Patent ID: 8702519

Claim:
A method of playing a simulation of a live casino table card game comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of spatially separate player stations including a plurality of player activated controls by which each player can modify a condition of said controls to designate said player's decisions in connection with the play of said card game; providing a single video display viewable from each of said player stations; providing a single game processor; providing a remote computer interfaced to said single game processor for monitoring events at said plurality of spatially separate player stations; said single game processor being programmed to: assign a game machine identifier to each of said player stations as if each of said player stations was an independent gaming machine; monitor a plurality of events at each said player station and electronically sense the condition of each said player activated controls; generate upon said single video display an electronic display of cards that have been dealt to the dealer; generate upon said single video display an electronic display of cards that have been dealt to each player; complete the player hands according to inputs received from said player activated controls and generate upon said single video display an electronic display of completed player hands; complete the dealer hand and generate upon said single video display an electronic display of completed dealer hand; execute the play of a simulation of a live casino table card game including group interactive participation by the players; transmit messages containing information from one or more of said player stations to a remote computer, each said message including the game machine identifier assigned to the player station to which said message corresponds; receive at least one message command from said remote computer that includes the game machine identifier assigned to the player station to which said command is directed, wherein said at least one message is selected from the group consisting of a shutdown message requesting said player station to shut down and an activation message confirming that said player station has been activated; and in response to receiving said at least one message command, send at least one output to a one of said player stations corresponding to the assigned game machine identifier.