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  No commission pai gow pokerUSPTO Application #: 20080099996Title: No commission pai gow poker Abstract: A method of playing a Pai Gow Poker game includes the steps of (a) dealing cards to a player and to a dealer; (b) the player and dealer dividing their cards into first and second player hands and first and second dealer hands, respectively; and (c) resolving the game based on a comparison of the first and second player hands with the first and second dealer hands. The resolving step is practiced differently depending on whether one of the first and second player hands includes a Joker or alternatively is below or exceeds a predetermined hand rank. (end of abstract) Agent: Nixon & Vanderhye, PC - Arlington, VA, US Inventor: Derek J. Webb USPTO Applicaton #: 20080099996 - Class: 273292 (USPTO) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080099996. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/855,290, filed Oct. 30, 2006, the entire content of which is herein incorporated by reference. STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT [0002](NOT APPLICABLE) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003]The present invention relates to a casino poker game and, more particularly, to a casino Pai flow poker game where the house commission for winning hands is eliminated. [0004]Pai Gow Poker is normally played in a casino or card club environment. The game was originally based on Chinese Dominoes or Pai flow, and the card version may be known by other names such as Asian Poker and Double Hand. The deck is a regular 52-card deck with a Joker added comprising a total 53-card deck. The game may be played by up to six players and one bank with the dealer commonly being the banker in a casino, and a player commonly being the banker in a card club. The text assumes dealer as banker for simplicity. [0005]Although Double Hand is growing significantly, the game has certain rituals and practices that tend to slow the game pace. In particular, the use of commission on winnings to generate a house advantage is detrimental to a fast dealing pace. [0006]A bet is made before cards are dealt. Each player is dealt seven cards and forms a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand. The five-card hand is based on normal poker rankings, and the two-card hand is based on pairs and high cards. The two-card hand must not be higher than the five-card hand. Each player hand is compared to the corresponding dealer hands. To win the bet, both hands must win, and to lose the bet, both hands must lose. If one hand wins and one loses, it is a tie, known as push. [0007]The house advantage is generated by two means. Firstly, a commission as a percentage of winnings is paid on all winning hands, usually 5%. Secondly, the house wins all copy hands, that is, where either the high or low hand is tied. Thus, the player with a copy and a loss loses, while the player with a copy and a win pushes. [0008]While Pai Gow Poker is popular, it is a complex game to learn how to deal. The use of commission also adds a level of complexity to the game. The game is already a slow game and calculating and deducting commission makes for an even slower game. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009]The most valuable card to the player in Pai Gow is the Joker. A player with a Joker is more likely to have a winning hand than a player without a Joker. This concept can be more easily appreciated if considering a player playing heads-up against the dealer. If the player has the Joker, then the dealer does not. If the player does not have the Joker, then there is obviously a chance that the dealer will have the Joker. [0010]One concept described herein differentiates between players winning with a Joker and players winning without a Joker. When a player wins without a Joker, there is no commission on winnings, and the player bet is paid 1 to 1, for example. When a player wins with a Joker, the payout may be less than 1 to 1. [0011]In an alternative playing mode, the payout for a winning hand above a certain hand rank may be 1 to 1, while the payout may be reduced if the player hand is less than the certain hand rank. Conversely, the payout for a winning hand below a certain hand rank may be 1 to 1, while the payout for a player hand above the certain hand rank may be less than 1 to 1. [0012]In an exemplary embodiment, a method of playing a Pai Gow card game includes the steps of (a) dealing cards to a player and to a dealer; (b) the player and dealer dividing their cards into first and second player hands and first and second dealer hands, respectively; and (c) resolving the game based on a comparison of the first and second player hands with the first and second dealer hands, wherein the resolving step is practiced differently depending on whether one of the first and second player hands includes a Joker. Prior to step (a), the method may include a step of receiving a wager from the player, where step (c) is practiced by paying a payout on the wager if the game is resolved in favor of the player. In this context, step (c) may be practiced by paying a lower payout on the wager, such as less than 1 to 1, if the game is resolved in favor of the player and one of the first and second player hands includes the Joker. Step (e) may be practiced by paying a payout of 1 to 1 on the wager if the game is resolved in favor of the player and neither of the first and second player hands includes the Joker. In this context, the payout may be one of 9 to 10, 4 to 5, 7 to 10, 3 to 5, or 1 to 2. [0013]In one operating mode, step (a) is practiced by dealing seven cards to the player and seven cards to the dealer, where the first and second player hands and the first and second dealer hands consist of hands of five cards and two cards, respectively. In this context, step (c) may be practiced by paying a different payout depending on whether the Joker forms part of the five-card first hand or the two-card second hand. For example, step (c) may be practiced by paying a payout up to 1 to 1 if the Joker forms part of the five-card first hand and by paying a payout below 1 to 1 if the Joker forms part of the two-card hand. In this context, the payout below 1 to 1 may be one of 9 to 10, 4 to 5, 7 to 10, 3 to 5, 1 to 2 or 2 to 5. [0014]In another exemplary embodiment, in a method of resolving wagers on winning player hands in Pai Gow Poker, each player and the dealer are dealt a total of seven cards, and the seven cards are divided into a five-card hand and two-card hand. The method includes one of paying a payout below 1 to 1; paying a payout below 1 to 1 if the five-card hand includes a Joker and 1 to 1 if the two-card hand includes the Joker; paying a payout of 1 to 1 if the five-card hand includes a Joker and below 1 to 1 if the two-card hand includes the Joker; paying a payout of 1 to 1 if at least one of the five-card hand and the two-card hand have a hand rank exceeding a predetermined hand rank and otherwise paying a payout below 1 to 1; and paying a payout of 1 to 1 if at least one of the five-card hand and the two-card hand have a hand rank below a predetermined hand rank and otherwise paying a payout below 1 to 1. [0015]In still another exemplary embodiment, a method of playing a Pai Gow card game includes the steps of (a) dealing cards to a player and to a dealer; (b) the player and dealer dividing their cards into first and second player hands and first and second dealer hands, respectively; and (c) resolving the game based on a comparison of the first and second player hands with the first and second dealer hands, wherein the resolving step is practiced differently depending on a hand rank of one of the first and second player hands. Step (c) may be practiced differently depending on whether the hand rank of the one of the first and second player hands exceeds a predetermined hand rank or is lower than a predetermined band rank. [0016]In one operating mode, prior to step (a), the method includes receiving a wager from the player, where step (c) is practiced by paying a payout on the wager if the game is resolved in favor of the player. In this context, the payout may be 1 to 1 if the hand rank of the one of the first and second player hands exceeds a predetermined hand rank and otherwise paying a payout below 1 to 1, which may be 3 to 5. Alternatively, the payout may be 1 to 1 if the hand rank of the one of the first and second player hands is below a predetermined hand rank and otherwise paying a payout below 1 to 1. [0017]The resolving step in this embodiment may also be practiced differently depending on whether one of the first and second player hands includes a Joker. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0018]These and other aspects and advantages will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 shows an exemplary table layout for the Pai Gow poker game described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Continue reading... Full patent description for No commission pai gow poker Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this No commission pai gow poker patent application. Patent Applications in related categories: 20080169607 - Poker game with dealer disqualifying hand - A method of playing a poker-type wagering game is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: a) placing a mandatory Ante bet to participate in a poker-type card game against a dealer hand; b) placing a mandatory Super Bonus bet on the occurrence of one of a predetermined plurality of ... 20080169605 - Remote card game with duplicate hands - Duplicate hands are dealt in a remote game of poker or other card game of chance. Simulated cards or game pieces are dealt to players with the order of suits changed for each player. A map is maintained in a computer memory between a reference set of indices corresponding to ... 20080169606 - Three-card game without poker ranking - The dealer receives a dealer initial hand having more than n cards, the dealer replacing one or more cards in the dealer initial hand if at least one card in the dealer initial hand equals or exceeds the minimum value to form a dealer resulting hand; and the dealer comparing ... ###  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. 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