Network gaming system

A method of playing blackjack electronically, comprising:

• generating a collection of card representations, having a particular order, for playing blackjack, wherein each said card representation of the collection is eligible for play in a game of blackjack according to said particular order of the card representations in said collection;
• first playing a first blackjack game between a first player and a dealer module, wherein said card representations are dealt from said collection according to said particular order and wherein the first player is dealt a first sequence of card representations from said collection;
• second playing a second blackjack game between a second player and the dealer module, wherein said first and second blackjack games overlap and wherein said card representations for said second blackjack game are dealt from said collection according to said particular order and the second player receives a second sequence of card representations from said collection;
• wherein, for an initial series of one or more plays by said first player using said first sequence, when said second player also initially plays said initial series of one or more identical plays using said second sequence, then for corresponding identical plays by said first and second players, their corresponding hands of card representations are identical.

A method of playing a card game, comprising:

• generating an ordered collection of card representations, having a particular order, for playing said card game, wherein each card representation of the ordered collection is eligible for play in a game of said card game depending upon said particular order of the card representations in said ordered collection;
• first playing, by a first player in a first game of said card game, a first sequence of one or more card representations selected over time from the eligible card representations of said ordered collection;
• second playing, by a second player in a second game of said card game, a second sequence of one or more card representations selected over time from the eligible card representations of said ordered collection, wherein card representation selections for said first and second sequences overlap in time;
• ceasing, by the first player, to select card representations for said first game before all card representations of said first sequence have been selected;
• continuing, by the second player, to select card representations for said second game after said step of ceasing;
• terminating, by the second player, said second game;
• subsequently continuing, by the first player, to play said first game while the second player commences a third game of said card game wherein a third sequence of one or more card representations selected over time from the eligible representations of said ordered collection is played by the second player and wherein selections for card representations for said first and third sequences overlap in time.

A method for providing interactive advertising while playing a game on a network with each of one or more users, comprising:

• performing the following substeps (A1) through (A5) for each of the one or more users:
• (A1 ) obtaining a first amount of user information related to the user desiring to play a game initiated at a network site on said network;
• (A2) matching the user with one or more advertising presentations of a plurality of advertising presentations for presentation to the user, wherein said first amount of user information is used for matching said one or more advertising presentations with the user;
• (A3) initiating a first instance of the game for playing by the user using the network;
• (A4) transmitting said one or more of the matching advertising presentations to the user during a playing of the first instance of the game wherein for a majority of consecutive user plays there is an intervening transmission of one of said matching one or more advertising presentations to the user;
• (A5) sending, to said network site, data related to one or more responses by the user to at least one of said matching one or more advertising presentations;
• storing, for each of the one or more users, said data related to said responses by the user to said matching one or more advertising presentations;
• supplying supplemental information to a first advertiser having a first advertising presentation of said plurality of advertising presentations, said supplemental information related to a perceived efficacy of said first advertising presentation, said supplemental information determined using said stored data related to said responses.

An apparatus for providing advertising while playing a game on a network, comprising:

• advertiser repository for storing one or more demographic profiles, each said demographic profile describing one or more prospective users for presenting, via the network, an advertisement corresponding with the demographic profile;
• user data repository for storing, for each of one or more users, one or more corresponding user data items describing the user;
• selector means for determining, for each of the one or more users, one or more advertisements to present to the user at a corresponding node of the network for the user, wherein said one or more corresponding user data items for the user are used by said selector means, and wherein at least one of said advertisements is a response enabling advertisement for enabling a response by the user to the response enabling advertisement;
• game playing engine for playing, with each of the one or more users, a corresponding game via the network;
• wherein for each of the one or more users and for a majority of plays by the user in the corresponding game, there is an intervening network response by the game playing engine to the user;
• means for supplying, to said selector means, for each of the one or more users, a corresponding additional user data item related to a reply by the user to said response enabling advertisement, said additional user data item for determining a subsequent advertisement to present to the user.