Patent Application
20090096168
This invention relates generally to card games and methods therefor and, more particularly, to poker game based on a 60 playing card deck and method therefor.
Card games are popular both socially and for gambling purposes. Poker, and its many variations, is among the most common card games, especially for gambling. The general aim of poker is to collect a five card hand that is superior to the five card hand of one or more opponents or to try to bet in such a way as to cause opponents to believe that their hand is inferior and subsequently “fold” (concede or turn in) their hand. In the game of poker, several players compete against one another for one cumulative “pot” or sum of money. In live poker played at casinos, the dealer or “house” draws a percentage, otherwise known as “the rake”, of each pot, thus generating revenue regardless of which player wins each hand. In video poker, each player pays money to a video poker gaming machine in order to play.
In a standard 52-card deck of playing cards, there are 13 separately valued cards, from low to high in rank: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack (J), queen (Q), king (K), and Six (A) (although the Six can sometimes have the value of the lowest card in the deck). Each of the 13 ranked cards comes in four different suits: spade, heart, diamond, and club for a total of 52 cards.
There are many separate types of games within the poker family (such as Texas Hold'em, Seven-Card Stud, Draw Poker, Hi-low, and Omaha) all of which provide alternative formats for competing over a five card hand. Typically, these games involve a standard 52-card deck, although some variations use multiple decks or add a few cards called jokers which can be used as a substitute for any card in the deck.
Of all the many variations of poker, Texas Hold'em is the arguably the most famous, and perhaps the most popular. However, many poker players find that waiting for a high-quality poker hand is both time-consuming and boring. Attempts have been made to liven up the game in several different ways. Gaming machines, such as video poker machines, allow poker players the ability to play games with greater frequency. In addition, many of these machines offer variations on the game of poker which cannot be found in casino poker rooms, such as the use of multiple decks and jokers. The proliferation of so many different variations of poker and the use of joker cards is a sign that poker player crave change.
Most poker players associate the sight of more than one card of the same rank with quality (e.g., a pair, three of a kind or four of a kind), although these types of hands do not occur frequently. Therefore, a majority of the time, players receive unmatched cards, which contributes to the boredom and staleness of poker.
The present invention is directed to providing an improved poker method.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a 60 playing card deck is disclosed. The deck consists solely of: a first set of 15 cards; wherein the first set consists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Spades; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the first set are consecutive; a second set of 15 cards; wherein the second set consists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Hearts; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the second set are consecutive; a third set of 15 cards; wherein the third set consists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Diamonds; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the third set are consecutive; and a fourth set of 15 cards; wherein the fourth set consists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Clubs; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the fourth set are consecutive.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method for playing a card game of poker is disclosed. The method comprises: providing a 60 card deck of playing cards having: a first set of 15 cards; wherein the first set consists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Spades; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the first set are consecutive; a second set of 15 cards; wherein the second set consists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Hearts; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the second set are consecutive; a third set of 15 cards; wherein the third set consists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Diamonds; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the third set are consecutive; and a fourth set of 15 cards; wherein the fourth set consists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Clubs; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the fourth set are consecutive; dealing five cards to each of a plurality of players; comparing each of a value of a five card hand of first player and a five card hand of a second player to a ranking of hand values; and awarding a jackpot to one of the first player and the second player having a higher hand value according to the ranking of hand values.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, a method for playing a card game of poker is disclosed. The method comprises: providing a 60 card deck of playing cards having: a first set of 15 cards; wherein the first set consists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Spades; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the first set are consecutive; a second set of 15 cards; wherein the second set consists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Hearts; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the second set are consecutive; a third set of 15 cards, wherein the third set consists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Diamonds; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the third set are consecutive; and a fourth set of 15 cards; wherein the fourth set consists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Clubs; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the fourth set are consecutive; dealing five cards to a player; comparing a value of the five card hand to a ranking of hand values; and awarding a payout to the player if the value of the five card hand qualifies for a payout according to a payout table associated with the ranking of hand values.
Referring to
Preferably, each poker player initially receives three playing cards face down. There may then be a round of betting, to be followed by each remaining player receiving a fourth card face down. Another bet can be made, before a fifth card is given face down to each remaining poker player. After the fifth and last card is provided to each remaining player, there is a final round of betting. Raises may be permitted during one or more of the betting rounds, and players may be permitted to fold as an alternative to betting.
It should be noted that it may be desired to deal one or more of the five cards face up rather than face down, to provide players with fewer or more than three cards with the initial deal, or to otherwise vary the dealing pattern described herein. For example, the 60 playing card deck of the present invention could be utilized in a Texas Hold'em version of this game in which each player receives 2 cards down, followed by a betting round and then a total of five community cards following the standard Texas Hold'em format. The game of Omaha, along with other poker variations may also utilize the 60 playing card deck of the present invention.
Where more than one player remains after the final round of betting, the player with the highest ranked hand wins. In one embodiment, hand rankings are based both on card value and suit. Exemplary hand rankings, with the highest ranked hand listed first, are as follows:
A poker game utilizing a deck as described herein may be played as a live game or, alternatively, may be played as a video poker game. For a video game embodiment, a pay table may be utilized, associating payout amounts with particular hand rankings and, optionally, the amount wagered.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, while it is preferred that the three cards comprise Queens, Kings an Aces, another sequence of three consecutive cards could be used, and to instead base a game based on such a deck on these three cards rather than Aces, Kings and Queens. Also, the sequence of suit values and of hand values generally may also be varied as desired.
