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This application claims the benefit and priority of a U.S. Provisional Patent Application filed on May 21, 2007, and entitled Video Poker With Side Bet Feature, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
This invention relates to games of chance, and more specifically to a draw poker game including a main hand and an auxiliary hand, with the auxiliary hand being a subset of the main hand.
Video poker games have become exceedingly popular. In a typical video poker game, a player is dealt a certain number of cards, usually five, and has a one-time option to replace between none and all of the cards. The player is awarded a payout based on various paytables for achieving a hand having a given poker rank. Given the popularity of video poker, numerous variations to this basic structure have arisen.
The present invention provides a game for play by a player including a main wager associated with a main hand and an auxiliary wager associated with an auxiliary hand. The main hand is initially presented to the player facedown, while the auxiliary hand is selected from the main hand prior to revealing the main hand. An auxiliary paytable lists a plurality of card combinations, with the player receiving a payout based on the auxiliary wager if the auxiliary hand includes at least one of the card combinations. The main hand is ultimately used to play traditional draw poker following resolution of the auxiliary hand.
In one aspect of the present invention, the main hand includes five cards. The auxiliary hand may include any number of cards less than the number of cards in the main hand, i.e., two, three or four cards, with the auxiliary paytable differing based on the number of cards in the auxiliary hand. Preferably, the player selects the auxiliary hand. The game may be played at least partially electronically, using a video display, or tangibly, using a live dealer.
The present invention also provides a method of playing a draw poker game. First, an auxiliary paytable is defined including a plurality of card combination. Next, a main wager is posted, for which a player receives a main hand. The main hand is dealt so as not to reveal the composition thereof. An auxiliary wager is also posted, with an auxiliary hand being selected from the main hand prior to revealing the main hand. The auxiliary hand is compared to the auxiliary paytable, with the player being awarded an auxiliary payout based on the auxiliary wager if the auxiliary hand includes at least one of the plurality of card combinations in the auxiliary paytable.
The method may further include defining a main paytable including a plurality of card combinations based on traditional poker rankings. Following resolution of the auxiliary hand, the main hand may be revealed and compared to the main paytable, with a main payout being awarded to the player based on the main wager if the main hand includes at least one of the plurality of card combinations in the main paytable. As another option, after revealing the main hand, at least one of the cards in the main hand may be replaced to create a final hand. The final hand is then compared to the main paytable, with a main payout being awarded to the player based on the main wager if the final hand includes at least one of the plurality of card combinations in the main paytable.
The above features and advantages and other features and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best modes for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic of a game according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic of the game of FIG. 1 showing an auxiliary hand selected from a main hand according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an example auxiliary paytable for use with the game shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; and
FIG. 4 is a flowchart presenting a method of playing a game according to the present invention.
Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 present a schematic of a game according to the present invention. While the game is preferably played on a video display 10, it should be noted that the game may be played tangibly, using a live dealer, without changing the inventive concept. The game includes a main hand 12, shown in FIG. 1 to include five cards, as with traditional five-card draw poker. However, the main hand 12 may include any number of cards or symbols within the scope of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the main hand 12 is initially presented to a player (not shown) facedown, so as not to reveal the composition thereof.
Turning to FIG. 2, an auxiliary hand 14 is shown. The auxiliary hand 14 is a subset of the main hand 12, and is selected from the main hand 12 prior to revealing the composition of the main hand 12. Preferably, the player selects the cards comprising the auxiliary hand 14. For instance, on a video display 10, the player may touch the cards from the main hand 12 that he wishes to include in the auxiliary hand. In FIG. 2, the auxiliary hand is shown to include two cards—the Ace of spades and the Ace of hearts. However, the auxiliary hand 14 may include any number of cards less than the number of cards in the main hand 12 within the scope of the present invention. The game further includes an auxiliary paytable, an example of which is shown at 16 in FIG. 3. The auxiliary paytable 16 preferably includes a plurality of card combinations 18 with an auxiliary payout ratio 20 associated with each card combination. Since the auxiliary paytable 16 is made up of card combinations, it should be noted that the auxiliary hand 14 must include at least two cards. In the preferred embodiment, the auxiliary hand 14 includes two cards. The auxiliary paytable 16 will differ depending on the number of cards in the auxiliary hand 14, since the likelihood of occurrence of a particular card combination will change therewith. Thus the auxiliary paytable 16 shown in FIG. 3 was defined based on a two-card auxiliary hand 14.
Turning back to FIGS. 1 and 2, the player posts a main wager 22 and an auxiliary wager 24 to play the game according to the present invention. Following selection of the auxiliary hand 14, the auxiliary hand 14 is compared to the auxiliary paytable 16, with the player receiving an auxiliary payout based on the auxiliary wager 24 if the auxiliary hand 14 includes at least one of the card combinations 20 defined in the auxiliary paytable 16. Following resolution of the auxiliary wager 24, the remaining cards in the main hand 12 are revealed, and a game of traditional draw poker ensues. A main paytable (not shown) based on traditional draw poker rules is used to resolve the main hand 12 as known in the art, with the player receiving a main payout based on the main wager 22. For example, in traditional draw poker, a player is awarded a payout for a pair, two pair, three of a kind, a straight, etc. Thus the main paytable would include these main card combinations, with the main wager 22 being resolved accordingly. Preferably, the player may opt to “hold” certain cards from the main hand 12, while replacing the other cards to create a final hand. The final hand is then used to resolve the main wager 22.
Turning now to FIG. 4, the present invention also presents a method of playing a draw poker game. An auxiliary paytable is defined in box 110, with the auxiliary paytable including a plurality of card combinations. A main wager is wagered in box 112, with an auxiliary wager being wagered in box 114. In box 116, a main hand is dealt to a player, with the main hand being dealt so as not to reveal the composition thereof (i.e., facedown). In box 118, an auxiliary hand is selected from the main hand. In box 120, the auxiliary hand is compared to the auxiliary paytable, with an auxiliary payout being awarded to the player in box 122 if the auxiliary hand includes at least one of the card combinations listed in the auxiliary paytable.
The method may further include the following steps, which are represented in box 124 only as “Play draw poker” as they are based on traditional rules of draw poker which are well known in the art and thus require no further depiction. A main paytable may be defined, including a plurality of card combinations based on traditional poker rankings. The main hand is then revealed. The player may elect to replace one or more cards from the main hand to create a final hand. Next, either the main hand or the final hand is compared to the main paytable, with the player receiving a payout based on the main wager if the main or final hand includes at least one of the card combinations in the main paytable.
While the best modes for carrying out the invention have been described in detail, it is to be understood that the terminology used is intended to be in the nature of words and description rather than of limitation. Those familiar with the art to which this invention relates will recognize that many modifications of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced in a substantially equivalent way other than as specifically described herein.