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21 poker21 poker description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070241506, 21 poker. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority from the filing date of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/554,826, filed Oct. 31, 2006, which is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority from the filing date of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/404,138, filed Apr. 15, 2006, both of which applications are hereby incorporated by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002]The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for playing a card game. More particularly, the present invention relates to a modified blackjack game that may be played as a casino table game or as a video game. BACKGROUND [0003]Blackjack is the most popular card game offered in casinos today. In fact, casinos will often devote more tables to blackjack than to all other forms of card games combined. Blackjack is based on simple concepts and procedures that are readily understood by novice and regular players alike. Additionally, the game allows players to use basic strategies that provide some degree of player control and that allow for heightened excitement. [0004]Blackjack requires the use of at least one standard deck of 52 playing cards. These cards each have a numerical or letter value, and a suit associated with them. A standard deck consists of four sets (of thirteen cards each) numbered as follows: A (ace), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J (jack), Q (queen), and K (king). There are four cards of each value, one of each "suit": spades, diamonds, clubs, and hearts. For the purposes of blackjack, the suit is irrelevant, and only the value of the card is considered. Again, for the purposes of blackjack, the value of the cards is computed as follows: for cards valued two through nine, they are given the value shown on the card; tens, jacks, queens, and kings are each valued as ten points; and aces may be valued as one point, or as eleven points, at the player's discretion. While blackjack may be played with only a single deck of cards, casinos will usually use "shoes" of multiple decks mixed together to discourage card-counting. [0005]A blackjack game involves one dealer (in casinos, the dealer represents the "house," or the casino), and one or more players. Blackjack is scored by comparing the combined value of each player's cards against the dealer's. In other words, each player's hand is compared individually to the dealer's hand; every player at a table may win any given hand against the dealer, or every player may lose to the dealer. More commonly, some players will beat the dealer and others will lose. Players do not compete against each other. [0006]To determine whether the player or the dealer wins a hand, the value of each card the player has is added together. For example, a player with a seven (of any suit) and a queen (of any suit) has a hand value of 17. If the value of all the cards in a player's hand ever exceeds 21, then the player "busts" and loses the hand (keeping in mind that the player may choose to value aces as one if necessary). The same is true of the dealer's hand; however, players are always given the opportunity to bust first, giving an advantage to the dealer. If a player busts and then the dealer subsequently busts, the dealer wins the hand. [0007]If neither the player nor the dealer bust, then the person with the cards that total the highest value wins the hand. If the player loses the hand, he loses his original bet. If the player wins the hand, he is paid an amount equal to his original bet. However, if the combined values of the cards in the player's hand and the dealer's hand are the same, then the hand is usually a "push," wherein neither the player nor the dealer wins the hand and the player's original bet is returned. [0008]In most cases, if the player's first two cards are an ace and any card with a value of ten (i.e., a ten, jack, queen, or king), this is known as a "blackjack" or "twenty-one," and the player wins immediately and typically will be paid one-and-a-half times his original bet. Similarly, if the dealer gets a "blackjack," then each player loses, unless a player also had a "blackjack," in which case that player "pushes" that hand. [0009]To begin a hand, the dealer will deal one card to the person to his left, and continue to deal one card to each player in a clockwise pattern until each player has one card. These cards are usually dealt face up (i.e., with the value and suit exposed). The dealer will then deal himself a single card, almost always face down. The dealer will then repeat the process by dealing each player a second card (usually also face up), and then will deal himself a second card, usually face up as well. Each player will therefore begin with two cards (usually both face up), and the dealer will have two cards (usually one face up and one face down). [0010]After the player looks at the value of his cards, he may choose to "stand," which means that he keeps the two cards that he was dealt. He may also "hit," which means that he receives another card from the deck. The value of this new card is added to the total of his hand. The player may then choose to stand or hit again, and can receive as many additional cards as he wants. However, if the sum of the player's cards exceeds a score of 21, the player busts and loses his bet. [0011]In most casinos, the player also has the option of "doubling down," usually only if the first two cards add up to a total of nine, ten, or eleven. To double down, the player doubles his original bet and receives one, and only one, more card. In most casinos players also have the option of "splitting" when both cards have the same value (i.e., both are eights or both are tens--players can not split if one card is a ten and the other is a different card also with a value of ten). To split, the player takes his two cards and makes two different hands, adding a new bet to the new hand created. The dealer then deals an additional card to each hand, so the player now has two hands with two cards each, each with a bet of the original amount. The two hands are then played normally. [0012]Once each player has gone in turn and either busted or decided to stand (and not receive any more cards), the dealer flips both of his cards face up. If the dealer's hand has a certain total value (usually 17), the dealer stands, otherwise, the dealer hits. Dealers will often also hit if they have an ace and a six which is known as a "soft" 17, since the ace can be used as a one instead of an eleven if the card drawn would otherwise increase the dealer's hand over 21. A "soft 17" is a hand that contains at least one ace and the total value of the hand can equal either 7 or 17 since an ace can be valued as either a one or an eleven. A soft 17 is a hand which adds up to 17 counting an ace as an eleven. Other examples of soft 17 hands include, but are not limited to, hands comprised of: (ace-4-2), (ace-3-3), (5-ace-ace), (2-2-2-ace), or (4-ace-ace-ace). [0013]If the dealer busts, then all players who had not previously busted win the hand. Once the dealer stands (on a 17, 18, 19, 20, or 21), his hand total is compared to each player who had not busted in turn, and each player wins an amount equal to his bet, loses his bet, or pushes, based on which hand value is higher as described above. [0014]There are a number of variations on the rules described above, including "insurance bets," single-deck blackjack, and games wherein both of the dealer's cards are dealt face up. However, blackjack and most variations thereof suffer from a number of drawbacks. For instance, the player must generally keep the two cards he is dealt, and he does not have the option to discard either of them. The player may thus feel that he does not have sufficient control with respect to the cards that are dealt to him. [0015]Another drawback to conventional blackjack games is that the amount that a player can win is severely limited by his starting bet. The player is not afforded sufficient betting opportunities that could lead to bigger payouts. As such, other betting options are desirable for the blackjack player other than just varying the size of their wagers. In conventional blackjack, a player may earn one-and-a-half times his original bet on a "blackjack," but otherwise he is limited to winning the amount that he wagers (even by splitting or doubling down, the player must double his original bet for a chance to win only that doubled amount). There is no possibility in conventional blackjack for a player to make "side bets," and there is no opportunity to win five, ten, or even sixty times his original bet. The addition of such variations would likely make blackjack more fun and exciting for players, as it increases the unpredictability of blackjack and increases the payouts that a player may receive. The addition of side bets or other betting opportunities would also likely make blackjack more profitable for casinos. [0016]Blackjack games may also be further improved by incorporating elements of other popular games. For instance, poker is very popular in America and around the world. Poker especially has benefited from a recent popularity explosion due to high-stakes tournaments being played that receive enormous national television coverage. There are many different poker tournaments, celebrity poker games, poker tutorials, and other poker-related shows on television; there are also countless poker-related sites on the Internet, where players may learn the rules of poker, be shown various strategies for playing poker, and even wager on poker games. Even laptop computers, personal digital assistants, and cell phones offer poker games for players on the go. The game is so popular, several airlines now offer poker games on television screens embedded in each seat wherein players on a flight may compete against other players on that flight. If traditional blackjack could tap into the popularity of poker and the rankings and odds of poker hands, the game could be greatly improved. An improvement of blackjack that offers elements of the five-card poker-hand-based betting of poker games would be ideal as it will provide an exiting and attractive variation to players. [0017]The above-mentioned variations are therefore likely to increase the popularity of blackjack even further. Other advantages of the present invention will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the ensuing description of the present invention. SUMMARY [0018]The present invention is directed to a method of playing a modified blackjack game that incorporates elements of traditional poker and generates additional excitement, player control, and more revenue for both players and casinos than conventional blackjack. The present invention provides the player with added options with respect to the cards that are dealt to him. As such, the player may feel like he has more control of the outcome of the game. The present invention also provides additional betting opportunities and an opportunity for larger payouts than conventional blackjack games. Providing players with more opportunities to win and the opportunity for bigger payouts would bring greater excitement and interest to players and will likely attract new players to the game. [0019]To achieve the foregoing and in accordance with the purposes of the present invention, the present invention is directed to a gaming method that comprises: dealing two cards to at least one player and to the dealer; allowing each player and the dealer to decide whether to use at least one community card from a plurality of community cards to form their blackjack hand; each player and the dealer forming a blackjack hand comprising the two cards dealt to them and optionally one or more community cards; each player and the dealer forming a poker hand comprising the two cards dealt to them and the plurality of community cards; comparing each player's blackjack and poker hands to the dealer's blackjack and poker hands; and resolving all bets. [0020]One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method of playing a modified blackjack game comprised of both a blackjack game and a poker game, the method comprising: (a) requiring each player to make a bet on the blackjack hand ("blackjack bet") and a bet on the poker hand ("ante") before receiving any cards; (b) dealing two face down cards to each player; (c) dealing one face up card and one face down card to the dealer; (d) dealing three community cards face down; (e) requiring each player to either bet or fold the poker hand (which is comprised of the player's two face down cards and three community cards); (f) requiring each player who decided to bet the poker hand to place a "play bet" equal to the ante; (g) allowing each player to either stand or buy a first community card to form his blackjack hand by placing an additional bet equal to his blackjack bet; (h) revealing the first community card; (i) allowing each player who bought the first community card to either stand or buy a second community card to form his blackjack hand by placing an additional bet equal to his blackjack bet; (j) revealing the second community card; (k) allowing each player who bought the second community card to either stand or buy a third community card to form his blackjack hand by placing an additional bet equal to his blackjack bet, (l) revealing the third community card; (m) revealing the dealer's face down card; (n) requiring the dealer to use as many community cards necessary to pair with his face up card and face down card to reach a value of at least "17" (o) determining the outcome of the blackjack game by using blackjack scoring as a basis to make a comparison between each player's blackjack hand and the dealer's blackjack hand; (p) determining the outcome of the poker game by using traditional poker rankings as a basis to make a comparison between each player's poker hand and the dealer's poker hand. [0021]In the foregoing embodiment, each player's blackjack hand is comprised of the two face down cards dealt to him and optionally one or more of the community cards. The dealer's blackjack hand is comprised of the dealer's face up card, the dealer's face down card, and one or more of the community cards wherein the possibility of the dealer's use of the first, second, and third community cards is dependent on whether the community cards are necessary for the dealer's hand to reach at least "17." Each player's poker hand is comprised of the player's two face down cards and the three community cards; and the dealer's poker hand is comprised of the dealer's face up card, the dealer's face down card, and the three community cards. Continue reading about 21 poker... Full patent description for 21 poker Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this 21 poker patent application. 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The player may fold and lose the ante, or place ... ###  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 21 poker or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: 21 duel blackjack Next Patent Application: 21 royale blackjack Industry Class: Amusement devices: games ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the 21 poker patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.6133 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Canon USA , Celera Genomics , Cephalon, Inc. , Cingular Wireless , Clorox , Colgate-Palmolive , Corning , Cymer , 174 |
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