Electronic system and method for operating an auxiliary incentive game

A system for controlling and displaying each player's progress in an auxiliary incentive game played simultaneously with a principal or primary casino table game directed by a dealer or croupier and played on a gaming table, the auxiliary game involving each player receiving bonus points during the course of playing the primary game and each player being eligible to receive a prize only after accumulating a predetermined number of bonus points, said system comprising:

• a bonus point display for displaying the number of bonus points received by each player at the gaming table;
• a controller connected to the bonus point display and having first means for causing the display to display an incremented number of bonus points received by each player as new bonus points are received by each player, and second means for causing the display to reset and to display a starting number of bonus points in response to the number of bonus points received by the associated player reaching the predetermined number of bonus points;
• means for resetting the bonus point display when the associated player leaves the gaming table;
• and
• a start-up bonus point generator for randomly determining the start-up number of bonus points displayed on the bonus point display for a new player starting to play at the gaming table.