Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US20020185814?dq=6,998,619
Timestamp: 2017-12-11 08:25:51
Document Index: 14416145

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 911', 'arts 912', 'arts 913', 'arts 914', 'arts 921', 'arts 922', 'arts 923', 'arts 924', 'arts 925', 'arts 931', 'arts 932', 'arts 933', 'arts 934', 'arts 935', 'arts 941', 'arts 942', 'arts 943', 'arts 941', 'arts 942', 'arts 943', 'arts 951', 'arts 952', 'arts 953', 'arts 954', 'arts 955', 'arts 961', 'arts 962', 'arts 963', 'arts 964', 'arts 965']

Patent US20020185814 - Electronic multi-hand stud poker games - Google Patents
A player selects the number of hands that the player wishes to play. A plurality of initial partial hands are displayed to the player. Each initial partial hand has the same cards with the cards displayed face up to the player. Each hand is then completed as a stud poker final hand by dealing the additional...http://www.google.com/patents/US20020185814?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US20020185814 - Electronic multi-hand stud poker games
Publication number US20020185814 A1
Application number US 09/854,156
Publication number 09854156, 854156, US 2002/0185814 A1, US 2002/185814 A1, US 20020185814 A1, US 20020185814A1, US 2002185814 A1, US 2002185814A1, US-A1-20020185814, US-A1-2002185814, US2002/0185814A1, US2002/185814A1, US20020185814 A1, US20020185814A1, US2002185814 A1, US2002185814A1
US 20020185814 A1
A player selects the number of hands that the player wishes to play. A plurality of initial partial hands are displayed to the player. Each initial partial hand has the same cards with the cards displayed face up to the player. Each hand is then completed as a stud poker final hand by dealing the additional cards from either the original single deck of cards (less the initially dealt cards) or from a plurality of partial depleted decks of playing cards, each depleted deck of playing cards comprising a full deck less the cards dealt as the initial partial hand. The player wins or loses depending on the poker hand ranking of each final hand. The amount won by the player is based on the poker hand ranking of each final hand and the amount wagered by the player according to a pay table.
1. A method of playing a stud poker card game in which a final hand has at least five cards comprising:
a) the player selecting to play at least two hands;
b) a player making a wager which is allocated among the hands selected to be played by the player;
c) dealing and displaying face up a number of partial hands of less than five cards, the number of partial hands corresponding to the number of hands selected to be played by the player, each partial hand having the same cards;
d) dealing and displaying face up additional cards to each hand to complete each hand so that each final hand has at least five cards;
e) determining the poker hand ranking of each final hand; and
f) paying the player a pre-established amount based on the amount of the wager on each hand if the final hand comprises a predetermined poker hand ranking.
2. The method of claim 1 in which each partial hand has four cards.
13. The method of claim 1 in which the player is awarded a bonus payout whenever the player achieves at least two final hands of the same poker hand ranking.
14. A method of playing a stud poker card game in which a final hand has a predetermined number of cards comprising:
c) dealing and displaying face up a number of partial hands of less than the predetermined number of cards, the number of partial hands corresponding to the number of hands selected to be played by the player, each partial hand having the same cards;
d) dealing and displaying face up additional cards to each hand to complete each hand so that each final hand has the predetermined number of cards;
15. The method of claim 14 in which the predetermined number of cards in the final hand is two.
16. The method of claim 14 in which the predetermined number of cards in the final hand is three.
17. The method of claim 14 in which the predetermined number of cards in the final hand is four.
18. The method of claim 14 in which the additional cards for each final hand are dealt from a depleted deck which consists of the original deck of cards less the cards dealt as the partial hand.
19. The method of claim 14 in which all of the additional cards for each final hand are dealt from the same original deck of cards less the cards dealt as the partial hand.
20. The method of claim 14 in which the player is awarded a bonus payout whenever the player achieves at least two final hands of the same poker hand ranking.
21. A method of playing a stud poker card game in which a final hand has a predetermined number of cards comprising:
c) dealing and displaying face up a number of partial hands of less than the predetermined number of cards, the number of partial hands corresponding to the number of hands selected to be played by the player, each partial hand having the same preselected cards;
22. The method of claim 21 in which the preselected cards for the partial hand are from the groups consisting of a Four Card Straight Flush, a Four Card Flush, a Four Card Straight, a Three-of-a-Kind, a Two Pair and a Pair.
23. The method of claim 21 in which the additional cards for each final hand are dealt from a depleted deck which consists of the original deck of cards less the cards dealt as the partial hand.
24. The method of claim 21 in which all of the additional cards for each final hand are dealt from the same original deck of cards less the cards dealt as the partial hand.
25. The method of claim 21 in which the partial hand having the same preselected cards is selected by the player.
26. The method of claim 21 in which the partial hand having the same preselected cards is randomly selected.
Another popular single player stud poker game is known as DOUBLE DOWN STUD® poker. This game is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,100,137 and 5,167,413, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by this reference. In DOUBLE DOWN STUD® poker, the player makes a first wager and is dealt four cards all face up. The player may make an additional wager prior to receiving the fifth card. After the fifth card is dealt, the five card hand is compared to a pay table to determine if the player has a winning or losing card combination based on poker hand ranking.
Another stud poker game that has been adapted to a single player video poker format is a game known as LET IT RIDE®. In this game, the player makes a wager of three units at the start of each round of play. The player is then shown three cards face up. The player may decrease his wager by one unit or let all three wagers ride. The player is then shown a fourth card. The player may decrease his wager by one unit or let his wagers ride. The player is then shown a fifth card and the poker hand ranking of the final five card hand is used to determine winning or losing plays based on a pay table. The method of play of LET IT RIDE® is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,288,081, 5,417,430 and 5,544,892, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein.
It is a feature of the present invention to deal and display multiple partial hands to the player, each partial hand having the same cards. Each partial hand is then completed into a final stud hand by dealing and displaying additional cards to each hand. The poker hand ranking of each final stud hand is determined and winning final hands are paid based on the poker hand ranking of the final stud hand and the amount wagered by the player.
Once the player has made his wager, a plurality of initial partial hands are displayed to the player. Each initial partial hand has the same cards with the cards displayed face up to the player. The initial partial hands are randomly dealt from a single deck of playing cards. Each hand is then completed as a stud poker final hand by dealing the additional cards from either the original single deck of cards (less the initially dealt cards) or from a plurality of depleted decks of playing cards, each depleted deck of playing cards comprising a full deck less the cards dealt as the initial partial hand. The player wins or loses depending on the poker hand ranking of each final hand. The amount won by the player is based on the poker hand ranking of each final hand and the amount wagered by the player according to a pay table.
[0015]FIG. 1 shows a gaming machine configured to practice the method of present invention.
[0016]FIG. 2 shows the screen display for Version #1 of the present invention after a representative result that could occur during the play of the game.
[0017]FIG. 3 shows the screen display for Version #2 of the present invention and shows a representative result that could occur during the play of the game.
[0018]FIG. 4 shows the screen display for Version #3 of the present invention and shows a representative result that could occur during the play of the game.
[0020]FIG. 1 shows a gaming machine upon which the method of the present invention can be carried out. The gaming machine 10 includes a video screen display 20 on which is shown the playing cards that will be used during the play of the method of the present invention. The video screen display 20 also includes other information and data presented to the player to allow the player to understand the play of the game and to effect the operation of the method.
[0031]FIG. 1 shows on the video screen display 20 the first partial hand 910, the second partial hand 920 and the third partial hand 930 with the same four cards shown face up. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the four face up initial cards are the Ace of Hearts, the King of Hearts, the Queen of Hearts and the Jack of Hearts.
The computer controls of the gaming machine 10 then proceed to the next step of the method in which the fifth card in each hand is dealt and displayed to the player. In one embodiment of the present invention, the fifth card for each hand is dealt from the depleted deck of forty eight cards (which represent the cards remaining from the original fifty-two card deck less the four initially dealt cards). Thus in completing each hand, the player has one chance in forty-eight to be dealt the Ten of Hearts which would give the player a Heart Royal Flush. In this embodiment, the depleted forty-eight card deck is reshuffled electronically before the fifth card is dealt to complete each hand.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the fifth card for the first hand 910 is dealt from the depleted deck of forty-eight cards (which represent the cards remaining from the original fifty-two card deck less the four initially dealt cards). Thus in completing the first hand 910, the player has one chance in forty-eight to be dealt the Ten of Hearts which would give the player a Heart Royal Flush.
The fifth card for the second hand 920 is dealt from the further depleted deck of forty-seven cards (which represent the cards remaining from the original fifty-two card deck less the four initially dealt cards and the fifth card dealt to the first hand 910). Thus in completing the second hand 920, the player has one chance in forty-seven to be dealt the Ten of Hearts (unless, of course, the Ten of Hearts was already dealt to the first hand 910).
The fifth card for the third hand 930 is dealt from the further depleted deck of forty-six cards (which represent the cards remaining from the original fifty-two card deck less the four initially dealt cards, the fifth card dealt to the first hand 910 and the fifth card dealt to the second hand 920). Thus in completing the third hand 930, the player has one chance in forty-six to be dealt the Ten of Hearts (unless, of course, the Ten of Hearts was already dealt to the first hand 910 or the second hand 920). In this embodiment, the cards of each of the depleted decks may or may not be electronically reshuffled before displaying the fifth card to complete each hand.
[0036]FIG. 2 shows an example of how the hands may be completed by the display of the fifth card. Hand 910 could result in the Ace of Hearts 911, the King of Hearts 912, the Queen of Hearts 913, the Jack of Hearts 914 and the Nine of Clubs 915. The poker hand ranking of this hand is Ace High and would not be a winning hand combination in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Hand 920 could result in the Ace of Hearts 921, the King of Hearts 922, the Queen of Hearts 923, the Jack of Hearts 924 and the Ten of Hearts 925. The poker hand ranking of this hand is a Heart Royal Flush and would be a winning hand combination in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Hand 930 could result in the Ace of Hearts 931, the King of Hearts 932, the Queen of Hearts 933, the Jack of Hearts 934 and the Four of Hearts 935. The poker hand ranking of this hand is a Heart Flush and would be a winning hand combination in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Pair of 6's thru 10's 1 for 1
Pair of Jacks thru Aces 1 to 1
Royal Flush 5000 to 1
Version #2 of the present invention uses a standard fifty-two card deck of playing cards. This method of play is similar to that described in Version #1, but there are only three face up cards in each partial hand.
A player makes an initial wager to activate the game and the player selects the number of hands that the player wishes to play during that round of the game. The player also determines the amount of the wager that is to be allocated to each hand of cards that the player will play.
After the wager is made and after the deck of playing cards has been electronically shuffled, a first partial hand of three cards is randomly dealt and displayed face up to the player on the screen display. These same three cards by suit and rank are also displayed face up in each of the other partial hands that the player has selected to play, which following the example, would be the second hand and the third hand. Thus, in this example, the player starts with three identical partial hands of three cards all displayed face up.
[0046]FIG. 3 shows on the video screen display 20 the first partial hand 940, the second partial hand 950 and the third partial hand 960 with the same three cards shown face up. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the three face up initial cards are the Ace of Hearts 941, 951 and 961, the King of Hearts 942, 952 and 962 and the Queen of Hearts 943, 953 and 963.
The computer controls of the gaming machine 10 then proceed to the next step of the method in which the fourth and fifth cards in each hand are dealt and displayed to the player. In one embodiment of the present invention, the fourth and fifth cards for each hand are dealt from the depleted deck of forty-nine cards (which represent the cards remaining from the original fifty-two card deck less the three initially dealt cards). In this embodiment, the depleted forty-nine card deck is reshuffled electronically before the fourth and fifth cards are dealt to complete each hand.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the fourth and fifth cards for the first hand 940 are dealt from the depleted deck of forty-nine cards (which represent the cards remaining from the original fifty-two card deck less the three initially dealt cards). The fourth and fifth cards for the second hand 950 are dealt from the further depleted deck of forty-seven cards (which represent the cards remaining from the original fifty-two card deck less the three initially dealt cards and the two cards dealt to the first hand 940). Finally, the fourth and fifth cards for the third hand 960 are dealt from the further depleted deck of forty-five cards (which represent the cards remaining from the original fifty-two card deck less the three initially dealt cards, the two cards dealt to the first hand 940 and the two cards dealt to the second hand 950). In this embodiment, the cards of each of the depleted decks may or may not be electronically reshuffled before displaying the fifth card to complete each hand.
[0049]FIG. 3 also shows an example of how the hands may be completed by the display of the fourth and fifth cards. Hand 940 could result in the Ace of Hearts 941, the King of Hearts 942, the Queen of Hearts 943, the Queen of Clubs 944 and the Queen of Diamonds 945. The poker hand ranking of this hand is Three-of-a-Kind and would be a winning hand combination in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Hand 950 could result in the Ace of Hearts 951, the King of Hearts 952, the Queen of Hearts 953, the Seven of Hearts 954 and the Four of Hearts 955. The poker hand ranking of this hand is a Heart Flush and would be a winning hand combination in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Hand 960 could result in the Ace of Hearts 961, the King of Hearts 962, the Queen of Hearts 963, the Ten of Hearts 964 and the Jack of Hearts 965. The poker hand ranking of this hand is a Heart Royal Flush and would be a winning hand combination in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Any suitable pay table may be used and a representative pay table is shown in Table 2.
Other variations of the present invention can use only one card or two cards initially dealt face up with the remaining cards of the five card being dealt face down.
Another variation can use hands having more than five cards—such as six, seven or more cards. Less than the entire hand is shown face up with the remaining cards shown face down. Winning hand combinations can be based on the best five card poker hand achieved out of the six, seven or more card hands. Alternatively, the winning hand combinations can be the best six, seven or more card poker hand achieved. When six or more card poker hands are used, then additional non-traditional poker hand rankings can be used as winning card combinations such as two Three-of-a-Kinds, or a Four-of-a-Kind and a Pair, Six (or more) Card Straight Flushes and Six (or more) Card Royal Flushes.
It is also possible to use four card, three card or even two card poker hands. Again, less than the entire hand is shown face up with the remaining cards face down.
Yet another variation of the present invention includes providing bonus payouts to the player for achieving the same ending hands. For example, if the player were playing three hands and the player received two or three Royal Flushes, or two or three Four-of-a-Kinds, or generally two or three of the same poker hand rankings, then the player could be awarded an extra payout.
This extra payout could be of any suitable type. The player could receive a higher fixed or progressive amount in lieu of the regular amount shown in the regular pay table. Alternatively, the player could be awarded a fixed or progressive amount bonus amount in addition to the payout that the player would be awarded from the regular pay table.
In another version of the present invention, the method of play could start with a preselected partial hand, rather than having the partial hand randomly dealt and displayed to the player. At the beginning of each round of play, the player would know what the starting partial hand would be and the player would merely select how many hands the player wishes to play and the amount to be wagered on each hand. When the player had made these selections and pressed the DEAL button, the computer controls would complete each partial hand by randomly selecting the cards necessary to complete each hand. The player would win or lose on each hand depending on the poker ranking of each completed hand.
For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the preselected starting hand could be Four to a Straight Flush (as shown the King of Clubs, the Queen of Clubs, the Jack of Clubs and the Ten of Clubs). The player then decides how many hands of this preselected starting hand the player wishes to play (as shown the player has selected to play three hands—first hand 1010, second hand 1020 and third hand 1030). The player then determines how many credits to wager on each hand, say five credits.
The player presses the DEAL button and the computer controls randomly select a fifth card for each hand. In one embodiment of the present invention, the fifth card for each hand is dealt from the depleted deck of forty-eight cards (which represent the cards remaining from the original fifty-two card deck less the four preselected cards that have been dealt and displayed to the player). Thus in completing each hand, the player has one chance in forty-eight to be dealt the Ace of Clubs which would give the player a Club Royal Flush. The player also has a one in forty-eight chance to be dealt the Nine of Clubs which would give the player a Club Straight Flush. The player also has a seven in forty-eight chance to be dealt one of the other clubs which would give the player a Club Flush (but not the Club Royal Flush or the Club Straight Flush). The player also has varying chances to achieve a Straight or a Pair, either of which would also be a winning hand. In fact, the player has only a twenty-one chance in forty-eight of not achieving a winning hand of some type.
In this embodiment, the depleted forty-eight card deck is reshuffled electronically before the fifth card is dealt to complete each hand.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the fifth card for the first hand 1010 is dealt from the depleted deck of forty-eight cards (which represent the cards remaining from the original fifty-two card deck less the four initially dealt cards). The fifth card for the second hand 1020 is dealt from the further depleted deck of forty-seven cards (which represent the cards remaining from the original fifty-two card deck less the four initially dealt cards and the fifth card dealt to the first hand 1010). The fifth card for the third hand 1030 is dealt from the further depleted deck of forty-six cards (which represent the cards remaining from the original fifty-two card deck less the four initially dealt cards, the fifth card dealt to the first hand 1010 and the fifth card dealt to the second hand 1020). In this embodiment, the cards of each of the depleted decks may or may not be electronically reshuffled before displaying the fifth card to complete each hand.
Typically, pay tables are determined based on the mathematical probability of certain poker combinations occurring during the play of the game and based on the desired theoretical hold percentage to be kept by the gaming establishment. Any suitable pay table may be used and a representative pay table is shown in Table 3 when the starting is hand is Four to a Straight Flush and the four cards are a King, Queen, Jack and Ten of the same suit.
Less than a straight Losing Hand
Straight Flush 15 for 1
Royal Flush 26 for 1
Any suitable starting partial hand can be preselected as the starting hand to be offered to the player. Typical preselected starting hands can include Two or Threes-of-a-Kind, Two Pair, Four card Straights and Four card Flushes. A menu can be provided to the player of a plurality of preselected starting hands and the player can pick from the menu which preselected starting the hand the player wishes to play for that round of the game. The number of face up cards initially dealt to the player would be determined by the preselected starting hand being offered to the player.
Alternatively, the preselected starting hand can be randomly selected by the computer controls from a group of possible starting hands or the gaming machine can be programmed to simply offer the player a single preselected starting hand such a Four to the Royal Flush.
Another variation can use hands having more than five cards—such as six, seven or more cards. Winning hand combinations can be based on the best five card poker hand achieved out of the six, seven or more card hands. Alternatively, the winning hand combinations can be the best six, seven or more card poker hand achieved. When six or more card poker hands are used, then additional non-traditional poker hand rankings can be used as winning card combinations such as two Three-of-a-Kinds, or a Four-of-a-Kind and a Pair, Six (or more) Card Straight Flushes and Six (or more) Card Royal Flushes.
Another variation would include designating certain cards as wild cards or adding one or more Jokers to the standard deck and using the Jokers as wild cards. For example, the preselected starting hand could be one or more wild cards. The winning and losing hand combinations would be chosen based on the probability of various poker hand combinations achieved and the percentage game return offered to the player.
Cooperative Classification A63F2001/005, A63F1/00, A63F2001/008