Patent Document:

the novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims . the invention will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of illustrated embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings , wherein like reference numerals and symbols represent like elements . referring now to fig1 , the preferred embodiment of the poker - type multistage wagering card game of the present invention is disclosed . the card game is initiated by the dealer allowing at least one player to place an ante wager ( see step 102 ). once the dealer accepts any ante wagers placed by the players ( see step 104 ) the dealer preferably deals one bonus card face down ( see step 106 ), two community cards face up ( see step 108 ), three dealer cards face down ( see step 110 ), and three player cards to each player having placed an ante wager ( see step 112 ). while , in this embodiment of the present invention , the dealer deals a bonus card it should be clearly understood that substantial benefit could be derived from an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which another poker advantage , such as additional cards , a player selection of cards , or cards having a higher poker value are provided . also , while in the preferred embodiment , the dealer deals three cards to the dealer and three cards to each player along with two community cards it should be clearly understood that substantial benefit could be derived from an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which an alternate number of cards are dealt to either the player or the dealer or to the community ( even no community cards ) as long as the player and dealer receive a total of at least three and preferably five playing cards . still referring to fig1 , at this point , the player preferably combines his / her three player cards with the two community cards to form a five - card hand ( see step 112 ) and is then required to place a second wager or fold ( see step 114 ). if the player places a second wager , the dealer accepts the second wager ( see step 116 ). if the player folds , the game is over for the player and the dealer collects the player &# 39 ; s ante wager ( see fig3 , step 138 ). referring now to fig2 , once the dealer accepts the second wager , the dealer preferably reveals the three dealer cards and combines them with the two community cards to form a five - card hand ( see step 118 ). if the dealer &# 39 ; s five - card hand does not have a poker value of a pair or higher , the dealer will reveal the bonus card and combine it with his five - card hand to create a six - card hand ( see steps 120 and 122 ). while , in the preferred embodiment , the predetermined poker value which determines whether the dealer ( or player ) receives an additional card ( or other poker advantage ) is that of a pair , it should be clearly understood that substantial benefit could be derived from an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which the predetermined poker value is greater or lower than the preferred value of a pair . preferably , if the dealer &# 39 ; s best five - card poker hand from his six - card hand is less than a king - queen , the dealer &# 39 ; s hand is preferably considered non - qualifying and the dealer pays the player &# 39 ; s ante wager one - to - one and returns the player &# 39 ; s second wager ( see steps 124 and 126 ). while , in the preferred embodiment , the dealer hand must qualify ( and that qualification is a hand value of king - queen or better ), it should be clearly understood that substantial benefit could be derived from an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which the dealer hand does not need to qualify or in which the poker value for qualification deviates , even substantially , from king - queen . referring now to fig3 , if the dealer &# 39 ; s initial five - card hand has a poker value of a pair or higher , or if the dealer &# 39 ; s five - card poker hand from his six - card hand has a poker value of a king - queen or higher , the dealer will then preferably inspect the player &# 39 ; s hand to determine if it has a poker value of at least a pair ( see step 128 ). if the player &# 39 ; s hand does not have a poker value of a pair or higher , the dealer will preferably reveal the bonus card ( if not already revealed ) and combine the bonus card with the player &# 39 ; s five - card hand to form a six - card hand ( see steps 128 and 130 ). the dealer then compares his best five - card hand , whether using the bonus card or not , to the player &# 39 ; s best five - card hand , whether using the bonus card or not ( see step 132 ). if the player &# 39 ; s hand has a higher poker value than the dealer &# 39 ; s poker hand , the player &# 39 ; s ante wager and second wager are paid one - to - one and the game is over ( see steps 132 , 134 , and 1389 ). if the dealer &# 39 ; s hand has a higher poker value than the player &# 39 ; s poker hand , the player &# 39 ; s ante wager and second wager are collected and the game is over ( see steps 132 , 137 , and 138 ). if the dealer &# 39 ; s hand and the player &# 39 ; s hand have the same poker value as one another , the hands tie and the player &# 39 ; s ante wager and second wager are returned and the game is over ( see steps 132 , 136 , and 138 ). in addition to the aforementioned method of play , each player may be given the option of placing a bonus wager at the time of placing a first wager and prior to dealing by the dealer . placement of the bonus wager provides the player with the opportunity of receiving a bonus payout regardless of whether the player places a second wager or folds . similarly , even if the player folds and does not place a second wager , the player will preferably be given the chance to combine the bonus card with the player &# 39 ; s five - card player hand . the bonus wager will then be paid according to a predetermined payout structure displayed on the table and based upon the player &# 39 ; s final hand ranking , whether the player &# 39 ; s hand is a five - card player hand or a six - card player hand . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to several embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example while the multistage wagering card game of the present invention is preferably played live at a table , it should be clear that substantial benefit could be derived from an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which the multistage wagering card game of the present invention is played on a video gaming device , such as a video slot machine or a computer . this new invention is a game of stud poker in which a player eventually wins by achieving a higher poker hand than an opponent . the opponent may be another player or a house dealer . upon placing an ante wager , a player is dealt an initial hand . the opponent or dealer is also dealt an initial hand . the player now has a choice . in a first embodiment of the invention , the player may either make a second wager or fold . in a second embodiment , the player may either place a second wager or check . the central element of this step is that the player is provided with a choice to make . assuming the player does not fold , then after this decision has been made by the player , the player is provided with the poker advantage of an additional card if his / her initial hand is less than a predetermined poker value . this card is displayed openly for later verification of player eligibility . in the preferred embodiment , the player &# 39 ; s initial hand is five cards and he / she is granted one additional card if his / her initial hand is less than a pair . this additional card gives the player six cards from which to form a best five - card final hand . notably , hands less than a pair are considered relatively worthless , so a player holding such a hand faces long odds of winning . if the player &# 39 ; s initial hand is a pair or higher , the player must play his / her initial hand without benefit of the additional card . in the above first embodiment of the invention , the same poker advantage is also granted to the opponent . in the second embodiment , the opponent is granted a poker advantage different from the above advantage . the central point of this step is that the player is provided with an extra card if his / her initial hand is fairly worthless , and the opponent or dealer is likewise granted a poker advantage of some kind . after using any poker advantages that apply , the final hands of the player and opponent are compared and the highest poker hand wins the game . the player with the winning hand receives a predetermined award .

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