| Method of playing blackjack with an innovative side wager -> Monitor Keywords |
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  Method of playing blackjack with an innovative side wagerThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070273097. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001]None FEDERAL RESEARCH STATEMENT [0002]None FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0003]This invention relates to Blackjack-style games and more particularly to methods for playing live and electronic Blackjack-style games with an optional side wager incorporating a bonus or Jackpot feature. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0004]The prior art reveals a multitude of live and electronic casino card games wherein one or more players are dealt or assemble hands of cards and compete against a hand representing a dealer's hand. One of the most common and popular of such casino card games is the game of Blackjack, which is also referred to as "21." In the card game of Blackjack, each player makes a wager and the dealer deals two cards to each player to define an initial holding and two cards to himself defining a dealer's initial holding. The cards may be dealt from a single, standard deck of fifty-two playing cards, or from a "shoe" containing multiple decks of cards. The cards to the player(s) may be dealt face up or face down. For the dealer, in the traditional game, one of the dealer's cards in his initial holding is turned face up, which is often referred to as the "up" card, and the other card is dealt face down, which is often referred to as the "hole" card. In the traditional game of Blackjack, the cards have the following arithmetic value: TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Card Value Ace 1 or 11 (at player's option) King 10 Queen 10 Jack 10 2-10 card face value [0005]Each player, in turn, has the opportunity to complete his or her hand in a manner well known in the prior art. The object of the game is for the player to assemble a final hand which (1) has a higher numerical count value than the dealer's final hand without the value exceeding a predetermined target value which, in traditional Blackjack, is 21. In this regard each player may generally exercise the following options: [0006]1. Receiving no additional cards (i.e. "stand") thereby making the value of the initial holding the player's final holding; [0007]2. Being dealt additional cards (taking "hits") in order to attempt to achieve or come close to the predetermined target value but at the same time not exceeding the predetermined target value; [0008]3. Doubling the value of his or her initial wager (i.e. "doubling down") in accordance with the casino's rules; [0009]4. Splitting card pairs of the initial holding into two hands and playing each hand separately; [0010]5. Stopping play of his or her hand (i.e. "surrendering") and giving up half their wager as permitted and governed by casino rules; and/or. [0011]6. Taking insurance by wagering an amount equal to their game wager and if the dealer has a "Blackjack" or "natural" (initial holding composed of an Ace and a Ten-value card), the player wins 2:1 and therefore, basically, does not win or lose. [0012]Once all the players have completed their hands, the dealer does so as well by taking hits or standing according to the house rules. A variation included in those rules is that the dealer may be required to stand on a "soft 17" (i.e., a hand numerical count of 17 including an Ace which counts as a 1 or an 11). Other rules require the dealer to hit a soft 17. [0013]If a player exceeds the target value of "21", he or she loses the wager regardless of whether the dealer also exceeds the target value. This is so because the players complete their hands first. If the player's hand does not exceed the target value and (1) his hand has a value exceeding the dealer or (2) the dealer exceeds the target value, the player wins and is paid 1:1 on his or her game wager. If the dealer does not exceed the target value and his hand has a greater value than the player's final hand, the player loses his or her wager. If the player's and the dealer's final hand values are the same, it is a tie (or "push") and the player neither wins nor loses. [0014]The prior art also reveals computerized games wherein the computer generally assumes the role of the dealer and competes against a player or players. The prior art also reveals hand held, electronic Blackjack. [0015]The rules of traditional Blackjack are somewhat limiting in that the most a player can win is a 3:2 award (i.e. 150% of original wager) which occurs when the player has a natural (i.e. Ace and a Ten value card) and the dealer does not have a natural. Therefore, several variations of traditional Blackjack have been developed whereby the potential payouts for players have been increased (thereby making the games more attractive to players) while at the same time increasing potential revenue for the casino. [0016]For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,845,981 to Ko, a method for playing Blackjack with a side wager is disclosed. The player wins or loses based upon (1) the dealer's hand exceeding the target value and (2) various parameters involving the dealer's hand and/or the player's hand. [0017]Another example is shown in Griffiths, U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,579. In Griffiths, there is disclosed a Blackjack side wager "21 or over". The player making this side wager is betting that the dealer will either "bust" (i.e. exceed the value of 21) or achieve exactly a hand count of 21 with 3 or more cards. When the dealer has either busted or achieved an exact hand count of 21, the player is paid according to predetermined odds of 1:1, 3:2 or 2:1. A significant drawback to this wager is the low payoff odds which limit the attractiveness of the game to the player. [0018]There are many Blackjack side wagers that pay much higher payoffs. One such game is known as Lucky Ladies where the top payoff odds are 1000:1 if the player has a hand of Queens of the same suit. Thus "21 or over" won't be enticing or exciting enough for the players. The reason "21 or over" cannot pay odds more than 2:1 is that its hit frequency (probability of the occurrence during play) of 36% is too high. In a "Blackjack game dealt from 6 decks with the "dealer hits a soft 17" rule, a dealer will bust 28.58% of his hands and achieve a count of 21 7.49% of the time. Since the odds are only 1.78:1 against winning a bet with a hit frequency of 36%, there is no way the casino can pay odds higher than 1.78:1, and even with a dealer hand count of 21 being a push, 2.24:1 would be the highest odds the casino can pay without incurring a loss. [0019]Another example is shown in Keller, U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,575, where several side wagers are disclosed, one of which allows the player to bet that the dealer will go bust. When the dealer busts, the player is paid at 5:2 (i.e., 2.5:1) odds. Again, like "21 or over", the payoff odds for the side wager are unattractive. Furthermore, since the odds against the dealer going bust are only 2.499:1, the casino won't have an advantage if the side wager is paid 2.5:1. Thus the casino would not have a profit motive for hosting a game with such a side wager. Continue reading... Full patent description for Method of playing blackjack with an innovative side wager Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Method of playing blackjack with an innovative side wager patent application. Patent Applications in related categories: 20080290600 - One card pot game with tiebreaker options - This is a one card game designed for the novice player. Each player makes an ante bet. The dealer will collect the bets and place them in the pot. Each player receives one card. The player having the highest card will win the pot. In the event, two or more ... ###  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 playing blackjack with an innovative side wager or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Articles having domino patterns Next Patent Application: Card game system Industry Class: Amusement devices: games ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Method of playing blackjack with an innovative side wager patent info. 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