Patent Application
20140361484
The present disclosure relates generally to a roulette-style game of chance. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a roulette-style game of chance that utilizes a card shuffling device to determine the outcome.
Games of chance are well known activities whose outcomes are strongly influenced by randomizing devices and upon which contestants may wager money as they forecast outcomes. Common randomizing devices include dice, spinning tops, playing cards, roulette wheels, prize wheels, and numbered balls drawn from containers. Games of chance have been played throughout all of human history, and are considered popular pastimes by many. Players of games of chance are attracted to new and exciting methods of game play as well as new and exciting randomizing devices. For this reason, the gaming industry is continuously developing new games and new randomizing devices to maintain player interest and attract new players.
Games of chance that include money wagers are typically regulated by governing authorities. These governing authorities enforce laws and regulations that are enacted to curtail certain kinds of games as well as certain kinds of randomizing devices. For example, in some jurisdictions, the use of dice or roulette wheels to resolve a game outcome, i.e., as the randomizing device, have been curtailed. Instead, randomizing devices that use playing cards have been utilized as they enjoy fewer restrictions.
Moreover, there is a desire within the gaming industry to develop new and interesting methods of game play and randomizing devices which utilize playing cards in unique and interesting ways, suited to fast-paced, high-volume activity.
It is therefore an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a roulette-style game of chance that can improve the efficiency of the casino dealers.
It is another aspect of the present disclosure to provide a roulette-style game of chance that can reduce the labor costs attributable to the operation of the game.
It is yet another aspect of the present disclosure to provide a roulette-style game of chance that utilizes a card shuffling device to determine the outcome.
It is a further aspect of the present disclosure to provide a roulette-style game of chance that can provide increased player entertainment and enjoyment.
In accordance with the above and the other aspects of the present disclosure, a method of playing a game of chance is provided. According to the method a game layout surface having a plurality of discrete wagering areas is provided. Each of the plurality of wagering areas is configured for receiving a wager on the outcome of the game of chance. The plurality of discrete wagering areas includes thirty eight separate card indicia wagering areas. According to the method a card shuffling device is provided adjacent the game layout surface. The card shuffling device is configured to rotate about a vertical axis. The card shuffling device includes thirty eight slots with each slot being configured to receive an individual card therein. Pursuant to the method a set of cards consisting of thirty eight cards is provided. Each of the thirty eight cards includes indicia thereon relevant to the outcome of the game of chance. One of the set of cards has indicia of a black joker and one of the set of cards has indicia of a color joker. One card is located in each of the slots in the card shuffling device. According to the method, one or more wager may be placed in the plurality of wagering areas. Next, the card shuffling device can be rotated. Then, a card from among the set of cards can be selected to determine the outcome of the game of chance. Once the card has been selected, the one or more wagers can be resolved according to the payouts of a conventional roulette game.
Other aspects of the present disclosure will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
The present disclosure relates to a casino game of chance upon which players may place wagers upon the outcome. According to an aspect, the casino game can include a random number generator that randomly determines a number that is relevant to determining an outcome of the game of chance. According to one aspect, a random number generator employed in connection with the present disclosure may be a card shuffling device, as discussed in more detail below. However, it will be appreciated that other random number generators may be employed such as a roulette wheel, dice, a spinning top or any other suitable device for randomly selecting a number.
According to another aspect, the system 10 may also include a computer or processor such that the game of chance may be controlled electronically and played from player terminals located adjacent to the table 16 or remote from the table 16. It will also be appreciated that the system 10 may be played entirely on a computer, including a processor and software for effectuating game play together with various player terminals.
With reference to the
According to an aspect, the turntable 20 can include a predetermined number of trays 26 disposed therein, which are configured to receive a respective card therein. The trays 26 may be equally circumferentially spaced apart about the central vertical axis A. The turntable 20 may also include a plurality of dividers 28, which may be configured as upstanding pins located at or adjacent an outer periphery 30 of the turntable 20. The plurality of dividers 28 can be equal in number to the plurality of trays 26 and can be spaced one from another in equal circumferentially spaced increments about the central axis A. Each tray 26 can be configured to retain a single card 32 therein. According to another aspect, the depth of each tray 26 may be less than the width of each card 32 such that each card 32 may extend at least partially out of its respective tray 26 to allow for easy removal thereof. The cards 32 may be configured as standard sized cards formed of a relatively stiff material with a rectangular configuration. However, the cards may take on different shapes and sizes and may be formed of different materials.
According to an aspect, a set of cards 32 consisting of a predetermined number is provided. The number of cards 32 in the set may depend upon the game of chance being played. According to an aspect, the number of trays 26 formed in the turntable 20 may be equal to the number of cards 32 in the set. According to another aspect, each card 32 in the set may bear indicia related to an outcome of the game of chance. According to another aspect, the cards 32 can be shuffled at the beginning of each game and randomly placed in each of the trays 26 such that a single card 32 may be disposed in each tray 26. By this step, the order of the cards 32 can vary with respect to each game outcome. According to an aspect, the indicia of each card 32 will not be visible when the card 32 is disposed in the tray 36. Thus, according to an aspect the outcome will be unknown until the selected card 32 is pulled from its respective tray and its indicia revealed. It will be appreciated that the slots can take on a variety of different configurations. For example, the cards may be oriented “face up” on the device.
According to a further aspect, the card shuffling device 12 can include a flapper mechanism (not shown) that is fixed relative to the base portion 24. The flapper mechanism can apply a pulsating resistance to the free rotation of the turntable 20 by contacting each of the dividers 28 to progressively slow the rotation of the turntable 20 to a stopped condition relative to the base portion 24. The flapper mechanism can also serve to identify the card 32 that has been selected so that the correct card is pulled from its respective tray 26. The flapper mechanism can be manually moved by a game operator or dealer into or out of interaction with the dividers 28 after all wagers have been placed. An exemplary flapper mechanism is disclosed in Applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 13/691,290, which is hereby incorporated by reference as though set forth fully herein. The flapper mechanism may take on a variety of different configurations. According to another aspect, the flapper mechanism may be automatically moved into and out of communication with the dividers 28 under computer control. According to still a further aspect, the turntable 20 could be randomly stopped under computer control without the need for any detent or flapper mechanism. According to still another aspect, the shuffling device 12 may take on a variety of different configurations, including as a vertical wheel where the card shuffling device rotates about a horizontal axis, such as is disclosed in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 8,505,919 entitled “Rotary Card Shuffling Machine”, which disclosure is hereby incorporated by reference as though set forth fully herein.
According to an aspect, cards from a standard deck may be utilized in connection with the card shuffling device 12 to determine the outcome of the game of chance. The utilization of a non-custom deck is a benefit under the laws of many jurisdictions. According to an aspect, the set of cards used with the preset roulette style game may include 38 individual cards. According to an aspect, indicia on the cards can consist of A through 8 of the four standard suits, namely clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades. The deck can also include the 9 of spades, the 9 of diamonds, the 10 of clubs, and the 10 of hearts, as well as cards bearing indicia for the two traditional jokers. It will be appreciated that the cards could bear a variety of different indicia as well as a variety of different numbers and suits. Also, more or less than 38 cards may be included in the deck or set. However, in accordance with another aspect, the cards 32 can include an equal number of suits as well as an equal number of red cards and black cards. Additionally, the cards may also include an equal amount of odd and even numbers.
According to another aspect, the game of chance being played may be roulette and the turntable 20 can include 38 trays with each tray 26 receiving a single card 32.
According to an aspect, the game layout 14 may appear similar to that of conventional roulette. As shown in
According to another example, one or more joker wagering locations 56 for the color joker and the black and white joker may also be included. The joker wagering locations 56 can allow players to place wagers that either of the individual joker card indicia will be selected. Each of the joker wagering locations 56 may pay out similar to the numbers 0 and 00 in some conventional roulette games. According to still another aspect, if one of the jokers is drawn from the card shuffling device 12, all non-joker bets would lose. According to a still further aspect, the set of cards and the game layout 14 could include only a single joker, which could be employed to reduce the house edge. More or less cards may also be employed.
Additionally, three separate row wagering locations 58, 60, 62 may also be included. Each of the row wagering locations 58, 60, 62 allow players to place wagers that the card drawn from the shuffling device 12 will be located in one of the three rows, i.e., top, middle, bottom. According to another aspect, these row wagering locations 58, 60, 62 pay out at 2:1 odds. The game layout 14 can also include box wagering locations 64, 66, 68 that allow wagers to be placed on the outcome of the indicia of the drawn card being in the left third of the middle portion 50, the middle third of the middle portion 50, and the bottom third of the middle portion 50, respectively. According to this aspect, each of the box waging locations 64, 66, 68 pay out at 2:1 odds. It will be appreciated that the odds and pay outs can obviously vary.
According to another aspect, the game layout 14 may also include a left half wagering location 70 and a right half wagering location 72. These wagering locations allow a player to wager that the card drawn will appear in either the left half or the right of the middle portion 50. According to a further aspect, the game layout 14 may include a red wagering location 74 and a black wagering location 76 that allow players to wager that the card drawn will be red or black. Also, the game layout 14 may also include an odd wagering location 78 and an even wagering location 80 that allow players to wager that the card drawn from the shuffling device 12 will be odd or even. The game layout 14 can also include individual suit wagering locations 82, 84, 86, 88 which allow players to place wagers that the card drawn will correspond to a particular one of the four suits. Because the layout is similar to that employed with conventional roulette, dealers who are familiar with the odds and pay out for roulette can readily staff this game without having to learn new payouts.
In accordance with an aspect, the card shuffling device 12 may be rotated to randomly select at least one card, which once determines the outcome of the game of chance. Once the card has been identified or selected by the card shuffling device 12, the card may be removed from the shuffling device 12 identified and then utilized to determine the outcome of the game of chance. Based on the outcome, any wagers made on the outcome, such as can be placed on the game layout 14, can be resolved. According to an aspect, the card can be removed from the card shuffling device 12 by a live dealer. Alternatively, the card can be removed automatically by a mechanical arm. According to a still further aspect, once the card is removed from the card shuffling device 12, the live dealer could place the card on the table for display and then resolve any wagers based on the indicia of the displayed card. Alternatively, the indicia of the card could be read, such as by a camera, an RFID reader, or a bar code scanner, such that it is automatically input into the computer.
Instead of or in addition to the game layout 14, a plurality of player terminals (not shown) could be included that allow players to input their bets electronically and which will automatically resolve any wagers, such as is disclosed in more detail in Applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 13/691,290 entitled “Turbo Card Table Game with RFID Card Identifier”, and filed on Nov. 30, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference as though set forth fully herein. This automatic resolution of wagers can help minimize the potential for any dealer errors. According to an aspect, any wagers could also be resolved automatically once the card indicia is entered into the computer whether manually by a dealer or whether read in, such as by an RF reader, bar code scanner, or camera.
According to another aspect, the cards in the card shuffling device 12 may each include a readable mechanism associated therewith, such as a bar code or an RFID tag that allows the cards to be automatically read by a card reader (not shown) in order to minimize dealer error that could result from manually inputting the card into a computer. Such a feature is disclosed in more detail in Applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 13/691,290, referenced above. Additionally, the entire process for playing the game could be automated, which would eliminate the need for a dealer altogether, such as is disclosed in Applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 61/749,725, entitled “Automated Multi-Game Card Reading Apparatus” and filed on Jan. 7, 2013, which disclosure is hereby incorporated by reference as though set forth fully herein.
According to an aspect, the turntable 102 can include a predetermined number of trays 110 disposed therein. The trays 110 may be equally circumferentially spaced apart from the other trays about the central vertical axis A. According to an aspect, each tray 110 can be configured to retain a single card 112 therein. According to another aspect, the depth of each tray 110 may be less than the width of each card 112 such that each card 112 may extend at least partially out of the its respective tray 110 to allow for easy removal thereof. The cards 112 may be configured as standard sized cards formed of a relatively stiff material with a rectangular configuration. However, the cards may take on different shapes and sizes and may be formed of different materials.
The ball ring portion 106 may include a plurality of recesses 114 uniformly spaced thereabout. The plurality of recesses 114 can be equal in number to the plurality of trays 110 and can be spaced one from another in equal circumferentially spaced increments about the central axis A. According to an aspect, a ball can be rotated around the circular track 108 in an opposite direction from the rotation of the turntable 102. As the ball falls from the circular track 108, it will contact the ball ring portion 106 and ultimately settle into one of the plurality of recesses 114. According to an aspect, the total number or recesses 114 is the same as the number of trays 110 each recess 114 corresponds to one of the plurality of trays 110. Thus, the recess 114 into which the ball comes to rest designates the tray 110 from which the selected card 112 is pulled. The ball thus can help determine the outcome of the game of chance by helping to determine the card 112 that is selected. The cards 112 may be configured as discussed above and can bear indicia, as discussed above. According to another aspect, the cards 112 can be shuffled between each spin of the turntable and randomly placed in the trays 110 such that the order of the cards around the turntable 102 can vary for each game. According to an aspect, both the ball and the turntable can be rotated at the same time such as in opposite directions.
The foregoing invention has been described in accordance with the relevant legal standards, thus the description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed embodiment may become apparent to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the invention. Accordingly the scope of legal protection afforded this invention can only be determined by studying the following claims.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/831,175, entitled “Roulette-Style Game of Chance”, and filed Jun. 5, 2013, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference as though set forth fully herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61831172 | Jun 2013 | US |
