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Video poker system and method with bet allocationVideo poker system and method with bet allocation description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20090137301, Video poker system and method with bet allocation. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/113,761 filed Apr. 25, 2005 and entitled “VIDEO POKER SYSTEM AND METHOD WITH BET ALLOCATION,” now U.S. Pat. No. ______, and is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/100,278 filed Apr. 6, 2005 and entitled “VIDEO POKER SYSTEM AND METHOD WITH MULTIPLE CONCURRENT STARTING HANDS,” now U.S. Pat. No. ______. The Applicant claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/113,761 and 11/100,278 under 35 U.S.C. §120. The entire content of each of the above-identified U.S. patent applications is incorporated herein by this reference. This invention relates to video gaming systems. More particularly, the invention is directed to a video poker gaming apparatus, method, and program product that facilitates increased player interaction in the course of game play without unduly slowing play. Video poker gaming machines are designed to replicate the play of a poker game. These gaming machines commonly include a video display device together with a set of player controls through which a player may place bets and take various actions in the course of a game. The cards dealt to the player are displayed on the video display device as graphic card representations. The graphic representations of cards dealt in a video poker game will be referred to in this disclosure and the accompanying claims as “card representations.” In some video poker games, the object of the game is to beat a dealer whose hand is simulated on the video display. In other video poker games, the player does not play against any competitor. In these types of video poker games, the object is to produce the best hand for the particular game, and prizes are awarded to the player based on the value of the hand without regard to the value of any other card hand produced by another player or simulated player. In these latter types of video poker games, prizes are awarded based on a paytable that correlates each possible card hand value to a respective prize level. In view of the keen competition for players, different types of video poker games have proliferated over the last ten to twenty years. Gaming system providers continuously strive to provide new types of video poker games and interesting game graphics in order to capture and maintain player interest. One way to make games more interesting to players is to provide a high degree of player interaction in the course of a game. However, increased player interaction may be at odds with another goal of video gaming systems, to provide relatively rapid play. The present invention provides an exciting and interactive video poker game in which a player may make an initial bet and then allocate that initial bet between multiple poker hands. In preferred forms of the invention, prizes are awarded according to a paytable that correlates each possible poker hand value to a respective prize level. For example, the poker hand values “three-of-a-kind,” a “pair,” and a “full house” are each correlated to a respective prize level. A method embodying the principles of the invention includes displaying a first set of card representations at a display device of a player station. This first set of card representations is divided into a number of card representation subsets. The method also includes receiving a subset selection input and a wager allocation input at the player station. The subset selection input selects a first and second subset of card representations from the various subsets that have been displayed. Each of these different subsets will be used together with a second, “community” set of card representations displayed at the player station to produce a respective final hand for the player. The wager allocation input allocates a wager amount between the first and second subsets of card representations, that is, the different hands being played by the player. The method also includes awarding a first prize value and a second prize value. The first prize value is based on an optimum hand identified from a combination of the second set of card representations and the first subset of card representations considering the wager allocated to the first subset, and the second prize value is based on an optimum hand of card representations identified from a combination of the second set of card representations and the second subset of card representations considering the wager allocated to the second subset. One preferred form of the invention includes displaying a separate hand value indicator on the display device to indicate the value of the hand produced from each of the player\'s selected subsets when combined with the second set of card representations. A hand value indicator may also be displayed on the display device for each other combination of card representation subset and second set of card representations. Thus, the player is not only advised of the value of his hand but also the apparent value of the hands produced by combining the second set of card representations with the card representation subsets that the player did not select. The result for the player may be identified in a number of ways within the scope of the present invention. For example, a result may be identified from an electronic lottery ticket assigned to the player. A result for a player may also be produced from a result for the player in a bingo game. Results may also be randomly determined according to some algorithm. It is also possible that the result of a given play in the game may be determined by an actual evaluation of each subset of card representations selected by the player together with the second set of card representations that have been selected/dealt at random from a simulated deck of cards. A gaming system according to principles of the present invention may include one, and preferably many, player stations each having a display device and a player control arrangement for enabling the player to select their desired card representation subsets and allocate their wager between the selected subsets. The gaming system also preferably includes a distribution controller which identifies and distributes the first and second set of card representations to a given player station. In forms of the invention in which results are identified by an actual evaluation of the card representations dealt in the game, a combination controller may be included in the system for combining the second set of card representations from the distribution controller with the player selected card representation subsets to identify an optimum card hand for each respective subset. A prize controller may also be provided for awarding/assigning prizes to the player correlating to the player\'s optimum card hands. The present invention also includes a program product stored on at least one storage medium. The program product includes a set of machine-readable instructions that are executable to carry out the methods disclosed herein. These and other advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, considered along with the accompanying drawings. Continue reading about Video poker system and method with bet allocation... Full patent description for Video poker system and method with bet allocation Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Video poker system and method with bet allocation patent application. Patent Applications in related categories: 20090291728 - Hot spot - This method is applicable to any non-gaming application for use in promotions, give-a-ways, collection of points for redemption of goods and free commodities. The pay-out will differ from game to game depending on what game is utilized by this method. This method provides a vehicle to designate one to multiple positions ... 20090291729 - Video poker game with a bet doubling option - A method, apparatus, and computer readable storage medium for implementing a video poker game allowing a player to double (or increase) his or her initial bet. After the initial deal, the player can decide to double the initial bet before drawing new cards. Both the initial bet and optional doubled ... ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Video poker system and method with bet allocation or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Methods of playing games of chance and gaming devices with temporally limited or sequentially limited chances for enhanced payouts activated by winning outcomes Next Patent Application: Client-server network configurations for gaming systems Industry Class: Amusement devices: games ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Video poker system and method with bet allocation patent info. 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