Patent Application
20080116639
Many casino games are readily available both in casinos and in stores for purchase and home use. These games may have very simple rules, such as slot machines and keno, or may have relatively complicated rules, such as craps. These games also may focus on individual play, such as blackjack and slot machines, or focus on a group participation or look and feel, such as craps and roulette. Furthermore, games may focus on no skill, such as the big wheel, sic bo and roulette, or focus on skill, such as blackjack and poker.
Roulette has some variations or rules that differ from location to location. For example, in Europe the single zero wheel is the standard, whereas in the United States of America the double zero wheel is the standard. While two tables side-by-side can be of different configuration (i.e., one table is single zero and the other table is double zero), there is until now no way to combine both tables into one, which benefits on reduced resources and increased flexibility.
While numerous games are widely available today and successful, there remains a need for a game that involves the excitement and energy of a group participation game that is more inviting for the skillful gambler. Furthermore, there needs to be a game that eliminates the multiple configurations of roulette with the benefit of eliminating currently needed resources (i.e., making the single zero wheel obsolete or redundant) and increasing gaming flexibility (i.e., combining two underutilized roulette tables of different configuration into one, thereby, opening up gaming space floor for another game such as blackjack). Finally, there needs to be a game that transforms a pure luck game or brings an additional level of skill, to a game of skill. The method laid out in this patent accomplishes all these tasks.
Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to variations of roulette, craps, the big wheel and alike involving no additional changes to the current method of play on the underlying game. All embodiments sit atop or aside the underlying game, which itself may be a variation. Players who are playing the underlying game can act oblivious to all the embodiments laid out herein, or they can participate in any or all of the embodiments laid out herein. Furthermore, players who are playing the embodiments laid out herein can act oblivious to the underlying game, or they can participate in it as well as any or all of the embodiments laid out herein.
Embodiments disclosed herein that are directed to variations of roulette involve the movement of a roulette ball spun around a roulette wheel generating a random number or array of numbers via the repeated movement of the ball or the single movement of several balls either homogeneous or heterogeneous. According to various embodiments, the random number(s) may be generated by the spin of a roulette wheel, by the roll of a die or dice, the draw of a card(s) from a deck of cards, via a computer generated random number(s), from a vertical spinning wheel with a ping-pong ball coming to rest once the wheel stops spinning, or the like. Similarly, variations upon craps, the big wheel and alike use a parallel paradigm.
After the random number(s) are generated, a function or set of functions maps the number(s) that aids the player in the making of a decision or series of decisions that can be made by the player as described within each embodiment. According to various embodiments, the decision can be no decision, a decision to increase a wager, decrease a wager, change the characteristics of the mapping function such as on the next spin a red is a black, or the like. Once all the decisions are exhausted, a pay table which corresponds to the mapped function determines if and how much the player wins or loses.
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of exemplary embodiments and is not intended to represent the only forms in which these embodiments may be constructed and/or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for operating the embodiments. However, it is to be understood that the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the specification.
Definitions
The term “underlying game” as used herein refers to a main game being played.
The term “tertiary game” as used herein refers to a variation of the underlying game being played.
The term “elementary outcome” or “elementary event” as used herein refers to a result of the underlying game.
The term “compound outcome” or “compound event” as used herein refers to a set of elementary outcomes or events.
Underlying Game. Double-Zero Roulette
The payout table for standard double-zero roulette is as follows:
Turning now to the Figure,
The payout table for craps is as follows:
Underlying Game: Big Wheel
The payout table for the big wheel is as follows:
The operation of the game or the game methodology in one embodiment of the present invention is composed of the following formulation:
1. Define underlying and tertiary game with pay table for tertiary game defined upon a function (including the identity function) of the elementary outcomes of the underlying game
2. Player places wager on tertiary game
3. Random number(s) is generated
4. Player makes decision if necessary
5. Go to step 3 if necessary
6. Payment is made
7. Game ends
An equivalent formulation is:
1. Define underlying and tertiary game with pay table for tertiary game defined upon a function (including the identity function) of the elementary outcomes of the underlying game
2. Player places wager on tertiary game
3. Random number(s) is generated within a round of play
4. Player makes a decision if necessary
5. Determine if sequence of rounds continues, whereby repeating steps 3 and 4
6. Payment is made
7. Game ends
1. Define the tertiary outcome that all standard wagers not including zero have zero result in a tie/push. Thus the pay table is:
2. Player places wager, say $10 on black
3. Wheel is spun and the result is 0—green.
4. No decision by player is necessary (i.e., standard roulette is a game of chance only and no skill)
5. No reason to go to step three since standard roulette is a one-round game
6. Payment is made to player of $0 (with original wager of $10 returned as well) (i.e., the player in this case was in a tie with the house, also known as a push)
7. Game ends
1. Define the tertiary outcome as the absolute difference between two subsequent spins of the wheel
2. Player places wager, say $10
3. Wheel is spun and the result is 1—red
4. Player adds an additional $10 to original wager (and keeps payout function the same, which is equivalent to multiplying the payout function by 2 and keeping the original wager unchanged)
5. Wheel is spun and the result is 35—black
6. Payment is made to player of $100 because the difference of 34 has a payout of 5:1 based on a wager of $20 is 5×$20=$100 (with original wager of $20 returned as well)
7. Game ends
1. Define the tertiary outcome as the sum of two subsequent spins of the wheel
2. Player places wager, say $10
3. Wheel is spun and the result is 3—red
4. Player is not allowed to augment original wager
5. Wheel is spun and the result is 0—green
6. Payment is made to player of $50 because the sum of 3 has a payout of 5:1 based on a wager of $10 is 5×$10=$50 (with original wager of $10 returned as well)
7. Game ends
1. Define the tertiary outcome as the sum of two subsequent spins of the wheel
2. Player places wager, say $10
3. Wheel is spun and the result is 32—red
4. Player adds an additional $10 to original wager (and keeps payout function the same, which is equivalent to multiplying the payout function by 2 and keeping the original wager unchanged)
5. Wheel is spun and the result is 35—black
6. Payment is made to player of $40 because the sum of 67 has a payout of 2:1 based on a wager of $20 is 2×$20=$40 (with original wager of $20 returned as well)
7. Game ends
1. Define the tertiary outcome as the poker-style hand based upon three subsequent spins of the wheel
2. Player places wager, say $10
3. Wheel is spun and the result is 1—red
4. No decision by player is necessary (i.e., not enough information is presented to player for decision yet)
5.1 Wheel is spun and the result is 36—red
5.2 Player adds an additional $10 to original wager (and keeps payout function the same, which is equivalent to multiplying the payout function by 2 and keeping the original wager unchanged)
5.3 Wheel is spun and the result is 5—red
5.4 No decision by player since rules only allow for one decision point
6. Payment is made to player of $40 because the resultant triple was a red flush with a payout of 2:1 based on a wager of $20 is 2×$20=$40 (with original wager of $20 returned as well)
7. Game ends
1. Define the tertiary outcome as the poker-style hand based upon three subsequent spins of the wheel
2. Player places wager, say $10
3. Wheel is spun and the result is 1
4. No decision by player is necessary (i.e., not enough information is presented to player for decision yet)
5.1 Wheel is spun and the result is 1
5.2 Player adds an additional $10 to original wager (and keeps payout function the same, which is equivalent to multiplying the payout function by 2 and keeping the original wager unchanged)
5.3 Wheel is spun and the result is 1
5.4 No decision by player since rules only allow for one decision point
6. Payment is made to player of $40 because the resultant pair has a payout of 2:1 based on a wager of $20 is 2×$20=$40 (with original wager of $20 returned as well)
7. Game ends
1. Define the tertiary outcome as the combination of all three colors present (red, green and black) on three subsequent spins of the wheel
2. Player places wager, say $10
3. Wheel is spun and the result is red
4. No decision by player is necessary (i.e., not enough information is presented to player for decision yet)
5.1 Wheel is spun and the result is black
5.2 Player adds an additional $10 to original wager (and keeps payout function the same, which is equivalent to multiplying the payout function by 2 and keeping the original wager unchanged)
5.3 Wheel is spun and the result is green
5.4 No decision by player since rules only allow for one decision point
6. Payment is made to player of $240 because the resultant triplet of red, black and green occurred with a payout of 12:1 based on a wager of $20 is 12×$20=$240 (with original wager of $20 returned as well)
7. Game ends
1. Define the tertiary outcome as the absolute difference between two subsequent rolls of the dice
2. Player places wager, say $10
3. Dice are rolled and the result is 12
4. Player adds an additional $10 to original wager (and keeps payout function the same, which is equivalent to multiplying the payout function by 2 and keeping the original wager unchanged)
5. Dice are rolled and the result is 3
6. Payment is made to player of $100 because the difference of 9 has a payout of 5:1 based on a wager of $20 is 5×$20=$100 (with original wager of $20 returned as well)
7. Game ends
1. Define the tertiary outcome as identical to the underlying game
2. Player places wager, say $10 on Pass Line
3. Dice are rolled and the result is 8
4. Player makes no decision
5. Round continues since point of 8 established, hence repeat steps 3 and 4:
5′. Round continues since neither the point of 8 or a 7 was rolled, hence repeat steps 3 and 4:
3″. Dice are rolled and the result is 9
4″. Player adds an additional $3 to tertiary wager
5″. Round continues since neither the point of 8 or a 7 was rolled, hence repeat steps 3 and 4:
3′″. Dice are rolled and the result is 8 (point is made and player will collect on tertiary game)
4″. Player makes no decision (only one variable additional tertiary wager allowed)
5′″. No more rounds since the point of 8 was rolled
6. Payment is made to player of $13 because the point was made prior to a seven thrown with a payout of 1:1 based on a wager of $13 is 1×$13=$13 (with original wager of $13 returned as well)
7. Game ends
1. Define the tertiary outcome as identical to the underlying game
2. Player places wager, say $10 on Pass Line
3. Dice are rolled and the result is 8
4. Player makes no decision
5. Round continues since point of 8 established, hence repeat steps 3 and 4:
5′. Round continues since neither the point of 8 or a 7 was rolled, hence repeat steps 3 and 4:
3″. Dice are rolled and the result is 9
4″. Player adds an additional $3 to tertiary wager
5″. Round continues since neither the point of 8 or a 7 was rolled, hence repeat steps 3 and 4:
3′″. Dice are rolled and the result is 8 (point is made and player will collect on tertiary game)
4″. Player makes no decision (only one variable additional tertiary wager allowed)
5′″. No more rounds since the point of 8 was rolled
6. Payment is made to player of $6.50 because the point was made prior to a seven thrown with a payout of 1:2 based on a wager of $13 is 0.5×$13=$6.50 (with original wager of $13 returned as well)
7. Game ends
1. Define the tertiary outcome as the poker-style hand based upon three subsequent spins of the wheel
2. Player places wager, say $10
3. Wheel is spun and the result is 1—red
4. No decision by player is necessary (i.e., not enough information is presented to player for decision yet)
5.1 Wheel is spun and the result is 36—red
5.2 Player adds an additional $10 to original wager (and keeps payout function the same, which is equivalent to multiplying the payout function by 2 and keeping the original wager unchanged)
5.3 Wheel is spun and the result is 5—red
5.4 No decision by player since rules only allow for one decision point
6. Payment is made to player of $40 because the resultant triple was a red flush with a payout of 2:1 based on a wager of $20 is 2×$20=$40 (with original wager of $20 returned as well)
7. Game ends
By perturbing the various parameters of the game and utilizing the rules as described in either of the 7-point methods above various games of similar embodiments can be created.
While the present invention has been described with regards to particular embodiments, it is recognized that additional variations of the present invention may be devised without departing from the inventive concept.
