US 6,007,424 AGranted

Pai Gow Poker game method, device and system for pushes

AssigneeClover Gaming, LLC

InventorsBill Evers, Philip Maiorka, Karen Smith

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Abstract

A method, device and system are set forth for playing a new game of Pai Gow Poker. The method includes dealing seven cards to the dealer and each player, the players and dealer each from those seven cards assembling a five card high hand and a two card low hand. For the player to win their wager, both the player's high and low hands must outrank the dealer's hands according to the ranking of hands of Poker. For a push the player's high hand must have a higher ranking the dealer's and be Jacks or better. All other hands are losses. The method provides for greater payoffs if the player has one of a plurality of payoff qualifying holdings. The device includes a processor programmed to play the game according to the method. The system provides for linking devices to amass a progressive jackpot should the player obtain a qualifying holding.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A method for playing an improved game of Pai Gow poker played by a dealer and a player comprising:

the player making a wager;
dealing seven cards to the dealer and seven cards to the player;
the player assembling a five card high hand and a two card low hand, said high hand having a ranking according to the ranking of hands of Poker greater than the low hand;
the dealer forming a five card high hand and a two card low hand, said high hand having a ranking according to the ranking of hands of Poker greater than the low hand;
exposing and resolving the player's hands in comparison to the dealer's hands to determine the outcome,
(i) the player declared a winner if his high and low hands outrank the corresponding dealer high and low hands according to the ranking of hands of Poker,
(ii) the hands declared a push if the player's high hand outranks the dealer's high hand and has at least a holding having a Poker ranking of at least a pair and the dealer's low hand outranks the player's low hand,
(iii) all other outcomes declared a loss for the player;
collecting the player's wager for a player losing outcome and for a player winning outcome;
(i) determining whether the player's high hand corresponds to a holding of a predetermined schedule of designated Poker rankings and if so, playing the player greater than 1:1 based upon the wager, and
(ii) otherwise paying the player 1:1 based upon the wager.

8 more elements

An electronic gaming machine for playing a game of Pai Gow Poker comprising:

a processor including a first data structure representing each card of a standard deck of fifty-two cards and a second data structure of qualifying, Poker ranking, card holdings;
means for randomly selecting from the first data structure seven dealer cards and seven player cards;
a display to display said selected dealer and player cards;
means for accepting a wager from the player to play a game;
means for initiating play of a game, initiation of play signaling the processor to select and display said dealer cards face down and said player cards face up;
means for the player to select from the player cards two cards for a player low hand and five cards forming a player high hand, said high hand having a higher ranking than the low hand according to the ranking of hands of Poker;
said processor programmed to arrange the dealers cards into a dealer low hand and a dealer high hand and to display the hands face up, said high hand having a higher ranking according to the ranking of hands of Poker;
said processor programmed to compare the dealer and player low and high hands to determine if the player has obtained a winning, losing or push outcome determined by,
(i) if the player's high and low hands outrank according to the ranking of hands of Poker the corresponding dealer high and low hands, the outcome is determined to be a winning outcome,
(ii) if the player's high hand outranks the dealer's high hand and has a predetermined qualifying Poker ranking holding of at least a pair and the dealer's low hand outranks the player's low hand, the outcome is determined to be a push,
(iii) all other outcomes are determined to be losing outcomes;
said processor programmed, for winning outcomes, to compare the cards of the player's high hand to the qualifying holdings of the second data structure to determine if the player's high hand is a qualifying holding;
and
means for (i) returning the player wager for determined pushes, (ii) paying the player 1:1 based upon the wager for winning outcomes without a qualifying holding and (iii) paying the player for winning outcomes with a qualifying holding at odds greater than 1:1 based upon the wager and collecting the wager for losing outcomes.

11 more elements

A system for playing a game of Pai Gow Poker comprising:

a plurality of devices each including,
(i) a processor including a first data structure representing each card of a standard deck of fifty-two cards and a second data structure of qualifying, Poker ranking, card combinations and a jackpot combination,
(ii) means for randomly selecting from the first data structure seven dealer cards and seven player cards,
(iii) a display to display said selected dealer and player cards,
(iv) means for accepting a wager from the player to play a game and generating a signal indicative of the wager made,
(v) means for initiating play of a game, initiation of play signaling the processor to select and display said dealer cards face down and said player cards face up,
(vi) means for the player to select from the player cards two cards for a player low hand and five cards forming a player high hand, said high hand having a higher ranking than the low hand according to the ranking of hands of Poker.
(vii) said processor programmed to arrange the dealer's cards into a dealer low hand and a dealer high hand and to display the hands face up, said high hand having a higher ranking according to the ranking of hands of Poker,
(viii) said processor programmed to compare the dealer and player low and high hands to determine if the player has obtained a winning, losing or push outcome determined by,
(a) if the player's high and low hands outrank according to the ranking of hands of Poker the corresponding dealer high and low hands, the outcome is determined to be a winning outcome,
(b) if the player's high hand outranks the dealer's high hand and has a predetermined qualifying Poker ranking of at least a pair and the dealer's low hand outranks the player's low hand, the outcome is determined to be a push,
(c) all other outcomes are determined to be losing outcomes,
(ix) said processor programmed, for winning outcomes, to compare the cards of the player's high hand to the qualifying combinations of the second data structure to determine if the player's high hand is a qualifying combination,
(x) said processor generating a data signal indicative of the player's high and low hands, and
(xii) means for (a) returning the player's wager for determined push hands, (b) for paying the player 1:1 based upon the wager for winning outcomes without a qualifying combination, (b) paying the player for winning outcomes with a qualifying combination greater than 1:1 based upon the player's wager and collecting the wager for losing outcomes;
a master controller;
means for electronically linking said devices to said controller for transmitting said wager and combination data signals to said controller;
said controller programmed to allocate a portion of each wager to assemble a progressive jackpot;
means for displaying the current amount of the jackpot;
and
said controller programmed to, in the event the player obtains said jackpot combination, issuing a signal to award the player said progressive jackpot.

18 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.