Patent ID: 7384045

Claim:
An improved double down wager for a card game played between a dealer and a player according to the conventional rules of blackjack in which the player makes an initial wager, the dealer deals a two-card player initial hand to the player and a dealer initial hand to the dealer, one of the cards of said dealer initial hand dealt face-up, the player forms at least one player final hand by standing on said player initial hand or receiving at least one additional card, and the dealer forms a dealer final hand by standing on said dealer initial hand or receiving at least one additional card, the improved double down wager comprising the steps of: defining a set of eligible player initial hands; defining parameters n, m 1 , and m 2 such that n>1, m 1 >1, and m 2 m 1 ; if said player receives a player initial hand defined within said set of eligible player initial hands, receiving from said player an election to form n player final hands, each said player final hand including both cards of said player initial hand; if said player elects to form n player final hands each including both cards of said player initial hand, forming said n player final hands comprising: receiving from said player a wager increase, said wager increase of between m 1 times said initial wager and m 2 times said initial wager; dealing n additional cards; for each of said n additional cards, forming a separate player final hand, each separate player final hand including one of said additional cards in combination with both cards of said initial player hand; allocating said initial wager plus said wager increase among said n player final hands to form n individual hand wagers, each said individual hand wager associated with a separate player final hand; and if said player elects to form n player final hands, resolving each of said n individual hand wagers comprising: comparing the player final hand associated with that individual hand wager against said dealer final hand; issuing a reward based on that individual hand wager if (a) the sum of the values of the cards in the associated player final hand is closer to twenty-one, without exceeding twenty-one, than is the sum of the values of the cards in said dealer final hand or (b) the sum of the values of the cards in said dealer final hand exceeds twenty-one and the sum of the values of the cards in said player final hand is less than or equal to twenty-one; and collecting said individual hand wager if (a) the sum of the values of the cards in the associated player final hand exceeds twenty-one or (b) if the sum of the values of the cards in said dealer final hand is closer to twenty-one, without exceeding twenty-one, than is the sum of the values of the cards in the associated player final hand.