US 5,255,915 AGranted

Six-card draw-poker-like video game

AssigneeUnited Gaming, Inc.

InventorGary Miller

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Abstract

A method and apparatus are described for playing a six-card draw-poker-like game, played with a single deck of cards, in which there are a number of unique hands which require six cards. The invention uses a computer and a video screen. The computer contains a payout table defining winning hands (at least some of which use all six cards). The player makes a wager with the computer which then displays a first hand with a defined rank from the single deck; the player then decides whether to draw cards from the remainder of the deck or to take any winnings from the first hand. If the player draws, the computer produces a second hand, and then determines if the second hand is a winner and pays out or not accordingly. The game is therefore similar to poker in its playing strategy but offers a substantially greater variety of possible winning hands, especially in combinations not possible in conventional five card poker, and provides for a higher probability of winning hands at the lower hand values. This stimulates much greater interest by players, particularly casual players, who appreciate the greater variety of winning combinations and opportunities for winning,

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method of playing a draw-poker-like game in which a winning hand generates a payout to a player using a computer and a video screen, which comprises:

providing a payout table defining a predetermined set of winning hands of different ranks and payout values selected from a single deck of cards, each card having a different face value and suit, with at least some of said winning hands being combinations of six cards, with the remaining hands from said deck not included within said predetermined set of winning hands not having any payout value;
registering a wager with said computer;
generating and displaying on said video screen a visual representation of a first hand of six cards randomly selected from said single deck of cards;
determining the rank of said first hand with respect to said payout table from the face value and suit of each represented card;
enabling said player to terminate the game or to designate at least one of said represented cards for replacement;
if said designation is registered, in response thereto replacing said at least one designated cards in said first hand with a corresponding number of other represented cards randomly generated from the remaining cards in said single deck and displayed on said video screen, the unreplaced cards from said first hand and said replacement cards forming a second hand of six cards, with said second hand replacing said first hand;
determining the rank of said second hand with respect to said payout table from the face value and suit of each represented card and thereafter terminating said game;
and
upon termination after said first or second hand providing said predetermined payout to said player according to the value of the remaining hand of cards as defined by the payout table.

6 more elements

Apparatus for playing a draw-poker-like game in which a winning hand generates a payout to a player, which apparatus comprises:

a computer and a cooperating video screen, said computer having a storage memory, means to display card identification information on said video screen, a payout table stored in said memory and defining a predetermined set of winning hands of different ranks and payout values selected from a single deck of cards, at least some of said winning hands containing six cards, each card having a face value and suit, with the remaining combinations of six cards from said deck not included within said predetermined set of winning hands not having any payout value;
and comparison means to compare the payout table information stored in said memory with card identification information displayed on said the video screen;
means for said player to register a wager with said computer, in response to which said computer generates and displays on said video screen a representation of a first hand of six cards randomly selected from said single deck of cards, said first hand having a rank with respect to said payout table determined from the face value and suit of each represented card;
means for enabling said player to designate at least one of said represented cards in said first hand for replacement with the representation of a corresponding number of cards randomly generated from the remaining cards in said single deck and displayed on said video screen, the unreplaced cards from said first hand and said replacement cards forming a second hand of six cards, said second hand replacing said first hand, said second hand also having a rank with respect to the payout table of said second hand determined from the face value and suit of each represented card;
means enabling said player to terminate the game after said first or second hand;
and
means for dispersing or displaying to said player upon termination of the game items, credits or indicia representing the payout value of the remaining first or second hand of cards as defined by said payout table, the dispersement or display being made after comparison by the comparison means of the identity of the rank of said remaining hand with the identities of the winning hands defined by said payout table.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.