Automated system for playing live casino table games having tabletop changeable playing card displays and play monitoring security features

A system for playing a live blackjack card game involving a plurality of live participants, said live participants including at least one player and at least one dealer, said participants personally attending the card game about a gaming table, comprising:

• at least one presentation unit which is supported by the gaming table and has a viewing face which can be viewed by participants attending the game about the gaming table;
• a plurality of participant video displays forming part of said at least one presentation unit for providing a plurality of changeable participant display images therefrom which are viewable along said viewing face, said plurality of participant video displays providing participant display images which include playing card images indicating virtual playing cards dealt or otherwise assigned to the live participants;
• at least one game processor for processing data to perform at least the following functions:
• providing game rules which at least partially administer play of the card game;
• defining a stack of virtual playing cards having one or more decks of virtual playing cards included therein for use in playing the card game;
• shuffling the stack of virtual playing cards to produce a stack sequence which determines the order of virtual playing cards dealt or otherwise assigned to the participants;
• dealing virtual playing cards to participants from the stack according to the game rules;
• instructing the participant video displays to display at least playing card images indicating virtual playing cards assigned to the participants, said virtual playing cards assigned to the participant forming the participant's card hand;
• at least one dealer control which includes:
• a plurality of dealer control sensors which are activated by the dealer to control action of the card game including at least dealing of virtual playing cards to the participants;
• a simulated dealing shoe which has a stack display which displays a stack image which simulates the stack.

A system for playing a live card game involving a plurality of live participants, said live participants including at least one player and at least one dealer, said participants personally attending the card game about a gaming table, comprising:

• at least one presentation unit which is supported by the gaming table and has at least one viewing face which is available for viewing by the participants attending the game about the gaming table;
• a plurality of participant video displays forming part of said at least one presentation unit for providing a plurality of changeable participant display images therefrom, said plurality of participant video displays providing participant display images which include playing card images indicating virtual playing cards dealt or otherwise assigned to the live participants;
• at least one game processor for processing data to perform at least the following functions:
• providing game rules which at least partially administer play of the card game;
• defining a stack of virtual playing cards having one or more decks of virtual playing cards included therein for use in playing the card game;
• shuffling the stack of virtual playing cards to produce a stack sequence which determines the order of virtual playing cards dealt or otherwise assigned to the participants;
• dealing virtual playing cards to participants from the stack or otherwise assigning playing cards to the participants according to the game rules;
• instructing the participant video displays to display at least playing card images indicating virtual playing cards assigned to the participants, said virtual playing cards assigned to the participant forming the participant's card hand;
• at least one dealer control which includes at least one dealer control sensor which is activated by the dealer to control action of the card game including at least dealing of virtual playing cards to the participants;
• a stack display which displays a stack image which simulates the stack.

A system for playing a live card game involving a plurality of live participants, said live participants including at least one player and at least one dealer, said participants personally attending the card game about a gaming table, comprising:

• at least one presentation unit which is supported by the gaming table and has at least one viewing face for viewing by the participants attending the game about the gaming table;
• a plurality of participant video displays forming part of said at least one presentation unit for providing a plurality of changeable participant display images therefrom, said plurality of participant video displays providing participant display images which include playing card images indicating virtual playing cards dealt or otherwise assigned to the live participants;
• at least one game processor for processing data to perform at least the following functions:
• providing game rules which at least partially administer play of the card game;
• defining a stack of virtual playing cards having one or more decks of virtual playing cards included therein for use in playing the card game;
• shuffling the stack of virtual playing cards to produce a stack sequence which determines the order of virtual playing cards dealt or otherwise assigned to the participants;
• dealing virtual playing cards to participants from the stack according to the game rules;
• instructing the participant video displays to display at least playing card images indicating virtual playing cards assigned to the participants, said virtual playing cards assigned to the participant forming the participant's card hand;
• a plurality of dealer controls which include dealer control sensors which are activated by the dealer to control action of the card game including at least dealing of virtual playing cards to the participants;
• a plurality of chip sensors for detecting betting chips placed by said at least one player, said chip sensors being capable of reading the value of the betting chips.

A method for playing a live card game involving a plurality of live participants, said live participants including at least one player and at least one dealer, said participants personally attending the card game about a gaming table, comprising:

• providing at least one presentation unit which is supported by the gaming table and has a viewing face which is available for viewing by the participants attending the game about the gaming table;
• displaying a plurality of changeable participant display images from at least one participant video display which forms a part of the at least one presentation unit, said plurality of participant video displays providing participant display images which include playing card images indicating virtual playing cards dealt or otherwise assigned to the live participants;
• processing data using at least one game processor to perform at least the following functions:
• providing game rules which at least partially administer play of the card game;
• defining a stack of virtual playing cards having one or more decks of virtual playing cards included therein for use in playing the card game;
• shuffling the stack of virtual playing cards to produce a stack sequence which determines the order of virtual playing cards dealt or otherwise assigned to the participants;
• dealing virtual playing cards to participants from the stack according to the game rules;
• instructing the participant video displays to display at least playing card images indicating virtual playing cards assigned to the participants, said virtual playing cards assigned to the participant forming the participant's card hand;
• controlling play of the card game using at least one dealer control which includes at least one dealer control sensor which is activated by the dealer to control action of the card game including at least dealing of virtual playing cards to the participants.