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  Method of conducting a card game with tiebreakerUSPTO Application #: 20060226604Title: Method of conducting a card game with tiebreaker Abstract: Players place one or more wager and opt whether to use tiebreaker resolution. Players and a banker receive a hand that is divided into two sets. If both sets of a player hand outrank the corresponding sets of the banker hand, the player is rewarded on his wager; if both sets of the banker hand outrank the corresponding sets of a player hand, the player loses his wager. If only one of the player's sets outranks the corresponding dealer set, and the player elected tiebreaker resolution, the player compares a third set, optionally shared among all players electing tiebreaker resolution, to a banker third set. The player is rewarded if two of the three player sets outrank the corresponding banker's sets. In an optional embodiment, players may also place proposition wagers for which the winning hands and the eligibility for pay outs may depend upon the player's proposition wager. (end of abstract) Agent: Robert Ryan Morishita Morishita Law Firm, LLC - Las Vegas, NV, US Inventor: Robert Saucier USPTO Applicaton #: 20060226604 - Class: 273292000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Amusement Devices: Games, Card Or Tile Games, Cards Or Tiles Therefor The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060226604. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to games of chance. Specifically, the present invention is a method for conducting a card game including an optional tiebreaker procedure selectable by the player to eliminate "push" hands. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Card games such as pai gow poker have become increasingly popular in casinos. Pai gow poker, for example, is played with a standard deck of cards with a joker added. Typically the game is started with each player placing an "ante" wager. The dealer deals seven cards to each player position and to himself. Unoccupied player positions are dealt cards, even though the cards are never used in the actual play of the game. Since the typical pai gow poker table has six player positions, there are normally forty-nine cards dealt (seven hands, six players plus the dealer, of seven cards each) with four cards remaining undealt. After all cards have been dealt, face down, the dealer collects the cards from the unoccupied player positions, and places them along with remaining undealt into a discard stack. [0003] Each player arranges his seven card hand into a five-card component hand and a two-card component hand, using each card in one component hand only, and places the component hands, face down, in designated locations on the table. While attempting to maximize the likelihood of winning at least one of the two hands, the player's only restriction in arranging his cards is that the five-card hand must have a higher poker ranking than the two-card hand. [0004] The dealer likewise arranges his seven card hand into a five-card component hand and a two-card component hand, using each card in one component hand only, and places the component hands, face up, in designated locations on the table. The dealer typically arranges his seven card hand according to a set of house rules that are intended to standardize the setting of hands and remove any discretion on the part of the dealer. [0005] In conventional pai gow poker rules, the joker may represent an ace or may be used to complete a straight or a flush. Typically five aces is the highest ranking hand, below which other hands follow standard poker rankings. [0006] If the player's five-card hand and two-card hand outrank the dealer's five-card hand and two-card hand, respectively, the player wins, and is awarded an amount equaling his ante wager, often less a house commission of typically 5%. If the dealer's five-card hand and two-card hand outrank the player's five-card hand and two-card hand, respectively, the player loses, and his ante wager is collected by the dealer. If only one of the player's component hands outranks the corresponding dealer's component hand, the result is a "push" and neither the player nor the dealer wins. In comparing either the five-card hands or the two-card hands, copy hands, hands which are of equal rank, are won by the dealer. [0007] Approximately forty percent of all pai gow poker hands result in a push, and nobody wins. These are typically unsatisfying to the player, although many players adopt a "push" strategy, attempting to divide their cards so as to achieve at least a push, i.e. playing to avoid a loss, rather than taking risks to attempt a win. However, a method of breaking ties, where such method is of no worse probability than the primary game, are highly desirable. [0008] U.S. Pat. No. 6,491,302 entitled "Pai Gow Poker with Tiebreaker Cards," discloses a method of breaking ties. Of the four undealt cards, two are dealt into a tiebreaker section of the table, one for the dealer and one for the players. Any pushes that may occur are resolved by revealing the tiebreakers, with the player winning where the player card is higher than the dealer card, and the house winning where the dealer card is higher than, or equal to, the player card. At tables which feature this tiebreaker, its use is mandatory to resolve pushes, and totally outside of the player's control. Furthermore, by using only a single card, and having the house win in the event of a tie, the player's overall odds are actually worsened. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] The method of the present invention is directed to games in which a player is dealt a player hand, and arranges the player hand into sub-hands or component hands. Such games include pai gow poker, but could also include many other games. [0010] In an optional embodiment of the present game, the player places one or more wager. The player also opts whether the hand will be eligible for tiebreaker resolution. In an optional embodiment, the tiebreaker resolution is optional and the player may select whether or not the tiebreaker is used for that particular player's hand. [0011] In one optional embodiment of the present invention, the player may also place an optional proposition wager. While the specific winning hands and pay outs for the proposition wagers may vary, it is contemplated that in an optional embodiment, the quantity of winning hands and/or the eligibility of the player to one or more supplemental pay outs may depend upon the amount wagered by the player. [0012] A hand of cards is dealt to each player and the banker. Optionally, each hand contains seven cards. In a further optional embodiment, six player hands and one banker hand is dealt without regard to whether the all player positions are occupied. Optionally, the hands are dealt from a standard fifty-two card deck with an added joker. [0013] Each of the players and the banker arrange their hands into a first set and a mutually exclusive second set. Optionally, the first set contains five cards and the second set contains two cards. [0014] The player's hand is compared to the banker's hand by comparing the first set and second set of the player's hand to the first set and second set, respectively, of the banker's hand. If both the player's sets outrank the corresponding banker's sets, the player is rewarded. If both the banker's sets outrank the corresponding player's sets, the player's wager is collected. [0015] If only one of the player's sets outranks the corresponding banker set, resolution depends upon whether the player elected tiebreaker resolution. If the player did not elect tiebreaker resolution, the result is a push and the player's wager is returned. [0016] If the player did elect tiebreaker resolution, a third set is assigned to the player and to the banker. Optionally, the third set is shared among all players electing tiebreaker resolution. In one optional version of such an embodiment, cards are dealt to two sets and the sets are randomly assigned to the banker third set and the player third set. Optionally, the two sets contain two cards each. [0017] If two of the three player sets outrank the corresponding banker sets, the player is rewarded based on the player's wager. Conversely, if two of the three banker sets outrank the corresponding player sets, the player's wager is collected. Optionally, in comparing the third set, the player third set outranks the banker third set if the player third set is of equal or greater rank to the banker third set. [0018] In an optional embodiment including proposition wagers, the proposition wagers are resolved by comparing the player hand to a predefined table of winning hands and associated pay outs. If the player's hand comprises a winning hand, the player is rewarded based on his proposition wager. As noted above, the hands that comprise a winning hand for purposes of receiving a pay out on the proposition wager may optionally increase as the size of the player's proposition wager increases. Additionally or alternatively, a supplemental payout, such as a jackpot or progressive, may be available only to players placing a proposition wager of certain predefined quantity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0019] FIG. 1 is a top view of a layout of a gaming table for play of a card game according to an embodiment of the present invention; [0020] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Continue reading... Full patent description for Method of conducting a card game with tiebreaker Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Method of conducting a card game with tiebreaker 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 Method of conducting a card game with tiebreaker or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Asian baccarat Next Patent Application: Portable game device and method of use Industry Class: Amusement devices: games ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Method of conducting a card game with tiebreaker patent info. 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