# US 12,183,159 B2 · Gaming devices and methods for enhancing game indicia in random increments > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,183,159 B2 - Document ID: US12183159B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/892,881 - Filed: 2022-08-22 - Published: 2022-12-22 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2018-11-15 - Applicants: King Show Games, Inc. - Inventors: Bradley Berman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12183159B2 ## CPC - 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 17/3211: {Display means} - G07F 17/3293: {Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack} - 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 Systems, apparatuses and methods for enhancing poker cards in subsequent poker games that are randomly incremented thereto, such as through advancements toward a threshold from a random initial value. One embodiment involves poker cards that are enhanced when reaching a random increment of poker games played relative to a triggering event, such as through expiration of a random count value. An initial count value or other tracking measure is established and displayed to the player, and when that count/tracking reaches a threshold, the card having the expired counter and/or cards in a vicinity of the card having the expired counter are enhanced, such as by converting those cards to Wild cards. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of operating a gaming apparatus for facilitating player participation in poker games, the gaming apparatus including a display, a user interface configured to receive at least player input to facilitate player participation in the poker game, a wager input device structured to identify and validate player assets and to permit the player to participate in the poker games in which the player assets are provided, and a processor, the method comprising: randomly selecting cards to present in a first poker game via the display; randomly designating a card position of one of the randomly selected cards of the first poker game; establishing a count value in connection with the random designation of the card position; facilitating the player's completion of participation of the first poker game; advancing the count value towards a threshold each time another of the poker games is played; when a particular one of the poker games is reached where the count value reaches the threshold, providing an enhanced card in the particular one of the poker games at a location based on the randomly designated card position identified in the first poker game; and facilitating the player's completion of the particular one of the poker games using the enhanced card. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the enhanced card in the particular one of the poker games is provided at the randomly designated card position identified in the first poker game. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the enhanced card in the particular one of the poker games is provided at card positions adjacent to the randomly designated card position identified in the first poker game. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, the enhanced card in the particular one of the poker games is provided at card positions occupied by randomly-occurring indicia in the particular one of the poker games. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the randomly-occurring indicia includes additional randomly designated card positions having associated ones of the established count values. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the enhanced card in the particular one of the poker games is provided at card positions occupied by randomly-occurring indicia in the particular one of the poker games and adjacent to the randomly designated card position identified in the first poker game. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, the enhanced card in the particular one of the poker games is provided at card positions occupied by dealt cards having certain card characteristics. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the poker games comprise single-hand poker games. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the poker games comprise multi-hand poker games comprising a plurality of poker hands. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the multi-hand poker games involve multi-play poker games where the cards held for one of the plurality of poker hands are replicated into remaining ones of the plurality of poker hands, and the cards that were not held or replicated are discarded in favor of replacement cards. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: randomly designating a second card position of one of the randomly selected cards of any of the poker games played; establishing a second count value in connection with the random designation of the second card position; facilitating the player's completion of the poker game in which the second card position was randomly designated; advancing the second count value towards a second threshold each time another of the poker games is played; when a second particular one of the poker games is reached where the second count value reaches the second threshold, providing a second enhanced card in the second particular one of the poker games at the randomly designated second card position identified in the poker game in which the second card position was randomly designated; and facilitating the player's completion of the second particular one of the poker games using the second enhanced card. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: randomly designating an Nth card position of one of the randomly selected cards of any of the poker games played; establishing an Nth count value in connection with the random designation of the Nth card position; facilitating the player's completion of the poker game in which the Nth card position was randomly designated; advancing the Nth count value towards an Nth threshold each time another of the poker games is played; when an Nth particular one of the poker games is reached where the Nth count value reaches the Nth threshold, providing an Nth enhanced card in the Nth particular one of the poker games at the randomly designated Nth card position identified in the poker game in which the Nth card position was randomly designated; and facilitating the player's completion of the Nth particular one of the poker games using the Nth enhanced card. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the enhanced card, the second enhanced card, and the Nth enhanced card are the same. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the enhanced card, the second enhanced card, and the Nth enhanced card are Wild cards. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein one or more of the enhanced card, the second enhanced card, and the Nth enhanced card are different from one another. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein any of the randomly designated card position, the randomly designated second card position, and the randomly designated Nth card position for their respective ones of the poker games may be at a same one of the card positions or at different ones of the card positions. ### Claim 17 A method of operating a gaming apparatus for facilitating player participation in poker games, the gaming apparatus including a display, a user interface configured to receive at least player input to facilitate player participation in the poker game, a wager input device structured to identify and validate player assets and to permit the player to participate in the poker games in which the player assets are provided, and a processor, the method comprising: randomly selecting cards to present in a first multi-hand poker game where a plurality of poker hands are concurrently played, and present the randomly selected cards via the display; randomly designating zero, one or more card positions of the plurality of poker hands of the first multi-hand poker game; if any of the card positions of the plurality of poker hands of the first multi-hand poker game was randomly selected, assigning count values thereto, wherein the count values are displayed on the display in connection with the respective selected card positions; advancing the count values towards a threshold on each of the multi-hand poker games played, wherein the displayed count values associated with the respective selected card positions are updated to reflect the advance in the count values; determining when any of the count values reach the threshold; and in response to any of the count values reaching the threshold, providing an enhanced card at a location based on the randomly designated card position of the first multi-hand poker game, and facilitating completion of the multi-hand poker game in which the count value reached the threshold using the enhanced card. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the count values are assigned by randomly selecting a count value from a plurality of available count values. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the count values are assigned a predetermined fixed count value. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the count values are advanced towards their respective thresholds by a count of one on each of the multi-hand poker games played.