Gaming machine and control method thereof

A gaming machine, comprising:

• (i) a memory for storing a plurality of cards and a plurality of predetermined values which serve as a condition for shuffling the plurality of cards after a predetermined number of cards have been selected from among the plurality of cards and used in a game;
• and
• (ii) a processor, the processor being configured to execute processing operations including:
• (a) determining a specific predetermined value from among the plurality of predetermined values, which specific predetermined value is set as a condition for shuffling the plurality of cards, and is based on an input signal which is inputted from a store side;
• (b) after execution of said processing (a), determining dealer cards and player cards which are used in the game from among the plurality of cards and then executing the game, in which game the determined dealer and player cards are compared with each other;
• (c) cumulatively counting the number of cards that are used in the processing (b);
• (d) cumulatively storing in the memory, as used cards, the dealer cards and the player cards that have been used in the processing (b), the used cards being stored in a first sequential order in a region of the memory for storing the used cards;
• (e) determining whether or not the number of cards that have been used and counted in the processing (c) has reached the specific predetermined value as a result of repeating the processing operations (b) to (d);
• (f) in a case where it is determined in the processing (e) that the cumulatively counted number of used cards has reached the specific predetermined value that has been determined in the processing (a), forming a combined group of used and unused cards from (i) the cumulatively used cards and (ii) unused cards that have not been used in a game and storing the combined group of cards in the memory in a second sequential order of cards;
• (g) dividing the combined group of used and unused cards into a first card group and a second card group;
• (h) extracting cards from the first card group and the second card group according to the number of cards that is randomly determined;
• and
• (i) alternately combining the extracted cards so as to shuffle together the cards in the first card group and the second card group, thereby forming a shuffled group of cards, and storing the shuffled group of cards in the memory.

A gaming machine control method, comprising the steps of:

• (a) based on an input signal which is inputted from a store side, determining a specific predetermined value from among a plurality of predetermined values that have been stored in a memory, which specific predetermined value is set as the condition for shuffling a plurality of cards that are stored in the memory;
• (b) after execution of the step (a), determining dealer cards and player cards which are used in a game from among the plurality of cards and then executing the game, in which game the determined dealer and player cards are compared with each other;
• (c) cumulatively counting the number of cards that are used in the step (b);
• (d) cumulatively storing in the memory, as used cards, the cards that are used in the step (b);
• (e) determining whether or not the number of cards that have been used and counted in the step (c) has reached the specific predetermined value as a result of repeating the processing operations (b) to (d);
• and
• (f) in a case where it is determined in the step (e) that the cumulatively counted number of cards has reached the specific predetermined value determined in the step (a) before execution of said step (b), shuffling the plurality of cards at a time of starting a next game;
• wherein:
• in the step (d), the dealer cards and the player cards that are used in the step (b) are cumulatively stored in a first sequential order in a region of the memory for storing the used cards;
• and
• the step (f) of shuffling cards includes the steps of:
• (f1) in a case where it is determined in the step (e) that the cumulatively counted number of used cards has reached the specific predetermined value that has been determined in the step (a), forming a combined group of used and unused cards from (i) the cumulatively used cards and (ii) unused cards that have not been used in a game and storing the combined group of cards in the memory in a second sequential order of cards;
• (f2) dividing the combined group of used and unused cards into a first card group and a second card group;
• and
• (f3) extracting card sets from the first card group and from the second card group according to a randomly determined number and then alternately storing the extracted card sets in the memory so as to shuffle together the first card group and the second card group and form a shuffled group of cards.