Spanish match table and related methods of play

Details Spanish match table and related methods of play Spanish match table and related methods of play

2001-07-10

2004-03-09

Layno, Benjamin H. (Department: 3711)

Amusement devices: games

Card or tile games, cards or tiles therefor

C273S236000, C273S274000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06702290

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to a card game suitable for play in a casino and more particularly to the card game Spanish Match or Monte, which is played using a deck of Cards.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The game of Spanish Match or Monte has been played for many years. A private house provides a deck of Cards, a table and a dealer. In its most basic elements, the game involves a competition between two cards. Players place a bet on which one of the two cards will generate a match first. If the player is correct, the dealer pays the player; if the player is incorrect, the player forfeits the bet. Although the game of Spanish Match or Monte is popular in private homes, especially in Puerto Rico, it is not played in casinos. This may result from a number of factors. For one, a casino must generate enough revenue from a particular game to pay overhead costs and still leave a profit. Also, the game must have well defined rules of play that avoid the possibility of any misunderstanding between the dealer and the players. In any event, the details of the game will now be described further.
The deck of Cards used for play typically includes four suits each of which is numbered one through seven and ten through twelve (1-7 and 10-12). Thus, the entire deck includes forty (40) cards. The respective suits depict clubs, chalices, swords, and gold coins. Thus, the deck includes four cards numbered two, one of which depicts two clubs, another of which depicts two chalices, another of which depicts two sword coins, and the last of which depicts two gold coins. The cards numbered ten through twelve depict a jack, a queen or a king along with one of the suits. Typically, a dealer uses a single deck of cards and shuffles that deck in between games. Alternatively, multiple decks may be used. The decks not in play are shuffled so that a new deck is ready immediately upon completion of a game. To help avoid mixing together cards from different decks, the decks are chosen with different back and background colors.
Any number of players may participate in the game. To begin, the dealer lays two cards adjacent one another. These two cards are drawn from the bottom of the deck.
FIG. 1
shows one example of this. Here the dealer has first placed card
102
and card
104
on table
100
. This competition is sometimes termed the upper competition. If the cards match (e.g. two fours of different suits), then the dealer replaces both cards until they do not match. Then, the players may place a bet on which card will generate the first match. To place a bet for card
102
, the player places one or more folded bills adjacent card
102
. Each player uses a unique set of folds so that the different player's bets may be distinguished. Here, two players have bet on card
102
. One of those bets uses bills folded into a square or square folded bills
106
, another uses bills folded into a triangle or triangle folded bills
108
. Yet another player has bet on card
104
by placing a bill folded into an elongated rectangle or rectangle folded bill
110
adjacent card
104
.
On any bet, if the player guesses incorrectly, then the player forfeits the entire bet. If the player guesses correctly and the competition is decided by or before the first card shown after placing the bet and after establishing both competitions, the player is paid seventy-five percent of the bet. For example, if the player bets twenty dollars ($20), then the dealer pays the player fifteen dollars ($15) and returns their bet. If the player guesses correctly and the competition is decided by any card after such first card drawn, the player is paid one hundred percent of the bet. For example, if the player bets ten dollars ($10), then the dealer pays the player ten dollars ($10) and returns their bet.
After giving the players an opportunity to place bets, the dealer calls “no more bets”. At this time, the players have finished placing bets on the competition between cards
102
and
104
. The dealer then begins another competition by drawing another card, this time from the top of the deck. The dealer places that card, shown as card
112
, on the table
100
adjacent to card
102
, and diagonal to card
104
. If the card has the same value or matches either card
102
or card
104
, then it is removed from its original location and placed next to the matching card (shown in FIG.
2
and further discussed below). This action is sometimes referred to as raising the card. Once the dealer raises a card next to card
102
or
104
, no new bets may be placed on the competition between those two cards. Absent such a match, the dealer draws another card, again from the top of the deck, and places that card, shown as card
114
, on the table
100
adjacent to card
112
and
104
, and diagonal to card
102
. If card
114
matches card
112
, the two cards are removed and replacements are drawn following the same procedure.
Once the second competition between card
112
and card
114
has been established, players may place bets. This competition is sometimes termed the lower competition. Here, one player has bet on card
112
by placing a triangle folded bill
116
adjacent to card
112
. This bet was placed by the same player that placed triangle folded bill
108
since these two bets use the same fold pattern. Another player has bet on card
114
by placing a bill with a folded corner or folded corner bill
118
adjacent to card
114
.
When cards are removed due to a match in either the first competition or the second competition, the associated number is burned and the remaining cards with that same number will be discarded as they may be drawn for the deck. For example, if the dealer draws a pair of fours when placing the first competition, those fours are removed and a new first competition is established. If another four is drawn while establishing that new first competition, then that four will be discarded without placing it on the table
100
. Likewise, if another four is drawn while establishing the second competition, then that four will be discarded without placing it on the table
100
.
After giving the players an opportunity to place bets on the second competition, the dealer calls “no more bets.” At this time, the players have finished placing bets on the second competition and the dealer begins the match process. Until this time, the dealer has held or placed the deck in a face-down position so that the players can only see cards after they have been drawn from the deck. Now, the dealer turns the deck in a face-up position, shown for example in
FIG. 3
as deck
302
.
If the top card of deck
302
matches any of the cards in competition, i.e., cards
102
,
104
,
112
or
114
, the dealer declares a winner for the respective competition. The first card is commonly termed “the window,” and if a match comes from the window, any players betting on that match will win their bet. That player is termed “a window winner,” and will receive payment of seventy-five percent (75%) of their bet plus their original bet.
If the first card does not generate a match, the dealer will continue drawing cards from the top of the deck. Each new card is compared with the cards in competition. If that comparison generates a match, any player betting on the winning card is declared “a match winner,” and will receive payment of one hundred percent (100%) of their bet plus their original bet. In other words, the winner is paid a prize in the same amount as their winning bet. When the dealer determines a winner for either of the competitions, the dealer pays or collects all outstanding bets for that competition and clears all of the cards associated with that competition. The dealer will then continue to draw cards from the deck until the remaining competition generates a winner. At that time, the dealer pays or collects all outstanding bets for the remaining competition and may begin a new game.
At any time during the process of drawing cards from the deck to determine a match for the competitions, a player may call to the dealer

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