Abstract:
A method for playing a wagering game with cards using a stripped-down 52-card deck, from which Tens, Jacks, Queens, and Kings have been removed and a Joker card added to create a 37-card deck. A player/dealer can play either one or two sets of hands per round of betting and players can also have the opportunity to bet on a bonus situation, thus providing multiple opportunities for players to win.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present disclosure relates to the field of playing card wagering game, particularly those played with a standard 52-card deck modified to 37 cards by removing the tens, Jacks, Queens, and Kings, and adding one Joker as a wild card. 
         [0003]    2. Background 
         [0004]    Many wagering games using cards presently exist. Players typically enjoy games that are easy to learn, have fast-paced action, and ample opportunities for betting and possibly winning. For example, providing players with multiple betting opportunities on one hand can increase chances of winning and make the game more exciting to play. Further, adding side or “bonus” bets can also increase players&#39; interest. 
         [0005]    Pai gow poker is one such fast-paced game. In this game, the first player is randomly selected by means of a dice roll or other method. Players are dealt seven cards, from which they make two-card hand and a five-card hand according to the rules of Draw Poker. A player wins if both of these hands beat those of the dealer, and loses if both of these hands lose to the dealer. If one hand wins and the other hand loses, the result is a “push,” and any bets can be returned to the player. 
         [0006]    Although pai gow poker is an exciting game to play, the number of cards involved and complex scoring can slow the pace of the game and perhaps discourage new players from learning the game. Reducing the number of cards in the deck and simplifying scoring to a system of points and pairs can make the game easier and more exciting to play. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,401,784 to Lean, et al. discloses such a game using a reduced 36-card deck. Although producing faster play than games such as pai gow poker, this game is still limited by only one round of betting per deal, which can slow down the action of the game. Players do not have any other opportunities to win based on multitable wagers. Further, players are limited by only the ranked cards in the deck without any added wild cards to add to the potential odds of winning and excitement of the game. 
         [0008]    What is needed is a method for playing a wagering card game that provides fast-paced action, simple rules of play that are easy to learn, and multiple opportunities for players to win. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  depicts a plan view of one embodiment of a playing surface for the present gaming method. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  depicts a flow chart of one embodiment of the present method. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  depicts a table of the rankings of possible hands in one embodiment of the present gaming method. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  depicts a plan view of another embodiment of a playing surface for the present gaming method. 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  depicts an example of a possible ranking system for one embodiment of a bonus wager option. 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  shows an example of a possible payout scheme for an embodiment of a bonus wager option. 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  depicts a plan view of another embodiment of a playing surface for the present gaming method. 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  shows an example of a possible payout scheme for an embodiment of a bonus wager option. 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  depicts a plan view of another embodiment of a playing surface for the present gaming method. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    In one embodiment of the present method, as shown in  FIG. 1 , a playing surface  102  can have up to eight player positions  104 . Each player position  104  can have marked spaces in which a player can place a front hand  106  and a back hand  108 , as well as at least one marked betting space  110 . Some embodiments can also have a second marked betting space  112 . A dealer position  114  can have a set of up to two marked spaces  116  in which a player-dealer/dealer can place up to two stacks of four cards  118  each and further place a front hand  120  and a back hand  122 . In some embodiments, a player-dealer/dealer can be an independent player or affiliated with the house. Further, a player-dealer/dealer can also be a banker. In some embodiments, a random number generating device can be a dice cup  124  with a plurality of dice  126 , but in other embodiments can be an electronic device or any other known and/or convenient device. 
         [0019]    In some embodiments, as shown in the flow chart of  FIG. 2 , the present method can comprise the following steps. Starting with a standard 52-card deck, the Tens, Jacks, Queens, and Kings can be removed and one Joker added, to create a 37-card deck. A Joker card can be an “equal duplicate,” meaning that it can have equivalent numerical points regardless of suit, to any other card in the deck, and can thus act as a “wild card.” One player can be designated as a player-dealer/dealer. Each player can post a wager on the base game, or, in embodiments having at least one bonus table option, can also place at least one bonus wager. 
         [0020]    In some embodiments, the present method can be “player-banked,” wherein one player can be designated as a “player-banker,” and the house can act as a player-dealer/dealer. In other embodiments, the present method can be “house-banked,” wherein the house can act as a banker as well as a player-dealer/dealer. 
         [0021]    A player-dealer/dealer can create nine piles of cards having four cards each, while a single discard card remains. In embodiments using dice to generate a random number, a dealer-player/dealer can shake a plurality of dice  126  in a dice cup  124  and then roll dice  126  to obtain a sum total of the points showing on dice  126 . A player-dealer/dealer can, starting at the player-dealer/dealer position, begin counting around the table clockwise, counterclockwise, or in any other known and/or convenient pattern up to the sum total of points shown by dice  126 , or up to another randomly generated number. The player at which the counting terminates can be selected to receive a first pile of cards, while the remaining piles can be distributed to the remaining players. 
         [0022]    In some embodiments of the present method, there can be seven players other than a player-dealer/dealer. In such embodiments, a player-dealer/dealer can have either two piles of cards in play, or, alternatively, have only one pile of cards in play, while the second pile can be discarded. 
         [0023]    In other embodiments of the present method, there can be less than seven players other than the player-dealer/dealer. In such embodiments, a player-dealer/dealer can have either two piles of cards in play, or, alternatively, have only one pile of cards in play, while in both situations the extra piles can be discarded. 
         [0024]    For the above-described embodiments, players can make two two-card hands out of a pile of cards. One hand can be a “front” hand  106 , while the other hand can be a “back” hand  108 , and each can be placed in a designated space on a playing surface  102 . In some embodiments, a back hand  108  can have a higher score than a front hand  106 . 
         [0025]    A player-dealer/player can reveal hands for the pile or piles of his or her cards. In embodiments in which a player-dealer/player has at least two piles, a player-dealer/player can reveal hands for both piles simultaneously, subsequently, or in subsequent rounds of play. 
         [0026]    Beginning with the player who had been dealt the first pile of cards, or any other desired player, each player&#39;s front and back hands can be revealed. A player&#39;s front hand can then be compared to the front hand of a player-dealer/dealer and his or her back hand compared to the back hand of a player-dealer/dealer to determine whose hands have the higher scores.  FIG. 3  depicts a ranking scheme for determining such higher scores for each front hand and back hand. Further, if a player and a player-dealer/dealer have hands with equivalent point totals based on the numerical values of the cards, the result can be a “push,” where neither the player nor the player-dealer/dealer wins. If a player and a player-dealer/dealer have hands with equivalent point totals based on the numerical values of the cards and cards having the same individual numerical values (“numerically equivalent copies”), then a player-dealer/dealer can win. If a player and a player-dealer/dealer have hands with matching pairs based on the numerical values of the cards, then a player-dealer/dealer can win. If a player and a player-dealer/dealer have hands having any point total of zero based on the numerical values of the cards, then a player-dealer/dealer can win. 
         [0027]    In some embodiments, wagers can be resolved according the following scheme, or any other known and/or convenient scheme: 
         [0028]    “Win”
       If a player wins on both the front hand and the back hand, a player-dealer/dealer pays out the amount wagered.   If a player wins one hand while the player and the player-dealer/dealer have an equivalent other hand, a player-dealer/dealer pays out the amount wagered.       
 
         [0031]    “Push”
       If a player wins one hand and the player-dealer/dealer wins the other hand, no amount is exchanged.   If a player&#39;s and a player-dealer/dealer&#39;s hands are both equivalent, no amount is exchanged.       
 
         [0034]    “Lose”
       If a player loses one hand while the player and the player-dealer/dealer have an equivalent other hand, a player-dealer/dealer wins the player&#39;s wager.   If a player loses on both the front hands and the back hands, a player-dealer/dealer wins the player&#39;s wager.       
 
         [0037]    In other embodiments of the present gaming method, the value of a single card can be utilized for a tie-breaking methodology, which can be predetermined and posted. Further, if a player and a player-dealer/dealer have hands with equivalent point totals based on the numerical value of the cards, then the numerical value of any single card can be used as a tie breaker. 
         [0038]    In embodiments in which a player-dealer/dealer has two piles in play, wagers can be resolved on the hands of the first pile in a first round before a dealer/player reveals the front and back hands of a second pile in a second round of play. Wagers can be resolved based on the previously described scheme or any other known and/or convenient scheme. 
         [0039]    In some embodiments, the present method can further include at least one “bonus table” option. Each of these options can be played separately, sequentially, or concurrently with each other. In each of these options, “payout” can refer to an amount of money a player wins for a pre-determined ranked hand. The amount the player receives is a predetermined amount which can be a flat rate, a multiple of their wager, or a share of a progressive jackpot. Further, pay scales can vary based on whether or not qualifying hands contain a joker. 
         [0040]    In some embodiments, in order for a player to qualify for play in any bonus option, the following steps, which can be included in the previously described base game, can occur:
       A player places a qualifying player wager against the player-dealer/dealer.   A player places an additional pre-posted bonus wager in a bonus specific designated area.   A player-dealer/dealer deals hands of 4 cards to each player and the player-dealer/dealer.   Player wagers are settled on the game rules for that hand for a player wager.   A player-dealer/dealer rearranges the players&#39; hands to determine if any of those hands qualify for a predetermined posted bonus payout.       
 
         [0046]      FIG. 4  depicts a layout for a playing surface for some embodiments of a bonus wager option in the present gaming method. Such layouts can include a plurality of designated betting areas. In one betting area  110 , a player can place a wager against a player-dealer/dealer. In another betting area  402 , a player can place a bonus wager. A betting area  402  can be adjacent to a betting area  110  or in any other known and/or convenient position on a layout. 
         [0047]    In some embodiments, a bonus wager option method can comprise the following criteria. In this embodiment, a player&#39;s hand can be compared to a pre-posted series of ranked hands, such as, but not limited to that depicted in  FIG. 5 . If a player has a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank greater than or equal to the lowest ranking pre-posted qualifying hand, then a player can receive a payout. Additionally, if any other player has a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank greater than or equal to the lowest ranking pre-posted qualifying hand for that specific bonus, then all players who have placed a minimum predetermined amount in a bonus-specific designated area  402  can receive a payout. Multiple pay-off option tables can be made available.  FIG. 6  shows a chart of an example of a possible payout scheme, but any known and/or convenient scheme can be used. 
         [0048]      FIG. 7  depicts a layout for a playing surface of another embodiment of a bonus wager option in the present gaming method. Such layouts can include a plurality of designated betting areas. In one betting area  110 , a player can place a wager against a player-dealer/dealer. In another betting area  402 , a player can place a bonus wager. In another betting area  702 , which can be in an adjacent or any other known and/or convenient position on a layout, a player can place another wager for a specified bonus option. Although shown in  FIG. 7  having three betting areas, in other embodiments a layout can have any number of betting areas. 
         [0049]    In other embodiments, another bonus wager option can comprise the following criteria. If a player has a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank greater than or equal to the lowest ranking pre-posted qualifying hand and a player-dealer/dealer concurrently has a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank greater than or equal to a qualifying player&#39;s hand, then a player can receive a payout. In some embodiments, this condition can be referred to as a “bad-beat.” Additionally, if the previous condition of a “bad-beat” has been met by any other player, then all players who have placed bonus wagers in a bonus-specific designated area  702  can receive a payout. Multiple pay-off option tables can be made available.  FIG. 8  shows a chart of an example of a possible payout scheme, but any known and/or convenient scheme can be used. 
         [0050]      FIG. 9  depicts a layout for a playing surface for another embodiment of a bonus wager option. In this layout, the predetermined bonus specific designated areas for each individual player  902  can take into account multiple betting positions, one for each of the other qualifying players and, in some embodiments, can include a position for the player-dealer/dealer, but in other embodiments does not need to include this position. 
         [0051]    In other embodiments, another bonus wager option can comprise the following criteria. If a player places a wager corresponding to a specific player&#39;s hand, wherein said hand has a pre-posted ranked hand greater than or equal to the lowest pre-posted qualifying hand, then a player can receive a payout. 
         [0052]    Although the method has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the method as described and hereinafter claimed is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.