# US 12,008,867 B2 · Selective re-deals for draw poker no-hold initial hands > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,008,867 B2 - Document ID: US12008867B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/662,703 - Filed: 2022-05-10 - Published: 2023-11-16 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2022-05-10 - Assignees: Igt - Applicants: Igt - Inventors: Kera Skillings; Benjamin R. Holsclaw; Christopher John Richardson; Bradley James Fredella - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12008867B2 ## CPC - G07F 17/3293: {Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack} - G07F 17/3262: {Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played} - G07F: COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS (coin sorting G07D3/00; coin testing G07D5/00; {handling coins or paper currencies apart from payment activated apparatus G07D; payment architectures, schemes or protocols G06Q20/00}) ## Abstract The gaming systems and methods provide selective re-deals for no-hold initial hands for plays of a draw poker game, wherein each of the no-hold initial hands includes no pairs of Jacks or better, no two pairs, no three-of-a-kinds, no four-of-a-kinds, no straights, no flushes, no full houses, no straight flushes, no matching pairs of 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, or 10s, no combinations of cards that are missing one card from forming a straight, a flush, or a straight flush, and no royal cards. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A gaming system comprising: a processor; and a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor, for each play of a draw poker game that comprises one of a plurality of different no-hold initial hands, to: cause a display, by a display device, of the no-hold initial hand comprising a first plurality of cards; cause a display, by the display device, of an indication that the no-hold initial hand is a no-hold hand; cause a display, by the display device, of an activatable replace no-hold initial hand input button; cause a display, by the display device, of a second initial hand comprising a second plurality of cards; cause a display, by the display device, of any cards of the second initial hand that are held for the play of the draw poker game; and cause a display, by the display device, for each card of the second initial hand that is not held for the play of the draw poker game, of a replacement card in place of that card, such that the second initial hand is displayed in a completed form. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the draw poker game is a multi-hand draw poker game. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor, for each play of the multi-hand draw poker game that comprises one of the plurality of different no-hold initial hands, to: cause a display, by the display device, of any cards of the second initial hand that are held for the play of the multi-hand draw poker game in each of a plurality of additional hands of the multi-hand draw poker game. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor, for each play of the draw poker game that comprises one of the plurality of different no-hold initial hands, to: cause a display, by the display device, of the second initial hand replacing the display of the no-hold initial hand. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor, for each play of the draw poker game that comprises one of the plurality of different no-hold initial hands, to: cause a display, by the display device, of the second initial hand replacing the display of the no-hold initial hand after the activatable replace no-hold initial hand input button is activated. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The gaming system of claim 1, wherein each of the no-hold initial hands comprises a plurality of cards of a deck of cards, that based on the deck of cards and a paytable for the draw poker game, the expected value of the play of the draw poker game is maximized by holding none of the cards of that initial hand for the play of the draw poker game. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The gaming system of claim 1, wherein each of the no-hold initial hands comprises: no winning card combinations based on a paytable for the draw poker game, no matching pairs of cards, no combinations of cards that are missing one card from forming a straight, a flush, or a straight flush, and no royal cards. ### Claim 8 A gaming system comprising: a processor; and a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor, for each play of a draw poker game that comprises one of a plurality of different no-hold initial hands, to: cause a display, by a display device, of the no-hold initial hand comprising a first plurality of cards; cause a display, by the display device, of an indication that the no-hold initial hand is a no-hold hand; cause a display, by the display device, of a second initial hand comprising a second plurality of cards replacing the display of the no-hold initial hand; cause a display, by the display device, of any cards of the second initial hand that are held for the play of the draw poker game; and cause a display, by the display device, for each card of the second initial hand that is not held for the play of the draw poker game, of a replacement card in place of that card, such that the second initial hand is displayed in a completed form. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the draw poker game is a multi-hand draw poker game. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor, for each play of the multi-hand draw poker game that comprises one of the plurality of different no-hold initial hands, to: cause a display, by the display device, of any cards of the second initial hand that are held for the play of the multi-hand draw poker game in each of a plurality of additional hands of the multi-hand draw poker game. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor, for each play of the draw poker game that comprises one of the plurality of different no-hold initial hands, to: cause a display, by the display device, of the second initial hand replacing the display of the first initial hand after the display of the indication that the no-hold initial hand is a no-hold hand. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The gaming system of claim 8, wherein each of the no-hold initial hands comprises a plurality of cards of a deck of cards, that based on the deck of cards and a paytable for the draw poker game, the expected value of the play of the draw poker game is maximized by holding none of the cards of that initial hand for the play of the draw poker game. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The gaming system of claim 8, wherein each of the no-hold initial hands comprises: no winning card combinations based on a paytable for the draw poker game; no matching pairs of cards; no combinations of cards that are missing one card from forming a straight, a flush, or a straight flush, and no royal cards. ### Claim 14 A gaming system comprising: a processor; and a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: for each play of a draw poker game that comprises one of a plurality of different no-hold initial hands: cause a display, by a display device, of the no-hold initial hand comprising a first plurality of cards, cause a display, by the display device, of an indication that the no-hold initial hand is a no-hold hand, cause a display, by the display device, of an activatable replace no-hold initial hand input button, cause a display, by the display device, of a second initial hand comprising a second plurality of cards, cause a display, by the display device, of any cards of the second initial hand that are held for the play of the draw poker game, and cause a display, by the display device, for each card of the second initial hand that is not held for the play of the draw poker game, a replacement card in place of that card, such that the second initial hand is displayed in a completed form; and for each play of the draw poker game that does not comprise one of the plurality of different no-hold initial hands: cause a display, by the display device, of an initial hand comprising a plurality of cards, cause a display, by the display device, of any cards of the initial hand that are held for the play of the draw poker game, and cause a display, by the display device, for each card of the initial hand that is not held for the play of the draw poker game, a replacement card in place of that card, such that the initial hand is displayed in a completed form. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The gaming system of claim 14, wherein the draw poker game is a multi-hand draw poker game, and wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor, for each play of the multi-hand draw poker game that comprises one of the plurality of different no-hold initial hands, to: cause a display, by the display device, of any cards of the second initial hand that are held for the play of the multi-hand draw poker game in each of a plurality of additional hands of the multi-hand draw poker game. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor, for each play of the multi-hand draw poker game that does not comprise one of the plurality of different no-hold initial hands, to: cause a display, by the display device, of any cards of the initial hand that are held for the play of the multi-hand draw poker game in each of a plurality of additional hands of the multi-hand draw poker game. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The gaming system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor, for each play of the draw poker game that comprises one of the plurality of different no-hold initial hands, to: cause a display, by the display device, of the second initial hand replacing the display of the no-hold initial hand. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The gaming system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor, for each play of the draw poker game that comprises one of the plurality of different no-hold initial hands, to: cause a display, by the display device, of the second initial hand replacing the display of the first initial hand after the activatable replace no-hold initial hand input button is activated. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The gaming system of claim 14, wherein each of the no-hold initial hands comprises a plurality of cards of a deck of cards, that based on the deck of cards and a paytable for the draw poker game, the expected value of the play of the draw poker game is maximized by holding none of the cards of that initial hand for the play of the draw poker game. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The gaming system of claim 14, wherein each of the no-hold initial hands comprises: no pairs of Jacks or better, no two pairs, no three-of-a-kinds, no four-of-a-kinds, no straights, no flushes, no full houses, no straight flushes, no matching pairs of 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, or 10s, no combinations of cards that are missing one card from forming a straight, a flush, or a straight flush, and no royal cards.