paper with the hands she wishes to wager on and the wager amount. She gives the slip to a clerk with the amount of the wager in cash, who then scans the slip into a terminal  56  that sends the choices to a central location  52 . Alternatively, choices can be made from keys on a keyboard, keys on a key grid, or by boxes on a touch screen grid. Alternatively, the player many request a “quick pick,” where the input terminal  56  or central location  52  randomly chooses a hand or hands for the player. The player receives a receipt, such as a paper receipt, or other acknowledgement, such as an indication on a private terminal, indicating the hand or hands chosen for the game. As the game is being played, the hands are displayed on a video screen  58  or matrix of video screens visible to the players at the remote location  54  from information received from the central location  52 . 
   With individual machines, an example of which is shown in  FIG. 11 , each player has her own terminal  60 . An example is a video machine at a gaming establishment. The predetermined cards of the five hands  82   a - 82   e  are displayed on the player&#39;s video screen  62 . Prior to playing a game, the player inserts cash, a voucher, or a paper ticket, into a money reader  64  or swipes a credit card, debit card, or player card in a card reader  66 . The player begins a game by pressing the NEW button  70  and entering the hands on which the player wishes to wager and amount to wager using the keypad  70  or a touch screen  62 . The player presses the PLAY button  74  to reveal the first three community cards  84   a - 84   c . The player can either fold or raise each of the previously selected hands. The player presses the PLAY button  74  again to reveal the last two community cards  84   d ,  84   e  and to determine if the player won. Winning amounts are credited to the player and may be printed on a voucher  76  for payment by a cashier or they may be paid in coins or other monetary tokens by the terminal itself. Optionally, the terminal  60  may include a QUICK button  78  to provide the player with a “quick pick” option, and/or a REPEAT button  80  so that the player may repeat the selections from the previous game. 
   Alternatively, the standalone machine may be a personal computer, hand-held device, or mobile telephone. The standalone machine can be part of a wired or wireless network. Wagers can be made by debits to credit cards, debit cards, or other cash equivalent. Payouts can be made by crediting credit cards, debit cards, or other bank account, by dispatching gifts, or by any other method wherein the player is credited with the amount won. 
   Thus, it has been shown and described a poker-type game that satisfies the objects set forth above. 
   Since certain changes may be made in the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the present invention, it is intended that all matter described in the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.