Patent Application
20190259247
The present invention relates to a poker game suitable for use in casinos and other gaming establishments, as well as wagering or non-wagering space including websites and applications, as a video poker game. The invention further relates to casino gaming wherein a five-card draw poker game is played upon a video poker machine including a at least a processor, physical input device and monitor.
Games based upon variations of poker have attained enormous popularity as casino-type entertainment games, particularly in the last twenty years. The success of poker games in the gaming industry is partially based on the game's simplicity (i.e., there is widespread public knowledge of the game rules) and the fact that players feel more directly involved in exercising judgment in the play of the game.
Traditional poker as played in card rooms, casinos, and wagering or non-wagering websites allows players to compete head to head against other players. The advent of video technology has also allowed poker games to be played not against other players but against a paytable that determines wins and losses. These games are described as “video poker”.
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Most video poker games are a variant of draw poker. In basic draw poker, the player is dealt an initial array of cards. The player chooses to hold or keep none, one, some or all of the cards, the non-chosen cards are discarded, and replacement cards are provided for the discards. The final hand is then analyzed for winning combinations, and primary awards are provided for winning hands according to a predetermined paytable.
Since in virtually every gambling game there is a house advantage (that is, the casino will hold a percentage of the bet, and the player will play the game at less than a 100% payout), it is advantageous for the casino to provide games that attract players as well as entertain and keep them on the machine.
Certain attempts have been made to create new video poker games that offer bonus awards in addition to primary awards in order to stimulate player participation.
United States Patent Application No. 20020132657 (Matthiesen, et al.) describes a variation of draw poker that may be played either as a casino table game or as a video or computer game. The game is played with a single, conventional 52-card deck or with a computer simulation of such a deck. Basic rules are similar to traditional five-card draw poker and hands are traditionally ranked. The player may play a single hand, two hands, or specifically two hands that employ a mirror image feature. If the player elects to play two hands with the mirror image feature, the player is additionally paid for winning hands of the same rank. Hands are considered to be of the same rank if they have the same general nomenclature: i.e., one pair, two pairs, three of a kind, straight, flush, fill house, four of a kind, straight flush, and royal flush.
United States Patent Application No. 20120004021 (Shai-Hee) teaches a gaming system that includes a display; a symbol selector arranged to select a plurality of symbols for display at a plurality of display positions on the display; a display modifier arranged to modify the displayed symbols such that after modification of the symbols the locations of the symbols are a mirror image of the locations of the symbols before modification of the symbols; and an outcome evaluator arranged to determine whether symbol combinations defined by the displayed symbols after modification correspond to one or more winning outcomes.
United States Patent Application No. 20150364005 (Moody) describes a video poker game played on a video poker machine with a monitor that displays face-up a first hand including a plurality of cards. If the first hand satisfies a multiplier condition, a multiplier is randomly determined from a set of a plurality of different multipliers. The randomly-determined multiplier is associated with each active payline. Awards are determined based at least in part on any multiplier associated with said active payline. The multiplier condition is satisfied when the first hand includes a designated combination of cards, the first hand has a designated poker hand ranking, the first hand has one of a plurality of different designated poker hand rankings, or the first hand has a poker hand ranking of at least a designated value.
Each of the references discussed in this text art are incorporated herein in their entirety for all purposes.
It is an ever-increasing challenge to provide players with new and enticing gameplay features that will stimulate player interest and increase time on machine.
A method of playing a wagering card game on a gaming device comprising at least a processer, a physical input device requiring the ability to receive at least a primary physical wager (at least paper tickets, paper money, coins, etc.) and a video monitor screen is disclosed. After the primary wager that is recognized by the processor is made, a hand of 5-card draw poker is dealt in a horizontally-disposed display from a standard deck of 52 cards. Card #1 is in position #1, card #2 is in position #2, card #3 is in position #3, card #4 is in position #4, and card #5 is in position #5. Each of the five cards in the hand represents an individual element. The player chooses to hold none, one, some or all of the dealt cards. Any non-held cards are discarded, and replacement cards from the remaining deck of 47 cards (52 minus the 5 dealt cards) are provided for the discards. The final hand is evaluated for any predetermined winning combinations of cards, and paid according to a predetermined paytable. If the final hand is a winning hand, and the player has preferably made an additional wager (along with the primary wager), the player may be awarded a bonus award in addition to or in lieu of the above payout.
After the final winning hand is evaluated, the processor then determines the horizontal placement of the elements that comprise the win. Again as described above, card #1 is position #1, card #2 is position #2, card #3 is position #3, card #4 is position #4, and card #5 is position #5. For example, in a win of Jacks or Better (4, King, 5, King, Queen), the processor determines the winning elements (King, King) are in horizontal positions #2 and #4. The processor then provides the mirror image of the hand by determining a horizontally-reversed mirror image, wherein the winning hand is displayed as: card #1 is now in position #5, card #2 is now in position #4, card #3 is now in position #3, card #4 is now in position #2, and card #5 is now in position #1. If the ranks of the winning elements of the final hand appear in the same positions in the mirror image hand, a bonus award is provided.
A method of playing an electronic video poker game uses one deck of 52 standard playing cards having 13 ranks (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A) and 4 suits (Hearts, Diamonds, Spades, Clubs). Alternately the deck may contain additional cards such as Jokers or Wild Cards. The game is played utilizing at least a processer, a physical input device requiring the ability to receive at least a primary physical wager (at least paper tickets, paper money, coins, etc.) and a video monitor screen. The game is preferably played on a video poker machine or casino gaming machine, but may also be played on a personal computer or pad, an internet gaming site, or as a mobile application.
The video poker game is basically a 5-card draw poker game, modified to include a bonus feature that provides an extra excitement and anticipation not seen in traditional draw poker. Alternately, the card game may be a 3-, 4-, 6-, or 7-card game. The game may consist of one hand of poker, or multiple hands of poker played simultaneously. The single-hand game begins with the processor recognizing a wager of physical cash or a physical item denoting credits and/or non-monetary points deposited into the physical input device in order to play the game. After the wager is recognized by the processor and thereby creating a credit balance, a hand of 5-card draw poker is dealt from a standard deck of 52 cards. The player chooses to hold none, some or all of the dealt cards. Any non-held cards are discarded, and replacement cards from the remaining deck of 47 cards are provided. The final hand is evaluated for any predetermined winning combinations of cards, and paid according to a predetermined paytable. If the final hand is a winning hand, and the player has preferably made an additional wager (along with the primary wager), the player may be awarded a bonus award in addition to or in lieu of the above payout.
The multiple-hand game begins with the processor recognizing a wager of cash, credits or non-monetary points in order to play each hand in the game. After the wager is made, thereby creating a credit balance, a hand of 5-card draw poker is dealt from a standard deck of 52 cards. The player chooses to hold none, some or all of the dealt cards. Any held cards are replicated in each wagered hand. Any non-held cards are discarded, and replacement cards from the remaining deck of 47 cards are provided for each wagered hand. The final hands are evaluated for any winning combinations of cards, and paid according to the above payout rules.
An extra wager in addition to the base wager may or may not be required in order to provide the bonus feature for the game. The present invention may require a base wager and an extra wager, wherein wins for the base wager are based on a first base predetermined paytable and wins for the extra wager are based on a second separate bonus predetermined paytable. Preferably the second paytable is based on multiples of the base paytable. Wins may be provided for the base wager only, the base wager and the extra wager, or the extra wager only.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, after a primary wager that is recognized by the processor is made and a credit balance therefore established, a hand of 5-card draw poker is dealt in a horizontally-disposed display from a standard deck of 52 cards. It is also contemplated that more or less cards may constitute the deck of cards. Card #1 is in position #1, card #2 is in position #2, card #3 is in position #3, card #4 is in position #4, and card #5 is in position #5. Each of the five cards in the hand represents an individual element. The player chooses to hold none, one, some or all of the dealt cards. Any non-held cards are discarded, and replacement cards from the remaining deck of 47 cards (52 minus the 5 dealt cards) are provided for the discards. The final hand is evaluated for any predetermined winning combinations of cards and paid according to the first predetermined paytable. If the final hand is a winning hand, and the player has preferably has initially made an additional wager (along with the primary wager), the player may be awarded a bonus award.
After the final winning hand is determined, the processor then determines the horizontal placement display of the elements that comprise the win. Only the ranks of the winning elements are considered. Card #1 is in position #1, card #2 is in position #2, card #3 is in position #3, card #4 is in position #4, and card #5 is in position #5. For example, in a final winning hand of Jacks or Better (4, King, 5, King, Queen), the processor determines the winning elements (King, King) are in horizontal positions #2 and #4. The processor then provides the mirror image of the hand by determining a horizontally-reversed image, wherein the winning hand is displayed as: card #1 is now in position #5, card #2 is now in position #4, card #3 is now in position #3, card #4 is now in position #2, and card #5 is now in position #1 (Queen, King, 5, King, 4). If the ranks of the winning elements of the final hand appear in the same positions in the mirror image hand, a bonus award is provided. In the preceding example, the two winning elements (the two Kings) are in position #2 and position #4 in both the final hand and the mirror-image displays, and so the bonus award would be provided.
In a first predetermined paytable that provides wins for Jacks or Better, Two Pair, 3-of-a-Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, 4-of-a-Kind, Straight Flush, and Royal Flush, only Jacks or Better, Two Pair, 3-of-a-Kind, Full House, and 4-of-a-Kind would qualify to be potential bonus wins, since wins of Straights, Flushes, Straight Flushes and Royal Flushes cannot provide a winning mirror image.
To elaborate more fully, there are potentially eight mirror-image wins for a non-wild video poker game employing 52 cards (wherein X=elements of same rank, Z=elements of the same rank but different than X, and ? =any other element that is not an integral winning part of the winning hand). In a final hand win of Jacks or Better, both X,?,?,?,X and ?,X,?,X,? are mirror-image wins; in a final hand win of Two Pair, X,Z,?,Z,X is a mirror-image win; in a final hand win of 3-of-a-Kind, both X,?,X,?,X and ?,X,X,X,? are mirror-image wins; in a final hand win of Full House, both X,Z,Z,Z,X and Z,X,Z,X,Z are mirror-image wins; and in a final hand win of 4-of-a-Kind, X,X,?,X,X is mirror-image win.
It should be appreciated that a game variant such as Double Double Bonus may consider the fifth element (?) in a 4-of-a-Kind to be an integral element. For example, a final hand of A,A,3,A,A would consider the 3 as an integral element, since as a kicker for the four Aces it provides a larger win than just the four Aces. Also, in a video poker game with wild cards (for example, Deuces or Jokers), a wild card (W) may be considered as the card that it replaces, or as the wild card itself. For example, 5,5,3,W,5=5,5,3,5,5 may be considered a mirror win (5,W,3,5,5=5,5,3,5,5) if the wild card is considered to be a 5; if the wild card is considered a wild element only, then there would be no mirror win (wherein 5,5,3,W,5 and 5,W,3,5,5 are not mirror-image displays).
It is preferred that each mirror-image display win be a multiple of the corresponding base game payout; for example, the payout for a full house mirror image win is a multiple of the full house base game win. It is contemplated that all win payouts in the base game predetermined paytable may be multiplied by the same multiplier (i.e., all wins are ×5 pay) or by individually different multipliers (i.e., a Jacks or Better mirror-image win may be ×2, Two Pair may be 3×, 3-of-a-Kind may be 5× pay, etc.) to comprise the mirror-image predetermined paytable. It is also contemplated that a final mirror-image winning hand be paid first according to the base game predetermined paytable, and then paid according to the mirror-image predetermined paytable when the mirror-image of the winning hand is displayed; alternately, the final hand may receive only the mirror-image win amount.
In lieu of multiplier wins, each winning mirror-image final hand may be paid according to a credit-amount paytable. For instance, Jacks or Better may pay 10 credits, Two Pair may pay 15 credits, 3-of-a-Kind may pay 75 credits, Full House may pay 250 credits, and 4-of-a-Kind may pay 1199 credits.
It should be appreciated that the particular design and mathematical analysis of the game will dictate both the base predetermined paytable and the mirror-image win predetermined paytable.
Reference to the Figures will assist in further understanding of the practice of the present invention.
Although specific examples and specific paytables have been provided in this discussion, these specifics are intended to be only support for the generic concepts of the invention and are not intended to be absolute limits in the scope of the technology discussed.
This Application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/601,173, filed Mar. 13, 2017, and having the Title VIDEO POKER GAME WITH MIRROR IMAGE WINS.
