A Method and Arrangement for Playing a Game of Chance

Field of the invention

[001 ] This invention relates to a method of playing a game of chance, and to an arrangement for playing a game of chance.

Background of the invention

[002] In this specification unless the contrary is expressly stated, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge; or known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.

[003] There are many games of chance which rely on each of the players having a number of tokens or other indicators whose value the player alone knows. An example is the game of poker, where each player keeps the cards hidden from the view of other players, known as "close to the chest."

[004] Some players are interested in playing a variety of games, and find new games attractive. There are many wagering games used for gambling. Such games should be exciting to arouse players' interest and uncomplicated so they can be understood easily by a large number of players. Ideally, the games should include one or more wagering opportunities during the course of the game, yet be able to be played rapidly. Exciting play, the opportunity to make more than one wager and rapid resolution enhance players' interest and enjoyment because the frequency of betting opportunities and bet resolutions is increased.

[005] Wagering games, particularly those intended primarily for play in casinos, should provide players with a sense of participation and control, the opportunity to make decisions, and reasonable odds of winning. The game must also meet the requirements of regulatory agencies.

[006] There are a multitude of card games that are played with a single deck of conventional playing cards. Among the most popular of these games is poker,

wherein a player's fortunes are determined by a well-known hierarchy of poker hands. Card games that are variants of poker are also very popular, such as Let It Ride® stud poker, Caribbean Stud® poker, Three Card Poker® games and the like. This is due, at least in part, to the basic nature of the underlying game itself, combining elements of both strategy and luck. Additionally, poker-variants allow an existing player-base to capitalize on their pre-existing knowledge of poker and to apply that knowledge in novel settings. The two most popular forms of traditional poker are draw poker and stud poker.

[007] In a conventional hand of draw poker, a single conventional 52-card deck of shuffled playing cards is used. Each player begins a hand by contributing an initial or "ante" bet to a common pool or "pot", the pot ultimately going to the owner of the winning hand. The dealer then distributes five face-down cards to each player, the remaining cards in the deck being set aside for later use. Each player evaluates the cards that he or she has been dealt and each, in turn, is given an opportunity to discard one or more cards from the dealt hand. The dealer gives the player replacement cards for those that have been discarded by dealing additional cards face-down from the top of the deck. Following the deal, one or more rounds of betting take place, during which time each player may make an initial raise, a check wager, fold (drop-out), match a previous raise (call the bet of another player) or raise a previous bet. The meanings of these wagering terms are well know to those skilled in the art and typical definitions of same may be found in, for example, Hoyle's Rules of Games, pp. 75- 102, by Morehead and Mot-Smith, 1963, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. At the conclusion of the wagering rounds, the players remaining in the round of play display their hands and the holder of the highest ranking poker hand takes all of the money in the pot.

[008] Stud poker is the most popular form of "open poker," wherein each player is dealt some cards that are face-up and, hence, available for viewing by the other players. Stud poker generally is played in two formats: 5-card and 7-card, the two being of approximately equal popularity. In five-card stud poker, the dealer gives each player a face-down (or "hole" card) and then a face-up card. Thus, at the start of a round, each player knows his own two cards and one card of each of his opponents. After the first two cards are dealt, a wagering round ensues, during which time each

player contributes his or her wager to the pot. A typical description of the rules that govern this round might be found in, for example, Hoyle's Rules of Games, pp. 75- 102, by Morehead and Mot-Smith, 1963, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. After the wagering round, another card is dealt face-up to each player. This is followed by another wagering round. Alternating dealing and wagering rounds continue until each player has a total of five cards: usually four face-up and a concealed hole card. After the final bets have been placed, each player who has not dropped out during the deal/wager rounds reveals his or her hole card. The owner of the highest ranking 5-card poker hand wins and takes whatever amount is in the pot.

[009] Seven-card stud poker differs slightly from 5-card poker. First, in 7- card poker each player initially receives two cards face-down and one card face-up. A bidding round then ensues. The dealer then gives each player another face-up card, which is followed again by a bidding round. Deals (of one face-up card) and bids are alternated until each player has four face-up cards and two face-down cards. Finally, a third face-down card is dealt to each player (making a total of seven cards). This is followed by a last bidding round. The winner of the hand is the player who can form the highest ranking 5-card poker hand from his seven available cards.

[010] As is well known to those skilled in the art, five-card poker hands are ranked from "Royal Flush" (highest) to "High Card(s) in Hand" (lowest). In some variations of poker, the ace may also act as the lowest card in the deck to form a straight when used in a sequence like A, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Additionally, a "wild card"— often the "joker" card (or a "deuce", for example) may be designated, so that a person who holds that card may declare its value to be that of any card in the deck, the presumption being that the declared card value will help that player form a better poker hand.

[Oi l] At its core, poker is a vehicle for gambling. Commonly the quantities wagered are monetary, but that is not strictly required and poker chips, matches, and other non-pecuniary tokens have been used in place of money to help the players determine who is winning without exposing them to financial loss. Of course, casinos are in the business of providing people with the opportunity to gamble and, given the popularity of poker among the general populous, it only stands to reason that casinos

would desire to offer this game in some form or another to those who seek to play it. However, conventional poker is not particularly well suited for use in a casino.

[012] A casino that offers traditional poker to its clientele typically does so by providing a dealer and a room in which to play, but the casino's dealer does not actually participate in the game as a player: his or her function is just to distribute the cards and referee the game. The casino makes its money by taking some percent of all of the money wagered (the "rake") or by leasing the room, the table or the chair to the participants. The cost of the lease may be measured in time (e.g., a fixed amount per hour) or by a count of the number of hands played. Traditional poker games are not particularly favoured by casinos because the casino does not make as much money acting as a landlord as it would if it were an active participant in the game.

[013] Similarly, from the standpoint of the gaming public, traditional poker has some disadvantages which have tended to make it less desirable as a casino game. First, traditional poker is readily available "at home," e.g., at the Friday night poker session, and there is no particular need for most people to travel to a casino to play it. Second, when an individual wins at traditional poker it is at the expense of the other players/participants. Many people prefer to play against the "house" (i.e., the casino) so that their winning hand does not necessarily result in a loss by a fellow player, who may be an acquaintance. Finally, traditional poker does not offer the excitement associated with "jackpot" type games. That is, a royal flush in traditional poker~as improbable as that card combination is— will result in winning only the amount in the pot and nothing more. Many players seek out games where there is some possibility of "winning big," an option that is not available under conventional poker rules.

[014] As a consequence of these disadvantages, casinos have introduced a variety of poker-type game variants to address the shortcomings discussed previously. One obvious advantage of these poker-type games from the casino's point of view is that the casino becomes an active participant in the game (as the house) and can, as a consequence, increase the revenue taken from the game. Additionally, these poker- type games are very attractive to many in the gambling public, and the mere fact that they are available in a particular casino has the potential to increase consumer traffic and revenue.

[015] A variety of innovative strategies have been employed to make poker- type games more appealing to casino gamblers. As mentioned above, many poker- variants are designed to let the players compete against the house, rather than against each other. Different betting structures have also been utilized, wherein the player may increase (or decrease) his or her bet during the play of a hand. This makes the game more exciting to the player and potentially more profitable for the casino. Jackpots and pay table awards for high ranked hands have been introduced, wherein certain card combinations in the player's hand result in an enhanced payout or a progressive jackpot to that player. Finally, computer implementation of these games is always an attractive possibility, with video-based casino games becoming increasingly popular.

[016] In addition to novel games being introduced into casinos, novel betting formats have also been introduced. It is still beneficial to provide additional wagering formats and structures to add both interest to the game and better control over house retention and player awards.

Summary of the invention

[017] A first embodiment of the invention provides a method of playing a game of chance in which one or more players enter the game. Each player receives at least one value indicator, referred to as an individual value indicator. One or more "community" value indicators are allotted to be combined with the individual value indicators of each player to give that player's outcome. Each player is given an opportunity to change one or more of that player's individual value indicators or to retain that player's initial individual value indicators. Each player's individual value indicators are combined with the community value indicators to form each player's hand and each player's hand is evaluated to determine whether the combination is a winning or losing combination.

[018] The method of play can also be described as a method of playing a casino table card game of chance or an electronic variant thereof. One or more players enter the game by placing value (e.g., money, chips, tickets or credit). Each player receives at least one playing card as part of the individual player's hand, referred to herein as an individual player's card. One or more "community" playing

cards are provided for use in the round of play of the game, the community cards to be combined with the individual player's playing cards of each player to provide a hand for each player to assist in determining each player's outcome. Each player is given an opportunity to change one or more of that individual player's playing card or cards or to retain that player's initial individual playing card or cards. Each player's individual playing cards are combined with the community playing cards to form each player's hand and each player's hand is evaluated to determine whether the combination is a winning or losing combination. The combination of community cards and player's individual cards that may be replaced in a draw poker type event offers new excitement and strategy and interest to casino table poker games. The card that is replaced may be a player card that is delivered face down or face up.

[019] The replacement card may be provided in the same manner as the card being replaced (e.g., if a face down card is replaced, a face down card is provided and if a face up card is replaced, a face up card may be provided) or in a different manner. As a control over house retention in the game, the player may be required to pay for the replacement card or cards, as with a fixed amount (e.g., an amount equal to or other amount) or a variable amount (e.g., the actual ante wager placed by the individual player or a multiple thereof). To add player strategy to the game, all replacement cards provided may be required to be delivered in the same manner or other manner, such as face up or face down or reverse the manner of the card being discarded (e.g., if a face down card is discarded, a face up card is provided).

[020] A player can enter the game by placing an initial wager. The player with the highest combination of individual and community value indicators among the participating group of players wins the game. Alternatively, each player's combined hand is compared against a prize list (e.g., a pay table) and the player either receives a prize according to the prize list or loses the wager with a low ranking hand or a hand that does not appear on the payable. The players may be given an opportunity to increase their wager after viewing their initial cards and at any stage when additional cards are provided to the individual players' hands or to the community set of cards or community value indicators. For example, the players can increase their wager (or decrease their wager) before the final community value indicator is revealed.

[021] Players who elect to change their individual value indicators can be excluded from increasing their wager or have the amount of increase limited to an amount lower than the amount allowed for players that don't discard and replace at least one individual card. For example, if an individual player who does not exchange an individual value indicator is allowed to choose an increased wager amount of between IX and 1OX the initial Ante wager, a player who discards and replaces an individual value indicator may be allowed to wager only IX the initial Ante wager or be limited to a shorter range, such as 1X-3X.

[022] When a player changes their individual value indicator, a replacement value indicator is allotted to that player. In one example of the invention, a changed individual value indicator may not be disclosed to the other players until wagering has finished. One or more, but not all, of the community value indicators can be disclosed to all players before the players elect to make a final decision to stay (stand), change a value indicator, change a wager (e.g., lower a total wager as by withdrawing a portion of the wager as in a surrender or as in Let It Ride® poker) or fold. In one embodiment, when the player folds, part of the player's ante wager is returned.

[023] One or more of the community value indicators can be concealed from the players until wagering has finished. Each player's initial individual value indicator can be disclosed to all other players. Where a player elects to change their initial value indicator, the value may or may not be disclosed until all players have elected to draw a fresh individual indicator or to increase their wager, or to stay.

[024] The value indicators can be playing cards or representations of playing cards (e.g., virtual cards, electronic images of cards, etc.). The value indicators can be dice throws, representations of dice throws, slot symbols or representations of slot symbols.

[025] Another embodiment of the invention provides a method of enabling one or more players to play a game of chance using an electronic gaming machine, the method including the steps described above for the method of play. The following steps may also be used. Each player makes an initial wager or otherwise enters the game. At least one initial individual value indicator (e.g., playing cards, symbols, dice, etc.) is allocated to each player and displayed at least to the corresponding

player. One or more community value indicators are allocated and displayed to all players, the value of at least one of the community value indicators being undisclosed until all players have elected to stay, surrender, change one or more individual value indicators, or to increase their wagers. The one or more undisclosed community value indicators are disclosed to all players when all players have made their election. A score or rank (e.g., in poker) for each player is determined by combining the individual value indicator or indicators of each player with the community value indicators. Each player's score or rank is evaluated to determine whether or not it is a winning score.

[026] Each player's initial individual value indicator can be displayed to all players. Where a player elects to change an initial individual value indicator, the value of the changed individual value indicator is displayed only after all players have made their election. According to a further embodiment of the invention, there is provided a system for playing a game of chance according to the method described above, the system including one or more display stations adapted to display individual value indicators and the community value indicators (or a central display for disclosing the community value indicators to a bank of individual player stations). A programmed processor adapted to allocate individual value indicators to players and to allocate the community value indicators is provided. Each player station having input means to indicate the player's selection from two or more options.

[027] The invention also provides an electronic gaming machine adapted to play such a game of chance.

Brief description of the drawings

[028] An embodiment or embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[029] Figure 1 is a flow diagram of a game according to an embodiment of the invention;

[030] Figure 2 represents an electronic gaming machine (EGM);

[031] Figure 3 represents a multi-terminal EGM;

[032] Figure 4 is a schematic representation of a table game;

[033] Figure 5 shows an example of the options for playing a hand;

[034] Figure 6 is a pay table suitable for use in an embodiment of the game.

Detailed description of the embodiment or embodiments

[035] The preferred embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[036] The preferred embodiment of the invention has been termed the

Double or Switch card game and is a variant of the game of poker. An outline of a first embodiment will be described initially in the form of a table game in which the players play against the house and their hands are assessed against a predetermined house set pay table.

[037] Double or Switch can be played with a dealer and up to five players. It is preferably played with a single standard deck of 52 cards but it will be understood that additional decks of cards can be used if more than 5 players are to be included in a single game. The number of additional 52 card packs would be selected based on the number of players playing that particular game. For example, if the number of players is between 6 and 10 (inclusive) then two decks of cards are used (i.e., 1 pack per 5 players). Play follows the following steps as illustrated in Figure 1.

[038] At the start of play 102, the dealer shuffles the deck at 104. Each player places an ante on the table at step 106. A player can choose to sit out a hand and wait for a later hand as indicated by the "NO" option at 106. If the player sits out the hand then no ante is placed by that player.

[039] Each player playing the hand (i.e., each player that placed an ante) is dealt a single face-down card called their player card at step 108. The player can view this card, but, in this version, it is not disclosed to the other players until the conclusion of the game. In an alternative version, all player cards can be displayed to all players. The dealer places four cards on the table, 3 face-up and 1 face-down at step 110. These are the community cards that, in conjunction with each player's respective card, will form each player's 5-card hand.

[040] At step 112, each player inspects their player card and then declares their intention to stand, double the wager, or switch cards. A player elects to double by doubling their current ante bet at step 114. A player elects to switch by discarding their current player card at step 118. A player who elects to stand at step 116 neither doubles or discards. That is, the player retains their current card and maintains their current bet.

[041] At step 120, the dealer replaces all discarded player cards with a new face-down player card. At step 122, the dealer turns over the face-down community card. Players reveal their player cards at step 124. At step 126, the dealer assesses each player's hand against the pay table. A player's player card, together with the 4 community cards, form a 5-card poker hand. If this hand constitutes a winning hand as determined by the pay table (Figure 6) then the player is returned their bet multiplied by the assigned odds of the hand (as per the table). For example, if a player has a pair of aces then their hand has an assigned odds value of 1 and they will receive exactly their money back. If a player does not have a hand which is listed in the pay table they lose their bet. The dealer regathers the cards at step 128. Preferably, players cannot both double their bet and discard although some embodiment of the invention may allow this.

[042] Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of a table game played according to an embodiment of the invention. A table 402 has a dealer position 406 and the community hand is shown at 404 in front of the dealer position. Player positions 408, 410, 412, 414, 416, are each indicated by a single player card. Player card 408 is shown face up to indicate the view which this player has of the cards. However, this card is not typically viewable by other players until the conclusion of play. Thus this player can see the card at 408 and the three face-up community cards at 404. At this point in the game the player cannot see any of the other players' cards 410, 412, 414, 416 or the community card that is still face-down. In a 52 card pack, this player cannot see 48 cards. The same applies to the other players, except that they can only see their own player card and the three face-up community cards.

[043] Figure 5 illustrates the player options when the player and community cards have been dealt at line 502. In this example, a player has the ace of spades (510)

and the face-up community cards are 2 of clubs (512), 2 of spades (514), and 10 of clubs (516). The face-down community card is shown at 518.

[044] Line 504 shows the player option to STAND, and the result when the face-down community card has been turned face-up. The face-down community card was an ace of clubs. The result is that, when the player's player card is combined with the community cards, the player has two pairs, a pair of aces and a pair of twos. Thus the player is eligible for the payout for two pairs as determined by the pay table in Figure 6. The multiplier for two pairs is 3, so the player receives a payout of 3 times the ante.

[045] Line 506 shows the outcome where the player chose to DOUBLE, i.e., to double the ante. Again, the player has the two pairs and the payout multiplier is 3. However, because the player doubled the wager, the payout is twice that which the player would have received if the player had chosen to STAND.

[046] In line 508, the player has chosen to SWITCH. In this example, the election to switch prevents the player from DOUBLING. The player has thus exchanged the ace of clubs for a new card (511), which, in this example, is the two of hearts. Thus the combination of the player card and the community cards produces three twos, three of a kind. This provides a payout multiplier of 6. Thus the player will collect 6 times the original ante.

[047] Of course, if the player who chose to SWITCH had not had a pair of

Jacks or higher, the player would have lost the ante. In other embodiments (not illustrated), the player has an option to fold and receive back one half or other portion of his Ante. Similarly, if the face-down community card had not formed a second pair or better, the players who chose to STAND and DOUBLE would also have lost. The game can also be played between the players instead of against the house and pay table.

[048] The invention can also be implemented on a stand alone electronic gaming machine (EGM) or on a multi -terminal EGM. Figure 2 illustrates an Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM) adapted for one player playing the game. The EGM 200 has a display with a screen 208 and a number of input buttons, 210, 212 which can have designated functions. The buttons can be implemented as "soft keys"

in that their function can be changed according to the game being played on the EGM. Thus, buttons can be designated STAND ₅ DOUBLE, SWITCH, FOLD, NEW GAME etc. to enable a player to play the game. In one preferred embodiment, folding is not permitted.

[049] Figure 3 illustrates a multi-terminal EGM 300. A number of player terminals 308, 310, 312, 312, 314, 316, are shown around a table or counter 306. Each player terminal can include at least a player input device 307. Preferably, the player terminals also include a player display 309. The EGM as described above and in Figure 2 can also be adapted to implement a multi -terminal embodiment of the invention.

[050] The player terminals are connected to a control processor 304 which controls the electronic functions and responds to player inputs from the player terminals. The control processor 304 can also control an optional community display 302. Depending on the configuration of the equipment, various display options and game variants can be implemented.

[051] In one configuration, both player terminals and a community display are provided. In this arrangement, the player terminal can be controlled to display only the player card for the player using the corresponding terminal, and the community display can display only the community cards. Alternatively, the player terminal can display both the player card and the community cards. This arrangement provides the opportunity for the players to conceal their player card from the other players provided that the player displays are arranged so that no player can observe another player's display. To assist this, the player can be given control of whether the player's card is face-up or face-down, so that a player can look at the player card and then turn it face-down. Alternatively, the player displays can be in the form of a handheld display which the player can conceal more easily from the view of other players.

[052] In the absence of player displays, the community display is used to display the both the community cards and the player cards. Because each player can see the other player cards, this will slightly alter the odds of the game.

[053] In Figure 3, the community display 302, in the embodiment shown, displays the player cards 320, 322, 324, 326 and 328 and the community cards 304.

All the player cards can be shown face-down until the wagering has finished. Then the face down community card and the individual player cards can be turned face-up sequentially, randomly, or simultaneously.

[054] Where a player cannot see the other player cards, there are 4 cards visible to each player, the individual player card and the three face-up community cards. Thus a player can estimate the probability of obtaining a specific card as 1 :48.

[055] Other player's terminals may be visible, or there may be a possibility in some environments that a player may be informed of the cards of other players. Therefore other player's player cards cannot be reliably hidden. Knowing another player's card will affect the best strategy. Therefore to make the game fairer and add interest the other player's cards can be displayed face up on the community display. In such a case the game becomes easier the more player cards are revealed. This could discourage play when there are less than maximum players. In this case cards can continue to be dealt to unused terminals.

[056] Set time limits can be applied to anteing and choosing whether to stand, double or switch (or fold in those embodiments permitting folding). A player who does not ante before the time expires is excluded from the hand. In one embodiment, a player who does not double or switch before the time expires is, by default, required to stand.

[057] Replacement player cards can be kept facedown until the last community card is to be turned over and then the replacement cards can be revealed simultaneously.

[058] In a further configuration one or more of the players can be located in separate locations, and the player terminals can be connected to the controller via communication links. While the game has been described with reference to a variation of five card poker, it can be played with hands of different numbers of cards.

[059] While the game has been described as having a single hidden community card, there can be two or more hidden community cards. This provides multiple wagering opportunities as wagering can take place after each face-down community card is revealed. While the game has been described in which each player has one card, each player can have two or more cards. The cards can be replaced by

other random generators such as dice, coins, tiles or spinning reels. When the game is a reel slot simulation, the value indicators may be reel slot symbols or representations thereof and the winning outcomes may differ from poker hands. For example, 5 of any kind of a symbol, or mixed bar results may be winning outcomes instead of conventional high ranking poker hands.

[060] There are hundreds of available computer languages that may be used to implement embodiments of the invention, among the more common being 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.

[061 ] Any commercial processor may be used to implement the embodiments of the invention either as a single processor, serial or parallel set of processors in the system. Examples of commercial processors include, but are not limited to Merced™, Pentium™, Pentium II™, Xeon™, Celeron™, Pentium Pro™, Efficeon™, Athlon, AMD and the like.

[062] Display screens may be segment display screen, analogue display screens, digital display screens, CRTs, LED screens, Plasma screens, liquid crystal diode screens, and the like.

[063] Where ever it is used, the word "comprising" is to be understood in its

"open" sense, that is, in the sense of "including", and thus not limited to its "closed" sense, that is the sense of "consisting only of. A corresponding meaning is to be attributed to the corresponding words "comprise", "comprised" and "comprises" where they appear.

[064] 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 evident from the text. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

[065] While particular embodiments of this invention have been described, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof.

The present embodiments and examples are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all modifications which would be obvious to those skilled in the art are therefore intended to be embraced therein.