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Play four pokerRelated Patent Categories: Amusement Devices: Games, Card Or Tile Games, Cards Or Tiles ThereforPlay four poker description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070080497, Play four poker. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 10/748,602, filed December 30, 2003, which is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 10/100359 filed on Mar. 18, 2002 identifying James Thomas Kenny and Larry E. Kekempanos as co-inventors, which is in turn filed in connection with and claiming the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/277,018 filed on Mar. 19, 2001 and U.S. Provisional No. 60/314,503 filed on Aug. 23, 2001 identifying James Thomas Kenny and Larry E. Kekempanos as co-inventors, each of which is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to gaming and to card games. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a method of playing a new type of poker game especially adapted for casino gaming, both in live table and electronic video formats. [0003] Gaming establishments continually require new games to offer their players. Casinos are also in need of games which are easy to play and easy to deal. Such games are generally required to enable each player to play against a banker (who usually also acts a dealer) provided by a casino, rather than against other players. This type of Casino Poker can provide more revenue to the casino than traditional poker because Casino Poker is invariably structured to give the casino an advantage. Exemplary of Casino Poker are the casino games of "Caribbean Stud Poker", "Let It Ride", and "Three Card Poker". These type games require less space than the traditionally larger tables found in poker rooms and are dealt much faster. [0004] In games like Caribbean Stud and Let It Ride, the five card poker hands that the player must make to get a larger payoff are hard to get thus the larger payoffs are infrequent. The player is frustrated because many times they will get four cards to a straight or a flush but not have a good hand. In a three-card game like Three Card Poker, the higher hands are made more easily but therefore the payouts are comparatively low. Therefore, there is a need for a game, which would bridge the gap in ease of making a hand with higher payouts to the player. [0005] In addition, as will be more apparent from the following specification, and as was more fully delineated in our provisional application filed Aug. 23, 2001, it has been determined that the player interest is increased when the odds of the player being able to achieve a winning hand are increased. This, of course, must be balanced against the player/dealer/casino having good odds in winning as well. It is clear that with five card poker games, the odds of achieving a good hand are more difficult than in a lessor number card game. As has been indicated above, in a three-card poker game, the ability to achieve a good hand is enhanced and therefore the payoffs are less. The present invention seeks to provide a card game, which now focus's on a four-card poker game and as will be demonstrated hereinafter, improves the odds for the player to win, while still maintaining good odds for the casino as well. It will also be appreciated that the over all odds for a player winning in a four card game are easier than the odds for a player to win any five card poker game. [0006] Insofar as the prior art is concerned, the art is particularly void of any disclosures or showings of a four card poker game. Similar games are disclosed, but they relate to either a three card game, or a five card game. Furthermore, some of the games disclosed in the prior art are played with in excess of 52 cards and hence, have a different basis for play and a different statistical odds for the player being able to achieve a winning hand. For example, the patent to Goldman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,002 discloses a poker style casino card game which uses a 52 card standard playing deck plus an additional five jokers for a total of 57 cards. Play consists of dealing 5 cards to each player, and in the preferred embodiment, are dealt face down. The game is played by the dealer revealing a first card, and a player revealing a first card, then deciding on additional wagers. The sequence of the game terminates when all five cards are displayed, assuming each player has stayed in the game, comparing the best five card hand of the dealer against each players five cards. Goldman also reveals that jokers which are part of the deck are never wild and hence, a player receiving a joker ends up in a poor position since one of the five cards cannot count towards the making of a poker hand. Goldman fails to reveal any capability to make a four card flush or straight. [0007] Another prior art patent discloses a poker game which indicates a game for either a three card or five card poker hand. The patent to Webb U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,774 discloses a card game which may be played in either a three card variation, or a five card variation. While the patent mentions a four card version of the game, in the four card version each player will receive a wild card which the player may place with the four card hand in order to make a five card poker hand. Hence, the wagering system is dependent upon a five card hand or a three card hand, and is not dependent on the best hand with four cards. Again, Webb fails to disclose a four card capability to make a four card flush or straight. [0008] The patent to Scott U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,402 describes still another variation of a poker game which is played as a five card face down game. The players five card hand is compared to the dealers five card hand to determine the wagering outcome. Once again, Scott fails to disclose or appreciate a four card poker game. OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION [0009] It is an object of the present invention to provide an enjoyable new card game. [0010] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a game that is easy to learn and deal. [0011] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a game that makes it easier for a player to make a hand than in a five-card game, and hence enhances the odds of the player being able to win a four-card game versus a five-card game. [0012] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a game that has higher payoffs than a three-card poker game since the odds are harder in any four-card game than they are in a three-card game at least for the top hands, but nevertheless still maintains the player interest due to enhanced ability to obtain a winning hand versus a five-card poker game. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0013] The present invention discloses a poker game variation in which one or more players play against the casino. Broadly, the invention is directed to a poker game variant in which a player has a choice between several wagers among the following; a wager against a dealer, a wager against a pre-determined payscale, a bad beat wager, or a progressive wager. [0014] In one preferred embodiment of the invention, one or more players initially place a wager(s) and then five cards are dealt to the player and five cards are dealt to the dealer. Players would inspect their hands and decide whether to fold or to continue to play. If the player was playing a wager against the dealer and wanted to continue to play, they would place another wager in support of their first wager in the appropriate betting area. The dealer would inspect his/her hand to see if they qualified. If the dealer did not qualify with a pre-determined rank of cards, the dealer would pay the first wager of the player and return the supporting wager. If the dealer had a qualifying hand, then the player and the dealer would compare their best four-card hand to determine the winner. Tie hands would be a push. If the player had also made a wager against the dealer and had supported that wager, and the player's outranks the dealer, they would be eligible for a payoff for achieving a winning hand. If the player had also made any wagers against achieving a predetermined rank, and achieves such a rank, the player would win that wager accordingly. [0015] In a second embodiment of the invention, one or more players initially place bets and then five cards are dealt to the player and six cards are dealt to the dealer. Players would inspect their hands and decide whether to fold or to continue to play. If the player was playing a wager against the dealer and wanted to continue to play, they would place another wager in support of their first wager in the appropriate betting area. In games against the dealer, the player would play their best four-cards out of five and compare that to the dealer's best four cards out of six to determine the winner. Tie hands would be a push. In this version the dealer would not have to have a qualifying hand to continue play. If the player had made any optional wagers against achieving a pre-determined rank, the dealer would pay or take the wagers accordingly. [0016] In a third embodiment of the invention, one or more players initially place bets and then four cards are dealt to the player and four cards are dealt to the dealer. Players would inspect their hands and decide whether to fold or to continue to play. If the player was playing a wager against the dealer and wanted to continue to play, they would place another wager in support of their first wager in the appropriate betting area. In games against the dealer, the player would play their four cards against the four cards of the dealer. The dealer would have to achieve a qualifying hand to continue play against the player. If the player had made any bets against achieving a pre-determined rank, the dealer would pay or take the bets accordingly. [0017] It is contemplated that in the game of the present invention, for the game to begin, either the player or the dealer must have at least a minimum hand ranking for the game to proceed. The casino or house may vary the rules by requiring the dealer to have a qualifying hand, if he doesn't, he loses the initial bet to the player, or on the other hand, if the house requires that the player must have a qualifying hand, and the player fails to achieve a qualifying hand, he loses his initial bet. The game may, of course, be played without requiring any of the participants to have a qualifying hand in order for the game to commence. [0018] A novel gaming layout for use in the casino version of the game is also disclosed. [0019] There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0020] FIG. 1 shows a playing surface for use in playing a card game of one embodiment of the present invention; Continue reading about Play four poker... Full patent description for Play four poker Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Play four poker 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. 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