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Card games utilizing a novel shuffle and dealing methodologyCard games utilizing a novel shuffle and dealing methodology description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080079219, Card games utilizing a novel shuffle and dealing methodology. 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 electronic poker games suitable for use in casinos and other gaming enterprises. The invention further relates to video gaming play in which cards are randomly dealt either face up or face down according to a predetermined probability. [0003]2. Background of the Art [0004]In the last 20 years, video poker has become enormously popular with the casino player who prefers a game that requires decision-making, as opposed to slot machine games that are based purely on chance. Although video poker is a randomly-dealt game of chance, there is an element of skill involved in the gameplay. After the player is dealt an initial hand, usually consisting of five cards face up, the player may select which cards to hold and which cards to discard. (Rules usually allow the player to hold none, one, some or all of the initially dealt cards.) Replacement cards are provided for any discarded cards, and the final hand is evaluated for wins according to a predetermined paytable. By applying an optimal strategy in the hold/discard phase, the player can increase his chance of winning and/or decrease the average house hold. [0005]There are dozens of standard video poker game variations, and all of these variations utilize the aforementioned gameplay. Jacks or Better is generally considered the most universal game, and is the basis for most other variations such as Bonus Poker and Double Bonus Poker. Variations such as Deuces Wild and Joker Poker provide the added feature of wild card play, in which certain cards may be considered to be any other card, so as to enable the player to more easily make a winning hand. [0006]In addition to the games being offered in different variations, video poker machine manufacturers have striven to provide unique formats in which to play the variations. The most successful of these are the Multiplay.RTM. inventions by Ernest W. Moody (owned by International Game Technologies, Inc.) that allow a player to play, for instance, up to 100 hands of poker at one time. Another popular format, also owned by IGT, provides escalating payout multipliers for winning hands that directly follow winning hands. Yet even these improvements still rely on the same underlining gameplay techniques of holding face-up cards from an initial hand, replacing any discards, and determining payouts, if any. And once a player has mastered optimum play when choosing which cards to hold/discard, playing any of these variations or formats can become ritualistic and monotonous. [0007]Previous art has attempted to provide different and exciting ways to play video poker, but has not as yet attempted to dramatically change the basic underlining gameplay to provide players with unique initial deal options, new choices and intriguing strategies. [0008]U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,625 (D'Avanzo) discloses a card game wherein each player first places three separate wagers of equal value. Then, a dealer deals each player three face-up cards corresponding to each wager and deals himself or herself one card face up and one card face down. Two of the player cards are designated Blackjack cards and along with the dealer's face up card form two separate Blackjack hands. The third card is a bonus card that the player may decide to move to either of the two Blackjack hands along with its corresponding wager. Otherwise, the bonus card and corresponding wager is forfeited. Once a decision regarding the bonus card has been made, the player plays the two Blackjack hands, both hands including the dealer's face up card, according to the conventional rules of Blackjack. Payouts correspond to conventional Blackjack. [0009]U.S. Pat. No. 6,889,981 (Parker) describes a method of playing a card game including steps of selecting a combination of cards in an at least apparently random manner, the combination including zero or more special cards (not a conventional wild card such as a joker), and determining whether the combination results in a win or lose state. The method may allow at least some of the cards in the combination to be presented face-down initially to a player and the method further includes steps of: allowing the player to turn one or more of the cards face-up, and using the card(s) that have been turned face-up as at least part of one or more further combinations of cards. [0010]U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,358,144, 6,146,271, 6,135,882, and 5,816,915 (Kadlic, et al.) disclose an electronic video draw poker machine that is provided with a multi-hand screen display that can show a plurality of five card draw poker hands. A separate five card poker hand is displayed in each quadrant of the screen display with each five card hand being dealt from its associated, separate deck of playing cards. The initial deal of each five card hand is two cards face up and three cards face down. The player selects one of the sets of two face up cards to continue play. After the player has selected which set of two face up cards he wishes to play, the selected two face up cards are duplicated into the other three hand positions to replace the two face up cards in that hand position. The remaining face down cards in each hand are then revealed. The game then continues in the conventional manner with the player discarding and drawing replacement cards with respect to each of the four separate five card hands in an attempt to improve each hand. After the draw step is completed, each of the final five card hands are compared to a pay table based on poker hand ranking to determine if the player has achieved a winning combination. [0011]United States Patent Application Number 20060030400 (Mathis) discloses a skill game that operates according to the look and feel of a game of chance. The skill game is, for example, a traditional game of chance modified so that a player's skill substantially determines the outcome of the game. In one embodiment, the skill game is a card game with face down cards and the chance elements of the card game are reduced or eliminated by providing a player of the skill game information about the face down cards. An example embodiment is wager acceptance, random prize determination, then skill game play. In one embodiment, the amount of skill required is adjustable to meet varying regulatory and gaming guidelines and/or operator goals. In one embodiment, the skill game pits players against each other and is played on a skill game machine that does not resemble a slot machine. [0012]It is an objective of this invention to provide players with new and enticing features that will stimulate player interest and increase time on the machine. In particular, the present invention seeks to provide the player with gameplay that differs from traditional video poker in that the cards in the initial deal are randomly dealt either face up or face down. In addition, the player preferably makes two consecutive and distinct hold choices, the second hold choice being influenced by the completed first hold choice. This new strategy-driven gameplay will heighten the player's excitement and expectations while eliminating the monotony often experienced in standard video poker gameplay. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0013]A monitor screen is provided on which card symbols may be provided for use in a video poker game. In the video poker game, the player makes a wager to play an underlying poker game consisting of at least a single hand of poker consisting of a predetermined number of cards. A predetermined number of initial cards is randomly dealt from a standard deck or decks of 52 cards (or up to 54 cards including jokers) to form an initial array of cards separate from a final hand display area. The cards are randomly dealt either face up or face down according a predetermined probability, i.e., if the probability is 50%, then each card has a 50/50 chance of being dealt face up and a 50/50 chance of being dealt face down. The cards are preferably arranged in at least two groups of at least one card each, the groupings having an equal number of cards or a differing number of cards. The player selects one group of cards to hold, the cards from said group being displayed face up into the final hand area. The player then selects at least a second group of cards from the initial array that are then added to and displayed face up in the final hand area. If the number of face up cards in the final hand area has equaled a predetermined number of cards in the hand, the outcome for this final hand is evaluated according to a predetermined paytable. If the number of face up cards in the final hand area has exceeded the predetermined number of cards in the hand, the outcome for this final hand is evaluated as a "best-of" hand according to a predetermined paytable. (For example, if the final hand is predetermined to have five cards, and there are six cards in the final hand area, then the best 5 out of 6 cards are considered the final hand for evaluation.) If the number of face up cards in the final hand area is less than the predetermined number of cards in the hand, additional cards from the remainder of the deck are added to complete the hand. The remainder of the deck may or may not include the unselected cards from the initial array. The outcome for this final hand is evaluated according to a predetermined paytable. After any of the aforementioned evaluations, any wins are then provided to the player. [0014]Those trained in the art will appreciate that these play options are exemplary and are not intended to dictate an exclusive method of play, nor limit or restrict specific gameplay. This invention may be played in the aforementioned single-hand game format as well as in a multihand format. The play methods may be utilized with any standard non-wild video poker game versions, as well as with standard wild video poker game versions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES [0015]FIG. 1 shows a monitor screen of a video poker machine with the random deal of 10 initial cards, randomly dealt face up or face down, as well as a display area for a 5-card hand. [0016]FIG. 2 shows the same game at a later stage. [0017]FIG. 3 shows the same game at a later stage. [0018]FIG. 4 shows the same game at a later stage. [0019]FIG. 5 shows the same game at a later stage. [0020]FIG. 6 shows the same game at a later stage. [0021]FIG. 7 shows the same game at a later stage. Continue reading about Card games utilizing a novel shuffle and dealing methodology... Full patent description for Card games utilizing a novel shuffle and dealing methodology Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Card games utilizing a novel shuffle and dealing methodology patent application. Patent Applications in related categories: 20090289417 - Three-card draw poker game - A method of playing a three-card draw poker game utilizing at least one deck of cards, wherein one card is a face down hold card for the players wherein low score wins. The game is played against the house with or without a hand. When playing without the house having ... ###  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 Card games utilizing a novel shuffle and dealing methodology or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Apparatus for handling sheet-like products Next Patent Application: Wagering game using cards and dice Industry Class: Amusement devices: games ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Card games utilizing a novel shuffle and dealing methodology patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.18837 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Medical: Surgery , Surgery(2) , Surgery(3) , Drug , Drug(2) , Prosthesis , Dentistry 174 |
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