Patent Application
20240233473
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. Copyright 2024, LNW Gaming, Inc.
This disclosure relates generally to networked gaming systems and, more specifically, to networked gaming devices that are locatable within a gaming environment based on communication signals.
Gaming devices used in the gaming industry, such as electronic gaming machines (EGMs), card-handling devices, and the like, are used for increasing the efficiency, security and game speed in games such as blackjack, baccarat, poker, and reel-based games. The gaming devices are deployed in a gaming environment (e.g., a casino). At least some gaming devices generate and/or collect data associated with gameplay, device diagnostics, and/or the like. The gaming devices may be communicatively coupled to a network to store and analyze the data from the gaming devices using a centralized data processing system. However, in at least some known networked gaming devices systems, the data collected may be hindered due to processing, memory, and/or networking limitations present in at least some gaming environments. For example, wireless networking in a gaming environment may be limited as a result of congestion in populated wireless bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz).
Moreover, these gaming devices may be moveable to facilitate selective deployment within one or more gaming environments. That is, the gaming devices can be deployed at various locations to fit the configuration of the gaming environments and/or can be removed from the gaming environments for maintenance and storage. As a result, tracking the location of the gaming devices may be desirable to effectively monitor maintenance schedules, usage of the gaming devices (e.g., for billing purposes), and/or gaming environment configurations. However, the processing, memory, and/or networking limitations of the gaming environments may hinder or otherwise prevent accurate and updated location tracking without manual intervention.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a system is provided including a plurality of shuffler devices connected, via a network, to a game controller of a progressive jackpot game. Each shuffler device is communicatively coupled with a respective one of a plurality of gaming tables connected via a network. The game controller is configured to detect a payout proximity trigger configured to pay out after a contribution pool, for the progressive jackpot game, reaches a payout threshold value. The controller analyzes, in response to detection of the payout proximity trigger, shuffle-state image data of each of the plurality of shuffler devices and determines, in response to analysis of the shuffle-state image data, a card order of an undealt portion for each deck of cards shuffled by the plurality of shuffler devices. The controller further determines, based on the card order and based on card distribution rules, an anticipated timing for when a mystery card will be dealt from one deck of cards shuffled by one of the plurality of shuffler devices for a subsequent game play round of a wagering game during which the payout threshold value is reached. The progressive jackpot game is configured to pay out to a participant to whom the mystery card is subsequently dealt. The controller further determines, based on analysis of timing data from transceiver signals associated with the one of the plurality of shuffler devices, a physical location of a closest one of the plurality of gaming tables relative to the one of the plurality of shuffler devices. The controller further electronically provides, using the anticipated timing, an anticipatory notification related to an upcoming appearance of the mystery card. The anticipatory notification is transmitted to one or more output devices associated with the physical location of the closest one of the plurality of gaming tables.
Additional aspects of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of various embodiments, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.
The figures depict various embodiments for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art who also has the benefit of this disclosure may recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles described herein.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and will herein be described in detail, preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated. For purposes of the present detailed description, the singular includes the plural and vice versa (unless specifically disclaimed); the words “and” and “or” shall be both conjunctive and disjunctive; the word “all” means “any and all”; the word “any” means “any and all”; and the word “including” means “including without limitation.”
For purposes of the present detailed description, the terms “wagering game,” “casino wagering game,” “gambling,” “slot game,” “casino game,” and the like include games in which a player places at risk a sum of money or other representation of value, whether or not redeemable for cash, on an event with an uncertain outcome, including without limitation those having some clement of skill. In some embodiments, the wagering game involves wagers of real money, as found with typical land-based or online casino games. In other embodiments, the wagering game additionally, or alternatively, involves wagers of non-cash values, such as virtual currency, and therefore may be considered a social or casual game, such as would be typically available on a social networking web site, other web sites, across computer networks, or applications on mobile devices (e.g., phones, tablets, etc.). When provided in a social or casual game format, the wagering game may closely resemble a traditional casino game, or it may take another form that more closely resembles other types of social/casual games.
In the following description, circuits and functions may be shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure the descriptions in unnecessary detail. Conversely, specific circuit implementations shown and described are examples only and should not be construed as the only way to implement networked gaming devices unless specified otherwise herein. Additionally, block definitions and partitioning of logic between various blocks illustrates one possible embodiment. It may become apparent to one of skill in the art, who also has the benefit of this disclosure, that the embodiments disclosed may be practiced by various other partitioning solutions, all of which are contemplated herein.
Further, the term “module” is used herein in a non-limiting sense to indicate functionality of particular circuits and/or assemblies within embodiments of networked gaming device systems and is not be construed as requiring a particular physical structure, or particular partitioning between elements for performing the indicated functions.
When executed as firmware or software, the instructions for performing the methods and processes described herein may be stored on a computer readable medium. A computer readable medium includes, but is not limited to, magnetic and optical storage devices such as disk drives, magnetic tape, CDs (compact discs), DVDs (digital versatile discs or digital video discs), and semiconductor devices such as RAM, DRAM, ROM, EPROM, and Flash memory.
The processors described herein process data signals and may comprise various computing architectures such as a complex instruction set computer (CISC) architecture, a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) architecture, or an architecture implementing a combination of instruction sets. Although only a single processor may be shown, multiple processors may be included. The processors comprise an arithmetic logic unit, a microprocessor, a general purpose computer, or some other information appliance equipped to transmit, receive and process electronic data signals from an associated memory and/or one or more input/output devices
The memory described herein stores instructions and/or data that may be executed and/or accessed by the associated processor. The instructions and/or data may comprise code for performing any and/or all of the techniques described herein. The memory may be a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device, a static random access memory (SRAM) device, Flash RAM (non-volatile storage), combinations of the above, or some other memory device known in the art. While the memory may be shown within some devices, some of the memory can be remote, e.g., on a separate device connected to the device or via a WAN, e.g., a cloud-based storage device.
As used herein, a “gaming device” or “game device” refers to an apparatus associated with one or more aspects of a gaming environment. For example, a gaming device may include card-handling devices, shufflers, electronic gaming machines (EGMs), and/or other devices the provide gameplay features for a game. Gaming devices may also include devices that are not directly involved in gameplay, such as information kiosks, displays, currency conversion devices, and the like. The foregoing examples of gaming devices are for exemplary purposes only and do not limit the gaming devices to the examples mentioned above.
As used herein, a “gaming environment” or “casino environment” is a location or multiple locations in which one or more games (particularly, wagering games) are conducted. Although some gaming environments may not include any gaming devices, in the embodiments described herein, at least one gaming device is deployed at the gaming environment to facilitate play of the one or more games.
The systems and methods described herein facilitate data communication with, and location tracking of, networked gaming devices. These gaming devices may be moveable within and outside of one or more gaming environments to enable operators of the gaming environments to customize the gaming environments and remove the gaming devices from the gaming environments for maintenance. In the systems and methods described herein, each gaming device includes a device transceiver for data communication over a first communication network. The gaming environment includes one or more stationary devices, such as stationary gaming tables, that have transceivers that communicatively couple to the device transceivers of the gaming devices to exchange gaming data via the first communication network. The transceivers are further communicatively coupled to a server via a second communication network to enable the server to collect the gaming data from the gaming devices and the stationary devices for analysis and historical storage.
In the systems and methods described herein, the stationary devices have a known or predetermined location within the gaming environment. The device transceivers, the transceivers of the stationary devices, and/or other computing modules associated with the gaming devices or stationary devices monitor data signals transmitted between each gaming device and each stationary device to calculate a relative distance measurement between the gaming device and the stationary device. The distance data associated with a gaming device is collected and analyzed by the gaming device to determine its location relative to the stationary devices. The location data generated by the gaming devices may be collected by the server to facilitate centralized storage and analysis of the location data. Based on the location data, the server may automatically determine which gaming devices are active, what game that the gaming devices are being used for, which gaming environment the gaming devices are located in, and/or other data relevant to the device location.
The technical problems addressed by the systems and methods described herein may include, for example: (i) data network congestion from transmitting gaming data over populated network channels; (ii) imprecise location determinations of gaming devices and users within gaming environments; (iii) manual configuration of game devices for a particular game; (iv) imprecise usage data collection for gaming devices; and (v) reactive maintenance of gaming device malfunctions.
The technical solutions that may be provided by the systems and methods described herein may include, for example: (i) reduced data network congestion by using network channels other than the populated network channels and frequency bands; (ii) improved precision of locating gaming devices and users within gaming environments; (iii) automated configuration of game devices for a particular game; (iv) improved usage data collection for gaming devices; (v) proactive maintenance of gaming devices to reduce the frequency of device malfunctions; and (vi) reduced cost and complexity of transceivers by consolidating data communication and location services using the same communication network.
The gaming devices 102 are moveable devices configured to facilitate play of games within the gaming environments 101. In the example embodiment, the gaming devices 102 are deployed in two gaming environments, e.g., two casinos. In other embodiments, the gaming devices 102 may be deployed to a different number of gaming environments (including one).
The device controller 202 is configured to monitor and/or control operation of the gaming device 200. The device controller 202 includes one or more processors 208 and associated memory 210. The memory 210 stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processors 208, cause the device controller 202 to function as described herein. For example, when the gaming device 200 is a card-handling device, the device controller 202 may be configured to cause the gaming device 200 to receive cards from a dealer, shuffle the cards, and output the shuffled cards to the dealer for use in a card-based game (e.g., poker or blackjack).
The sensor system 204 includes one or more sensors 212 that are configured to collect sensor data associated with the gaming device 200. For example, the sensor system 204 of a card-handling device may include one or more image sensors to capture images of each card passing through a portion of the card-handling device. In another example, the sensor system 204 may include one or more sensors to identify user input and/or credit inputs (e.g., bills, coins, tickets, etc.) from a player. The sensors 212 may be configured to collect any suitable sensor data associated with the gaming device 200 and/or the environment surrounding the gaming device 200, such as motion data, image data, strain data, pressure data, temperature data, usage data, maintenance-related data, and the like. In the example embodiment, the sensor system 204 is communicatively coupled to the device controller 202 to transmit the sensor data. In certain embodiments, the sensor system 204 is communicatively coupled to the device transceiver 206 to transmit the sensor data. Alternatively, the gaming device 200 may not include the sensor system 204.
The device transceiver 206 is communicatively coupled to the device controller 202 and the first communication network 106 (shown in
The device transceiver 206 is configured to communicate data associated with the gaming device 200 to and from the first communication network 106 and determine the relative location of the gaming device 200 as described in detail herein. In particular, the device transceiver 206 is configured to communicate data in accordance with the communication protocols of the first communication network 106. In one example, the first communication network 106 is an ultra-wideband communication network. Ultra-wideband communication, unlike some common types of wireless communication (e.g., Wi-Fi and Bluetooth), is not restricted to heavily populated frequency bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz). Rather, ultra-wideband communication may be performed at other, less-populated, frequency bands that still provide relatively high data speeds. In one example, the ultra-wideband network may be configured to facilitate communication at a plurality of frequency bands from 3.5 GHz to 6.5 GHz with data rates of 110 kbps, 850 kbps, or 6.8 Mbps. In addition, in comparison to wired communication networks, wireless communication using ultra-wideband facilitates improved portability of the gaming device 200 and increased flexibility for arranging the device 200 within a gaming environment without concern of wire access points and the like. In other embodiments, other suitable types of communication networks that avoid populated or saturated frequency bands may be used for the first communication network 106.
In the example embodiment, the first communication network 106 is a non-persistent communication network. That is, unlike Wi-Fi, which uses routers to maintain a persistent communication signal for connecting devices to the Wi-Fi network, each device communicatively coupled to the network 106 includes a transceiver (e.g., the device transceiver 206) for discovering and establishing communication with other devices. In other embodiments, the first communication network 106 is a persistent network.
The antenna 218 of the device transceiver 206 is configured to receive and transmit data signals with other devices via the first communication network 106. In some embodiments, the device transceiver 206 may include more than one antenna 218, such as one antenna 218 for receiving signals and another antenna 218 for transmitting signals. In the example embodiment, the data signals received and transmitted by the antenna 218 are analog signals. The analog interface 220 is communicatively coupled to the antenna 218 to convert received data signals to a digital format compatible with the transceiver processor 214 and to convert digital data signals from the processor 214 to an analog format for transmission via the first communication network 106.
In at least some embodiments, the device transceiver 206 includes other components that facilitate the operation of the transceiver processor 214, the antenna 218, and/or the analog interface 220, such as, but not limited to, clock generators, phase-lock-loop circuitry, state controllers, power supplies, power management circuitry, filter circuitry, communication interfaces with the device controller 202, and the like. In some embodiments, the device transceiver 206 is powered separately from the device controller 202 to enable communication even if the gaming device 200 is in an inactive (i.e., powered-off) state. In such embodiments, the device transceiver 206 may enter a low-power mode while the gaming device is inactive to conserve power.
With respect again to
For exemplary purposes herein, the stationary devices 104 are stationary gaming tables positioned within the gaming environment. However, the details described below with respect to the gaming tables 104 are not limited to gaming tables and may be applicable to other stationary devices. Moreover, in some embodiments, the stationary devices 104 may include a variety of different types of stationary devices.
The game interface 302 is an area of the gaming table 300 that is used for play of a game. For example, the upper felt surface including game symbols on a poker table is the game interface 302. The game interface 302 may be configured to include one or more gaming devices (e.g., the gaming devices 102, shown in
The table controller 304, similar to the device controller 202 shown in
In the example embodiment, the table controller 304 includes one or more sensors 312 for collecting sensor data. The sensors 312 may include, but are not limited to, image sensors, pressure sensors, light sensors, audio sensors, and the like. The table controller 304 may analyze the sensor data to determine the state of the game, gaming devices, operators, and/or players associated with the gaming table 300.
The table transceiver 306 is physically coupled to the gaming table 300 and is configured to communicate with the first communication network 106 and the second communication network 112 (both shown in
In some embodiments, the table controller 304 and the table transceiver 306 may be at least partially integrated with each other. For example, the table processors 308 and the memory 310 may be integrated with the processor 314 and the memory 316, respectively. As another example, the sensors 312 may be incorporated with the table transceiver 306. In other embodiments, the gaming table 300 does not include a table controller 304, and the table transceiver 306 operates independently. In such embodiments, the gaming table 300 may not include devices controllable by the controller 304 or the devices are configured to operate without control from the table controller 304.
The first antenna 318 is configured to transmit and receive data signals via the first communication network 106, whereas the second antenna 320 is configured to transmit and receive data signals via the second communication network 112. The antennae 318, 320 may include more than one antenna each to facilitate communication. In certain embodiments, a single antenna may be used to communicate with both the first and second communication networks 106, 112. The communication interface 322 is communicatively coupled to the antennae 318, 320 to convert data signals between analog and digital formats and perform any other suitable functions to facilitate communication. In certain embodiments, the table transceiver 306 may be divided into separate modules for communication with the first communication network 106 and the second communication network 112. That is, at least the antennae 318, 320 may be separated into different physical modules. The processors 314, the memory 316, and/or the communication interface 322 may be divided between the separate modules. In at least some embodiments, the table transceiver 306 may include other components and subsystems to facilitate the functions described herein. For example, the table transceiver 306 may include circuitry for power supply, power management, signal filtration, state management, other network interfaces, and/or other suitable functionality.
With respect to both
The communication node 108 is a network interface communicatively coupled to the server system 110 and the second communication network 112 at a respective gaming environment 101. The communication node 108 facilitates communication between the gaming tables 104 and the server system 110 for data transmission, locating gaming devices 102 within the gaming environments 101, and the like. The communication node 108 may include any suitable network components to communicate with both the second communication network 112 and the server system 110. For example, the communication node 108 may include a transceiver configured to transmit data signals in accordance with the protocols of the second communication network 112. In another example, the communication node 108 may be communicatively coupled with the server system 110 via any form of wireless or wired connections or any combination thereof. By way of example and not limitation, communication between the communication node 108 and the server system 110 may be comprised of serial data links, parallel data links, USB, Ethernet, a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), infrared communication, IEEE 802.16 (or WiMax), IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/p, Wi-Fi, and any public cellular phone network including, but not limited to, GSM, CDMA, 3G, or 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), communication, etc.
In the example embodiment, each gaming environment 101 includes one communication node 108 for communicating with the gaming tables 104 at the respective gaming environment 101. In other embodiments, a plurality of communication nodes 108 may be configured to communicate with the second communication network 112 at a single gaming environment 101. Alternatively, a communication node 108 may be configured to communicate with the second communication network 112 over multiple gaming environments 101. In certain embodiments, the communication node 108 may be configured to communicatively couple to the first communication network 106 in addition to or instead of the second communication network 112. In such embodiments, the communication node 108 may communicate with the gaming devices 102 and/or the gaming tables 104 via the first communication network 106. In one example, the communication node 108 is configured to communicate with relatively nearby devices 102 and/or tables 104 via the first communication network 106 (i.e., devices and tables within the effective communication range of the communication node 108 using the first communication network) and to communicate with other tables 104 via the second communication network 112 that has a greater effective communication range than the first communication network 106.
The server system 110 includes one or more server computing devices 114 and a server database 116. The server system 110 may be centralized (i.e., the server computing device 114 and the server database 116 are integrated with each other) or distributed. The server system 110 is configured to collect data from the gaming devices 102 and the gaming tables 104 via the communication node 108 and the second communication network 112, analyze the data, and/or store the data. In one example, the server system 110 monitors usage of the gaming devices 102 within the gaming environments 101. In another example, the server system 110 determines a location of each deployed gaming device 102 as described herein.
The server computing device 114 is configured to execute at least a portion of the tasks performed by the server system 110 as described herein, such as requesting data from the gaming tables 104, analyzing the data from the gaming tables 104, and storing data within the server database 116. In the example embodiment, the server computing device 114 is configured to receive data indicating a relative location of each gaming device 102 for storage and analysis of the location data. In certain embodiments, the server computing device 114
The server database 116 is configured to store data generated by the server system 110 and/or data collected from the gaming tables 104. In some embodiments, the server database 116 is formed by a plurality of distributed databases. In one example, the server database 116 is configured to store data collected from the gaming tables 104, game settings associated with one or more games, usage data for each gaming device 102, reports generated by the server computing device 114, and/or a dynamic map indicating a location of each gaming device 102 within the gaming environments 101.
In the example embodiment, with respect to both
The gaming device 102 is then activated and deployed 404 within the gaming environment 101. Although each gaming table 104 is assumed to be within communication range of the gaming device 102 for exemplary purposes, other gaming tables 104 may be deployed outside of the communication range of the gaming device 102. When activated, the gaming device 102 is configured to receive 406 data signals 502 including identification data 504 from each gaming table 104 via the first communication network 106. The identification data 504 identifies the gaming table 104 from which the respective data signal 502 originates. The identification data 504 may include, but is not limited to, a unique identifier, a type of game, supported game device and/or other suitable data associated with the gaming table 104 that may be used to locate and configure the gaming device 102. The data signal 502 is received by the gaming device 102 and the identification data 504 is extracted to identify each gaming table 104. In at least some embodiments, the device transceiver and/or the controller of the gaming device 102 (e.g., device controller 202 and device transceiver 206, both shown in
In the example embodiment, one or more characteristics of the data signal 502 may be used to calculate 408 a relative distance between the gaming device 102 and each of the gaming tables 104. The characteristics may include, but are not limited to, amplitude, phase, frequency, phase, time-of-transmission, time-of-flight, time-of-arrival, and/or signal intensity. In one example, if the first communication network 106 is an ultra-wideband network, the characteristic may preferably be a time-of-flight characteristic or a time-difference-of-arrival characteristic. In at least one example, the relative distance between the gaming device 102 and one of the gaming tables 104 is at least partially a function of the frequency of the data signal 502, the speed of light, and/or the time the data signal 502 was received (i.e., the timestamp 506). In some embodiments, the gaming tables 104 generate a respective transmission timestamp 508 and include the transmission timestamps 508 with the respective data signals 502. The internal clocks of the gaming tables 104 may be synchronized to improve the accuracy of the timestamps 508. In such embodiments, the difference between the timestamp 506 at which the signal 502 was received and the transmission timestamp 508 indicates a relative distance between the gaming device 102 and the gaming table 104.
Unlike other types of communication networks, the use of the time-of-flight characteristic or the time-difference-of-arrival characteristic provides improved accuracy of the distance determination in comparison to methods relying upon signal strength, which may be impacted by various other factors beyond distance (especially in gaming environments populated with devices and structures that may impact signal strength). Synchronizing the internal clocks of the gaming device 102 and/or the gaming tables 104 facilitates increased precision in calculating the relative distances.
The gaming device 102 and/or the gaming tables 104 generate 410 distance data 510 indicating the calculated relative distances between the gaming device 102 and each gaming table 104. The distance data 510 may include, but is not limited to, a distance measurement, an identifier of the associated gaming table 104, the timestamp 506, the transmission timestamp 508, and/or other data that facilitates determining the relative distances to the gaming device 102. In some embodiments in which the gaming tables 104 generate the distance data 510, each gaming table 104 generates its respective distance data 510. Alternatively, the gaming device 102 may generate the distance data 510 for the gaming tables 104. In such embodiments, the gaming device 102 may transmit the distance data 510 to each respective gaming table 104.
In the example embodiment, the gaming device 102 collects the distance data 510 for at least a portion of the calculated distances. That is, in some embodiments, the gaming device 102 may filter out distances exceed a threshold distance to reduce computational burden of the location determination analysis described herein. In addition, the gaming device 102 collects the predetermined locations of the gaming tables 104. In certain embodiments, the locations are included within the identification data 504. In other embodiments, the locations are collected via other data signals received by the gaming device 102. The gaming device 102 is configured to determine its relative location within (or near) the gaming environment 101.
The gaming system 102 compares the timestamps and/or distances of the distance data 510 with the predetermined locations of the gaming tables 104. Using trilateration or other suitable location-determination techniques, the location of the gaming device 102 is identified at least partially as a function of the distance data 510. For example, if the relative distances are calculated between the gaming device 102 and at least three gaming tables 104 while accounting for the known locations of the gaming tables, the gaming device 102 can determine the location of the gaming device 102 relative to the gaming tables 104. In comparison to location-determination techniques that use satellites, signal towers, and the like that are remotely located from the gaming environment 101 and susceptible to interference from other devices and structures, determining location relative to the gaming tables 104 facilitates improved accuracy in the location determination of the gaming device 102. Moreover, by performing the location determination locally at the gaming device 102, the location can be determined even without reliance on external computing systems. In certain embodiments, rather than determining a specific location of the gaming device 102, the gaming device 102 identifies a gaming table 104 associated with the gaming device 102 as described herein and assigns itself the predetermined location of the associated gaming table 104.
In response to determining its relative location, the gaming device 102 generates 412 location data 512 to be transmitted to the communication node 108. The location data 512 indicates the relative location and may also include other suitable data, such as a game data, maintenance scheduling data, and/or the like. The gaming device 102 may transmit 414 the location data 512 to the communication node 108 via one or more gaming tables 104 and the second communication network 112. The communication node 108 collects the location data 512 and transmits the data 512 to the server system 110 for storage and analysis. In some embodiments, the gaming tables 104 and/or the server system 110 may generate the distance data 510 and/or the location data 512 rather than the gaming device 102. In such embodiments, the gaming tables 104 and/or the server system 110 may collect the corresponding data to generate the distance data 510 and/or the location data 512. In one example, the gaming device 102 generates the distance data 510 and transmits the distance data 510 to the server system 110. The server system 110 then generates the location data 512 as a function of the predetermined locations of the gaming tables and the distance data 510.
The method 400 may be repeated for a plurality of gaming devices 102 such that the server system 110 may identify and monitor the location of every gaming device 102 deployed within the gaming environment 101. In at least some embodiments, gaming devices 102 that are not deployed within the gaming environment 101 may notify the server system 110 of its location. In one example, at least some gaming devices 102 may include power storage devices (e.g., batteries) and/or low-power modes to facilitate location determination while the gaming devices 102 are not deployed. In other embodiments, the absence of a location determination by a particular gaming device 102 may be inferred that the gaming device 102 is not deployed and inactive. These gaming devices 102 may be in storage, maintenance, at other gaming environments 101, and the like. Monitoring the location of the devices 102 may provide increased awareness of the how the gaming devices 102 are being used.
In at least some embodiments, the server system 110 is further configured to generate a dynamic map 514 of the gaming environment 101 that identifies the location of each gaming device 102 and each gaming table 104. The dynamic map 514 may be presentable to an operator for analysis. The location of the gaming devices 102 may be updated over time to monitor the current and historical movements of the gaming devices 102. The server system 110 may be configured to prompt the gaming devices 102 and/or the gaming tables 104 to generate the location data 512 periodically to update the dynamic map 514. In other embodiments, the gaming devices 102 and/or the gaming tables 104 may generate location data 512 in response to the gaming devices 102 moving relative to the gaming tables 104 and may transmit the location data 512 to the server system 110 via the communication node 108 to update the dynamic map 514. Alternatively, in embodiments in which the server system 110 generates the location data 512, the gaming devices 102 and/or the gaming tables 104 transmit updated distance data 510 to the server system 110 to update the dynamic map 514.
The networked gaming device system 100 is not limited to locating gaming devices 102 within a gaming environment 101. For example, the system 100 may also be used to generate and transmit gaming data, game settings, device data, usage data, and other suitable data associated with the system 100.
In the example embodiment, a gaming device 102 may be associated with a particular stationary gaming table 104. For example, a card-handling device may be deployed to a table for play of a card-based game, such as blackjack or poker. Associating the gaming device 102 with the gaming table 104 may facilitate certain, and/or prevent certain, functionalities of the gaming device 102 and the gaming table 104. For example, other than data signals transmitted for location determination (e.g., the data signal 502, shown in
The association may be determined by the gaming device 102, the gaming tables 104, and/or the server system 110. In some embodiments, the gaming tables 104 and/or the server system 110 may store game settings 604 to configure the gaming device 102 for the game. The game settings 604 may include, but are not limited to, rules of the game, number of cards shuffled, number of available card decks, card information, artwork, animations, wagering thresholds, and/or other configurable aspects of the gaming device 102. The game settings 604 may be transmitted to the gaming device 102 in response to associating with the gaming table 104. The gaming device 102 may automatically be configured in accordance to the game settings to reduce necessary time to manually prepare the gaming device 102.
In response to associating the gaming device 102 to a gaming table 104, the gaming device 102 may transmit data to the gaming table 104 to be collected by the server system 110 via the communication node 108. The data may also include data generated by the gaming table 104. In some embodiments, the server system 110 is configured to periodically collect the data from the gaming tables 104 (i.e., via polling). In other embodiments, the gaming tables 104 transmit the data asynchronously to the communication node 108 for storage and analysis by the server system 110. At least some data may remain local to the associated gaming device 102 and gaming table 104 (i.e., the data is not transmitted to the communication node 108). The data may include, but is not limited to, the game data 602, device data 606, and location data 608 (e.g., the location data 512, shown in
The parameter of the number of shuffles can represent the number of full deck shuffles performed by the gaming device 102. When multiple decks are shuffled, the parameters can reflect the total number of decks shuffled. The parameter of the number of cards shuffled can represent the number of cards shuffled by the gaming device 102. In an embodiment when a particular card is shuffled multiple times over the course of a time period, the parameter is incremented each time the card is shuffled. In another embodiment, a card is shuffled once when the card is part of a shuffle process in which one or more decks of cards are completely shuffled.
The parameter of a game play event can represent the number of completed games/hands at a table 104. For example, one game play event for blackjack represents the dealing of cards between the placement of an initial bet and the final result of the hand. In one embodiment, if there are five players at a table, the completion of one hand for all players and the dealer represents five game plays, in some embodiments the dealer's hand is also counted so this represents six game plays, in another embodiment this represents one game play.
The parameter of a game session can represent a series of game plays/deals for a particular type of game played such as blackjack, THREE CARD POKER®, etc., without a significant break in play. For example, if a gaming device 102 is used for THREE CARD POKER® and is in continuous use, e.g., shuffling and dealing cards with no more than a five minute break (other break period criteria can be used), for six hours, then the gaming device 102 is used for blackjack, then the six hours of THREE CARD POKER® is one game play session.
The parameter of use in a period can represent the total amount of usage of the gaming device 102 in a period. Examples of usage are number of shuffles, number of cards shuffled, number of game play events, and/or game sessions. The information can assist in identifying trends in the amount of game plays of particular games, e.g., THREE CARD POKER®.
The device data 606 includes operating conditions, diagnostics, maintenance reminders, and/or other data associated with the gaming device 102. At least some of the device data 606 is collected by sensors (e.g., the sensor system 204, shown in
In at least some embodiments, the server system 110 collects the game data 602, the device data 606, and/or the distance data 608 to generate usage data 610 associated with each gaming device 102. In some embodiments, the data received by the server system 110 may be collectively referred to as “operational data.” The usage data 610 indicates how long the gaming device 102 has be active and in use, under what conditions, and/or other similar factors. The usage data 610 may be used to proactively identify gaming devices due for maintenance prior to device failure and/or to accurately monitor the use of rental or leased gaming devices within the gaming environments 101. Moreover, because the server system 110 monitors multiple gaming environments 101, the usage data 610 of gaming devices 102 that are deployed in multiple gaming environments over time may be captured by the system 100. The server system 110 may be configured to generate and present reports including the operational data for one or more gaming devices 102 and/or other data associated with the system 100. In certain embodiments, each gaming device 102 may be configured to generate its respective usage data 610 and transmit the usage data 610 to the server system 110 for storage and analysis.
In at least some embodiments, the system 100 may be used to facilitate leasing gaming devices 102 to operators of the gaming environments 101. In particular, the system 100 may facilitate billing based on actual usage of the gaming devices 102. In some embodiments, the system 100 permits the reporting period, and any associated billing period, to be of any duration and based on any type of, or combination of, use. In other embodiments, billing amounts may include maintenance charges, fees, or other payable service events. Types of use for a card-handling gaming device include, but are not limited to, cards or decks inserted into the card device, cards dispensed, cards counted, cards sorted, cards or decks checked for completeness, individual hands dealt, type of game played, individual games played, game sessions played, directly or indirectly based on any amount of winnings detected during play including any progressive, individual hand reports and game reports generated, and/or request for a report from a past card usage, past game or past session data including individual hands previously generated (past data may help a casino with a patron dispute, may help with a billing dispute, etc.). This may be downloaded to a card-handling device from a central location (e.g., the server system 110) where extended game data associated with each card-handling device may be stored, or, otherwise provided to a user (casino, operator) of the local card-handling device, if the device is unable to communicate or display the results of the request. Such data, billable events, and recallable events are based on the capabilities of each card-handling device. The level to which each card-handling device may record data in any form is reflected in the data kept at a central location for later recall, analysis, and use. Unsophisticated card-handling devices with limited reporting capabilities will have equally limited data available from any back-end system, while sophisticated card-handling devices will enable a back-end system to keep far more detailed records, respond to download requests for specific data and similar actions. The type of data available from a sophisticated card-handling device is limited only by its detectors and associated computer power. Any type of data related to card usage, deck usage or deck type (including, but not limited to, the deck's manufacturer and other data), deck or card count of any kind, ordering in a randomized deck or partial deck, data for each dealt or issued card for any event (including card counting or deck determinations, as well as game play events), and any other type of count or event based on cards in any manner used in a card-handling device is contemplated herein.
The collected data may be organized, analyzed, and reported in any manner useful for either billing, meaning creating bills for payment eventually sent to the user of the device, or, maintenance of any type, including actual and predictive failure analysis and/or predictive required maintenance reports. Predictive reporting may be based in part, or in whole, on statistical analysis of the use data, error logs, interrupt events, fault reports, and any and all data, if available, from detectors or detection circuits, detection ICs, or any type of element that is configured to log or generate data regarding the condition of any element, either itself or another element. In at least some embodiments, the server system 110 and/or the gaming devices 102 may generate one or more alerts or notifications to notify a user of particular events based on analysis of the operational data.
Examples of detector elements includes elements such as strain detectors or motion detectors located on, or associated with, mechanical components, and, failure detection ICs measuring various electrical/electronic properties of components so that anomalous events can be reported or logged. Similarly, detection elements may be failure detection (or condition monitoring) circuits contained in larger circuits reporting/logging performance deviations or apparent out-of-spec behaviors, and/or any other detection elements that generate logs, interrupts, or other events. This further includes firmware or software that may use algorithms coupled with input from one or more components or elements of any type (mechanical elements using or interfacing to mechanical-electrical, mechanical-optical, or other elements, all electronic elements, etc.) to generate data or report on actual, possible, or predictive failure events. This is by way of example only, the concept covers collecting and/or using or evaluating any data from failure detection elements, as implemented in various models of card-handling devices now or in the future.
In some embodiments, the server system 110 may be configured to at least partially control the operation of the gaming devices 102 by transmitting control data 612 to the gaming devices 102 via the gaming tables 104. The control data 612 may automatically cause the gaming device 102 to reconfigure and/or to perform one or more tasks. For example, if a gaming device 102 is identified as potentially malfunctioning based on the data received by the server system 110, the server system 110 may transmit control data 612 to cause the gaming device 102 to shut down and/or perform a diagnostic operation to identify a cause of the malfunction. In some embodiments, the gaming device 102 is configured to apply the control data 612 in response to associating with the gaming table 104. Otherwise, the gaming device 102 may ignore the control data 612. In other embodiments, the gaming device 102 may apply at least some control data 612 (e.g., diagnostics functions, shut down functions etc.) irrespective of the gaming device 102 associating with the gaming table 104.
In certain embodiments, the system 100 may further include user transceivers 118 for tracking the location of users within the gaming environments 101, such as employees and/or players. Each user transceiver 118 may be substantially similar to the device transceivers 206 shown in
The user transceiver 118 is configured to be incorporated within the method 400 (shown in
In
The system 800 may further include a database 820 used to store and track data, such as indicators of potential collusion amongst players. In one example, the database 820 is similar to the database 116 illustrated in
The system 800 further includes sensors that track activities and information in a gaming environment. One example of sensors that track the gaming environment include cameras 831 and 832. The cameras 831 and 832 (or other sensors) may be those associated with a gaming system according to the disclosure of, for instance, US Patent Application Publication No 2020/0098223 (Kelly et al.), which disclosure is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Several stages of activity are illustrated in
Still referring to
In some instances, a processor (e.g. processor 208) detects that the first card 807 is a card of high value. A card of high value is a card with a value that is highest (or within a range of the highest) according to game rules and/or optimal game-play strategy. For example, a deck of standard playing cards may include a set of cards having specific ranks relative to each other based on their suit. A high card in a game of Poker (and variants of Poker game), for example includes an Ace, face cards (in descending order of rank), and a 10. Examples of high-value cards in Black Jack (and variants of Black Jack games) include Aces, face cards, and a 10. Examples of high-value cards in Baccarat (such as Punto Banco) includes 6, 8, 8 and 9. Cards of high value may vary based on some variations of games. In some instances, a card of high value includes any card with a value that has a potential of providing an advantage that would result in an advantaged bet on a potential winning card hand of the card game.
In some instances, the processor analyzes the image data in response to determining that the first player 841 won suspiciously. For example, in some embodiments, the processor may look for potential anomalies only after determining that the first card 807 was dealt during a round of play in which a first player 841 participated. Further, the processor detects whether the first player 841 played, during the round of play, in a manner that was inconsistent in timing, betting amount, playing strategy, etc. For example, the processor may detect that a higher-than-average bet was placed (e.g., by the first player 841) during the playing round of the first card game. In some embodiments, the processor can determine whether a card of high-value was used (or whether any particular card was dispensed) during the playing round by analyzing image data taken from a shoe at the table. In other embodiments, the processor deduces which cards were dispensed based of a number of the cards dealt and a comparison to a shuffle state for the cards made from the last shuffling round by the shuffler 811. As mentioned, each time a shuffler shuffles the deck, a processor can record information about the cards. For instance, during the shuffle of the deck before the round of play of the first card game, the processor (e.g., of shuffler 811) records shuffle-state data for the shuffled state of the deck. The shuffle-state data includes time stamps, card values, and other information that identifies the order of the cards in the shuffled deck. The processor accesses and analyzes the shuffle-state data for a round of shuffling (that occurred immediately before the cards were dispensed for the playing round of the first card game. The shuffler 811 also includes a return bin for cards used during a playing round. Based on the number of cards returned to the bin, the shuffler knows the number of cards used during any given playing round. Thus, the shuffler uses the number of cards dispensed for each round in a comparison to the order of the cards indicated by the previous shuffle-state data to determine the numbers of cards dispensed (e.g., returned to the bin) for each round. Thus, the processor knows which cards from the shuffled deck were used (e.g., visible) during round of play. In yet other embodiments, the processor detects cards that were dealt during the round of play in response to analysis of image data of the cards via one or more environmental cameras (e.g., cameras 831 and/or 832).
Referring momentarily back to
In some instances, the processor analyzes image data and detects the presence of the second anomaly 806 in the course of shuffling a deck of cards used for the second card game. The processor can store the results of the analyzing. For example, the processor stores an indication of the presence of the anomaly 806 and links it to identity values for one or more of the shuffler 812, the table 802, the shuffle state (e.g., shuffled card order) of the cards during the round of play of the second card game, the card value of the card 808, etc. Thus, after detecting the first anomaly 805 (from the playing round of the first card game), the processor can search the network for the data related to the already detected second anomaly 806. In other instances, however, the processor may not have previously analyzed the image data and/or shuffle-state data of cards associated with the round of play of the second card game, but may have stored the data for later analysis. In such an example, the processor may be limited in the starting information for the search. For example, the processor may only be able to search on game type for the shufflers. Thus, the processor could narrow the search by first searching for (and detecting) whether any shufflers on the shuffler network had been configured for a given type of card game. For example, the processor compares the current game type (being played at the first table 801) to detect matching indicators in the shuffle-network data of another game session where any shuffler was used to play one or more of an equivalent base game type, an equivalent game theme, an equivalent game title identifier, a game with equivalent game rules, etc. For example, the processor determines that the game type for the first shuffler 811 is a variant of poker and also detects that a second table 802 has/had a matching game type (e.g., was also a variant of poker). The variants of poker, while having some variations in some game rules, possess (by the nature of being a variant of the game “poker”) at least some similarities in playing strategies because they utilize at least some equivalent high-value cards. After the processor searches the shuffle-network data and determines that second shuffler 812 was configured for the same type of card game (or a variant) as the first card game, the processor can select image data of the set of cards taken by the shuffler 812 for times that it was configured for the similar type of game. The processor can then analyze the image data to detect the second anomaly.
In another example, the processor detects the indication of the second anomaly in response to determining that the first card game and second card game utilize the equivalent high-value cards. For example, the processor can compare a first set of high-value cards (associated with the first card game) to a second set of high-value cards (associated with the second card game), and determine that there is at least one matching high-value card in the sets, and that the at least one matching high-card value is the same as the value of the first card.
Referring momentarily back to
In some embodiments, the processor may detect the relationship between the anomalies by detecting a similarity in characteristics of the anomalies, such as similarities in appearance, shape, orientation, size, position, color, distribution pattern, etc. In some embodiments, the processor can determine a degree of relatedness of the anomalies according to a degree of similarity in the anomalies. For example, the processor may detect that two anomalies both possess the same shape (e.g., an “X” shape). Consequently, because of the similarity in shape, the processor may assign a medium-level rating to the degree of relatedness. Upon further analysis, the processor may further determine that the two anomalies are in a same relative location on back of the cards 807 and 808. For instance, if the only similarity between the two anomalies was being in the same relative location, then the processor could have assigned a low-level rating to the degree of relatedness. However, in response to detecting a similarity in both the shape and the relative locations in the anomalies, the processor determines a greater degree of relatedness than each factor alone, and, thus, may assign a high-level rating to the degree of relatedness.
In some instances, the processor runs (or accesses) a neural network model trained on detecting similarities between features of anomalies in ways that a human cannot detect. For example, to the human eye a mark made on a card may appear to be a minor indentation. Minor indentations may appear on several cards in the network, and may not be easily discernable to the untrained eye. However, a neural network model can determine very small differences in physical marks down to the single-pixel level, and thus can extract features related to objects in ways that a human eye cannot alone do. As a result, the neural network model can determine, from the analysis of the image data of the cards, that the minor indentations have a matching arc shape that maps to a specific fingernail size. Therefore, the processor uses the neural network model to detect the similarities of the minor indentations as a potential card-marking by the same cheating player.
Referring momentarily back to
In some embodiments, the processor can assign a collusion-confidence score that represents a possible degree of potential collusion between the players 841 and 842. For instance, the processor relates (e.g., in the database 820) the individual player identifiers to a single relationship data value represented by the collusion-confidence score. The data value represents the relationship, and the collusion-confidence score indicates degree or level of suspected collusion. In some instances, the processor adjusts (e.g., weights) the collusion-confidence score according to a degree of relatedness of the first anomaly to the second anomaly. For instance, when the processor detects similarities between the anomalies across different tables, it can apply a data value that represents the degree of similarity between the anomalies to a computation of the collusion-confidence score. Greater degrees of similarity increase the collusion-confidence score. Furthermore, the processor can adjust the collusion-confidence score over time as the processor detects additional related anomalies for any additional card games played (and tracked) using the shuffler network, and as the processor relates those additional related anomalies to player identity values. A higher confidence score indicates a higher possibility that there is collusion between the players to cheat and obtain an unfair advantage by card marking. Furthermore, the processor can adjust the collusion-confidence score based on additional data from the gaming environment that represents possible connection between the players. For example, the processor adjusts the score in response to detection of participation by either the first player or the second player in one or more additional rounds of game play in which has been dealt any one of the first card of high value, the second card of high value, or any card on which is detected either with the first anomaly or the second anomaly. In another example, the processor adjusts the score in response to detection, via analysis of image data of a gaming environment, of any one or more of physical contact between the players, communication between the players, commonality of physical location of the players (and/or their personal devices, such as their smart phones), etc. In some examples, the processor adjusts the score in response to detecting similarities in behaviors between the players (e.g., ordering the same type of drink, playing similar game strategies, making similar bets, etc.).
In
The description of
Furthermore,
The system 1000 may further include a database 1020 used to store and track data, such as indicators (e.g., timestamps, descriptions, etc.) of events related to (or relevant to) the network game, such as events that occur at or near the gaming tables 1001 and 1002, events that occur via the shuffler devices 1011 and 1012, events that occur via gaming devices, events that occur via personal user devices, events broadcast from the server system 110, etc. In one example, the database 1020 is similar to the database 116 illustrated in
The system 1000 further includes sensors that track activities and information in a gaming environment (e.g., an area at, or around, a gaming table, including the surface of the gaming table, props or devices used at the table, player positions at the gaming table, players seated at a table, back betters, casino staff, etc.). One example of sensors that track the gaming environment include cameras 1031 and 1032. The cameras 1031 and 1032 (or other sensors) may be those associated with a gaming system according to the disclosure of, for instance, in the aforementioned US Patent Application Publication No 2020/0098223 (Kelly et al.).
The system 1000 also includes output devices, such as projectors 1033 and 1034 (e.g., to project content, such as the message 1027), displays 1037 and 1038 (e.g., to show information about the network game, such as a winning card value or an anticipatory message), a virtual dealer 1025 (e.g., to provide verbal notifications), speakers, personal devices (e.g., personal mobile device 1039), etc.
Furthermore, in some embodiments, at processing block 902, the processor selects a winning card based on historic betting information. For example, there may be multiple gaming tables on a casino floor contributing a certain percentage of bets to a collection pot for a network game payout. A subset of those tables may contribute more than others. Consequently, in some embodiments, the processor may select a winning card from a set of undealt cards that are related to one or more of the subset of those tables that historically are betting more (e.g., and thus contributing more) to the pot.
Referring momentarily back to
Referring momentarily back to
For instance, regarding the responsive branch, the flow 900 continues at processing block 908 where the processor analyzes one or more images of cards dealt. In some instances, the processor obtains a captured image(s) from a camera attached to a shoe at any of the gaming tables. The image may be taken when the card is distributed from the shoe. In other instances, the processor obtains a captured image(s) from a camera positioned at the gaming table (e.g., a camera, attached to the gaming table, which records images of the gaming environment at or around the gaming table). The camera, or cameras, have a viewing perspective of the portions of the gaming table where cards are dealt and revealed. The camera(s) can capture images of the cards and process the images for analysis by a machine learning model (e.g., the processor can crop the images and provide the cropped image to a relevant machine learning model to analyze).
The flow 900 then continues at processing block 910 where the processor detects a card value in response to analysis of one or more images of the dealt card(s). For example, a machine learning model (e.g., a neural network model) analyzes the number of suit pip symbols on a card, a shape of suit symbols, a shape and relative location of number values, etc. Based on the analysis, the neural network model determines the value of the card within a given accuracy range. The aforementioned US Patent Application Publication No 2020/0098223 (Kelly et al.) describes some examples of utilizing a trained machine learning model (e.g., a neural network model) to identify card values.
At processing block 912, the processor determines whether the card was physically dealt and revealed. For example, at processing block 912, the processor compares the detected card value of the dealt card (detected from processing block 910), to the value for the selected winning card value (selected at processing block 902) to determine whether there is a match between the detected card value of the dealt card and the winning card value. If so, then the loop ends at processing block 914. If a card with the winning card value has not been physically dealt yet, then the loop returns to processing block 904. In some instances, where it has already been determined whether the shuffle-state images are not available (e.g., the loop has already gone through a first iteration), the processor can simply refer to a stored value that represents the outcome of processing block 906 and, thus, does not have to process or assess any additional information other than to check the value previously determined at processing block 906 for the first iteration of the loop. In some instances, the processing block 906 may instead be outside of the loop (e.g., between processing block 902 and 904). In some examples, the loop repeats, in parallel, for each given table on the network.
Referring still to
In some embodiments, the images of the shuffled cards may be captured in response to detecting a network event. In some embodiments, the network event occurs with enough time before for the game controller to have time to broadcast an electronic task to all shufflers on the shuffler network to begin capturing images of the shuffled cards at the eligible gaming tables. In some embodiments, the game controller can begin capturing the images with enough time to collect the order of cards for all decks at all tables (including any shuffled decks used as backups) before selecting the winning card value. The winning card value corresponds to one or more undealt cards of the same value in the decks of cards at the eligible gaming tables. For example, the selected winning card value was the Ace of Diamonds. The Ace of Diamonds corresponds to card 1063 from the deck at gaming table 1001, as well as to card 1083 from the deck at gaming table 1002. The cards with the winning card values may be referred to more succinctly herein as “network game cards” or NGC.
Returning momentarily to
The game controller can determine the sequential-position value of the top card 1062 in various ways. For example, the game controller can directly capture the images via one or more sensors inside of an automated shuffler, such as shuffler devices 1011 and 1012. In another example, the game controller can retrieve and analyze a set of images for the shuffle state from an image store (e.g., stored within a memory associated with the shufflers 1011 or 1012, in a memory stored at the respective gaming tables 1001 and 1002, in the database 1020). Further, in some embodiments, the game controller can count a number of cards already dealt and compare the count to the shuffled card order 1060. For example, the game controller can determine a number of cards that have been dealt based on analysis of image data, weight, etc. taken from sensors in the environment around a gaming table, such as image sensors and/or scales positioned at a card discard pile or discard bin for already dealt cards. The discarded cards comprise the dealt subset 1005. The game controller can then access a specific image having a sequential-position value that corresponds to the number of cards already dealt plus one. The specific image of that card represents the card at the top of the undealt portion of the deck of cards according to the card order, or, in other words, the card 1062. In other words, the card 1062 occupies a sequential-order value, from the shuffled card order 1060, which represents next card to be dealt from the undealt subset 1007 (i.e., the next-to-be-dealt position, or [NTBD]). In other words, the card 1062 is at the top of the undealt portion of the deck of cards at the gaming table 1001.
As mentioned, the game controller can also determine the sequential-position value of the card 1062 from direct analysis of previously captured images. For example, the game controller can determine, based on analysis of an image captured from a sensor in a card shoe (e.g., card shoe 1035), a face value of the last card dealt 1061. The game controller can then access and analyze a set of images of a shuffled order for the deck of cards. The game controller determines a sequence position in the shuffled card order 1060 that corresponds to the face value of the last card dealt (i.e., the [LD] position). The game controller then selects, as the sequential-position value of the top card 1062, the next sequential position in the card order after the [LD] position, which corresponds to the [NTBD] (e.g., card 1062).
In some embodiments, the game controller can communicate with the shoe 1035. In some instances, the shoe 1035 tracks each face value of each card as it is dispensed and also keeps a running count of the sequential-position value for each card as it is dispensed. The game controller can thus query the shoe 1035 for that information. In some instances, the shoe 1035 also communicates with the shuffler device 1011 and may store information about the dispensed cards in a memory associated with the shuffler device 1011. The shuffler device 1011 can use that information to keep a record of the dealt subset 1005 and the undealt subset 1007 as each card is dispensed. Thus, in some embodiments, the game controller can query the shuffler device 1011 regarding only the undealt subset 1007. For example, if the game controller is on the server system 110, then the server system queries the shuffler device 1011 for a sequential card order of only the undealt subset 1007. In other words, the shuffler device 1011 may track the shuffled card order 1060 and determine the value of the last card dealt 1061 to keep track of the undealt subset 1007. The shuffler device 1011 can, after analysis of the images of the cards that were shuffled, provide a summary report indicating the shuffled card order 1060 and a sequential-position value and face value for each card (as opposed to sending the server system 110 image data to analyze, so that the server system 110 does not have analyze each set of images). In other words, in one embodiment, if the shuffler device 1011 performs the image analysis in real time, tracks the shuffled order 1060 and also tracks the undealt subset 1007, then the game controller only needs to know about the undealt subset 1007 and can receive the data it needs to perform analysis of a relative position of the card 1063 within the undealt subset 1007. In some embodiments, the shuffler device 1011 can perform the analysis of the relative positions based on a transmission by the server system 110 for a sequential-position value of the card 1063 directly in relationship to sequential-position value of the card 1062.
Returning momentarily to
Based on the determined player activity, the game controller determines a number of players that participate (e.g., that place, or have placed, a qualifying bet). In some examples, instead of just a bet alone being the triggering event, the game controller can detect actual bet amounts to determine whether network-game contribution amounts will go over a trigger value. In some instances, the game controller can require that an additional triggering event be performed as part a game process and/or during game play (e.g., the game controller may require that specific card value appear and also a game participant must have done something in addition to betting for the current round, such as they may need to have split a bet). Furthermore, in addition to determining the number of players, the game controller determines, according to game play rules for each game at each table, a minimum number of cards that each of the number of players should be initially dealt at the beginning of each game play round game. The game controller can query the shuffler devices 1011 and/or 1012 and/or the gaming tables 1001 and/or 1002, for information, such as game settings and game rules, for any game being played (e.g., as described in
In one example, such as in the case of Texas Hold 'Em Poker, or variations thereof, a community hand and a player hand are dealt. For instance, three to five cards are dealt as community cards during a round of play, two hole cards are dealt as a player hand to each participating player, thus a minimum of seven cards would be dealt at a table with two participants (e.g., four hole cards dealt (i.e., two for each participant)+three initial community cards on the flop=seven cards initially dealt). Thus, in the case of two game participants, if the position of the card 1063 is within seven cards of the top card 1062, then the game controller can accurately predict that the card 1063 will appear within one playing round. In another example, in a game of Blackjack, at least 2 cards will be dealt for each participating player (e.g., two cards are initially dealt for each player's hand and 2 cards are dealt for the dealer hand). If more than one player is betting during the round, then an additional 2 cards would be considered to be dealt for each additional player as initial card hands. Thus, for a game of Blackjack with at least one player and the dealer, then at least 4 cards would be dealt during an initial deal of the playing round. For instance, in an scenario where the gaming table 1001 presents a Blackjack game, if the position of the card 1063 is within four cards of the card 1062 of an undealt portion of a deck, then the game controller can accurately predict that the card 1063 will appear within one playing round.
If the minimum number of cards to be dealt is less than the count 1013, then the game controller can track as the cards are being dealt in real time to estimate whether the card 1063 may still possibly be dealt in the current playing round or whether the card 1063 will be dealt in a subsequent playing round. For example, in the case of Texas Hold 'Em, after the flop an additional 2 community cards may be dealt (e.g., if the playing round continues after the flop to the dealing of the “turn” or the “river” cards). In the case of Blackjack, many additional cards beyond an initial deal may be dealt from the deck during the playing round (e.g., additional “hit” cards dealt to the player or to the dealer). Thus, in some instances, the game controller estimates when the card 1063 will be dealt based on a range of possible cards to be dealt. For example, in the case of standard Texas Hold 'Em, a predicted minimum number of dealt cards for any given subsequent playing round is equivalent to the number of players participating times two (for each respective initial hand), plus three cards for the flop (i.e., minimum predicted cards dealt for Texas Hold 'Em round=(number of players)×(two initial cards per player)+(three additional cards for flop)). A predicted upper limit for the range of possible cards dealt may include the computation for the minimum value plus two additional cards for the turn and the river and any additional burned cards (e.g., if a dealer is required to burn cards, then those number of required burned cards are added to the possible upper limit). For Blackjack, a minimum predicted cards dealt includes the number of players participating (including the dealer), times two (for each respective initial hand). An upper limit for the range of possible cards dealt may include a maximum number of cards allowed to be dealt per player. For example, according to some game rules for Blackjack, if a player is dealt 7 cards and still does not bust, then the player may be considered an automatic winner. Thus, the game controller can determine that a minimum number of cards dealt for any given hand may be between two cards (i.e., the minimum required to be dealt) and seven cards (i.e., the maximum required for an automatic win). In other circumstances, such as in a game where there is no rule regarding a maximum amount of cards to be dealt, the game controller may estimate that no given Blackjack hand could be more than 10 cards in total without busting (e.g., four “Aces”+four “Twos”+three “Threes”=eleven cards). Thus, the game controller may utilize a range of cards to be dealt to be between two cards (i.e., the minimum required to be dealt) to eleven cards for any given hand. If the sequential-position value for the card 1063 is within the minimum number of cards required to be dealt, then the game controller can estimate that the card will appear in the current playing round. If the sequential-position value for the card 1063 is beyond the minimum number, yet still within the upper limit, then the game controller can estimate (based on the number of cards to be dealt beyond the minimum) whether that the card will possibly appear in the current playing round, or whether it will appear in a subsequent playing round after the current playing round. If the sequential-order value for the card 1063 is beyond the upper limit, then the game controller estimates (i.e., forecasts) that the card will be dealt in a subsequent playing round (not in the current playing round).
In the case of splitting, the game controller can further detect whether a split would be possible given the card order of the undealt set of cards. For example, splitting may be done when a pair of cards (with matching rank values) is dealt for a player's initial hand. The game controller can analyze the undealt card order and determine whether there are any cards of matching rank value within the undealt portion. Furthermore, the game controller can determine whether it is possible for any of those matching cards to be dealt to the same playing hand. For example, at a table with more than one player, if the cards are dealt at the table consecutively (e.g., if the dealer/card dispenser deals the two initial cards consecutively to each player hand), then the game controller can determine, from the card shuffled-card order 1060 and from the known method of distributing the cards, that two cards of the same rank positioned consecutively next to each other in the order of the undealt subset have a chance of being dealt as a pair that could be split. In another example, if the cards are dealt in a round (e.g., if the dealer deals the first card (of each initial two-card hand) to each player in turn before dealing the second card to each player), then the game controller can determine that a same player could be dealt two cards of the same rank, if the two cards are positioned far enough away from each other in the deck order such that the dealer/card dispensing controller would deal the two cards based on the number of players to whom cards must be dealt. For example, if the dealer dealers the initial cards in a round, and if there are two matching card ranks in the undealt portion (e.g., two “8's”), the game controller uses the number of game participants as a reference value as to whether the round of dealing would land back on the same player. For instance, if there are four participants receiving cards, and if the two 8's are four sequential-position values apart from each other, then the game controller determines that the matching card pair (i.e., both 8's) would be dealt to the same player, thus being eligible for a split. The game controller can, thus, update the upper limit of possible cards to be dealt during the current playing round. The game controller can utilize the same technique of determining whether two of the same card would be dealt to the same person as for determining whether any two cards would be dealt in the same round to the same player. Thus, the system can determine whether not only one card is dealt to the same player, but also whether two or more cards (of any given required face values) would be dealt to the same player.
In some embodiments, the game controller may forecast a number of subsequent rounds before the card will be dealt using a recent history of playing activity. For example, the game controller may determine that a given gaming table has had two players playing at it regularly for a short amount of time (e.g., fifteen minutes). As a result, the game controller may predict that those two players may be at the table, and will continue to make consistent bets for an additional period of time (e.g., an additional 15 minutes), according to historic play patterns of the players, common statistical playing times for players, betting patterns given an initial buy-in, betting patterns given minimum bet values, detected chip amounts at a table, etc. The game controller may further take into consideration a time of day, a time or year, or other possible factors that may cause an increase or decrease to the level of play. Given all of the information available to it, the game controller may determine (e.g., forecast), that a range of cards may be dealt (e.g., between the minimum required to be dealt and the estimated upper limit) for each of the tables given the number of cards left in each undealt portion of the deck. As events occur in real time (e.g., as the game controller detects players leaving or joining tables in real time), the game controller updates the forecast. Forecasting, thus, may become more accurate the closer the card 1063 comes to being dealt (e.g., as the card 1063 rises to the top of the undealt portion of the deck).
The game controller can perform operations related to the card 1063 for the table 1001 concurrently with performing similar operations related to an additional card 1083 for the table 1002. In some examples, the game controller may detect that the winning card value appears at different tables (such as the example shown in
In some embodiments, the game controller may require that a network game card be dealt to a specific player (e.g., to a player that placed a bet that triggers a network game event). To do so, the game controller may select multiple cards from the undealt deck as possible cards to deal during the playing round. After all of the initial bets are placed, the game controller can determine which card value will be dealt to which player so long as the dealer (or dealer device) deals the cards according to a predictable pattern. Thus, the game controller can select, as the winning card value, a value of one of the cards that will be dealt to the player.
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In response to detecting that card was dealt, the game controller can make a notation of a payout to a player and/or to a known player account for the player. The game controller can further make a note of the payout to other accounts and/or entities, such as to a casino accounting department, a casino security group, etc. For example, the game controller can combine all of the details of events into a report of the win showing timestamps, video clips, security video, trigger details, funding data, neural network analysis data, player's activity (e.g., bets made, bet amounts, gestures related to play, etc.) details about the hand that won, details about the dealer's activities, details about the shuffled states of the decks of cards at the tables, card orders of decks during playing rounds, details about cards that are revealed, details about cards discarded (e.g., discard bin weight, discard bin video, etc.), identity of players at the gaming table, jackpot payout data, account linking data, image data (e.g., video of the table, video of the players and dealer, video of back-betters, images of cards dealt, images of cards shuffled, etc.) environmental data, sensor data, game data, table statistics data, dealer statistics data, and/or any other relevant information. The system can store the details as data in one more memory locations (e.g., on the shuffler devices 1011 and 1012, at the gaming tables 1001 and 1002, in player accounts, in casino accounts, in databases, at servers, etc.).
The system 1100 may further include a database 1120 used to store and track data, such as indicators (e.g., timestamps, descriptions, etc.) of events related to a progressive jackpot game, such as events that occur at or near the gaming tables 1101 and 1102, events that occur via the shuffler devices 1111 and 1112, events that occur via gaming devices, events that occur via personal user devices, events broadcast from the server system 110, etc. In one example, the database 1120 is similar to the database 116 illustrated in
The system 1100 further includes sensors that track activities and information in a gaming environment (e.g., an area at, or around, a gaming table, including the surface of the gaming table, props or devices used at the table, player positions at the gaming table, players seated at a table, back betters, casino staff, etc.). One example of sensors that track the gaming environment include cameras 1131 and 1132. The cameras 1131 and 1132 (or other sensors) may be those associated with a gaming system according to the disclosure of, for instance, in the aforementioned US Patent Application Publication No 2020/0098223 (Kelly et al.).
The system 1100 also includes output devices, such as projectors 1133 and 1134 (e.g., to project content, such as the message 1127), displays 1137 and 1138 (e.g., to show information about the network game, such as progressive jackpot amounts), a virtual dealer 1125 (e.g., to provide verbal notifications), speakers, personal devices (e.g., personal mobile device 1139), etc.
Several stages of activity are illustrated in
At stage “A,” the game controller selects a winning card in response to detecting a payout proximity trigger for a network progressive game. In some embodiments, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, the condition for the trigger may involve a specific bet. For example, detecting the trigger may involve detecting that a player account contributes a bet to the progressive jackpot. In yet other examples, the condition for the trigger may involve a bet amount (e.g., a minimum bet value), a game play activity (e.g., a split hand, a certain number of hands per amount of time, etc.), and so forth. For example, detecting the trigger may involve detecting that a minimum bet value was made for eligibility in the progressive jackpot.
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In some embodiments, the images of the shuffled cards may be captured in response to detecting the payout proximity trigger. In some embodiments, the payout proximity trigger occurs with enough time before the funding from the pool reaches the payout threshold such that the game controller has time to broadcast an electronic task to all shufflers on the shuffler network to begin capturing images of the shuffled cards at the eligible gaming tables. In some embodiments, the game controller can begin capturing the images with enough time to collect the order of cards for all decks at all tables (including any shuffled decks used as backups) before selecting the winning card value.
At stage “C,” the game controller determines, in response to determining the card order, that a mystery card will be dealt from an undealt subset of one of the deck of cards at one of the gaming tables for a subsequent game play round during which the payout threshold value is reached. In some embodiments, the game controller determines that the mystery card will be dealt based at least on the shuffled card order 1160 and one or more rules associated with each wagering game presented at each of the gaming tables, such as card distribution rules for the wagering game. For example, the game controller determines a sequential-position value of a top card 1162 of an undealt portion of each of the deck of cards at the gaming tables. In some embodiments, in response to detecting the payout proximity trigger (e.g., in response to detecting that the funding for the progressive game pool is near the payout threshold value), then a specific winning card value (or combination of specific cards) may be selected (according to progressive game rules) to track across the multiple shufflers. As mentioned previously, regarding
The game controller can determine the sequential-position value of the top card 1162 in various ways. For example, the game controller can directly capture the images via one or more sensors inside of an automated shuffler, such as shuffler devices 1111 and 1112. In another example, the game controller can retrieve and analyze a set of images for the shuffle state from an image store (e.g., stored within a memory associated with the shufflers 1111 or 1112, in a memory stored at the respective gaming tables 1101 and 1102, in the database 1120). Further, in some embodiments, the game controller can count a number of cards already dealt and compare the count to the shuffled card order 1160. For example, the game controller can determine a number of cards that have been dealt based on analysis of image data, weight, etc. taken from sensors in the environment around a gaming table, such as image sensors and/or scales positioned at a card discard pile or discard bin for already dealt cards. The discarded cards comprise the dealt subset 1105. The game controller can then access a specific image having a sequential-position value that corresponds to the number of cards already dealt plus one. The specific image of that card represents the card at the top of the undealt portion of the deck of cards according to the card order (e.g., card 1162). In other words, the card 1162 occupies a sequential-order value, from the shuffled card order 1160, which represents the next card to be dealt from the undealt subset 1107 (i.e., the next-to-be-dealt position, or [NTBD]). In other words, the card 1162 is at the top of the undealt portion of the deck of cards at the gaming table 1131.
As mentioned, the game controller can also determine the sequential-position value of the card 1162 from direct analysis of previously captured images. For example, the game controller can determine, based on analysis of an image captured from a sensor in a card shoe (e.g., card shoe 1135), a face value of the last card dealt 1161. The game controller can then access and analyze a set of images of a shuffled order for the deck of cards. The game controller determines a sequence position in the shuffled card order 1160 that corresponds to the face value of the last card dealt (i.e., the [LD] position). The game controller then selects, as the sequential-position value of the top card 1162, the next sequential position in the card order after the [LD] position, which corresponds to the [NTBD] position.
In some embodiments, the game controller can communicate with the shoe 1135. In some instances, the shoe 1135 tracks each face value of each card as it is dispensed and also keeps a running count of the sequential-position value for each card as it is dispensed. The game controller can thus query the shoe 1135 for that information. In some instances, the shoe 1135 also communicates with the shuffler device 1111 and may store information about the dispensed cards in a memory associated with the shuffler device 1111. The shuffler device 1111 can use that information to keep a record of the dealt subset 1105 and the undealt subset 1107 as each card is dispensed. Thus, in some embodiments, the game controller can query the shuffler device 1111 regarding only the undealt subset 1107. For example, if the game controller is on the server system 110, then the server system queries the shuffler device 1111 for a sequential card order of only the undealt subset 1107. In other words, the shuffler device 1111 may track the shuffled card order 1160 and the determination of the last card dealt 1161 to keep track of the undealt subset 1107. The shuffler device 1111 can, after analysis of the images of the cards that were shuffled, provide a summary report indicating the shuffled card order 1160 and a sequential-position value and face value for each card (as opposed to sending the server system 110 image data to analyze, so that the server system 110 does not have analyze each set of images). In other words, in one embodiment, if the shuffler device 1111 performs the image analysis in real time, tracks the shuffled order 1160 and also tracks the undealt subset 1107, then the game controller (e.g., on the server system 110) only needs to know about the undealt subset 1107 and can receive the data it needs to perform analysis of a relative position of the mystery card 1163 within the undealt subset 1107. In some embodiments, the shuffler device 1111 can perform the analysis of the relative positions based on a transmission by the server system 110 for a sequential-position value of the mystery card 1163 directly in relationship to sequential-position value of the card 1162.
In some instances, the game controller can determine when the mystery card 1163 will be dealt based on a minimum number of cards to be dealt for the given playing round. In some instances, the minimum number may be based on an assumption that at least one player is participating in the wagering game at the gaming table 1101. In other embodiments, however, the game controller can more accurately determine the minimum number of cards to be dealt in response to determining a number of participants at the gaming table 1101. In one example, the game controller determines the number of participants based on participant activity captured via one or more sensors in the gaming environment, such as cameras 1131 and 1132. In some embodiments, the game controller determines the participant activity in response to analysis of environmental image data of one or more of placement of a bet or performance of a game-play action at the gaming tables. The US Patent Application Publication No 2020/0098223 (Kelly et al.) describes a system and method for analyzing environmental image data, via one or more neural network models, to determine identities and values related to players, cards, and gaming chips (e.g., identifying values of bets from analysis of images of chip stacks placed on a gaming table). Based on the determined player activity, the game controller determines a number of players that participate (e.g., that place, or have placed, a qualifying bet, or other such minimum initial “progressive funding bet” (initial bet), for an active playing round at the respective tables). In some examples, instead of just a bet alone being the triggering event (e.g., to trigger the funding of the progressive pool that puts it over the threshold), the game controller can detect actual bet amounts to determine whether the contribution amounts will go over the trigger. (e.g., including for side betting and side bet amounts). In some instances, the game controller can require that an additional triggering event be performed as part a game process and/or during game play (e.g., the game controller may require that specific cards appear and also a game participant must have done something in addition to betting for the current round, such as they may need to have split a bet). Furthermore, in addition to determining the number of players, the game controller determines, according to game play rules for each game at each table, a minimum number of cards that each of the number of players should be initially dealt at the beginning of each game play round game. The game controller can query the shuffler devices 1111 and/or 1112 and/or the gaming tables 1101 and/or 1102, for information, such as game settings and game rules, for any game being played (e.g., as described in
In one example, such as in the case of Texas Hold 'Em Poker, or variations thereof, a community hand and a player hand are dealt. For instance, three to five cards are dealt as community cards during a round of play, two hole cards are dealt as a player hand to each participating player, thus a minimum of seven cards would be dealt at a table with two participants (e.g., four hole cards dealt (i.e., two for each participant)+three initial community cards on the flop=seven cards initially dealt). Thus, in the case of two game participants, if the position of the mystery card 1163 is within seven cards of the top card 1162, then the game controller can accurately predict that the mystery card 1163 will appear within one playing round. In another example, in a game of Blackjack, at least 2 cards will be dealt for each participating player (e.g., two cards are initially dealt for each player's hand and 2 cards are dealt for the dealer hand). If more than one player is betting during the round, then an additional 2 cards would be considered to be dealt for each additional player as initial card hands. Thus, for a game of Blackjack with at least one player and the dealer, then at least 4 cards would be dealt during an initial deal of the playing round. For instance, in a scenario where the gaming table 1101 presents a Blackjack game, if the position of the mystery card 1163 is within four cards of the card 1162 of an undealt portion of a deck, then the game controller can accurately predict that the mystery card 1163 will appear within one playing round.
If the minimum number of cards to be dealt is less than the count 1113, then the game controller can track as the cards are being dealt in real time to estimate whether the mystery card 1163 may still possibly be dealt in the current playing round or whether the mystery card 1163 will be dealt in a subsequent playing round. For example, in the case of Texas Hold 'Em, after the flop an additional 2 community cards may be dealt (e.g., if the playing round continues after the flop to the dealing of the “turn” or the “river” cards). In the case of Blackjack, many additional cards beyond an initial deal may be dealt from the deck during the playing round (e.g., additional “hit” cards dealt to the player or to the dealer). Thus, in some instances, the game controller estimates when the mystery card 1163 will be dealt based on a range of possible cards to be dealt. For example, in the case of standard Texas Hold 'Em, a predicted minimum number of dealt cards for any given subsequent playing round is equivalent to the number of players participating times two (for each respective initial hand), plus three cards for the flop (i.e., minimum predicted cards dealt for Texas Hold 'Em round=(number of players)×(two initial cards per player)+(three additional cards for flop)). A predicted upper limit for the range of possible cards dealt may include the computation for the minimum value plus two additional cards for the turn and the river and any additional burned cards (e.g., if a dealer is required to burn cards, then those number of required burned cards are added to the possible upper limit). For Blackjack, a minimum predicted cards dealt includes the number of players participating (including the dealer), times two (for each respective initial hand). An upper limit for the range of possible cards dealt may include a maximum number of cards allowed to be dealt per player. For example, according to some game rules for Blackjack, if a player is dealt 7 cards and still does not bust, then the player may be considered an automatic winner. Thus, the game controller can determine that a minimum number of cards dealt for any given hand may be between two cards (i.e., the minimum required to be dealt) and seven cards (i.e., the maximum required for an automatic win). In other circumstances, such as in a game where there is no rule regarding a maximum amount of cards to be dealt, the game controller may estimate that no given Blackjack hand could be more than 11 cards in total without busting (e.g., four “Aces”+four “Twos”+three “Threes”=eleven cards). Thus, the game controller may utilize a range of cards to be dealt to be between two cards (i.e., the minimum required to be dealt) to eleven cards for any given hand. If the sequential-position value for the mystery card 1163 is within the minimum number of cards required to be dealt, then the game controller can estimate that the card will appear in the current playing round. If the sequential-position value for the mystery card 1163 is beyond the minimum number, yet still within the upper limit, then the game controller can estimate (based on the number of cards to be dealt beyond the minimum) whether that the card will possibly appear in the current playing round, or whether it will appear in a subsequent playing round after the current playing round. If the sequential-order value for the mystery card 1163 is beyond the upper limit, then the game controller estimates (i.e., forecasts) that the mystery card will be dealt in a subsequent playing round (not in the current playing round).
In the case of splitting, the game controller can further detect whether a split would be possible given the card order of the undealt set of cards. For example, splitting may be done when a pair of cards (with matching rank values) is dealt for a player's initial hand. The game controller can analyze the undealt card order and determine whether there are any cards of matching rank value within the undealt portion. Furthermore, the game controller can determine whether it is possible for any of those matching cards to be dealt to the same playing hand. For example, at a table with more than one player, if the cards are dealt at the table consecutively (e.g., if the dealer/card dispenser deals the two initial cards consecutively to each player hand), then the game controller can determine, from the card shuffled-card order 1160 and from the known method of distributing the cards, that two cards of the same rank positioned consecutively next to each other in the order of the undealt subset have a chance of being dealt as a pair that could be split. In another example, if the cards are dealt in a round (e.g., if the dealer deals the first card (of each initial two-card hand) to each player in turn before dealing the second card to each player), then the game controller can determine that a same player could be dealt two cards of the same rank, if the two cards are positioned far enough away from each other in the deck order such that the dealer/card dispensing controller would deal the two cards based on the number of players to whom cards must be dealt. For example, if the dealer dealers the initial cards in a round, and if there are two matching card ranks in the undealt portion (e.g., two “8's”), the game controller uses the number of game participants as a reference value as to whether the round of dealing would land back on the same player. For instance, if there are four participants receiving cards, and if the two 8's are four sequential-position values apart from each other, then the game controller determines that the matching card pair (i.e., both 8's) would be dealt to the same player, thus being eligible for a split. The game controller can, thus, update the upper limit of possible cards to be dealt during the current playing round. The game controller can utilize the same technique of determining whether two of the same card would be dealt to the same person as for determining whether any two cards would be dealt in the same round to the same player. Thus, the system can determine whether not only one mystery card is dealt to the same player, but also whether two or more mystery cards (of any given required face values) would be dealt to the same player.
In some embodiments, the game controller may forecast a number of subsequent rounds before the card will be dealt using a recent history of playing activity. For example, the game controller may determine that a given gaming table has had two players playing at it regularly for a short amount of time (e.g., fifteen minutes). As a result, the game controller may predict that those two players may be at the table, and will continue to make consistent bets for an additional period of time (e.g., an additional 15 minutes), according to historic play patterns of the players, common statistical playing times for players, betting patterns given an initial buy-in, betting patterns given minimum bet values, detected chip amounts at a table, etc. The game controller may further take into consideration a time of day, a time or year, or other possible factors that may cause an increase or decrease to the level of play. Given all of the information available to it, the game controller may determine (e.g., forecast), that a range of cards may be dealt (e.g., between the minimum required to be dealt and the estimated upper limit) for each of the tables given the number of cards left in each undealt portion of the deck. As events occur in real time (e.g., as the game controller detects players leaving or joining tables in real time), the game controller updates the forecast. Forecasting, thus, may become more accurate the closer the mystery card 1163 comes to being dealt (e.g., as the mystery card 1163 rises to the top of the undealt portion of the deck).
The game controller can perform operations related to the mystery card 1163 for the table 1101 concurrently with performing similar operations related to an additional mystery card 1183 for the table 1102. In some examples, the game controller may detect that the mystery card appears at different tables (such as the example shown in
In some embodiments, the game controller may require that a mystery card be dealt to a specific player, such as to a player that placed an initial bet that caused the pool to meet the payout threshold value. To do so, the game controller may select multiple cards from the undealt deck as possible cards to deal during the playing round. After all of the initial bets are placed, the game controller can determine which card will be dealt to which player so long as the dealer (or dealer device) deals the cards according to a predictable pattern. Thus, the game controller can select, as the specific card, one of the cards that will be dealt to the player.
At stage “D,” a game controller provides an anticipatory indicator in response to determination that the mystery card will be dealt. In some, the game controller can synchronize presentation of the anticipatory indicator to begin before the progressive pool reaches the payout threshold value and to terminate after the payout threshold value is reached and after the reveal of mystery card is dealt from one of the deck of cards. For example, the game controller can transmit a message to the one or more output devices associated with the plurality of gaming tables 1101 and 1102. The message may indicate an approach of the progressive jackpot being close to its threshold payout value. In some embodiments, the message is a “build-up” to the reveal of the mystery card that coincides with the payout for the progressive jackpot. For example, the game controller can present an anticipatory message via a virtual dealer 1125, via a message 1127 projected onto the gaming table 1102 via projector 1134, via a message presented on the displays 1137 or 1138, via a message presented from speakers at the gaming tables 1101 and 1102, via environmental lighting at or surrounding a table, or in any other way. In some embodiments, the game controller transmits one or more anticipatory messages to devices associated with an individual game participant (e.g., augmented reality glasses or headsets, a personal mobile device 1139, etc.). In some embodiments, the game controller detects a mobile device identifier associated with a player account. The game controller can broadcast the anticipatory indicator to the mobile device using the mobile device identifier.
At stage “E,” a game controller electronically validates that the mystery card was dealt. For example, the game controller can analyze image data associated with one of the plurality of gaming tables at which the at least one card was dealt. The game controller can detect, via one or more neural network models, which cards are dealt at the gaming tables. For example, the cameras 1131 and/or 1132 capture images of the participants (e.g., players 1141 and 1142) at the gaming tables 1101 and 1102. The game controller can also analyze the images to detect face values of cards that are dealt at the gaming tables 1101 and 1102 to the various participants at various times. The game controller can utilize one or neural network models that have been trained to identify dealt cards and to identify features of the different face card values from the dealt cards. The aforementioned US Patent Application Publication No 2020/0098223 (Kelly et al.) describes some examples of utilizing a trained neural network model to identify card values.
In response to detecting that mystery card was dealt, the game controller can make a notation of a payout to a player and/or to a known player account for the player. The game controller can further make a note of the payout to other accounts and/or entities, such as to a casino accounting department, a casino security group, etc. For example, the game controller can combine all of the details of events into a report of the win showing timestamps, video clips, security video, trigger details, funding data, neural network analysis data, player's activity (e.g., bets made, bet amounts, gestures related to play, etc.) details about the hand that won, details about the dealer's activities, details about the shuffled states of the decks of cards at the tables, card orders of decks during playing rounds, details about cards that are revealed, details about cards discarded (e.g., discard bin weight, discard bin video, etc.), identity of players at the gaming table, jackpot payout data, account linking data, image data (e.g., video of the table, video of the players and dealer, video of back-betters, images of cards dealt, images of cards shuffled, etc.) environmental data, sensor data, game data, table statistics data, dealer statistics data, and/or any other relevant information. The system can store the details as data in one more memory locations (e.g., on the shuffler devices 1111 and 1112, at the gaming tables 1101 and 1102, in player accounts, in casino accounts, in databases, at servers, etc.).
In other embodiments, the gaming controller can set a level of detail to be captured for validation and/or reporting purposes based on a level of a progressive game. For example, the game controller can provide an option for the casino operator to select a level of data to collect and store. For instance, the casino may run multiple tiers or levels of progressive bonus games. Some may be for lower amounts of money (e.g., a first level of progressive game has a progressive pool threshold value within the range of $50-$99 before it must pay out). Others may be for higher amounts of money (e.g., a second level of progressive game may be for $100-$999, a third level may be from $1,000-$9,999, and a fourth may be $10,000+). The levels may be set by a casino operator according to accounting/auditing policies, jurisdictional requirements for tracking, marketing needs, etc. For example, for a lower level progressive, the casino may not want or need to collect and store information about every detail of the progressive win (e.g., may not need to record and store video of the environment, may not need to store time stamp data about every detail, etc.), whereas for higher level progressives the casino can set the option within the system 1100 to store all relevant information including recording and storing the video from environmental cameras of every event as it occurred with time stamps.
Embodiments will vary as to what and where data collection, reporting, and analysis are done. In some embodiments, a gaming device may be fairly simple and relatively inexpensive, and its data collection and reporting capabilities will reflect these limitations. In one embodiment, such a gaming device will do no data analysis at all; it will all be done at a server location (or other computer that eventually receives or has access to the data). At the other end of the spectrum may be multi-functional gaming devices having the ability to perform multiple game functions as well as support multiple games, and further having their own displays, printers, and other components.
Such sophisticated gaming devices may do some analysis of the data collected that enables them to generate, locally in a manner readable by humans. This may include output to a printer or on a screen. This enables a casino or other user of the device to track their usage, current amount owed, possible servicing requirements, and other parameters.
It is expected that the most sophisticated data analysis regarding predictive failure analysis will be done centrally, at least in part because more sophisticated analysis uses data from many gaming devices. However, some or all of the results of such analysis may be downloaded to any individual gaming devices that are sophisticated enough to use them, typically in the form of what the gaming device may detect in terms of patterns in its own data. Examples of such patterns may include the occurrence of certain logged events during a specified time period from a component, or, certain data entries, measurements, interrupts, or logs from a set of components that by themselves do not raise an alarm, but do raise an alarm when they occur together, etc. Any and all patterns determined by data analysis are conceptually included herein.
Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or to “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “an embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
Some portions of the detailed description are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps (instructions) leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical, magnetic or optical signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared and otherwise manipulated. It is convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. Furthermore, it is also convenient at times, to refer to certain arrangements of steps requiring physical manipulations or transformation of physical quantities or representations of physical quantities as modules or code devices, without loss of generality.
However, all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “displaying,” or “determining,” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device (such as a specific computing machine), that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
Certain aspects of the embodiments include process steps and instructions described herein in the form of an algorithm. It should be noted that the process steps and instructions of the embodiments can be embodied in software, firmware, or hardware, and when embodied in software, could be downloaded to reside on and be operated from different platforms used by a variety of operating systems. The embodiments can also be in a computer program product, which can be executed on a computing system.
The embodiments also relate to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the purposes, e.g., a specific computer, or it may comprise a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMS, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, and each coupled to a computer system bus. Memory can include any of the above and/or other devices that can store information/data/programs and can be transient or non-transient medium, where a non-transient or non-transitory medium can include memory/storage that stores information for more than a minimal duration. Furthermore, the computers referred to in the specification may include a single processor or may be architectures employing multiple processor designs for increased computing capability.
The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purpose systems may also be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the method steps. The structure for a variety of these systems will appear from the description herein. In addition, the embodiments are not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the embodiments as described herein, and any references herein to specific languages are provided for disclosure of enablement and best mode.
While particular embodiments and applications have been illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the precise construction and components disclosed herein and that various modifications, changes, and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation, and details of the methods and apparatuses of the embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments as defined in the appended claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/752,087, filed May 24, 2022, which claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/192,647 filed May 25, 2021. The contents of the Ser. No. 17/752,087 Application and the contents of the 63/192,647 Application are each incorporated by reference herein in their respective entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63192647 | May 2021 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17752087 | May 2022 | US |
| Child | 18612764 | US |
