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  Blackjack game with side bet wagerUSPTO Application #: 20070290444Title: Blackjack game with side bet wager Abstract: The present invention is directed to a blackjack wagering game including the steps of: wagering a first amount on an underlying blackjack game involving a player playing against a dealer; wagering a second amount on a side bet bonus game integrated with the underlying blackjack game, wherein the wager includes selecting at least one particular suit; providing one or more cards to the player and the dealer to form a player's initial hand and a dealer's initial hand; determining the outcome of the side bet bonus game wager, wherein the outcome depends on at least one of card of one of the initial hands including one or more cards of the at least one selected suit; and playing the underlying blackjack card game to determine a final outcome for the blackjack wager. (end of abstract)
Agent: Mark A. Litman & Associated, P.A. York Business Center - Edina, MN, US Inventor: Daniel J. Moses USPTO Applicaton #: 20070290444 - Class: 273303000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Amusement Devices: Games, Card Or Tile Games, Cards Or Tiles Therefor, Suits The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070290444. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to games of chance, such as card games, and more particularly to a card game, such as blackjack or variants thereof, that facilitates multiple wagering opportunities. [0003] 2. Background of the Art [0004] Card games have always been popular as wagering games. The history of card games reaches back into biblical times. One of the most popular card games, especially for gambling or gaming uses is the card game known as blackjack ("Twenty-One" or "21"), the general rules of which are well known throughout the world. A summary of the rules is provided below. [0005] The basic game of blackjack is played with one or more standard decks of cards wherein each rank of card is associated a numerical value (e.g., royalty is worth 10 points, Aces may be 1 or 11 points at the changeable option of the player, and actual numbers have equal point values, that is 1=1, 2=2, 3=3, etc.). The object of the game for the players is to be dealt or otherwise develop a hand of cards having a cumulative value closer to 21 than the dealer's hand, provided that no hands that exceed 21 remain in play. [0006] Players are each initially dealt hands consisting of two cards which are displayed face up to compete against the dealer's hand of two cards, with one card of the two dealer cards being displayed face up while the other dealer card is hidden (e.g., face down). The rules of the basic game then provide a round in which each player has the opportunity to maintain the initial hand as dealt (referred to as "sticking" or "standing") or to receive additional cards (referred to as "hitting"). Cards can be added to the player hand in a player hand determination portion of the round until the cumulative value of the hand exceeds 21 or until the player indicates that he will stand with the present point count. A player with a cumulative hand value greater than 21 loses the game before the dealer has exercised the stand/hit options (referred to as "busting") and any wager that player has made is relinquished. [0007] Once this player hand determination portion of the round has been completed, the dealer reveals the hidden or "hole" card to the players and either stands or hits. In this basic version of the game of blackjack, the dealer does not have the ability to decide whether to stand or hit. Rather, the decision is dictated by the house rules. For example, house rules may dictate that the dealer must typically take another card if the cumulative hand value equals 16 or less and must stand on any hand having a value of 17. In other variants of the game of blackjack, the dealer must take a hit on a "soft" 17, that is, a 17 that was made by a hand comprising two or more cards, at least one of the cards being an Ace that can be used to provide a total hand count of 7 (with the Ace counting as 1) or 17 (with the Ace counting as 11). Accordingly, if the dealer's hand should eventually exceed 21, the dealer loses the game. Upon the dealer losing, the remaining players (that is, players who have not yet busted and their hands are still in play) win and are paid based on their wagers. In the event that both the player and dealer have the same value hands, this is a known as a "push" and the wager is returned to the player. [0008] The house or casino has the advantage because the blackjack player must play and complete their hand before the dealer plays or completes his hand. However, blackjack is relatively simple to understand and is a fast and easy card game for most players to play. Additionally, many players may exercise some form of strategy when playing the game which betters their odds of winning. These strategies are often based on assessing a combination of factors such as the player's initial hand value, an estimation of the dealer's hand based on the one visible card and mathematical probability that the hidden card will be of a particular value, along with the chances that taking any additional cards will cause the player or dealer to eventually bust. [0009] While the basic game of blackjack is a relatively fast-paced card game, it is always desirable to offer the players opportunities for variations in the game to maintain their long-term interest. Other betting options are desirable for the blackjack player other than just varying the size of their wagers. Additional betting options increase the revenue earned by each table. A blackjack game is needed that has wagering opportunities which permit the blackjack player to have a chance to win a large bet (as a regular option or an option after losing a number of conventional bets to the dealer) without the risk of losing a large amount. [0010] Attempts have been made to vary the basic game of blackjack to provide players with additional wagering options as compared to the wagering options in the basic game. For example, some of these variants allow for a player to wager on the dealer's hand value being higher than the player's hand value but not more than 21. Other variants allow the player to wager on the value of the dealer's hidden card. In yet other variants, the players are allowed to make separate wagers on the initial hand with payouts dependent on the rank or suit of the cards dealt. In still other variants, the players are allowed to make separate wagers having payouts that depend on the player's cards and the dealer's viewable card being forming a traditional poker hand such as a straight or flush. [0011] Another example of a blackjack variant wager is Royal Match 21.TM. game marketed by Shuffle Master, Inc., which includes an optional side bonus bet for Blackjack that considers only the first two cards that the player receives. If the cards are a King and Queen of the same suit (i.e., a "Royal Match"), the player wins. The game also includes an Optional Crown Treasure.TM. bonus wager which may provide awards to the player if the player and the dealer each receive a "Royal Match." [0012] Many blackjack variants have not been successful for reasons such as the variations unduly decrease the pace of game play, lack exciting betting options or a large jackpot type of payout, or incorporate side wagering options that are not widely utilized by players because they are confusing or their benefits are unknown, minimal or just unappreciated. Thus, there is a need in the art to provide variants of the basic blackjack game which, among other things, include easily understood wagering options and large payouts that do not significantly slow down the game play. Furthermore, there is always a need to provide additional alternatives for people that enjoy games of chance. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0013] The present invention solves the problems cited above, among other things, by providing a blackjack wagering game having a side bet bonus game. [0014] In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of playing a blackjack wagering game that includes the steps of: wagering a first monetary amount on an underlying blackjack game involving a player playing against a dealer; wagering a second monetary amount on a side bet bonus game integrated with the underlying blackjack game, wherein the step of placing the side bet bonus game wager includes selecting at least one particular suit as an element of the side bet wager game; providing one or more cards to each of the player and the dealer to form a player's initial hand and a dealer's initial hand; and determining the outcome of the side bet bonus game wager, wherein the outcome of the side bet wager depends on at least one of the initial hands including one or more cards of the at least one selected suit; and playing the underlying blackjack card game to determine a final outcome for the blackjack wager. [0015] In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the step of providing one or more cards to the player and the dealer to form a player's initial hand and a dealer's initial hand includes providing two cards to the player and two cards to the dealer, wherein only one of the dealer's cards is displayed openly to the player before the player may elect to stand or hit. [0016] In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, the player selects the one suit for a single wager. In another, the player is provided with the opportunity to place multiple wagers and select one or more than one suit for each wager. In yet another exemplary embodiment, the suit is selected randomly (e.g., by a random event selector, card cut, processor, etc.). The outcome of the side bet bonus wager may depend on the player's initial hand including one or more cards of any selected suit. Preferably, a winning outcome of the side bet bonus wager depends on the player's initial hand including all cards of one selected suit. [0017] Alternatively, the outcome of the side bet bonus wager may depend on the player's initial hand and dealer's displayed card including one or more cards of a selected suit. A winning outcome of the side bet bonus wager may then depend on the player's initial hand and dealer's displayed card including all or a specific minimum number of cards of one selected suit. For example, the wager may also be made that specific sets of cards (such as the player's cards or the player's cards and the dealer's up card) have exactly 1, 2 or 3 cards of a specific suit. [0018] The blackjack wagering game of the present invention may also include the step of paying an award on a winning side bet bonus wager, wherein the award is a multiple of the second monetary amount. The multiple used to determine the award for a winning outcome on the side bet bonus wager may be modified or increased depending on the factors relating to attributes associated with the cards forming the initial hands other than their respective suits. For example, the multiplier may be modified if the player's initial hand or dealer's initial hand is a blackjack (sum of ranks) or pair according to the rules of poker, or a combination thereof. The multiplier may also be modified depending on the quantity of decks used to play the underlying blackjack game. Preferably, the side bet bonus wager pushes if the player's initial hand includes only one card of any selected suit. [0019] These and other aspects of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the detailed description of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0020] The following description illustrates various exemplary and preferred embodiments of the game of the present invention, but is not intended to limit the scope thereof. [0021] The present invention is directed to a system and method for providing an auxiliary game to an underlying game of blackjack which can be played by one or more players and is configured or adapted to provide an award (also referred to herein as a "bonus" or "side bet bonus" award) at an intermediate stage of the game prior to determining the ultimate outcome of the underlying blackjack game. Continue reading... Full patent description for Blackjack game with side bet wager Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Blackjack game with side bet wager 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 Blackjack game with side bet wager or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Wagering game involving card ranges Next Patent Application: Game played by a golf foursome during a round of golf Industry Class: Amusement devices: games ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Blackjack game with side bet wager patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 1.91332 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Accenture , Agouron Pharmaceuticals , Amgen , AT&T , Bausch & Lomb , Callaway Golf |
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