Amusement devices: games – Card or tile games – cards or tiles therefor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-24
2001-08-14
Wong, Steven (Department: 3711)
Amusement devices: games
Card or tile games, cards or tiles therefor
C273S274000, C273S309000, C273S348100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273424
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of playing a wagering game with any gaming format (e.g., cards, dice, symbols, table games and video games), such as playing card wagering games that can be played with a standard deck of cards or by video machine technology in a casino or home environment. In particular, it relates to a method and apparatus for playing a wagering game and provides players the opportunity to take or leave a portion of their wager during the course of the game. A preferred game is a variation of poker such as a variant of five card stud poker.
2. Background of the Art
There are many wagering games used for gambling. Such games should be exciting to arouse players' interest and uncomplicated so they can be understood easily by a large number of players. Ideally, the games should include more than one wagering opportunity during the course of the game, yet be able to be played rapidly to a wager resolving outcome. Exciting play, the opportunity to make more than one wager and rapid wager resolution enhance players' interest and enjoyment because the frequency of betting opportunities and bet resolutions is increased.
Wagering games, particularly those intended primarily for play in casinos, should provide players with a sense of participation and control, the opportunity to make decisions, and reasonable odds of winning, even though the odds favor the casino, house, dealer or banker. The game must also meet the requirements of regulatory agencies.
Wagering games, including wagering games for casino play, with multiple wagering opportunities are known. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,861,041 and 5,087,405 (both to Jones et al.) disclose methods and apparatus for progressive jackpot gaming, respectively. The former patent discloses that a player may make an additional wager at the beginning of a hand, the outcome of the additional wager being determined by a predetermined arrangement of cards in the player's hand. U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,553 (to Suttle and Jones) discloses a modified version of a five card stud poker game.
Additional symbols may be added to the usual means of playing a game to increase wagering opportunities. This is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,107 (to Boylan et al.). Somewhat similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,757 (to Holmberg) discloses a board game and apparatus, including a way to allow the player to make a choice with respect to several different alternative types of game play and risk bearing strategies. The alternative play is based on providing cards with additional symbols and therefore, a new set of odds. The game and apparatus disclosed by Holmberg requires new sets of rules, relatively complicated procedures and time for a player to learn the game.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,429 (to LeVasseur) involves the dealer playing multiple hands against a player's single hand, whereby the number of hands played in the same amount of time is increased.
The desired attributes of wagering games outlined above are in large measure provided by the method and apparatus for playing a wagering game in accordance with the present invention. The game is uncomplicated, exciting and provides the opportunity for players to make multiple wagers and choices regarding those wagers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The wagering game of the present invention may be played with any convenient, traditional or non-traditional gaming format or gaming elements. For the purposes of this disclosure, “Game elements” or “gaming elements” means information used by a player or dealer to participate in the game such as the face value of cards, the face value of a die or dice, slot symbols, angular positions on a wheel or reel game, cards (e.g., from a standard or non-standard playing deck), symbols on a reel, dice, tiles or the like. A preferred medium of play is with a single, typical (standard) fifty-two card poker deck (with or without jokers, or with cards removed as with Spanish Twenty-One™ where tens are removed from the deck and other rules are instituted) and a specific preferred game broadly involves the generally well recognized and accepted set of rules, procedures and wager-resolving outcomes of five card poker. The game method comprises each player placing an initial, multi-part wager, such as a two-part, three-part, four-part, or more-part wager to participate in the game. The game is initiated such as with dice being rolled (some or all of the dice in a bar game, for example) or cards are dealt by a dealer. In a preferred game, a dealer deals three player's cards face down to each player and two community cards face down to the dealer. Players inspect or “sweat” their cards, and the dealer asks “take it or leave it?” with regard to the first part of the initial bet. Players can choose to retrieve or remove from play the first part of their initial bet, or leave the first part in play or at risk, based on the value of the three cards in their hand. The dealer then turns over one of the dealer's community cards and the dealer's query is repeated with regard to the second part of the initial bet. Players can choose to retrieve or remove from play the second part of their initial bet or leave the second part in play or at risk, based on the value of the four cards consisting of the three cards in the player's hand and the exposed dealer's card. Players have no option with the third part of the bet. Finally, all cards are shown and the payouts and collections are resolved according to the ranking of the poker hand of each player, i.e., the players are not playing against each other or the dealer. This widely played game is known as Let It Ride® stud poker.
More specifically, the initial wager placed by each player comprises three equal parts and is made or placed before any cards are dealt. Each player is dealt three cards face down in the customary fashion. Two common cards are dealt face down in front of the dealer for use by all of the players. Each player will use the two common cards in front of the dealer in combination with his or her three cards to create a five card hand. After all players have placed their bets and received and examined their cards, each is given the opportunity to retrieve one-third of the initial wager before the dealer reveals one of the two down cards previously placed in front of him. After all of the players have been queried and decided whether to “take it or leave it”, the dealer turns one of the down cards face up. Each player now has the benefit of knowing the identity of four cards, the three he or she is holding down plus the common card, and the dealer again gives each player the opportunity to retrieve one-third of the beginning wager before exposing the second common down card. After the second common down card is revealed, the players turn up the three cards they are holding thereby forming five card hands made up of the three cards dealt to each player and the two dealer cards. The dealer examines each of the players hands and determines what payout, if any, each player is entitled to receive according to that players' remaining wager and a preselected payout schedule. Payouts are made to players with winning hands and the losing wagers are collected. The cards are then reshuffled for the next hand.
A variation of this partial bet withdrawal method may be played with dice, where separate bet parts are associated with the roll of each die. For example, where a standard die with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 dots on each face is used in Bar Dice, a separate bet may be associated with one or more of the individual dice. As each die stops turning or bouncing on a surface (in a real or virtual sense), or as each die is rolled and stops, the player may elect to withdraw one bet associated with that die or an adjacent die. Particularly where a dealer's dice hand is already shown or is partially shown, a player may reconsider the likelihood of a win, and determine whether or not all of his bet parts should remain in play. It should be noted that the p
Collins Dolores
Mark A. Litman & Assoc. P.A.
Wong Steven
LandOfFree
Bet withdrawal casino game and apparatus does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Bet withdrawal casino game and apparatus, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Bet withdrawal casino game and apparatus will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2463631