CN101573160A - Game of chance and method of awarding a bonus prize in a game of chance - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of playing a luck game, such as poker, with a plurality of cards, the game having a bonus feature, the method comprising the steps of: designating one or more of said cards as a bonus enabler; (b) dealing one or more cards to each player's hand; (c) evaluating each player's hand to determine if it is a winning hand; (d) determining whether the or each winning hand is participating in the bonus feature; (e) determining whether any winning hands include a bonus card; (f) awarding a prize to the or each winning hand participating in the prize feature and including a prize card. The player may choose to participate in the bonus feature by inserting additional game pieces.

Description

A game of chance and method of awarding rewarding prizes in a game of chance

technical field

The present invention relates to a game of chance and skill, a method of awarding incentive prizes in a game of chance, and an apparatus for implementing the game. In particular, the present invention is applicable to card games, which are suitable for use in casinos and can be played as table games or on electronic gaming machines (EGMs), etc.

In this specification, the term "game of chance" refers to both a game in which the outcome is random and a game in which players risk bets and can exercise some skill or judgment, but the outcome is influenced to some extent by luck. For purposes of illustration, most common casino tables and chip games such as poker and other games including those mentioned in this description are considered games of chance.

Background technique

In this specification, reference or discussion of documents, regulations or articles of knowledge, unless stated to the contrary, such reference or discussion is not an admission that documents, regulations or articles of knowledge, or any combination thereof, were at the priority date Publicly available, known to the public, part of the common general knowledge; or common knowledge for a corresponding attempt to solve any of the problems addressed in this specification.

Poker games that involve playing with the dealer, with a paytable, or both are limited in the variety they can offer. Poker games traditionally use full decks (eg, 52 cards) and occasionally use Joker cards or specialty cards in order to provide players with certain gameplay elements and hands. Using a given set of cards with which the player is familiar in many cases allows the player to calculate their odds of winning. This usually doesn't apply to slot machines. This is because individual symbol distributions are necessarily not published, while symbol probabilities can be weighted by mapping and software techniques unknown to the player.

There are many flip games for speculation. Such games should be exciting and intriguing to players and uncomplicated so they can be easily understood by many players. Ideally, during the game, the game should include one or more chances to throw game coins, so that the game coins can be thrown more quickly to determine the result. Exciting game play, due to increased betting opportunities and the frequency of determining outcomes, the opportunity to perform multiple bets and quickly determining outcomes enhances player interest and enjoyment.

Chip games, especially those primarily intended to be played in casinos, should offer players a sense of involvement and control, an opportunity to make decisions, and reasonable odds of winning. The game must also meet the requirements of the governing body.

Another element of casino play and especially casino table games is the chip structure. There are a large number of card games based on one or more traditional playing cards. The most popular of these games is poker, in which a player's luck is determined by the sequence of well-known card combinations. Card games that are variations of poker are also very popular, such as Let It Ride ^™ stud poker, Caribbean Stud ^™ poker, Three Card ^™ poker, Crazy Four Poker (Crazy-4-Poker ^TM ) game, etc. This depends at least in part on the fundamental attributes of the base game itself, combined with elements of strategy and luck. Additionally, poker variants allow existing base players to take their prior knowledge of the game and apply that knowledge to novel settings. The two most popular forms of traditional poker are draw and stud.

In a traditional hand of five-card draw poker, a single deck of 52 shuffled cards is used. Each player begins a hand by depositing base coins or "pre-rolls" into a common pool or "pot", which ultimately belongs to the owner of the winning hand. The dealer then deals five face-down cards to each player, leaving the rest of the deck for later use. Each player evaluates the cards he or she has been dealt and in turn is given the opportunity to discard one or more of the first five cards of the dealt hand. The dealer distributes replacement cards to the players to replace those that have been discarded by dealing additional face-down cards from the top of the remaining cards in the deck. After the cards are dealt, one or more rounds of betting game coins are carried out. During this period, each player can initially add game coins (initial raise), let game coins, collect cards (lose cards), match the previous game coins ( match a previous raise), add game currency (re-raise), or add game currency to the previous bet game currency. The meaning of these chip terms is well known to those skilled in the art and can be found, for example, in Morehead and Mot-Smith, 1963, Hoyle's Rules of Games, pp. 75-102 Typical definitions of these gaming chip terms, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. When all the betting rounds are over, the players reveal their hands, and the holder of the highest ranked poker hand takes all the money in the pot. Small hands and split-pot variations of the game are also common.

Stud poker is the most popular form of "open poker" in which each player is dealt some (but not all) of the cards face up to allow bluffing and strategy to be seen by the other players arrive. Stud poker usually comes in two flavors: five-card and seven-card, both of which have about the same popularity. Other games with different numbers of cards such as two-card, three-card, four-card and six-card poker can also be played with the same rules. In five-card stud poker, the dealer deals each player with a face-down (or "bottom") card and a face-up card. Thus, at the beginning of each round, each player knows his own two cards and each opponent's one card. After the first two cards are dealt, the chip round follows, during which each player either puts chips into the pot, or folds, losing chips and any chance of winning the pot. A typical description of the rules governing each round can be found, for example, in Morehead and Mot-Smith, 1963, Rules of the Game of Cards, pages 75-102, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. After the round, each player is dealt another face-up card. Then another round of playing coins. Alternating card and coin rounds continue until each player has a total of five cards: four face up cards and a secret hole card. After the final chip is played, each player who did not lose cards during the deal/chip round reveals his or her hole cards. The owner of the highest sorted five-card poker hand wins and takes all the playing money in the pot. Even higher hands will split the pot.

Seven Card Stud is slightly different from Five Card Stud. First, in seven-card poker, each player typically receives two face-down cards and one face-up card first. Then carry out the game coin round. The dealer then distributes each player another face-up card, and the round of coin toss follows. Dealing (one face-up card) and flipping chips alternates until each player has four face-up cards and two face-down cards. Finally, the third and last face-down card is dealt to each player (making a total of seven cards). Then the last round of playing coins. The winner of the hand is the player who can form the highest ranked five-card poker hand from seven cards.

It is well known to those skilled in the art that five-card poker hands without wild cards range from "Royal Flush" (highest) to "High Card(s) in Hand" (smallest). In some variations of poker, the Ace (ace) can also be used as the lowest card in a deck to make a straight when used in a sequence like A, 2, 3, 4, 5. In addition, a "wild card" - usually a "king" card - can be designated so that the holder of the card can claim that its value is that of any card in the deck, assuming that the declared points will help That player makes a better poker hand.

The point is, poker is a tool of speculation. Usually the amount of bets is money, but this is not strictly required, and poker chips, credit accounts, matches, and other non-monetary tokens have been used in lieu of money to help players determine who is winning whether or not they are affected. financial loss. Of course, casinos are in the business of offering people the opportunity to speculate, and assuming poker is popular among the general population, it's just that there's no doubt that casinos will want to offer that kind of gaming in some form or other to those seeking to play the game. game. However, the traditional rules of player-to-player poker are not particularly well-suited for use in casinos.

Casinos that offer traditional poker to their customers typically operate by providing a dealer and a place to play, but the casino's dealer does not actually participate in the game as a player: his or her dealer function is simply to deal cards and judge the game. Casinos make money by taking a percentage of the in-game currency or by renting out space to participants. The rental fee can be calculated by time (for example, a fixed amount per hour) or by the number of games played. The traditional game of poker is not particularly favored by the casinos because the casinos do not make as much money as landlords as they do as active participants.

Likewise, from the standpoint of the gaming public, traditional poker has some disadvantages that are often undesirable as a casino game. First, traditional poker is easy to play "at home", for example, at a Friday night poker session, and for most people there is no particular need to go to a casino to play. Second, when an individual wins in traditional poker, other players/participants pay. Third, private poker games have no floor rentals so that all money played in the game belongs to the players, thus reducing potential losses for the group and increasing the amount of money taken home by the group. Many people prefer to play with a "casino" (ie, a casino) so that their winnings do not necessarily cause losses to fellow players who may be acquaintances. Finally, traditional poker does not have the excitement associated with "jackpot" type games. That is, even a rare royal flush in traditional poker will only win the amount in the pot and no more. Many players look for games with the potential to "win big," which doesn't exist under traditional poker rules.

Because of these disadvantages, casinos have introduced various poker game variants to address the aforementioned disadvantages. From the casino's point of view, an obvious advantage of these variants of poker-like games is that the casino (as the gaming floor) becomes an active participant in the game and can control the payout rates and odds, thereby enabling Increase the income drawn from the game. Also, these poker-like games are very appealing to a lot of the speculative public, and offering them at a particular casino has at least the potential to increase consumer traffic and revenue there.

Various innovative strategies have been used to make the game of poker more attractive to casino speculators. For example, many poker variants are designed to have players play against the field rather than against each other. In other cases, jackpots have been utilized, wherein during a hand a player can increase his or her chip amount. This makes the game more exciting for the player and potentially more profitable for the casino. Jackpots have been introduced, including progressive jackpots where the amount increases until a unique player event occurs where a certain suit combination in a player's hand causes an increase in the payout for that player. Finally, there is always the intriguing possibility of computer execution of these games, with video-based casino games, computer games, multiplayer platforms, and online games becoming increasingly popular.

In addition to introducing new games to the casino, new ways of playing coins have also been introduced. It would still be beneficial to provide other chip play methods and structures to increase interest in the game and better control casino retention and player rewards.

Contents of the invention

)游戏、四张牌扑克(4Card Poker^TM)游戏等，以及传统的黑杰克(Blackjack)游戏，该游戏主要与庄家玩但包括一些作为奖励类型要素的不同支付事件(保险、黑杰克、对子、连胜、连续黑杰克等)。这些后面的游戏可以采取公知为多终端游戏或多人平台的传统桌上游戏、混合有形游戏(mixed physical games)和电子输入或完全电子桌上游戏的形式。本发明在分红事件上具有多样性，并允许整副牌中的一张牌被选为比其它牌更有效或更重要。The preferred embodiment of the present invention introduces a bonus feature to poker games, which can be used for table games, slot machine draw poker games (played with pay tables), games played with pay tables and dealers, for example, three card poker (3 Card Poker)

) game, 4Card Poker ^TM game, etc., and the traditional game of Blackjack (Blackjack), which is played primarily with the dealer but includes a number of different payout events (insurance, blackjack, pair , winning streak, consecutive blackjack, etc.). These latter games may take the form of traditional table games known as multi-terminal games or multiplayer platforms, mixed physical games and electronic input or fully electronic table games. The present invention is versatile in the payout event and allows one card in the deck to be selected as more effective or more important than the others.

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of playing a game of chance utilizing a plurality of numerical indicators, said game having a bonus feature, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) At least one player bets coins in the underlying games;

(b) designating one or more of said numerical indicators as reward initiators;

(c) distribute one or more value indicators to each player's hand in the base game;

(d) evaluate each player's hand to determine whether it is a winning hand;

(e) determining whether the or each winner is participating in the bonus feature;

(f) determining whether any winner includes said prize value indicator;

(g) awarding an award to said or each winner participating in said award feature and including an indicator of award value.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of playing a game of chance with a plurality of cards from at least one standard deck, said game having a bonus feature, and comprising the steps of:

At least one player bets on the basic poker game;

designating at least one or more of said cards in order as an award initiator;

Deal at least one card to each player's hand in the base game;

Evaluate each player's hand to determine if it is a winning hand;

determining whether each winner is participating in the bonus feature;

determine if any winners include the designated prize initiator;

A prize is awarded to each winner who participates in the bonus feature and includes the bonus initiator.

Preferably, the player must wager additional chips to participate in the bonus feature. Also preferably, cards are designated as bonus initiators by random selection of at least an ordering of the cards. It is also preferred that cards are designated as bonus initiators by predefining at least the ordering of the cards according to the rules of the game. Also preferably, the base game is a poker game in which a player's hand is compared to a pay table.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of implementing a bonus feature in a game of chance utilizing at least a plurality of numerical indicators for playing a base game, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) designating one or more of said value indicators or an additional value indicator as a reward initiator indicator;

(b) distributing one or more value indicators to at least an initial or partial hand of each player;

(d) evaluate each player's initial, partial or final hand to determine whether it is a winning hand;

(e) determining whether the or each winner is participating in the bonus feature;

(f) determining whether any winner includes a prize value indicator;

(g) awarding a prize to said or each winner participating in said prize feature.

The present invention also provides a method of playing a game incorporating such a bonus feature.

Each player's participation in the bonus feature may be optional or an automatic game element of the base game.

Each player may elect to participate in optional bonus features by betting additional coins.

The method includes the step of awarding a standard prize to a winner who does not participate in the bonus feature but has (or does not have) an additional value indicator.

The value indicator may be a playing card.

A player or dealer may assign or select a bonus card before the players view their cards and/or before the cards are dealt.

The bonus card may be an ace, king, specialty card, or any other designated playing card, preferably with a specific ranking.

The method may include the step of allowing each player to wager additional chips after the replacement cards have been dealt.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided an Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM) having a memory, a processor and a display, the EGM being adapted to perform the above method.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic game machine in single or multiplayer format suitable for carrying out the above method.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-terminal electronic game machine adapted to perform the method described above.

Description of drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a payout table showing standard and incentive payouts;

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an electronic gaming machine (EGM);

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a multi-terminal EGM; and

Figure 5 shows an apparatus for playing a table game embodying the present invention.

Detailed ways

The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Games embodying the invention may be played by one or more players. In one form, each player plays against a pay table such that each player holding a winning hand is awarded a prize. In another form, the players' hands are evaluated against each other to determine a winner. In yet another form, the player's hand may be evaluated against the dealer's hand to determine one or more winners. These formats can be played as table games, or at EGM.

In the paytable in Figure 2, the value of the cards is not relevant to the payout except for a Royal Flush and a Big Pair (J(jack) or greater). For example, three 2's pay the same dividend as three 9's. There are four more cards of each sort (for example, each sort has clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades). Bonus card traits provide a way to differentiate a card's value or status.

In an embodiment of the invention, one or more numerical indicators, such as predetermined cards, are assigned to activate a bonus award.

Using the example of draw poker, a player is dealt five cards and has the option to discard zero to five cards. The discarded cards are replaced and the final hand is paid out against the paytable based on the specific rules specified for that game. The better the combination (the larger the order, or in the case of small poker, the smaller the order), the greater the prize.

In one embodiment of the invention, an Ace card (or one or more of the Ace cards) may be designated as a bonus card. When a bonus card is in a winning combination, the hand with the bonus card gets double the standard prize.

Bonus features are activated through additional play coins, or are an automatic part of the base game.

Bonus awards may be based on additional chips, or base chips, or a combination of base chips and additional chips.

In a first embodiment of the invention, poker is played with a deck of cards (eg, a standard 52-card deck), and one or more cards from the entire deck are designated as bonus cards.

Each player wagers a base chip ("pre-rolled chip") to enter the base game. Those players wishing to activate the bonus feature may then be required to wager additional chips.

Symbols or cards are dealt to players as initial or partial hands of cards.

Players may choose to discard 0 cards to all of their cards and are dealt replacement cards in place of the discarded cards.

Next, the players' hands are evaluated and winning prizes are awarded according to the paytable. Those winners who meet the prize according to the rules described for the present invention are paid the prize.

Bonus cards may be assigned at the beginning of the game or at another point in the game. In particular, bonus cards may be assigned randomly by the gaming system, or by the revelation of bonus cards that were previously offered but not revealed or revealed after the player's hand is evaluated. In another embodiment, the bonus card may be designated by one of the players prior to the deal. In a live game, this may be done by allowing the player to select a bonus card from a deck of bonus cards that are not normally used in the game. In the EGM, award cards can be selected from a deck of virtual award cards controlled using the EGM touch screen or input buttons. A bonus deck can consist of a full standard deck (all cards of the four suits), or selected subgroups of cards, such as suits only (J (jack), Q (queen), and K (king) ) or just A.

A non-limiting embodiment of the present invention applicable to draw poker is shown in the flowchart of FIG. 1 .

At step 102, one or more players first choose to participate in the game.

Each player may then choose to participate in the bonus feature by, for example, betting additional chips at step 104 .

When the base chip and the additional chips are cast, the base chip is closed and at step 108 the initial cards forming the initial hand are distributed.

At step 110, each player may choose to discard 0 to all initial cards dealt to that player.

At step 112, a replacement card is dealt to replace the discarded card.

Next, at step 114, the player's hand is evaluated.

First, at step 116 the opponent's cards are checked against the paytable to determine if they have won. If the hand does not win, the player's interest in the game ends.

After the replacement cards have been dealt, the next round of betting (not shown) can take place.

However, if the hand wins, the winning hand is checked or checked at step 120 to determine whether the player holding the hand has chosen to participate in the bonus feature. If the player has not selected a bonus option, at step 122 a standard bonus is awarded. If the player selected a bonus option, a bonus award is awarded at step 126.

The payout table of FIG. 2 shows standard payouts and bonus payouts for a standard 52-card poker game, where bonuses are paid to players for a pair of jacks or higher up to a royal flush. The column on the right shows the reward payout table as long as there is an A. Since the Royal Flush already includes the Ace by definition, it does not change here.

游戏的其它游戏可以在游戏的两部分都获得奖励。In another embodiment, a Blackjack game can be played where any win against the banker with an Ace (other than Blackjack) pays out at an increased ratio (greater than 1:1), such as 3:2 or twice the standard value of the prize , or in a fixed amount (fat amount) (for example, from the minimum amount of chips on the table to the maximum amount of chips on the table, or even beyond this range). 3Card that plays one hand with the paytable and another with the dealer

The rest of the game can be rewarded in both parts of the game.

In another embodiment of the present invention, award cards may be selected on a game-by-game basis. Alternatively, the player or dealer may designate the bonus card before the cards are dealt, or the random number generator may designate the card. Please note that the bonus card is not only a match symbol award (as in US Patent No. 6,227,969 (Yoseloff)), but also requires that the card is part of the hand, so if any, increase the hand's prize.

Bonus cards may be selected sequentially (eg, starting with 2, then 3, then 4, etc., up to A), by the player or the dealer, or may be randomly or pseudo-randomly selected by a random number generation system.

洗牌机。For table games, one deck of cards (real or virtual) may be used to deal players' hands of cards, and a separate second deck of cards (real or virtual) may be used to select bonus cards. For example, the second deck of cards may preferably be shuffled and cut by an automatic shuffler to determine a bonus card, e.g., Shuffle Master Corporation's

shuffler.

A live or hybrid table apparatus for playing games may include a planar gaming surface, individual player positions with card receiving areas and drop positions for base and additional chips, and for The card display area where reward cards are displayed. The card display area may be a display screen or an area that holds physical cards.

The game can be played on a multi-terminal gaming machine, on a multiplayer platform, on a slot machine or with a deck of cards.

A bonus award is awarded as long as the designated bonus card is included in the player's winning hand, or may be limited to being a substantial part of the player's winning hand's winning rank. For example, if the award card is a 2 and the player's winning hand is 4 Aces, even though the 2 is a kicker or other card in the hand, it is not part of the structure that makes the hand a winner. On the other hand, if the bonus card is a 2 and the player's winning hand is a straight 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, then the bonus card is an essential part of the winning sequence for that hand. The reward may be a percentage increase of the base prize, a multiplier of the base prize, a free play (or spin for the same base amount of play money), or a fixed amount prize.

In various implementations, designated cards may be used to beat the dealer, as in blackjack and some other poker games, or to increase pay table prizes, as in some poker games. For example, in a game of blackjack, a player may be allowed to double or triple the value of a bonus card if the bonus card is pre-selected as one of the first two cards in the player's hand. For example, if the bonus card is a 6, and the first two cards of a player's hand are a 6 and an 8, the traditional sum is 14, and the player can double the value of 6 to get 12, thus making the sum of the initial hand 20, which has a clear advantage for that player. The change in the value of the cards may be such that the value is increased by adding a specific number (1 or 2), and the change may preclude forming a sum of 21 or another value (eg 20), thereby controlling the odds of winning the banker's hand in the game. In the game of poker, the assigned card may be an artificially high order regardless of its actual order. At this time, if the player holds 2, 4, 6, 7 and J of the same suit (where 2 is the designated bonus card), and the dealer holds 6, 8, 10, J and A of the same suit, in order to make a pair or the same For suit purposes, the bonus card "2" can be considered the highest-ranked card in the deck, and players whose hands have a 2 as part of the sequenced cards (here a flush) usually lose, and in this case In this case the player wins. In another embodiment of the game of blackjack, if the player and the dealer are tied or "tie" (standard rules state that neither the player nor the dealer wins, and the player keeps their chips and does not win), then if either side wins at their have the assigned bonus card in their hand, the presence of that bonus card makes them win. In this case, the payout ratio can be changed so that if a player wins due to the presence of a bonus card in the event of a tie, the player only wins a portion (e.g., half), or in some cases a multiple of the normal payout to the winner (for example, twice). It is also preferred that if the dealer will win due to the presence of the bonus card, the players may only lose a fraction of their chip roll, say half, instead of losing the entire chip roll.

A preferred option is a poker game played with a pay table and/or a dealer, where the pay table has a list of prizes that pay out based on certain available combinations. As a simple game of poker played by players against a paytable, the popular game of draw poker is familiar to many players. Players are only paid out when they get some combination of cards that stands out. As an example, the present invention allows any prize to be increased for inclusion of a designated card, whether or not the selected or designated card is part of a winning sequence in the hand.

Variations may include different cards designated as bonus cards; different bonuses awarded in different winning situations; consecutive hands with bonus cards involve paying out further increasing bonus prizes.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an electronic gaming machine (EGM) 300 suitable for use with embodiments of the present invention. The EGM includes a display 308 and a plurality of input buttons 312 to allow the player to initiate actions in the game or respond as required. In a game played by a player against the house, the player's hand is displayed face-up on the screen after the cards are dealt, and the house's hand is displayed face-down on the screen. A touch "button" 310 may be provided in addition to or instead of button 312 on the screen. In another non-limiting configuration, one or more players may be at separate locations, and player terminals or handheld devices or player screens in a room may be connected to the controller via a communication link (eg, hardwired or wireless). Standard protocols, software, hardware and processor languages can be used in these communication links without any known limitations. There are hundreds of effective computer languages that can be used, the more common ones are Ada, Algol, APL, awk, Basic, C, C++, Cobol, Delphi, Eiffel, Euphoria, Forth, Fortran, HTML, Icon, Java, Javascript, Lisp, Logo, Mathematica, MatLab, Miranda, Modula-2, Oberon, Pascal, Perl, PL/I, Prolog, Python, Rexx, SAS, Scheme, sed, Simula, Smalltalk, Snobol, SQL, Visual Basic, Visual C++, and XML.

Any commercial processor can be used in the system as a single processor, serial or parallel processor groups. Examples of commercial processors include, but are not limited to, Merced ^™ , Pentium ^™ , Pentium II ^™ , Xeon ^™ , Celeron ^™ , Pentium Pro ^™ , Efficeon ^™ , Athlon, AMD, and the like.

The display screen can be a segment display screen, an analog display screen, a numerical display screen, a CRT, an LED screen, a plasma screen, a liquid crystal diode screen, and the like.

EGM 300 can be programmed to display poker games played according to embodiments of the present invention. Thus, a player's hand of cards may be dealt face up, while bonus cards may be selected from the entire deck and displayed face down. The player may choose to participate in the bonus feature before the bonus card is revealed.

Various alternative chip opportunities may be provided by dealing cards to the player with the award cards face down and then by revealing the cards in one of a variety of ways. For example, a player's cards and bonus cards may be dealt face down, and the player may choose to participate in the bonus feature before any player cards are revealed. Player cards may be revealed one at a time, with the bonus cards remaining face down after each card is revealed for a chance to participate in the bonus feature.

Based on the disclosure of the invention herein, other chip play methods can be readily implemented by those skilled in the art.

The award card may be determined at a node in the game that may be selected by the player, or may be determined by specific game rules, but is preferably at any point in the player's card or any other card in the deck or group (real or virtual) that has been awarded to the player. before publicity. This prevents players from choosing cards in their hand, which would not be random. For example, bonus cards may be displayed before the cards are dealt, or before the player looks at the cards or makes a decision whether to change one or more cards. In another alternative, a randomly selected bonus card may be displayed after the player has replaced one or more cards. Yet another possibility is to display bonus cards after the playing field hand has been revealed. Different bonus awards may be determined by the time at which the bonus cards are displayed.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a multi-terminal EGM 400. Players are seated around a table 406. Each player has a personal screen 408 to 416 to display the player's hand of cards to each player. Processor 404 controls the game and responds to player inputs.

The public display 402 is visible to all players. The public display 402 may display the bonus card 428 face down until an in-game node, at which point it is about to be revealed or has already been revealed.

Until the chip bet is complete, the common display may show all players' hands 418, 420, 422, 424, 426 face down. When the chip toss has ended, the cards from each hand may be revealed one at a time. However, when players are playing against each other, the option is to only show winners, as opposed to playing against a casino.

Figure 5 illustrates a table gaming device for playing a game embodying an embodiment of the present invention. The table 502 has a plurality of player and dealer positions 506 seated around it, where players may play player hands 508, 510, 512, 514, 516.

The dealer deals the players' hands from the first deck or set of cards. When players have had the opportunity to switch cards, if they choose to do so, the remaining cards of the first deck are set aside.

In one embodiment, the dealer may also have a second deck of cards 504, and this deck may be used to determine bonus cards.

Wherever used, the word "consisting of" is to be understood in its "open" sense, that is, of "comprising" and is therefore not limited to its "closed" sense of "consisting only of" meaning.

It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or presented herein. All these different combinations constitute various alternatives of the present invention.

While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from essential characteristics thereof. Accordingly, the embodiments and examples of the present invention are to be considered as illustrative rather than restrictive, and all modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are therefore intended to be incorporated therein.

Claims (17)

1, a kind of electronic game machine, described electronic game machine are suitable for carrying out a kind of method of utilizing a plurality of numerical indicators to play a game of chance, and described recreation has the award feature, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) at least one player throws game money in basic game;

(b) specify the one or more conducts in the described numerical indicators to reward startup person;

(c) player's of each in basic game hand board is distributed one or more numerical indicators;

(d) assess each player's hand board to determine whether being to win hand;

(e) determine whether described or each is won hand and is participating in described award feature;

(f) determine whether that any win hand comprises the award numerical indicators;

(g) to having participated in described award feature and having comprised the described of award numerical indicators or each win hand award.

2, electronic game machine according to claim 1 is characterized in that, each player can select to participate in described award feature.

3, electronic game machine according to claim 2 is characterized in that, the player selects to participate in described award feature by throwing additional game money.

According to above-mentioned any described electronic game machine of claim, it is characterized in that 4, described method comprises the steps: to the win hand incentive standard prize that has neither part nor lot in described award feature.

5, electronic game machine according to claim 1 is characterized in that, described numerical indicators is playing cards.

6, electronic game machine according to claim 5 is characterized in that, described method allows each player to throw additional game money amount after comprising the steps: to send out the replacement board.

7, electronic game machine according to claim 5 is characterized in that, described award board is designated afterwards in step (d).

8, electronic game machine according to claim 5 is characterized in that, has seen before their board described player or before dealing out the cards, specifies described award board by player, processor or banker.

9, electronic game machine according to claim 5 is characterized in that, described award board is the playing cards of particular sorted.

10, electronic game machine according to claim 5 is characterized in that, deal out the cards to the player from deck, and described award board is selected from the second secondary board.

11, electronic game machine according to claim 9 is characterized in that, described recreation is a Board Game.

12, be a kind of multiple terminals electronic game machine according to above-mentioned any described electronic game machine of claim.

13, a kind of electronic game machine, comprise player input device, memory and display, it is characterized in that, described memory comprises software, described software can move a kind of method and demonstration information relevant with described operation of utilizing the plurality of sheets of paper board at least one secondary standard playing cards to play a game of chance, described recreation has the award feature, and said method comprising the steps of:

At least one player throws game money in the recreation of playing card substantially;

At least specify one or more in the described playing cards as rewarding startup person by ordering;

The hand board of each player in basic game is distributed a piece of paper board at least;

The hand board of assessing each player is to determine whether being to win hand;

Determine whether that each win hand is participating in described award feature;

Determine whether that any win hand comprises appointed award startup person;

Winning hand to each that has participated in described award feature and comprised described award startup person rewards.

14, electronic game machine according to claim 13 is characterized in that, the player must throw additional game money and participate in described award feature.

15, electronic game machine according to claim 14 is characterized in that, by the ordering of selecting playing cards at least at random playing cards is appointed as and rewards startup person.

16, electronic game machine according to claim 14 is characterized in that, rewards startup person by being appointed as according to the pre-defined ordering of playing cards at least of game rule and with playing cards.

17, electronic game machine according to claim 14 is characterized in that, described basic game is the canaster that player's hand board is compared with payoff table.

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