Patent ID: 7029011

Claim:
A method of playing a card game played with a deck of cards by two to seven original players, comprising the steps of: (a) each said player posts a first wager and a second wager, wherein at least a first portion of said first wager is allocated to a first jackpot and wherein said second wager is allocated as a bet in a bonus game; (b) then each said player is dealt one or more hole card(s) from said deck and subsequently each player elects one of the following two steps: (1) folds his hand and forfeits said first and second wagers of said player; or (2) posts a third wager of a set amount and continues play in the hand as a remaining flop player; (c) then each said remaining flop player is dealt a first set of one to three community card(s) from said deck and subsequently each remaining flop player elects one of the following two steps: (1) folds his hand and forfeits said first, second and third wagers of said flop player; or (2) posts a fourth wager of a set amount and remains in the hand as a remaining turn player; (d) then each said remaining turn player is dealt a second set of one to three community card(s) from said deck and subsequently each remaining turn player elects one of the following two steps: (1) folds his hand and forfeits said first, second, third and fourth wagers of said turn player; or (2) posts a fifth wager of a set amount and remains in the hand as a remaining river player; (e) then each said remaining river player is dealt a third set of one or more community card(s) from said deck; and (f) then each remaining river player selects five cards from said remaining river player's hole card(s) and said first, second and third sets of community cards, said five cards including at least one of that remaining river player's said hole card(s), to establish that remaining river player's declared hand; wherein after all remaining river players have selected said declared hands, the following awards are distributed: (1) all of said third, fourth and fifth wagers are awarded to the remaining river player(s) holding the winning declared hand(s) in accord with a standard poker rank; (2) a bonus pay is awarded to each of said remaining river player(s) in accord with a scale determined from said declared hand of said remaining river player and said second wager of said remaining river player; and (3) said first jack pot is awarded to all remaining river player(s) if two or more players declared hands equal to or exceed a set jackpot rank, said first jackpot being distributed in a manner such that a greatest portion of said first jackpot is given to the remaining river player having the second highest declared hand, a next greatest portion of said first jackpot is given to the remaining river player having the highest declared hand, and the remaining portion of said first jackpot is distributed among the other said original river player(s); and, if two or more players declared hands do not equal to or exceed a set jackpot rank, at least a portion of said first jackpot is forfeited.