Patent Publication Number: US-7722046-B2

Title: Casino roulette game

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/989,423, filed Nov. 20, 2007, which application is incorporated herein by specific reference in its entirety. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. The Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to casino roulette games. More specifically, the present invention relates to games of chance that use vertical or horizontal roulette wheels. 
   2. The Relevant Technology 
   The general concept of the roulette wheel having a large number of wheel sections has been known for some time. Each of the wheel sections typically corresponds to a unique number or other indicia. Various wheel sections can also correspond to different groupings, such as by color, odd or even numbering, or the like. Standard roulette game rules generally permit players to place wagers on one or more of the sections of the wheel, with various wagering combinations also being permitted based on the wheel section groupings. 
   After wagers have been placed, the wheel is spun and one of the wheel sections is randomly selected by an indicator. This is generally done in one of two ways, depending on the orientation of the wheel. For horizontally inclined wheels, a ball is introduced to the spinning wheel and randomly selects a pocket associated with one of the wheel sections. For vertically oriented wheels, a pointer is used to gradually slow down the wheel and randomly point to one of the wheel sections when the wheel comes to a stop. 
   Once a wheel section has been randomly selected, winnings are paid to the players that have correctly wagered on the selected wheel section or one of the groupings that includes the selected wheel section. All losing wagers are forfeited to the house and new wagers are then placed for the next spin of the wheel. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Various embodiments of the present invention will now be discussed with reference to the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. In the drawings, like parts are given like reference numerals. 
       FIG. 1  is a front elevation view of a vertically oriented roulette wheel assembly for a game of chance according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a top plan view of a playing surface for a game of chance according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the wagering area shown in  FIG. 2 , showing more detail; 
       FIG. 4  is a top plan view of a portion of the playing surface depicted in  FIG. 3 , showing one of the playing positions of the wagering area; and 
       FIG. 5  is a top plan view of a playing surface for a roulette game according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   The present invention is directed to a game apparatus used in a game of chance. The game apparatus includes a roulette wheel assembly having a roulette wheel and a playing surface for placing wagers on the outcome of a spin of the wheel. Various methods of playing the game of chance using the game apparatus are also disclosed herein. 
   Depicted in  FIG. 1  is one embodiment of a roulette wheel assembly  98  according to the present invention. Roulette wheel assembly  98  includes a vertically mounted roulette wheel  100  which rotates in a substantially vertical plane about a horizontally disposed axle  102 . The axle  102  extends from a substantially vertically disposed column  104 , which extends upwardly from a base  106  to a top end  108 . The face of the roulette wheel has a plurality of evenly spaced wheel sections  116 . The roulette wheel assembly  98  also includes an indicator mechanism for randomly selecting one of the wheel sections  116 . For example, in the depicted embodiment, the roulette wheel  100  includes a series of pins  110  disposed about the periphery  112  thereof and extending normal to the plane of the wheel  100 , with a resilient pointer  114  extending from the top end  108  of column  104  to engage the pins  110  as the wheel  100  rotates. When the wheel stops rotating, the resilient pointer  114  is positioned between adjacent pins  110  so as to indicate one of the wheel sections  116 , known as the randomly selected wheel section  118 . 
   The plurality of wheel sections  116  is divided into different portions according to what is contained within the wheel sections. For example, in a first portion of wheel sections, each wheel section  116   a  includes a plurality of dice faces disposed thereon, each of the dice faces corresponding to a separate dice. As used herein, a “face of a die” or a “die face” or equivalent notation is defined as a face of an actual die that is mounted to the wheel  100 , or a representation of a face of a die that is mounted or rendered on the wheel  100 . 
   In a second portion of wheel sections, each wheel section  116   b  includes a depiction of a suit of a standard deck of playing cards disposed thereon. As used herein, a “depiction of a playing card suit” or a “card suit depiction” or equivalent notation can comprise an actual playing card that is mounted to the wheel  100  or a representation of the card or the suit that is mounted or rendered on the wheel  100 . 
   In light of the above, the wheel sections  116   a  in the first portion of wheel sections (i.e., those wheel sections having multiple dice faces disposed thereon) are referred to herein as dice wheel sections  116   a . Similarly, the wheel sections  116   b  in the second portion of wheel sections (i.e., those wheel sections having a depiction of a playing card suit disposed thereon) are referred to herein as card wheel sections  116   b.    
   In the depicted embodiment, there are  36  dice wheel sections  116   a  and four card wheel sections  116   b  for a total of  40  wheel sections. Alternatively, there can be more or less total wheel sections  116  and/or a different number of each type of wheel section  116   a  and  116   b  on the wheel  100 . Furthermore, although each of the wheel sections  116  in the depicted embodiment is either a dice wheel section  116   a  or a card wheel section  116   b , this is not required. For example, other types of wheel sections  116  can be interspersed with the dice wheel sections  116   a  and the card wheel sections  116   b  on wheel  100 . 
   Each of the dice wheel sections  116   a  has a background portion  122  and two faces  124  and  126  of dice mounted or painted thereon. All of the background portions  122  of the dice wheel sections  116   a  are similar to each other so that it is obvious that the dice wheel sections  116   a  are related. For example, the background portions  122  can be colored similarly, and/or can have a similar design or pattern disposed thereon. 
   The two faces  124  and  126  of dice mounted or painted on each dice wheel section  116   a  form a dice combination  128 . Dice combinations are herein denoted “a-b”, wherein a represents the number disposed on one of the die faces and b represents the number on the other die face. For example, if die faces  124  and  126  respectively represent a 1 and a 2, then the corresponding dice combination  128  is “1-2” or “2-1.” 
   In the depicted embodiment, the dice faces  124  and  126  in each dice wheel section  116   a  are positioned radially so that the inner die face  124  is closer to the axle  102  of the wheel  100  than the outer die face  126 . In other embodiments, the faces  124  and  126  can be positioned side by side so that both dice faces  124  and  126  are equidistant from the axle  102 . Other arrangements are also possible. 
   There are 36 possible combinations available from a pair of six-sided dice. Each non-doubles dice combination (i.e., where the numbers represented on the selected faces of both dice do not match, e.g., “2-5” or “1-2”) can be obtained in two manners because the face of either die can show either number. For example, the combination of a 1 and a 5 can be arrived at by the face of the first die representing a  1  and the face of the second die representing a 2 (i.e., “1-2”) or the face of the first die representing a 2 and the face of the second die representing a 1 (i.e., “2-1”). In contrast, each doubles combination (e.g., “1-1” or “2-2”) can only be obtained in one manner because the faces of both dice must represent the same number. 
   The numbers represented on the dice combinations  128  of the  36  dice wheel sections  116   a  correspond to all of the combinations available from a pair of standard six-sided dice. As such, according to the explanation above, each non-doubles dice combination is represented by two of the dice wheel sections  116   a  while each doubles dice combination is represented by only one of the dice wheel sections  116   a.    
   For each dice wheel section  116   a , the numbers represented by the faces  124  and  126  of the pair of dice are summed together to obtain a summation. For example a dice wheel section  116   a  in which the faces of the dice respectively represent a 3 and a 4 would have a summation of  7 . The summations available from a pair of dice (and thus from the dice wheel sections  116   a ) range from 2 (the numbers represented on each pair of dice equaling 1) to 12 (the numbers represented on each pair of dice equaling 6). 
   According to one embodiment of the present invention, the faces  124  and  126  of the pair of dice in each dice wheel section  116   a  are painted a particular color based on the summation of the dice faces in the particular section. This can be done in a number of ways. For example, in one embodiment, each different summation is associated with a unique color. In that case, eleven different colors (for each of summations 2-12) are required to color the dice faces  124  and  126 . In other embodiments, summations are grouped together, which reduce the number of separate colors used. For example, in the depicted embodiment, dice wheel sections  116   a  having summations of 6 or 8 are grouped together to define a first group  130 , dice wheel sections  116   a  having summations of 5 or 7 are grouped together to define a second group  132 ; and dice wheel sections  116   a  having summations of 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 are grouped together to define a third group  134 . With a total of three dice groups ( 130 ,  132 , and  134 ), only three colors are required to distinguish between the different groups. In the depicted embodiment, the colors of the first group  130 , the second group  132 , and the third group  134  are respectively black, red, and yellow. Of course, these colors can be rearranged or other colors can alternatively be used. Based on the above groups, there are ten dice wheel sections  116   a  in each of the first and second groups  130  and  132 , and sixteen dice wheel sections  116   a  in the third group  134 . 
   Similar to the dice wheel sections  116   a , each of the card wheel sections  116   b  has a background portion  136 . All of the background portions  136  of the card wheel sections  116   b  are similar to each other so that it is obvious that the card wheel sections  116   b  are related. The background portions  136  of the card wheel sections  116   b  are also different than the background portions  122  of the dice wheel sections  116   a  so as to differentiate between the two sections. For example, the background portions  136  can be colored similar to each other, but different than the background portions  122 , and/or can have a design or pattern disposed thereon that is different from the background portions  122 . If the differentiating factor is color, the background portions  136  of the card wheel sections  116   b  are colored in a different color than the colors that differentiate between the groups of dice wheel sections  116   a . For example, in the depicted embodiment, the background portions  136  of the card wheel sections  116   b  are all colored green, which distinguishes over the black, red, and yellow colors used to differentiate the dice wheel section groups. Of course, other colors can alternatively be used. 
   There are four card wheel sections  116   b , each corresponding to a different suit of a standard deck of playing cards. Accordingly, each card wheel section  116   b  contains a representation  138  of one of the suits of the standard deck. For example, in the depicted embodiment, the card wheel sections  116   b  respectively depict a heart, a diamond, a spade, and a club. 
   The card wheel sections  116   b  can be evenly distributed around the wheel  100 , or can be positioned next to each other, or can be arranged in some combination of the two. For example, in the depicted embodiment the card wheel sections  116   b  are positioned so as to be evenly spaced from each other around the wheel  100 . 
   Depicted in  FIG. 2  is one embodiment of a playing surface  150  according to the present invention. The playing surface  150  can be a portion of a table or a tabletop or the like, as is known in the art. 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , playing surface  150  is generally semicircular, having a substantially linear inner edge  152  and a curved outer edge  154  extending between a first end  156  and a second end  158 . The playing surface  150  is configured so that a croupier  159  and game players  161  can be positioned respectively at the inner edge  152  and the outer edge  154 , similar to other casino games, such as blackjack or the like. Although three players  161  are depicted in  FIG. 2 , it is appreciated that more or less number of players are also possible. 
   Playing surface  150  contains a wagering area  160  that can cover the entire playing surface  150  or, as in the depicted embodiment, only a portion thereof As shown in  FIG. 3  in conjunction with  FIG. 2 , Wagering area  160  has a plurality of playing positions  162  that are substantially identical to each other. Wagering area  160  is designed so that game players  161  can position themselves around the outer edge  154  of playing surface  150  at a different playing position  162  and place wagers thereon corresponding to each spin of the wheel  100 . The number of playing positions  162  can vary. In the depicted embodiment there are six playing positions  162 , but more or less than this is also possible. 
   Turning to  FIG. 4 , each playing position  162  comprises a plurality of wager sections  164  corresponding to the wheel sections  116  on the roulette wheel  100  and groups discussed above. For example, in the depicted embodiment, three wager sections ( 166 ,  168 ,  170 ) correspond to the dice wheel sections  116   a  and two wager sections ( 172 ,  174 ) correspond to the card wheel sections  116   b.    
   The first wager section  166  corresponds to the first group  130  of dice wheel sections  116   a  on the wheel  100 , i.e., those dice wheel sections  116   a  having summations of 6 or 8. Because ten of the forty wheel sections  116  on wheel  100  correspond to first group  130 , the odds of the pointer  114  randomly selecting one of the dice wheel sections  116   a  corresponding to the first group  130  is 4 to 1. Those odds or the house&#39;s established payout amount can be printed in the first wager section. For example, in the depicted embodiment, the payout is printed: “Pays 2 to 1.” As noted above, the dice faces  124  and  126  associated with the first group  130  are colored black on the wheel  100 . Therefore, to help the game player coordinate the first wager section  166  with the first group  130  on the wheel  100 , the letters within the first wager section  166  are also colored black. 
   The second wager section  168  corresponds to the second group  132  of dice wheel sections  116   a  on the wheel  100 , i.e., those dice wheel sections  116   a  having summations of 5 or 7. Similar to that of first group  130 , because ten of the forty wheel sections  116  on wheel  100  correspond to second group  132 , the odds of the pointer  114  randomly selecting one of the dice wheel sections  116   a  corresponding to the second group  132  is also 4 to 1. Also similar to first wager section  166 , the payout is printed within second wager section  168 : “Pays 2 to 1.” As noted above, the dice faces  124  and  126  associated with the second group  132  are colored red on the wheel  100 . Therefore, to help the game player coordinate the second wager section  168  with the second group  132  on the wheel  100 , the letters within the second wager section  168  are also colored red. 
   The third wager section  170  corresponds to the third group  134  of dice wheel sections  116   a  on the wheel  100 , i.e., those dice wheel sections  116   a  having summations of 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. Because 16 of the forty wheel sections  116  on wheel  100  correspond to third group  134 , the odds of the pointer  114  randomly selecting one of the dice wheel sections  116   a  corresponding to the third group  134  is 5 to 2. Similar to first and second wager sections  166  and  168 , the payout is printed within third wager section  170 : “Pays 1 to 1.” The third wager section  170  is different than the first and second wager sections  166  and  170  in that the third wager section  170  also displays the individual summations within the third group  134  and gives different payouts depending on which summation of the third group  134  corresponds to the randomly selected wheel section  116  on the wheel  100 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , a summation of 2 or 12 gives a different payout than the other summations. As shown in the third wager section  170 , the dice wheel section  116  corresponding to a summation of 2 will yield a “double” payout (i.e., 2 to 1), and the dice wheel section  116   a  corresponding to a summation of  12  will yield a “triple” payout (i.e., 3 to 1). As noted above, the dice faces  124  and  126  associated with the third group  134  are colored yellow on the wheel  100 . Therefore, to help the game player coordinate the third wager section  170  with the third group  134  on the wheel  100 , the letters within the third wager section  170  are also colored yellow. 
   The fourth wager section  172  corresponds to the card wheel sections  116   b  on the wheel  100 . Because 4 of the forty wheel sections  116  on wheel  100  correspond to the card wheel sections  116   b , the odds of the pointer  114  randomly selecting one of the card wheel sections  116   b  is 10 to 1. Similar to the first three wager sections  166 ,  168 , and  170 , the payout is printed within fourth wager section  172 : “Pays 8 to 1.” As noted above, the background portions  136  of the card wheel sections  116   b  are all colored green on the wheel  100 . Therefore, to help the game player coordinate the fourth wager section  172  with the card wheel sections  116   b  on the wheel  100 , the letters within the fourth wager section  172  are also colored green. 
   The fifth wager section  174  also corresponds to the card wheel sections  116   b  on the wheel  100 . However, unlike the fourth wager section  174  that corresponds to all of the card wheel sections  116   b , the fifth wager section  174  contains a separate portion corresponding to each of the suits represented by the card wheel sections  116   b . That is, the fifth wager section  174  allows wagering on the individual playing card suits. To that end, displayed in fifth wager section  174  are representations of the card suits, one each for hearts  176 , diamonds  178 , clubs  180 , and spades  182 . Each of the representations  176 ,  178 ,  180 , and  182  includes a payout amount for the individual card suit. 
   Besides lettering colors, it is appreciated that the coordination of the wager sections  164  with corresponding groups on the wheel  100  can be done in other ways. For example, the background of the particular wager section  164  could be colored to match the color of the corresponding grouping on the wheel  100 . Other ways of coordination can also be used. 
   It is also appreciated that other indicia may be used within each wager sections  164  other than the payout amount. For example, the summation number(s) can alternatively be used. Alternatively, pictures such as icons can be used to associate each wager section  164  with the corresponding wheel section  116  or group. Furthermore, the payout amounts discussed above are exemplary only. The gambling establishment can of course determine different payout amounts if so desired. 
   A sixth wager section  184  may also be included to provide a location for a game player to place his ante onto the table or to allow wagering on other things, such as whether another player will win. For example, in the depicted embodiment the sixth wager section  184  is used for an ante and thus has a large “A” imprinted thereon for that purpose. 
   Although the wager sections  164  are depicted in a particular order in  FIG. 4 , this is not necessary. It is appreciated that the wager sections  164  can be organized in any manner. 
   During play, the roulette wheel assembly  98  is set up to face the playing surface  150  with the inner edge  152  of the playing surface  150  being the closest portion of the playing surface  150  to the wheel assembly  98 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The croupier  159  is positioned between the wheel assembly  98  and the playing surface  150 . The one or more players  161  are positioned, usually seated, around the outer edge  154  of the playing surface  150  so as to generally face the wheel  100 . Each player is positioned at a separate playing position  162 . Each player places a wager on one or more of the wager sections  164  corresponding to his playing position  162 . As discussed above, wager sections  166 ,  168 ,  170 ,  172 ,  174 , correspond to different wheel sections  116  or groups on the wheel  100 . For example, if the player places a wager in the first wager section  166 , the player is wagering that one of the wheel sections  116  corresponding to the first group will be randomly selected. 
   If a player places a wager on the fifth wager section, the player must place the wager on one of the suit representations  176 ,  178 ,  180 , or  182 . By so doing, the player is wagering that the card wheel section  116  corresponding to the particular card suit representation will be randomly selected. The player is not necessarily limited to a single wager. That is, the player can place wagers on more than one wager section  164  during a single spin of the wheel if the gambling establishment desires. 
   Once all of the wagers have been placed on the playing surface  150 , the wheel  100  is spun by the croupier. As the wheel  100  spins, the resilient pointer  114  contacts the pins  110  as the pins  110  pass the pointer  114 , thereby gradually slowing the wheel  100  down, as is known in the art. The wheel  100  eventually stops with the resilient pointer  114  being positioned between two adjacent pins  110  so as to “point” to the randomly selected wheel section  118 . 
   Each player that has placed a wager on a wager section corresponding to the selected wheel section  118  wins an amount based on the amount of the wager times the payout amount. For example, if the player had placed a $10 wager on second wager section  168  and the selected wheel section  118  contains two dice faces  124  and  126  that sum up to 7 (i.e., the selected wheel section  118  corresponds to the second group  132 ), the player receives his $10 back plus a payout of $20 ($10 times the payout of 2 to 1). If the selected wheel section  118  is a card wheel section  116 , each player that has placed a wager on the fourth wager section  172  is declared a winner and receives winnings corresponding to the established payout (8 to 1 in the exemplary embodiment) and each player that has placed a wager on the particular suit representation  176 ,  178 ,  180 , or  182  in the fifth wager section  174  corresponding to the suit  138  depicted on the randomly selected wheel section  116  is also declared a winner and receives winnings corresponding to the established payout (35 to 1 in the exemplary embodiment). 
   Note that if the selected wheel section  118  corresponds to the third group  134 , the payout for the players who placed wagers in the third wager section  170  depends on the sum of the dice faces  124  and  126  associated with the selected wheel section  118 . If the sum of the dice faces  124  and  126  is two or twelve, the payout is respectively 2 to 1 and 3 to 1; otherwise the payout is 1 to 1. As noted above, the listed payouts are exemplary only and can be established by the gambling establishment. 
   As is known in the art, all wagers placed on wager sections  164  that do not correspond to the selected wheel section  116  are forfeited to the gambling establishment and removed from the playing surface by the croupier. If the sixth wager section is used as an ante section, each player will place a predetermined ante amount before each spin of the wheel. 
   As is known in the art, cash, chips, or the like may be used as a form of wagering. 
   Depicted in  FIG. 5  is another embodiment of a playing surface  200  according to the present invention. Like elements between playing surface  200  and playing surface  150  are identified by like reference characters. Similar to playing surface  150 , playing surface  200  can be a portion of a table or a tabletop or the like, as is known in the art. 
   Similar to playing surface  150 , playing surface  200  has a generally linear inner edge  152  and semicircular outer edge  154 . However, instead of the wagering area  160  having a separate playing position  162  for each player, wagering area  204  includes wager sections  206  that are shared between players. For example, four separate first wager sections  208  are distributed about the playing surface  200 . Similar to the first wager sections  166  on playing surface  150 , the first wager sections  208  correspond to the first group  130  of dice wheel sections  116   a  on the wheel  100 . Similarly, four separate second wager sections  210  corresponding to the second group  132  and three separate fourth wager sections  212  corresponding to the card wheel sections  116   b  are also distributed about the playing surface  200 . 
   In the depicted embodiment, the first, second, and fourth wager sections  208 ,  210 ,  212  together form a portion of an arc, though this is not required. Furthermore, instead of displaying the payout amounts, the first and second wager sections  208  and  210  display the summations associated with the groups corresponding to the particular wager section and the fourth wager section  212  contains no lettering or numbering. Each of the wager sections  208 ,  210 , and  212  on playing surface  200  also displays a background color that matches the color of the background portion  122  or  136  associated with the corresponding wheel sections  116 . 
   Instead of having a plurality of third wager sections  170 , wagering area  204  uses the field portion of the playing surface as a third wager section  214 . That is, a wager placed on the wagering area  204  but outside of the delineated wager sections  208 ,  210 , and  212  constitutes a wager in the third wager section  214 . Similar to the third wager section  170 , different payout amounts are displayed for a summation of 2 or 12 in the third wager section  214 . 
   Note that playing surface  200  does not include a separate fifth wager section  174  displaying each of the particular card suit representations. Instead, a lammer or marker (not shown), having a representation of one of the suits is used to place a wager on a particular playing card suit, as discussed below. 
   Using playing surface  200 , the method of play is generally the same as with playing surface  150 . Wagers are placed, the wheel  100  is spun, and winnings are paid out based on the randomly selected wheel section  118 . As noted above, because the field portion of the table is used as a third wager section  214 , any wager placed outside of the delineated wager sections  208 ,  210 ,  212  constitutes a wager in the third wager section  214 . 
   Furthermore, as noted above, to place a wager on a particular playing card suit, a lammer or marker having a representation of the particular suit is used. The lammer is placed on top of the desired wager amount within the fourth wager sections  212  so that the desired card suit is showing on the lammer. This establishes that the wager is directed toward the particular suit shown on the lammer. If the suit displayed on the lammer corresponds to the selected wheel section  118 , the player who placed the wager wins and receives winnings corresponding to the established payout, as described previously. 
   It is appreciated that other alternative embodiments of the present invention are also possible. For example, other types of indicator mechanisms for randomly selecting one of the wheel sections can alternatively be used. In one embodiment, instead of a vertically oriented roulette wheel  100 , a horizontally oriented roulette wheel is used. In this embodiment, the indicator mechanism for randomly selecting one of the wheel sections comprises a ball and a plurality of pockets associated with the wheel sections. During a spin of the wheel, the ball randomly drops into one of the pockets corresponding to a wheel section, as is known in the art. Other indicator mechanisms for randomly selecting one of the wheel sections can also be used. 
   Also, variations in the number and type of wheel sections  116  are also possible. For example, in one embodiment, no card wheel sections  116   b  are included on the wheel  100 . That is, only dice wheel sections  116   a  are used. In this embodiment, the wager sections corresponding to the card wheel sections  116   b  are removed from the playing surface or simply not used and the odds and payout are adjusted accordingly. The corresponding card wheel sections  116   b  can also be removed from the wheel  100  so the wheel only has a total of thirty six wheel sections  116 . In another embodiment, the card wheel sections  116   b  are used, but no wagering is allowed on a particular suit. In this embodiment, the wager section corresponding to the particular suit representations are removed from the playing surface or simply not used and the odds and payout are adjusted accordingly. Other variations are also possible. 
   Furthermore, variations in the types and number of groups of the wheel sections  116  are also possible. For example, although only three groups of the dice wheel sections  116   a  are described herein, in other embodiments more or less groups are alternatively used. Furthermore, groups based on even vs. odd, above and below a certain summation, etc. can alternatively be used. 
   In addition, variations in the type of representations shown on the wheel sections can alternatively be used. For example, in one embodiment other types of number representations are used in place of dice representations. That is, instead of a pair of dice faces, each dice wheel section includes a pair of other number representations. The pair of number representations are summed to produce a summation, similar to the embodiments described herein. Additionally, other types of representations can be used in place of card suit representations. 
   The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.