Patent ID: 7195243

Claim:
A method of playing a wagering game including a dealer and at least one player comprising the steps of: (a) providing at least one standard deck of 52 playing cards; (b) providing a published ranking of winning four-card poker hands; (c) providing a predetermined pay scale for winning hands; (d) providing a dealer and at least one player; (e) commencing the game by having the at least one player make certain initial wagers selected from the following; (1) a first wager against the dealer, and (2) a separate voluntary wager against the predetermined pay scale; (f) dealing at least four cards to the at least one player from the at least one standard deck; (g) dealing at least four cards to the dealer from the at least one standard deck; (h) said at least one player proceeding to play the game by placing a support wager in support of its first wager against the dealer; (i) comparing the at least one player's best four card hand against the dealer's best four card hand and excluding all extra cards dealt to determine a relative ranking therebetween as a final outcome of the wagering game; (j) paying the at least one player's first wager against the dealer and the at least one player's support wager if the at least one player's hand outranks the dealer's hand; (k) paying the at least one player's separate voluntary wager against the predetermined pay scale if the at least one player's hand has achieved a rank at least as high as the first ranking from said published ranking; (l) taking the at least one player's separate voluntary wager against the predetermined pay scale if the at least one player's hand fails to achieve at least the minimum ranking from said published ranking; (m) taking the at least one player's first wager against the dealer and support wager if the dealer's hand outranks the at least one player's hand; and (n) returning the at least one player's first wager against the dealer and support wager if said at least one player has the same ranking hand as the dealer wherein the dealer must achieve a qualifying hand to continue playing and the failure to achieve said qualifying hand results in the dealer losing and paying the at least one player the first wager by the at least one player against the dealer, and wherein the dealer achieving said qualifying hand results in the dealer comparing its best four-card hand against the player's best four-card hand and paying the player, based on an optional second bet against the dealer by the player, when the player's best four card hand outranks the dealer's best four-card hand.