| Apparatus and method for playing cards with a unique betting format -> Monitor Keywords |
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Apparatus and method for playing cards with a unique betting formatRelated Patent Categories: Amusement Devices: Games, Card Or Tile Games, Cards Or Tiles ThereforApparatus and method for playing cards with a unique betting format description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070132184, Apparatus and method for playing cards with a unique betting format. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention generally relates to the field of gaming and more specifically relates to a method of playing cards. [0003] 2. Background Art [0004] Five card and seven card poker are games of chance and recreation that almost everyone knows how to play. As a leisure time activity, poker and other card games have fascinated the public for many years. A vast majority of the many developed poker variations use the same basic priority or ranking of winning poker hands (i.e., Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card(s) in a Hand). [0005] In an informal "family type" poker game, each player is dealt a poker hand by the "dealer" who is usually one of the players at the table. Frequently, each player/dealer has the option to choose what type of game (i.e.--five card stud, five card draw, seven card stud, hi-low, Texas Hold 'Em) is played during the deal. This feature is called "dealer's choice." The player with the highest hand, based on the established priority of poker hands, wins that hand. After a player deals, the deal moves around the table in a clockwise fashion, ensuring that each player gets a turn as dealer. It is also common to introduce wagering into the game through the use of tokens or poker chips that usually, but not necessarily, have a monetary value. [0006] In a conventional cardroom poker game played at a commercial gaming facility, the casino or "house" provides a dealer, the playing cards, the table, the chairs, and, most likely, the gaming chips. Although the house provides the dealer, the dealer is not dealt any cards, nor does the dealer place any wagers. Instead, the dealer shuffles and deals the cards, monitors the betting activity of the players, and controls the overall flow and pace of the game. As compensation, the house typically collects a nominal percentage of each player's bet (the "rake"), or a percentage of the total pot (usually capped). Alternatively, the house may charge each player a set fee per hand or a fee for playing a specified length of time. [0007] Many locations, both within and without the United States, have legalized various forms of gambling. Poker is one of the most popular games of chance and is presently offered in most gaming establishments, such as casinos, that also offer craps, roulette, blackjack, slots, etc. and also in cardrooms which provide for card playing only. Indian casinos and riverboats generally also offer poker, and these venues may or may not offer craps, roulette, slots, etc. The growing popularity of poker, in particular, is evidenced by the significant number of poker tournaments and television events now associated with the game of poker. [0008] One of the more popular conventional forms of live table poker is known colloquially as "Texas Hold 'Em" or just "Hold 'Em." In this variation, each player at the table is initially dealt two cards, face-down. These cards are generally known as the "hole" cards. After an initial round of betting, where the player's wagers or bets are placed into a central "pot," the dealer will expose additional communal cards, usually placed in the center of the table for easy viewing by the players. The dealer first deals three face-up communal cards, known as the "flop." Another round of betting by the players follows, after which the dealer deals a fourth face-up communal card, called the "turn" or "fourth street" card. After a third round of betting, the dealer deals a fifth and final face-up communal card, called the "river" or "fifth street" card. Then, a fourth (final) round of betting occurs. Whenever the dealer deals one or more cards, the dealer may "burn" or remove one or more cards from the deck prior to continuing the deal. The burn card or cards are placed in a special spot on the table. Burn cards are not exposed and play no significant part in the overall betting or strategy of the game and are merely a ritual devised to inhibit cheating. Players may fold at any time during the four rounds of betting. [0009] In addition to the betting, each of the players at the table will often be required to place a small initial bet or "ante" in the center of the table prior to the beginning of each hand. In order to participate in a given hand, each player that desired to be dealt a hand must place their "ante" on the table. Other variations also include the provision for "blind bets," where one or more of the players are also required to post a "blind" or initial bet prior to the dealer providing any cards to any players. The use of blind bets and the ante ensure that there is always money in the pot and that all players will be required to continue placing money in the pot so that no player can simply sit back and watch the play while the other players participate in the betting. The posting of blind bets usually rotates around the table and the amount of the blind bets typically increases as the game progresses. [0010] The pattern for betting typically allows each player, in turn, to decide whether or not to bet on their hand. This can occur by making an initial bet, by "calling" a prior bet, or by "raising" a prior bet. If no prior bet has been made, a player can choose to pass their opportunity to bet by "checking." Similar to the progressive nature of the blinds, the responsibility to lead the betting will rotate around the table, hand-by-hand. [0011] After all the hole cards and the communal cards are dealt and turned face-up, each player remaining in the game after the various rounds of betting uses his or her hole cards in conjunction with any three, four, or all of the five common cards to fashion the best poker hand possible. The winning player is determined by the highest ranking poker hand, once again using the standard poker rank as the criterion for comparison. The pot is then awarded to the winning player, or split among two or more winning players possessing hands of equal poker rank. In another variation, the game is played "high-low split," with the total pot being evenly divided between the player having the highest poker hand and the player having the lowest poker hand. [0012] While there are multiple versions of Hold 'Em poker played around the world today, most of them follow this format or something very similar. In general, if players continue to bet the entire game, the betting ends with a final round after the "turn" or "river" card is exposed by the dealer. This wagering process has been found to be very successful and has been utilized with regularity for many years. Accordingly, most players are very familiar with the betting methodology used to play Hold 'Em poker. Unfortunately, this level of familiarity has also led to a certain amount of dissatisfaction for many players. For many experienced Hold 'Em players, the odds of winning any given hand can be computed with almost mathematical precision, making the game less enjoyable as the game is reduced to a somewhat predictable series of events, based on the statistical probabilities underlying the cards played in a given hand. While bluffing and other strategies can be employed, newer players are often at a distinct disadvantage in these scenarios and will simply "fold" or quit playing the game. Even experienced players, who are used to employing highly involved bluffs and strategies during gameplay will often feel limited by the present constraints of the game. Accordingly, without additional variations on the methodology of playing and betting, the enjoyment of playing card games such as Hold 'Em will continue to be sub-optimal, at least for some players. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0013] A method and apparatus for playing a poker game with a unique betting format is disclosed. The card game is somewhat similar to traditional poker and, more specifically, to Hold 'Em poker. The unique gameplay disclosed herein allows for two specific variations on the traditional gameplay associated with standard Hold 'Em. First, one variation of the present invention will incorporate one or more "wild cards" into the game, typically in the form of jokers. These additional cards, when added to the standard 52 card deck of playing cards, can be used to represent any other card in the deck. A second variation of the present invention incorporates at least one additional round of betting into the gameplay. In this version, after the betting on the "river" card has occurred, the next player in turn to bet can choose to "check" or initiate another round of betting. However, if the player wishes to initiate another round of betting, that player must also expose one of their hole cards by turning it face up on the table. Each of the remaining players can then choose to "call" the bet, "raise" the bet, or fold. However, if the other players choose to remain in the game by initiating a bet, or by calling or raising a previous bet, then they must also expose one of their hole cards as well. The initial player and each of the subsequent players may all simply elect to "check" and not initiate a new round of betting which will allow the game to conclude in a fashion similar to standard Hold 'Em. Finally, the use of jokers and the additional round of betting may be incorporated into a single preferred embodiment of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0014] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements, and: [0015] FIG. 1 is a with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and [0016] FIG. 2 is a in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0017] A method and apparatus for playing a poker game with a unique betting format is disclosed. The card game is somewhat similar to traditional games of poker and, more specifically, to Hold 'Em poker. The unique gameplay disclosed herein allows for two specific variations on the traditional gameplay associated with standard Hold 'Em. First, one variation of the present invention will incorporate one or more "wild cards" into the game, typically in the form of jokers. These additional cards, when added to the standard 52 card deck of playing cards, can be used to represent any other card in the deck. A second variation of the present invention incorporates at least one additional round of betting into the gameplay. In this version, after the betting on the "river" card has occurred, the next player in turn to bet can choose to "check" or initiate another round of betting. However, if the player wishes to initiate another round of betting, that player must also expose one of their hole cards by turning it face up on the table. Each of the remaining players can then choose to "call" the bet, "raise" the bet, or fold. However, if the other players choose to remain in the game by initiating a bet, or by calling or raising a previous bet, then they must also expose one of their hole cards as well. The initial player and each of the subsequent players may all simply elect to "check" and not initiate a new round of betting which will allow the game to conclude in a fashion similar to standard Hold 'Em. Finally, the use of jokers and the additional round of betting may be incorporated into a single preferred embodiment of the present invention. [0018] Referring now to FIG. 1, a method 100 for playing a game of cards in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is set forth. As shown in FIG. 1, each card player is dealt one or more hole cards (step 110) to begin the game. The hole cards may be distributed by any means and in any order (i.e., round robin, one card at a time, two cards at a time, etc.) until each player has the requisite number of hole cards. [0019] Next, the dealer will deal at least one community card into the middle part of the gaming surface (step 115). This may be followed by a preliminary round of betting (step 120) after which at least one community card is exposed by the dealer (step 125). In the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, this is followed by another round of betting or wagering by the players (step 130). After this round of betting, and if an additional community card has not yet been exposed, the dealer will once again expose at least one community card (step 125) which will be followed by another round of betting (sep 130). As shown in FIG. 1, the process of exposing community cards followed by betting or wagering (step 125 and step 130) is continued (step 135="YES") until all community cards have been exposed (step 135="NO"). [0020] After all community cards have been exposed (step 135="YES"), another round of betting or wagering (step 140) may take place. This round of wagering or betting is then followed with yet another round of wagering or betting (step 145), with a critical difference from the previous rounds of wagering or betting. In this round of betting, any player that wishes to make, call, or raise a bet (step 146) must also choose and expose one of his/her hole cards (step 147). This unique betting format, the combination of betting while simultaneously exposing a hole card to remain in the game is not practiced with the standard poker games of the present community. After the exposing of a hole card, another round of betting may ensue (step 150), if desired. Continue reading about Apparatus and method for playing cards with a unique betting format... Full patent description for Apparatus and method for playing cards with a unique betting format Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Apparatus and method for playing cards with a unique betting format patent application. ###  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 Apparatus and method for playing cards with a unique betting format or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Big business usa Next Patent Application: Blackjack game with side bet wager Industry Class: Amusement devices: games ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Apparatus and method for playing cards with a unique betting format patent info. 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