Patent Application
20100207324
1. Field of the Invention
The present description generally relates to imaging, tracking, and verifying card sequences during card games, such as Baccarat.
2. Description of the Related Art
Card games are a well-known form of recreational entertainment. Games are typically played with one or more decks of cards, where each deck typically includes 52 cards of four suits (i.e., hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades), each suit including 14 cards of varying rank (i.e., 2-10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace). Card games may, or may not, include wagering based on the game's outcome.
One popular card game is known as Baccarat, which is derived from European baccarat and chemin de fer. There are three variations of Baccarat, standard or Big-Baccarat, Midi-Baccarat, and Mini-Baccarat. The significant difference between the three versions is that in Big-Baccarat, each of the seated players takes a turn dealing the playing cards, in Midi-Baccarat, each of the gaming participants takes a turn dealing only the Player's hand, and in Mini-Baccarat, none of the seated players touch the playing cards—a designated casino dealer handles the playing cards.
In Baccarat, only two hands are dealt, one hand represents the Banker's hand and the other represents the Player's hand. The participants in the game are the actual individuals seated at the Baccarat table. The casino typically plays the role of the banker. The object of the game is for the participants to bet on which one of the two hands, the Player's hand or the Banker's hand, will come closest to a total of nine points or whether the hands will tie. The value of the hand is determined by the rank of the card. Thus, cards having rank Ace-10 have the value 1-10 respectively. Face cards (i.e., Jack, Queen, King) each have the value 10. A hand that is worth 8 or 9 points is generally referred to as a natural. A hand totaling nine is more specifically referred to as le grand natural, while a hand totaling eight is referred to as le petit natural. If the total of a hand exceeds the value of “ten,” the hand is scored by dropping the tens-place integer. For instance, if a hand consists of a five and a King, which totals fifteen, the value of the hand is five after dropping the tens-place integer. In a hand with a Ten and a Queen, which totals twenty, the value of the hand is zero. Suits have no bearing on the game of Baccarat. Each hand consists of at least two cards, but no more than three. The Player's initial hand consists of the first and third cards dealt. The Banker's initial hand consists of the second and fourth cards dealt. A third card for the respective hand may or may not be drawn according to fixed rules shown below.
Rules for the Player's Hand:
Rules for the Banker's Hand:
Card games are particularly popular in casinos and other gaming establishments. Players wager large sums of money while playing card games, thus, it is desirable to ensure that those playing the game are not cheating, for example by substituting one or more cards into the deck or hand, or marking cards. Further, it is desirable to monitor the game in a relatively unobtrusive manner to allow casino customers to feel comfortable in their surroundings.
In one aspect, a method of evaluating card games played with a number of playing cards at a gaming table comprising determining a starting sequence of the playing cards in a set of playing cards from which at least one card game will be dealt; automatically determining an identity of each of a number of playing cards forming a first hand dealt from the set of playing cards; automatically determining an identity of each of a number of playing cards forming a second hand dealt from the set of playing cards; automatically determining whether the identity of each playing card forming the first hand matches an expected identity of playing cards forming the first hand based on the starting sequence before any wagers are resolved; and automatically determining whether the identity of each playing card forming the second hand matches an expected identity of playing cards forming the second hand based on the starting sequence before any wagers are resolved.
In another aspect, a gaming system for managing a card game played with playing cards from a set of playing cards comprising a card shoe from which playing cards may be dealt in a determined order; a first card hand-reader sized to receive a portion of each of at least two playing cards forming a hand of playing cards while the at least two playing cards are positioned such that at least a first human-readable symbol carried on a face of each of the playing cards is viewably exposed to a wagering participant, and to read a machine-readable identifier carried by each of the at least two playing cards while the at least two playing cards are positioned in the first card hand-reader; and a processor communicatively coupled to receive identifying data from the first card hand reader and configured to compare an identity of each of the playing cards in the hand to an expected identity for each card in the hand based on the determined order.
In yet another aspect, a card hand-reader to read identifying data from each of a number of playing cards forming a hand comprising a frame sized to receive a portion of up to three playing cards forming a hand while at least a first human-readable symbol on at least two of the playing cards is exposed to a game participant; and at least one optical sensor providing a field of view encompassing an area sufficient to image a machine-readable symbol bearing portion of the up to three playing cards when the playing cards are received in the frame.
In still yet another aspect, a card identification system for evaluating an outcome of at least one card game, the card game played with a set of encoded playing cards a card shoe-reader sized to receive the set of playing cards; an optical scanner communicatively coupled to the card shoe-reader for reading the set of encoded playing cards to determine a sequence of the set of playing cards; a processor in communication with the card shoe-reader for evaluating the sequence of the set of playing cards based on a known dealing sequence and card game rules, the processor further configured to determine an outcome of each card game that can be played from the set of playing cards; and an indicator in communication with the processor for indicating the outcome of the card game.
In still yet another aspect, a method of determining an outcome of at least one card game, the card game being selectable from a set of playing cards comprising determining a card sequence of the set of playing cards from which the card game will be selected; evaluating the card sequence to determine the outcome of the at least one card game based on a set of card game rules and a dealing sequence, the outcome being determined for the at least one card game at any time before a wager is resolved, but after the card sequence is determined from the set of playing cards; and providing an indication as to which one of the hands selected from the set of playing cards comprises a winning hand or whether the hands are a tie.
In still yet another aspect, a method of determining an outcome of one card game, the card game being selectable from a set of playing cards comprising determining a card sequence of at least four cards, but less than the entire set, within the set of playing cards from which the card game will be played; evaluating the card sequence to determine the outcome of the card game based on a set of card game rules and a dealing sequence; removing at least the four cards, but not more than six cards from a card shoe-reader to assemble a first hand and a second hand, each hand having at least two cards each; and providing an indication as to which one of the hands selected from the set of playing cards comprises a winning hand or whether the hands are a tie.
In yet another aspect, a method of determining an outcome of at least one card game, the card game being selectable from a set of playing cards comprising providing the set of playing cards to a gaming table; dealing a number of cards necessary to comprise at least two complete playing hands for the selected card game based on a set of card game rules; positioning each of the number of cards comprising the respective playing hands into at least one card hand-reader; reading a machine-readable indicia from each of the playing cards positioned within the card hand-reader; evaluating the machine-readable indicia from each of the cards to determine the outcome of the card game based on the set of rules; and verifying that the outcome of the card game as determined by the card hand-reader corresponds to the outcome of the card game upon visually totaling the cards making up the respective playing hands.
In yet another aspect, a means for determining an outcome of at least one card game, the card game being selectable from a set of playing cards comprising a support means for supporting the set of playing cards within a receptacle; a reading means for reading a machine-readable symbol from a portion of at least some of the cards within the set of playing cards; and a processing means for digitally interpreting the machine-readable symbols.
In yet another aspect, a device for successively evaluating more than one wager placed on a gaming table comprising a reflector mechanism rotatably coupled with the device, the reflector mechanism is configured to rotate from at least 0 to 360 degrees; a drive mechanism for rotationally positioning the reflector mechanism; a lens mechanism configured to receive a substantial portion of an image deflected from the reflector mechanism, the image comprised of at least a portion of at least one wagering chip; and a processor for decoding the image received by the lens mechanism.
In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify similar elements or acts. The size and relative positions of elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the shapes of various elements are not drawn to scale, and some of these elements are arbitrarily enlarged and positioned to improve drawing legibility. Further, the particular shapes and the elements are not intended to convey any information regarding the actual shape of the particular elements, and have been solely selected for their ease and recognition in the drawings.
In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the invention. However, one skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without these details. In other instances, well-known structures associated with cameras, imagers, scanners, optics, computers, computer networks, data structures, databases, and networks such as the Internet, have not been describe in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the descriptions of the embodiments of the invention.
Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims which follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open, inclusive sense, that is as “including but not limited to.”
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further more, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do not interpret the scope or meaning of the claimed invention.
A variety of devices may be used in conjunction with the gaming table 12 to augment the card game. In the illustrated embodiment, a card shoe-reader 24 can be used as a means for selecting the playing cards during the dealing process where the card shoe-reader 24 may hold, for example, up to eight decks of playing cards. The card shoe-reader 24 may also be used for reading respective machine-readable indicia from each of a number of playing cards inserted into the card shoe-reader 24, as described in detail below. Two card hand-readers 26, 28 can be used to read a first hand and second hand, respectively, dealt during the game. A bet recognition device 30 can be used to read and monitor the amount and location of the wagers (i.e., type and quantity of gaming chips constituting a given wager) of each participant 14.
Further, at the conclusion of each hand, the dealer/caller 16 can access a chip tray 34 for processing the wagers made by the participants 14. In typical gaming environments 10, a bank or chip tray 34 on the gaming table 12 provides storage for holding the house's (e.g., casino's) chips (not shown). The chip tray 34 allows the dealer 16 to collect or “hold” losing wagers and pay out winning wagers. Chips in the chip tray 34 are generally arranged in columns and may be organized by denomination. A deposit slot 36 may be used by the dealer 16, or another person having authority in the casino, to deposit any cash or markers received for the purchase of more gaming chips. A magnetic stripe reader 32 can be used to read a player's comp card.
Although not illustrated, a discard reader can be used to read any discarded playing cards, for example burn cards or the cards that comprised the first and second hands during the most recently played card game. It is common practice among casinos to remove several “burn cards” from a new or replacement card shoe-reader 24, prior to a first hand being dealt from that card shoe-reader 24. The number of burn cards selected is typically a matter of individual casino policy and the burn process is usually only done once when the card shoe-reader has a fresh set of playing cards.
The various devices such as the card shoe-reader 24, the card hand-readers 26, 28, the bet recognition device 30, and the magnetic stripe reader 32, can all be in combination with the gaming table 12 and each can be in communication with one another, a computing system 38, or both. In one embodiment, the dealer/caller 16 may interact with the computing system 38 via a user interface. Alternatively, the dealer/caller 16 may not have access to the computing system 38 such that the system may essentially operate behind the scenes to monitor the gaming environment.
Playing Cards Encoded with Machine-Readable Indicia
As further illustrated in
The machine-readable indicia 42 can take the form of barcode, area or matrix code, or stack code symbols selected from respective symbologies to encode identifying information such as the rank and suit of the card, a unique serial number, and/or information about the set of cards 40 to which the playing card 41 belongs. For example, as shown in
Referring to
Because the card shoe-reader 24b may be configured with the optical reading components, communication devices for transmitting or receiving data, digital processing equipment, or some combination thereof, the physical devices called on to perform those functions may be enclosed within the housing 102 (i.e., making the card shoe-reader 24b a self-contained, self sufficient unit) or at least some of those physical devices may be configured with the gaming table 12, thus permitting an interface with the housing 102. The configuration of the physical devices with the gaming table 12 may take the form of these devices being embedded, recessed, attached, or supported by the gaming table 12, for example. An advantage of the card shoe-reader 24b is that it can be configured to read all of the playing cards 40 located therein as discussed in more detail below. As such, a starting sequence or dealing sequence of the set of playing cards 40 can be determined, but not necessarily disclosed, before the first card 41 is dealt from the card shoe-reader 24b. Since the rules of Baccarat dictate the play of the game, the outcome of each hand may be determined from the starting sequence before a first card 41 is dealt from the card shoe-reader 24b, before a fourth card is dealt from the card shoe-reader 24b, or even before a last card is dealt from the card shoe-reader 24b. While the outcome of all games played from the set of cards 40 in the card shoe-reader 24b may be determined before a first card 41 is dealt, the system may determine the outcome of individual games or consecutive hands 44, 46 before a first card 41 for that particular game or hand 44, 46 is dealt or even before a final card in each game or hand is dealt.
Still referring to
In an alternative embodiment, the indicator 140 may be much more elaborate. For example, the indicator 140 may be a monitor (not shown) remotely connected to the card shoe-reader 24b. The monitor may be in communication with the processor (not shown) to receive data about the playing cards 40 distributed during a particular game. For example, the monitor can be configured to produce visual representations of the cards as read within the card shoe-reader 24b. Of course, if the visual representations did not match the actual cards on the gaming table 12 (
As will be discussed in with respect to other embodiments, a reader in the card shoe-reader 24b can read (i.e., scan, image, or otherwise sense) the cards 40, typically 2-8 decks, to obtain a starting sequence. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the card shoe-reader 24b, and any of the card shoe-readers discussed herein, may be sized and configured to accept substantially more or less than 2-8 decks of cards.
The transmission of data from the card shoe-reader 24b to a processing system may be accomplished through a wireless connection (e.g., RF or IR), a wired connection (e.g., a detachable cable), or other communication means 110. Data indicative of the starting sequence can be transmitted through a data port 110 to an appropriate processing device or system (e.g., computing system 38 from
In this particular embodiment, the docking assembly 250 may include the majority, if not all, of the optical and/or electronic imaging or scanning components.
The reader that may be employed with the illustrated embodiment may be a card-reading device (not shown) capable of reading at least a portion of the set of cards 40. For example, the card-reading device may take the form of optical imagers to capture optical images of the machine-readable symbols 42 portions of the playing cards 41 which are exposed when the set of playing cards 40 is positioned in the main body assembly 200 of the card shoe-reader 24c. For example, the card-reading device can take the form of one-dimensional or two-dimensional arrays of charge coupled devices (“CCD”), similar to the ones discussed infra for card hand-readers or bet recognition devices, and suitable optics, such as optical lenses for focusing an image on the CCD array. Such CCD arrays can capture whole images at a time, or can be electronically caused to successively sample (e.g., pixel-by-pixel, row-by-row, or column-by-column) the exposed information bearing portions of the set of playing cards 40 (i.e., electronically scan). Alternatively, the card-reading device can take the form of a CMOS imager capable of capturing one-dimensional or two-dimensional arrays similar to that of a CCD reader. The card-reading devices 308 discussed herein may rely on ambient light, or may include one or more light sources such as light emitting diodes (“LEDs”) or incandescent lights (not shown), which may or may not be controlled via the device 308. The structure and operation of the readers 308 discussed herein are more fully described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/790,480, filed Feb. 21, 2001, and entitled “METHOD, APPARATUS AND ARTICLE FOR EVALUATING CARD GAMES, SUCH AS BLACKJACK.”
The card-reading device 308 can be positioned beneath the support surface 306. In order for the card-reading device 308 to adequately read the machine-readable symbols 42 on each of the respective cards, a substantial portion of the support surface 306 may be transparent, clear, or sufficiently configured to permit the cards to be read by the card reading device 308. These clear portion of the support surface 306 can take the form of glass, clear plastic, or may include coverings that are transparent in the appropriate portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (e.g., white, infrared, or ultraviolet light) based on the visibility of the particular machine-readable indicia 42.
The card-reading device 308 may take the form of optical scanners to electronically capture the information bearing portions of the playing cards 41 which are exposed when the set of playing cards 40 is positioned in the main body assembly 300. For example, the card-reading device 308 can take the form of one or more laser scanners and appropriate light detector(s). The laser scanners can employ, for example, laser diodes for producing a scanning beam and one or more photodiode detectors for detecting laser light reflected from the machine-readable indicia 42 carried by each of the playing cards 41. In the illustrated embodiment, the card-reading device 308 takes the form of a linear scanner which moves in a scan direction 316. Alternatively, the linear scanner 308 may be configured to translate in a direction that is substantially orthogonal to the illustrated scan direction 316. In such an embodiment, the number of discreet sensors (e.g., charge coupled devices) needed would be commensurate with the number, length, and density of the machine-readable symbols 42 on the playing cards 41.
A casino employee (not shown) or the dealer/caller 16 (
To ensure a substantially accurate read the machine-readable symbols 42 from each of the cards in the set of cards 40, it may be desirable to have the actuator 312 propel the linear scanner 308 at a substantially constant velocity. In such an embodiment, the linear scanner 308 would have to be configured to reach the substantially constant velocity before reading a first machine-readable symbol 42. Alternatively, an encoder 309 with graduated markings may be utilized in conjunction with the card-reading device 308. Encoders are well known in the art as being used with optical scanning devices to enhance the likelihood of getting a positive read of a machine-readable symbol, for example a bar code.
Data ports 454 associated with the card shoe-reader 24e couple the imaging or scanning data from the card-reading device 408 to appropriate processing circuitry. As is typical in the automatic data collection (ADC) arts, processing may include amplifying the signal from the detector, analog-to-digital conversion or “wave-shaping” of the amplified signal, and decoding the converted signal into characters represented by the symbols forming the machine-readable indicia 42. Thus, processing typically includes converting an analog signal representing variations in reflectance into digital data, and interpreting the digital data as meaningful information based on the underlying symbology (i.e., a mapping of machine-readable indicia, typically defined in terms of patterns of reflectance, to human-understandable characters).
Card shoe-readers, for example readers 24b through 24e, add a higher degree of security preventing card tampering for card games, such as Baccarat, where the participants 14 (
Still referring to
Additionally and alternatively, although the placement of the cards 41 within the card hand-reader 500 shows the individual cards adjacently and proximately located and in the same plane with respect to each other, this configuration may be modified. For example, the cards do not necessarily have to be located within the same plane, for example the card hand-reader 500 may be curved to give it more aesthetic appeal. Further, the cards 42 may overlap as viewed by one or more of the gaming participants. As long as the human-readable symbols, which represent the rank of the card, for example Ace, King, Queen, etc., for each of the cards 41 in the hands 44, 46 are viewably exposed to wagering participants, then the configuration of the card hand-reader 500 is adequate.
The card discard-reader images the burn cards placed in a discard tray and may also read them. Once the burn cards have been successfully read, the discard reader may provide an indication to the dealer/caller 16 (
The general layout of a gaming system 10 is described above. The above devices, components, assemblies, etc. may be used in combination with each other or only a single item may be employed for a given gaming system 10. For example, in the game of Baccarat, the gaming system 10 may utilize a card shoe 24a or one of the embodiments of the card shoe-reader 24b-e and a card hand-reader 500; however, the card hand-reader 500 is not a necessary item if the card shoe-reader 24b-e is programmed to determine the game outcome based on the starting sequence and the rules of the game. As discussed above, card shoe-readers 24b-e can read a set of playing cards 40 to determine a starting or dealing sequence of the cards. For example, in the game of Baccarat, knowing the starting sequence in conjunction with the rules of Baccarat permits the casino to determine the outcome of every card game that can be played from the set of cards 40 within the card shoe-reader 24b-e. Therefore, as will be further detailed below, the gaming system 10 may be comprised with either a card shoe 24a or one of the card shoe-readers 24b-e.
In step 712, after a successful read, the appropriate cards for constituting a single card game are removed from the card shoe-reader 24b-e according to a predetermined dealing sequence. In step 714, the playing hands, for example the first hand 44 and second hand 46, may be visually displayed to the gaming participants 14 at which time, based on the rules of the particular game being played, a winning hand or tie hand can be visually determined. In step 716, an optional indicator 140 (
All of the above U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet, including but not limited to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/017,276, filed Dec. 13, 2001, and entitled “METHOD, APPARATUS AND ARTICLE FOR RANDOM SEQUENCE GENERATION AND PLAYING CARD DISTRIBUTION;” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/360,846, filed Feb. 5, 2003, and entitled “METHOD, APPARATUS AND ARTICLE EMPLOYING MULTIPLE MACHINE-READABLE INDICIA ON PLAYING CARDS;” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/790,480, filed Feb. 21, 2001, and entitled “METHOD, APPARATUS AND ARTICLE FOR EVALUATING CARD GAMES, SUCH AS BLACKJACK;” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/849,456, filed May 4, 2001, and entitled “METHOD, APPARATUS AND ARTICLE FOR VERIFYING CARD GAMES, SUCH AS BLACKJACK;” and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/500,898, filed Sep. 5, 2003, and entitled “SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND DEVICES FOR MONITORING CARD GAMES, SUCH AS BACCARAT” are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.
Although specific embodiments, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as will be recognized by those skilled in the relevant art. The teachings provided herein of the invention can be applied to other systems for playing card games or developing card game systems, not necessarily the Baccarat gaming system 10 generally described above. For example, the teachings can employ networks, such as the Worldwide Web portion on the Internet, to interconnect the various described components. The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. For example, the illustrated methods can be combined, or performed successively. The illustrated methods can omit some acts, can add other acts, and can execute the acts in a different order than that illustrated to achieve the advantages of the invention.
These and other changes can be made to the invention in light of the above detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the invention to specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, but should be construed to include all computers, networks and card-reading and evaluation systems that operate in accordance with the claims. Accordingly, the invention is not limited by the disclosure, but instead its scope is to be determined entirely by the following claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/934,785, filed Sep. 4, 2004, currently pending, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/500,898 filed Sep. 5, 2003, where these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60500898 | Sep 2003 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10934785 | Sep 2004 | US |
| Child | 12768453 | US |
