Poker games

None

The present invention relates to card games, particularly card games that are related to the game of poker.

Conventional poker games, such as Omaha High Low Poker and Texas Hold\'em, are very popular and are often played on television. Many internet sites offer these games. The popularity of these games may be attributed to the fact that many players find excitement in the unpredictability of their outcomes, the opportunities to form a variety of winning strategies, or the potential of winning generous rewards.

Conventional Texas Hold\'em Poker is typically played as shown in FIG. 1. Two hole cards are dealt to each player (step 20). A betting round occurs usually starting from the left of the established dealer button (step 21). Conventional blinds may be included in the first round of betting. During a betting round, each player may be prompted to take one of the following actions: checking, betting, calling, raising, or folding. After all the players have taken one of the actions and the betting is called final, three community cards are dealt (step 22). The three community cards are typically displayed and laid on the table. A second betting round occurs (step 23). After all the players have taken one of the five possible actions, a fourth community card (sometimes referred to as the “turn”) is displayed and laid on the table (step 24). A third betting round then occurs (step 25). After all the players have taken one of the five possible actions, a fifth and final community card (sometimes referred to as the “river”) is displayed and laid on the table (step 26). A fourth betting round follows (step 27).

Each player may make a best high hand by combining any of his hole cards with any of the five community cards. With reference now to FIG. 2, a sample game is shown wherein player 1 has 10 ♡ and 4 ♦ and player 2 has 9 ♡ and ace ♡. The community cards are 10king ♡, and 8 ♡. The turn card is 2 . The river card is 3 . It can be realized that player 1 has a pair of 10s as its highest hand. Player 2 does not have any pair or five card combination and only has an ace as its highest card. Thus, player 1 wins and claims the entire pot generated from the four betting rounds. Occasionally, however, the 5 highest cards on the table are the five table cards. This would result in the remaining players in the game at that time splitting the pot proportionally.

Conventional Omaha High Low Poker is typically played as shown in FIG. 3. Steps 30-37 are similar to steps 20-27 in Texas Hold\'em as described in FIG. 1, except that 4 hole cards are dealt to each player initially at step 30. The players may then form five card poker hand combinations using only any 2 of the 4 hole cards and only any 3 of the 5 community cards. The conventional Omaha High Low Poker offers two ways of winning. First, the player having a five card poker hand with the highest value may win (step 38). Second, the player having a five card poker hand with the lowest value may win (step 39). Conventionally, to qualify for the lowest hand, the hand cannot have any card higher than an 8, with the exception of the ace, which is considered the lowest card. Players must not also have five card poker hands with a pair, three of a kind, or four of a kind when qualifying for the lowest hand. Because of these rules, when the game is played, it is common to have only a player winning with the high hand and no player winning the low hand. In this case, the player wins all the bets from the betting rounds. If there are winners for both the high and the low hands, the bets from the betting rounds may equally be split into two. In the conventional Omaha High Low Poker, one player may win both the high and the low hand.

Players who play conventional Texas Hold\'em or Omaha High Low Poker may long for some changes in these conventional games to make the outcome less predictable, to have a renewed opportunity to formulate new winning strategies, or generally, to play a new poker game that offers refreshing excitement and challenge to the conventional poker games. The present invention satisfies these long felt but unmet needs of these players.

The present invention includes a method of playing a game, the method comprising the steps of: dealing four cards to a plurality of players; providing two community cards; providing a third community card; providing a fourth community card; allowing at least one player to form at least one five card poker hand, the five card poker hand comprising only any 2 or 3 cards dealt to the player and only any 2 or 3 community cards.

The present invention also includes a method of playing a game, the method comprising the steps of: dealing four cards to a plurality of players; dealing two initial community cards; dealing a third community card, the third community card being dealt at a separate time from when the two initial community cards are dealt; dealing a fourth community card, the fourth community card being dealt at a separate time from when the two initial community cards and the third community card are dealt; allowing at least one player to form a five card poker hand; defining a game outcome; and determining the game outcome.

The present invention further includes a method of playing a game, the method comprising the steps of: dealing a plurality of hole cards to a plurality of players; allowing each player to select whether to call, raise, or fold; requiring a bet from each player selecting to call or raise; forming a pot from the player\'s bets; dealing a plurality of community cards; allowing the players to form individual five card poker hands; providing a plurality of pre-defined poker values; defining a first winning hand, the first winning hand having the highest poker value; defining a second winning hand, the second winning hand having the lowest poker value, wherein to qualify to win the second winning hand, the player must have no card having a value higher than 7, a pair, a three of a kind, or a four of a kind; and determining the game outcome based on the first and second winning hand definitions.

The above description sets forth, rather broadly, a summary of embodiments of the present invention so that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and contributions of the present invention to the art may be better appreciated. Some of the embodiments of the present invention may not include all of the features or characteristics listed in the above summary. There may be, of course, other features of the invention that will be described below and may form the subject matter of claims. 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 the construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or as 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.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is substantially a flowchart showing the steps executed in playing a conventional game of Texas Hold\'em.

FIG. 2 is substantially a front view of cards used in playing a conventional game of Texas Hold\'em

FIG. 3 is substantially a flowchart showing the steps executed in playing a conventional game of Omaha High Low Poker.

FIG. 4 is substantially a flowchart showing the steps executed in playing an embodiment of the poker game of the present invention.

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