Patent ID: 6964612

Claim:
An automated system to monitor cards, comprising: a card deck reader capable of reading identifying information from a number of playing cards forming a deck of playing cards from which a card game is dealt; a dealer hand reader capable of reading identifying information from a number of the playing cards forming a dealer's initial hand after the playing cards forming the dealer's initial hand are dealt and before the playing cards forming the dealer's initial hand are collected; a discard card reader capable of reading identifying information from a number of the playing cards forming a dealer's complete hand and a player's complete hand after the playing cards forming the dealer's complete hand and the player's complete hand are collected; and at least one processor coupled to receive the read identifying information from the card deck reader, the dealer hand reader and the discard card reader, and programmed to process the read identifying information by: determining a sequence of the playing cards in the deck, prior to a dealer dealing any of the playing cards in a card game; determining an identity of each of a number of playing cards forming a dealer's initial hand; determining a sequence of a number of discarded playing cards including at least one player's complete hand and the dealer's complete hand; determining a position of the dealer's initial hand in the sequence of the discarded playing cards; determining a number of active hands played by players during the card game; for each of a number of players and for each hand played by the player, determining a value of each of a number of playing cards forming the player's completed hand; for each of the number of players and for each hand played by the player, determining a value of the player's completed hand from the determined value of each of the number of playing cards forming the player's completed hand; determining a value of each of a number of playing cards forming the dealer's completed hand; and determining a value of the dealer's completed hand from the determined value of each of the number of playing cards forming the dealer's completed hand.