Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Credit/debit monitoring or manipulation
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-10
2003-06-10
Layno, Benjamin H. (Department: 3711)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Credit/debit monitoring or manipulation
C463S042000, C273S292000, C273S274000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06575831
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to gambling games.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Gambling games have appeal to many people. Casinos are one of the most popular suppliers of gambling games. Most casinos participate in the gambling and gain money based on the tilted odds of the gambling games which they provide. These tilted odds are one of the reasons casinos are illegal in some countries. That is, many countries allow gambling if it is performed between a plurality of individuals in what is referred to as “pari-mutuel” games. These pari-mutuel games may be organized by a service supplier which receives a commission for providing the game facilities but does not participate in the gambling.
Pari-mutuel games are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,259 to Weingardt and U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,779 to Bridgeman, et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. In these games, players gamble against an accrued pool from which winner payouts are provided. One of the problems with using accrued pools is that the sum of money in the pool varies and in some instances may be relatively low. Various methods are suggested to keep the pool at relatively constant levels. These methods, however, are complex and tend to alter the rules of the well-known casino games played.
The above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,259 patent describes playing table games, such as twenty-one, craps and baccarat as player-banked games where one player banks and plays against the other players. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,259 patent states that player banked games advance noticeably slower than casino banked games and that the allowed wagers in player banked games are often limited due to the credit amount carried by the banker.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,536 to Flasch, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a blackjack table game in which a dealer offers the players of the game to play the roll of the banker. The role of the banker is offered to each of the players according to the order in which the players are seated. Each player may accept or decline the offer. In order to accept the role of the banker and enjoy the favorite odds the casino traditionally enjoys, the player accepting the banker's role must have sufficient funds in order to pay the maximal possible winnings of all the other players. A similar scheme for distributing the role of banker between the players of a different multi-player card game is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,444 to Nguyen, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
These schemes for distributing the role of banker are directed to steady groups of players in which the same group of players plays a sequence of rounds. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,444 patent relates to sequences of 16 rounds for a group of eight players which each serves as banker for two rounds. Allowing players to join and/or leave the game in the middle of a sequence of rounds tilts the odds of the game and may cause unrest in the casino. In addition, the different sums held by the players of the game cause changes in the maximal wagers which may be offered by users or disqualifies users holding relatively low sums from acting as banker.
In a variation of the scheme of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,536 patent, it is suggested to split the banker role between one of the players and the casino, which is represented by the dealer. The wagers paid by the players are divided evenly between the banker player and the casino and the winnings of the players are paid in even parts by the banker player and the casino. Using such a scheme, however, means that the casino is an active (although partial) participant in the gambling. As described above, such participation of the casino in the gambling is undesired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An aspect of some embodiments of the present invention relates to a method of managing a casino in which players in the casino are assigned a banker score and the role of banker in the various games of the casino is offered to the players based on their banker score. In some embodiments of the invention, the banker score of a player is a function of the wagers offered by the player in the casino, such that the eligibility of the player to become banker increases with the participation in the games of the casino. Alternatively or additionally, the banker score of a player is a function of the losses of the player in the casino, for example, the total losses of the player in the casino or the losses of the player when not acting as banker. In some embodiments of the invention, the banker score is reduced according to the amount of wagers the player receives when acting as banker.
An aspect of some embodiments of the present invention relates to a method of determining the eligibility of a player to be the banker in a current gambling session, based on actions performed in other gambling sessions. The term gambling session is taken to mean a sequence of consecutive gambling rounds of a single casino game. In some embodiments of the invention, the eligibility to be banker is based on actions performed in previous visits to the casino and/or in other casino games than the game for which eligibility to be banker is being determined. Optionally, the eligibility to be banker is also based on actions of the current gambling session. In some embodiments of the invention, actions in the current gambling session are given higher or lower weight than given to actions in previously played games.
An aspect of some embodiments of the present invention relates to a method of operating casino apparatus (e.g., roulette tables, electronic game machines), in which the entity serving as banker is separate from the entity operating the apparatus. In some embodiments of the invention, the casino apparatus includes software apparatus which simulates the operation of the casino apparatus. Optionally, the software is accessed or provided over a communication network. The entity which provides the software is separate from the entity which serves as banker. In some embodiments of the invention, the casino apparatus includes single-user apparatus in which a single player plays against the banker, e.g., electronic video games and slot machines. Alternatively or additionally, the casino apparatus includes multi-user apparatus such as roulette tables. In some embodiments of the invention, the casino apparatus provides games in which the winning ratios are relatively high, such that the banker may lose in a single round more than 20, 50 or even 100 times the sum which a regular player may lose.
In some embodiments of the invention, the entity serving as banker changes dynamically every several rounds, possibly while one or more players are playing with the apparatus. Optionally, the change in the entity serving as banker is performed without the players using the apparatus noticing and/or without causing a delay between play rounds.
In some embodiments of the invention, a software casino operator rents out casino games to users who serve as bankers. Optionally, the casino games are located in a casino hosting a plurality of casino games rented to different users. Optionally, the user renting the casino games does not bring a group of players but rather leaves the game open for visiting users. In some embodiments of the invention, the casino renting out the games operates the games, i.e., at least partially hosts the software and/or determines the results of game rounds for software games and/or provides an expert dealer for real life card games.
In some embodiments of the invention, the casino games are rented to users who spent at least a predetermined amount of money in the casino, as regular players. Alternatively or additionally, the casino games are rented out for a flat sum and/or a percentage of the wagers and/or winnings of the games.
In some embodiments of the invention, a user renting the game customizes one or more parameters of the game, such as the minimal or maximal wagers and/or the winning odds.
An aspect of some
Gonen Alon
Shotten Ishai
CV On Net N.V.
Fenster & Company
Layno Benjamin H.
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