Amusement devices: games – Games accessories – All video game accessories
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-30
2003-08-26
O'Neill, Michael (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Games accessories
All video game accessories
C463S016000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06609710
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to a playing arrangement for the professional execution of the game of chance “Craps” and allied games using playing dice and chips, and as a special sub-aspect relates to an arrangement for automatically detecting the number of pips of the upper side of a playing dice.
Craps is a fast and exciting dice game played on a large gaming table in the shape of a rectangle with rounded corners and bounded by a cushion. The playing area of the gaming table is approximately 4 m long and approximately 1 m wide; the height of the cushion amounts to approximately 30 cm. The game “Craps” is played with two playing dice bearing 1 to 6 pips on their sides. The two dice are played in one throw so that the number of pips of one throw, i.e. the sum of the pips of the upwardly facing sides of the playing dice, can amount to between 2 and 12.
The gaming table is covered with a cloth on which the sections and symbols required for the execution of the game are drawn (layout).
FIG. 1
illustrates a layout of such a gaming table.
The stakes are placed in the form of chips which are positioned on the sections of the layout. The chips with which the bets are placed and the winnings are paid out consist of disc-shaped plastic counters, the playing value of which is indicated on the one hand by an imprinted value (for example 1, 5, 25, 100, 500, 1000) and on the other hand by a colour (e.g. blue, red, green, yellow) or colour combination (e.g. blue-red, green-yellow-white).
The number of players is basically unlimited but advantageously should not exceed 12. However, only one single player, the thrower or shooter, throws the dice.
The game of “Craps” is supervised and led by a plurality of casino game supervisors, also referred to as dealers or croupiers.
The betting options are extremely diverse and depend in different ways upon the number of pips in each case thrown by the shooter.
A review of the method of play, the betting options and the winning odds for the game “Craps” will be given in the following making reference to FIG.
1
.
The shooter and co-players firstly place their stakes for a “pass line” bet or a “don't pass” bet and position their chips on the “pass line” section or the “don't pass bar” section.
Then the shooter selects two dice from a set of five dice presented to him by the dealer and throws these in one shot, using the same hand, from one end of the gaming table along the full length thereof towards the broad side of the other end of the table; the dice strike against this end of the table, rebound from the cushion into the playing area, and come to rest. In order that the dice rebound in a motion which cannot be controlled by the shooter, the cushion is preferably covered with knobs. If one of the dice should not reach the cushion, remain in contact with the cushion or, after impact, leave the playing area across the cushion, the throw is invalid and must be repeated.
If the shooter's first throw, the so-called “come out roll”, produces a 7 or 11, the pass-line bets have immediately won and are paid out by the bank with odds of 1:1, whereas the “don't pass” bets have automatically lost and are collected in by the bank. It is on account of these immediately decisive values 7 and 11 that the game “Craps” is also known as “Seven Eleven”.
If on the other hand the “come out roll” produces a 2 or 3, the “don't pass” bets win and the “pass-line” bets lose. If the “come out roll” produces a 12, the pass-line bets lose and the don't pass bets are subject to a “stand-off” (neither win nor lose).
In the above described cases the same shooter continues to throw the dice until he throws a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 and thus sets the “point” which is critical for the following course of play. The “point” can of course also be obtained with the “come out roll”.
After the “come out roll”, as indeed after every further throw, previous players and new players can place stakes again, and indeed for all the diverse betting options which will be referred to later in the description.
When the point is set, the shooter throws the dice again until he has either thrown 7 pips (the shooter “sevens out”) or has obtained the point again. If the point is obtained before the 7, the “pass-line” bets win and the “don't pass” bets lose, and if the 7 is obtained before the point, the win and lose situation is the reverse.
If the shooter is out, the game supervisor appoints the next shooter and the game continues as described with reference to the first shooter.
As soon as the “point” is set, in addition to the “pass-line” and “don't pass” bets, “Craps” permits a wide variety of further bets, thus the bets “come”, “don't come”, “odds”, “buy and lay”, “place bets to win”, “hardways” “field”, “any seven”, “any craps, “two craps or aces”, “twelve craps”, “three craps or ace-deuce”, “eleven”, “horn high bets” and more.
These bets are in part dependent upon the point and in part independent thereof. Hardways bets can be placed only by the dealer. Certain bets can be increased, reduced, withdrawn or declared “off” in the course of the game. Some bets apply only to the respective next throw (“one roll bets”), thus for example bets on the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10. In some cases a 5% payment (“vigorish”) must be made to the bank. The winning odds are inversely proportional to the statistical winning probabilities and range between 1:2 and 30:1 comprising the following odds: 1:2, 2:3, 5:6, 1:1, 7:6, 6:5, 7:5, 3:2, 9:5, 2:1, 4:1, 7:1, 9:1, 15:1, 30:1.
It is unnecessary to master the rules of the game in order to understand the invention. It should merely be noted that the game Craps is highly diverse and complicated and makes very high demands on the up to five dealers per gaming table in terms of attention, supervision of players and their bets, and in terms of the calculation skills of the dealer in determining the players' winnings, it being necessary to balance the bank after each throw.
The invention is based on the following problem area.
Casinos are lacking in technical monitoring facilities for dice games played as table games (live games). This applies in particular to the highly diverse game “Craps”, but also to other dice games. Even with a high outlay in personnel and optical monitoring systems, considerable security gaps exist.
In view of the speed of play and diversity of the game Craps, a particular insecurity factor relates to maintaining the continuously high level of attention and concentration which is required of the dealers for monitoring, and complying with, the game rules and ensuring that the winnings are correctly determined and paid out to the players.
Therefore it is necessary to find a solution whereby the game procedures can be monitored and recorded as comprehensively and reliably as possible and whereby the dealer can be assisted in correctly determining the winning odds and winnings resulting from the placed stake. A desirable monitoring, recording and win-determining system of this kind must be capable of detecting errors and incorrect decisions on the part of dealers and assisting in the correction thereof. In the event of differences of opinion between players and dealer or between the casino operator and the dealers, it is to be possible for every game which has taken place to be reliably reconstructed in full in some way, at least in terms of placed stake, selected bet and resultant winnings amount.
The advantages of the desired solution are obvious. Incorrect influencing of the course of the game by dealers, in particular to the advantage of players, is prevented. Dealers can justify themselves in the event of disputes on the part of players. The winnings payouts are calculated for the dealer. The settlement between dealer and bank is conducted correctly and simply. It is also desirable to obtain verifiable information on the professional qualities of the dealers, and to gain knowledge about the individual playing strategies of particular players. The possibility of being able to create a player profile ba
O'Neill Michael
Striker Michael J.
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