US20020163128A1

US20020163128A1 - Card game

Info

Publication number: US20020163128A1
Application number: US09/823,720
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry Lo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-03-30
Filing date: 2001-03-29
Publication date: 2002-11-07

Abstract

The invention is a six-card-stud game, played with at least one standard poker deck of 52 cards. Two or more but preferably seven players may participate in the game; one of the players is the Banker whom other players play against; a Player who is not a Banker may play Poker Bet playing against the Banker's hand, and/or one to four side bets betting on the contents of the Player's own hand. After at least one wager is placed, each Player and the Banker are each dealt six cards; the Players and the Banker each then selects and keeps his best 5-card hand from his own six cards and discards one card. To win a Poker Bet wager, a Player's best 5-card hand must rank higher than the Banker's best 5-card hand. To wins a side-bet wager, a Player's best 5-card hand must be one of the predetermined winning hands of the type of the side bet he bets on. The Poker Bet wager and four side-bet wagers are independent wagers and are settled separately.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) from the [0001] part 3 “Pair Magic” six card version of the following U.S. provisional patent application: Serial No. 60/193,309 filed Mar. 30, 2000, which is incorporated by the reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to card games and, in particular, to card games for use in casinos and cardrooms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is offered under the trademark “6 Card Pair Magic.” The invention is a six-card-stub game, played with at least one but preferably one standard poker decks of 52 cards. Two or more but preferably seven players may participate in the game. One of the players is the Banker whom other players play against. A Player who is not a Banker may play Poker Bet playing against the Banker's hand, and/or one to four side bets betting on the contents of the Player's own hand. After at least one wager is placed, each Player and the Banker are each dealt six cards. From each Player's own six cards, each Player selects and keeps his or her best 5-card hand and discards one other card; i.e., from the Player's six dealt cards AAK975, AAK97 is the Player's best 5-card hand and 5 is the discard; from the Player's seven dealt cards QQJJ64, QQJJ6 is the Player's best 5-card hand and 4 is the discard. From the Banker's own six cards, the Banker selects and keeps the Banker's best 5-card hand and discards one other card.

POKER BET: Poker Bet is a bet that allows a Player to place a wager playing against the Banker's hand. The object of Poker Bet is to have a best 5-card hand that outranks the Banker's best 5-card hand. In the Poker Bet game, the Player's best 5-card hand is compared to the Banker's best 5-card hand according to the rankings selected for the Poker Bet game, wherein hands are ranked in descending order as follows: 4 of a Kind, Full House, 3 of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair and Point Count.



Rank	Hand

1.	4 of a Kind
2.	Full House
3.	3 of a Kind
4.	Two Pair
5.	One Pair
6.	Point Count (highest 9 points down to lowest 0 point)

Hands of 4 of a Kind, Full House, 3 of a Kind, and Two Pair are ranked and compared as traditional poker hands, wherein Ace is the highest card, following by King, Queen, Jack, Ten, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2.

A point count hand is a hand that consists of five unmatched cards. The Point Count of a point count hand is determined in the same way the point count of a Baccarat hand is determined: the face value of each of the cards are added together (here, five cards are added together); when the total face value equals ten or more, only the last digit counts as the Point Count of the hand. For example, if the total face value of five

cards

2, 3, 5, 7, and 8 equals 25, then the Point Count of the hand is 5 points. Order of Point Count hands from highest to lowest are 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and 0 point.

A Player's Poker Bet wager can be settled with either one of the following rules, whichever is selected for the Poker Bet game:

Rules 1:

If a Player's best 5-card hand ranks lower than the Banker's best 5-card hand, the Player's Poker Bet wager loses. If a Player's best 5-card hand ranks the same as the Banker's, then the two hands tie and this wager neither wins nor loses. If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks higher than the Banker's, this wager wins and is paid Even Money (1 to 1), less a certain percent commission, preferably a 5% commission.

Rules 2:

If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks lower than the Banker's best 5-card hand, the Player's Poker Bet wager loses. If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks the same as the Banker's, then the two hands tie and this wager neither wins nor loses. If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks higher than the Banker's, this wager wins and either is paid even money (1 to 1) if the Banker's losing hand is not a predetermined hand that pays the winning wager one half of the wager (1 to 2), or is paid one half of the wager (1 to 2) if the Banker's losing hand is a predetermined hand that pays the winning wager one half of the wager (1 to 2). The predetermined hand can be designed to be a hand of either 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 points

Rules 3:

If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks lower than the Banker's best 5-card hand, the Player's Poker Bet wager loses. If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks the same as the Banker's, then the two hands tie and this wager neither wins nor loses. If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks higher than the Banker's, this wager wins and either is paid even money (1 to 1) if the Banker's losing hand is not one of the predetermined hands that pays one half of the winning wager (1 to 2), or is paid one half of the wager (1 to 2) if the Banker's losing hand is one of the predetermined hands that pays one half of the winning wager (1 to 2). The predetermined hands can be hands of 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 points, hands of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 hands, etc.

Rules 4:

If a Player's best 5-card hand ranks lower than the Banker's best 5-card hand or if the Player and the Banker have one of the predetermined Player losing copy hand (When a Player and the Banker have a same ranking hand, it is called a copy hand. When a Player and the Banker have a copy hand and that is considered a losing hand to the Player, it is called a Player losing copy hand.), then the Player's Poker Bet wager loses. If the Player and the Banker have a copy hand that is not one of the predetermined Player losing copy hands, then the two hands tie and this wager neither wins nor loses. If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks higher than the Banker's, this wager wins and is paid Even Money (1 to 1).

Four Side Bets:

Specified One Pair Bet, Two Pair Bet, 3 Of A Kind Bet and Bonus Bet. Side bets are the bets that allow Players bet on the contents of their own unseen hand. The Player's wager wins if the Player's best 5-card hand is one of the predetermined winning hands of the type of bet he or she bets on, regardless of what the Banker's hand is or the outcome of the Poker Bet wager; and the Player's wager loses if the Player's best 5-card hand is not one of the predetermined winning hands.

Specified Pair Bet:

A specified pair can be any chosen pair; if the specified pair is a pair of Fours, then the name of this bet can be called as Pair Of Fours Bet; if the specified pair is a pair of Jacks, then the name of this bet can be called as Pair Of Jacks Bet. A Player's Specified Pair Bet wager wins if the Player's best 5-card hand is the specified pair, any pair that ranks higher than the specified pair, Two Pair, 3 of a Kind, Full House or 4 of a Kind; and this wager loses if the Player's best 5-card hand is not one of the above winning hands. Specified Pair Bet pays Even Money (1 to 1) on any one of the above winning hands. Alternatively, any other appropriate payout odds can be used.

Two Pair Bet:

A Player's Two Pair Bet wins if the Player's hand is Two Pair, 3 of a Kind, Full House or 4 of a Kind; and this wager loses if the Player's best 5-card hand is not one of the above winning hands. Two Pair Bet pays 8 to 1 for any one of the above winning hands. Alternatively, any other appropriate payout odds can be used.

3 of a Kind Bet:

A Player's 3 Of A Kind Bet wager wins if the Player's hand is 3 of a Kind, Full House or 4 of a Kind; and this wager loses if the Player's best 5-card hand is not one of the above winning hands. 3 Of A Kind Bet pays 25 to 1 on any one of the above winning hands. Alternatively, any other appropriate payout odds can be used.

Bonus Bet:

A Player's Bonus Bet wins if the Player's hand is Two Pair, 3 of a Kind, Full House or 4 of a Kind; and this wager loses if the Player's best 5-card hand is not one of the above winning hands. The winning wager is paid according to the following pay table:



	Hand	Payout Odds

	Four Aces	4,000 to 1
	4 Twos through 4 Kings	300 to 1
	Full House	50 to 1
	3 of a Kind	7 to 1
	Two Pair	3 to 1

After at least one wager is placed, the cards are thoroughly shuffled either by a shuffling device or by a dealer, and are dealt into enough dealt hands of six cards to provide a dealt hand for each Player and for the Banker. Once the dealer has delivered the cards to all players, the dealer turns over the Banker's six cards with only the top card exposed. From each Player's own six cards, each Player selects and places his or her best 5-card hand and one discard face down on the appropriate spaces of the table layout. The dealer then reveals the Banker's five remaining cards, selects and keeps the Banker's best 5-card poker hand, discards one other card, opens the cards of the Player at the immediate right of the dealer, settles the Player's side-bet wager(s) if any, and then the Player's Poker Bet wager if any, against the Banker.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a Player's betting area of the table layout of the five-bet version of the invention: [0027] 101 is Poker Bet spot; 102, Specified One Pair Bet spot; 103, Two Pair Bet spot; 104, 3 Of A Kind Bet spot; 105, Bonus Bet spot; 106, a Player's best 5-card hand space; and 107, a Player's one discard space.
FIG. 2 shows the table layout of the preferred five-bet version of the invention.[0028]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the preferred embodiment of the invention provides a six-card-stud game, played with one standard poker deck of 52 cards. Other embodiments include versions that would be played with two or more standard poker decks of 52 cards. [0029]
In the preferred embodiment, the invention offers seven positions, six Players and one Banker; table size, management of players, players' bets, and speed of play are the key reasons for the choice of seven positions. In other embodiments, lesser or greater than seven positions can be created in accordance with this invention if, for example, multiple decks are used. A Player who is not a Banker may play Poker Bet playing against the Banker's hand and/or one to four side bets betting on the contents of the Player's own hand. [0030]
Poker Bet: [0031]
Poker Bet is a bet that allows a Player to place a wager playing against the Banker's hand. The object of Poker Bet is to have a best 5-card hand that outranks the Banker's best 5-card hand. In the Poker Bet game, the Player's best 5-card hand is compared to the Banker's best 5-card hand according to the rankings selected for the Poker Bet game, wherein hands are ranked in descending order as follows: 4 of a Kind, Full House, 3 of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair and Point Count. [0032]

Rank Hand

1. 4 of a Kind

2. Full House

3. 3 of a Kind

4. Two Pair

5. One Pair

6. Point Count (highest 9 points down to lowest 0 point)
Hands of 4 of a Kind, Full House, 3 of a Kind, and Two Pair are ranked and compared as traditional poker hands, wherein Ace is the highest card, following by King, Queen, Jack, Ten, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2. [0033]
A point count hand is a hand that consists of five unmatched cards. The Point Count of a point count hand is determined in the same way the point count of a Baccarat hand is determined: the face value of each of the cards are added together (here, five cards are added together); when the total face value equals ten or more, only the last digit counts as the Point Count of the hand. For example, if the total face value of five [0034] cards 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8 equals 25, then the Point Count of the hand is 5 points. Order of Point Count hands from highest to lowest are 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and 0 point.
A Player's Poker Bet wager can be settled with either one of the following rules, whichever is selected for the Poker Bet game: [0035]
Rules 1: [0036]
If a Player's best 5-card hand ranks lower than the Banker's best 5-card hand, the Player's Poker Bet wager loses. If a Player's best 5-card hand ranks the same as the Banker's, then the two hands tie and this wager neither wins nor loses. If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks higher than the Banker's, this wager wins and is paid Even Money (1 to 1), less a certain percent commission, preferably a 5% commission. [0037]
Rules 2: [0038]
If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks lower than the Banker's best 5-card hand, the Player's Poker Bet wager loses. If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks the same as the Banker's, then the two hands tie and this wager neither wins nor loses. If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks higher than the Banker's, this wager wins and either is paid even money (1 to 1) if the Banker's losing hand is not a predetermined hand that pays the winning wager one half of the wager (1 to 2), or is paid one half of the wager (1 to 2) if the Banker's losing hand is a predetermined hand that pays the winning wager one half of the wager (1 to 2). The predetermined hand can be designed to be a hand of either 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 points [0039]
Rules 3: [0040]
If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks lower than the Banker's best 5-card hand, the Player's Poker Bet wager loses. If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks the same as the Banker's, then the two hands tie and this wager neither wins nor loses. If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks higher than the Banker's, this wager wins and either is paid even money (1 to 1) if the Banker's losing hand is not one of the predetermined hands that pays one half of the winning wager (1 to 2), or is paid one half of the wager (1 to 2) if the Banker's losing hand is one of the predetermined hands that pays one half of the winning wager (1 to 2). The predetermined hands can be hands of 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 points, hands of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 hands, etc. [0041]
Rules 4: [0042]
If a Player's best 5-card hand ranks lower than the Banker's best 5-card hand or if the Player and the Banker have one of the predetermined Player losing copy hand (When a Player and the Banker have a same ranking hand, it is called a copy hand. When a Player and the Banker have a copy hand and that is considered a losing hand to the Player, it is called a Player losing copy hand.), then the Player's Poker Bet wager loses. If the Player and the Banker have a copy hand that is not one of the predetermined Player losing copy hands, then the two hands tie and this wager neither wins nor loses. If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks higher than the Banker's, this wager wins and is paid Even Money (1 to 1). [0043]
Four Side Bets: [0044]
Specified One Pair Bet, Two Pair Bet, 3 Of A Kind Bet and Bonus Bet. Side bets are the bets that allow Players bet on the contents of their own unseen hand. The Player's wager wins if the Player's best 5-card hand is one of the predetermined winning hands of the type of bet he or she bets on, regardless of what the Banker's hand is or the outcome of the Poker Bet wager; and the Player's wager loses if the Player's best 5-card hand is not one of the predetermined winning hands. [0045]
Specified Pair Bet: [0046]
A specified pair can be any chosen pair; if the specified pair is a pair of Fours, then the name of this bet can be called as Pair Of Fours Bet; if the specified pair is a pair of Jacks, then the name of this bet can be called as Pair Of Jacks Bet. A Player's Specified Pair Bet wager wins if the Player's best 5-card hand is the specified pair, any pair that ranks higher than the specified pair, Two Pair, 3 of a Kind, Full House or 4 of a Kind; and this wager loses if the Player's best 5-card hand is not one of the above winning hands. Specified Pair Bet pays Even Money (1 to 1) on any one of the above winning hands. Alternatively, any other appropriate payout odds can be used. [0047]
Two Pair Bet: [0048]
A Player's Two Pair Bet wins if the Player's hand is Two Pair, 3 of a Kind, Full House or 4 of a Kind; and this wager loses if the Player's best 5-card hand is not one of the above winning hands. Two Pair Bet pays 8 to 1 for any one of the above winning hands. Alternatively, any other appropriate payout odds can be used. [0049]
3 of a Kind Bet: [0050]
A Player's 3 Of A Kind Bet wager wins if the Player's hand is 3 of a Kind, Full House or 4 of a Kind; and this wager loses if the Player's best 5-card hand is not one of the above winning hands. 3 Of A Kind Bet pays 25 to 1 on any one of the above winning hands. Alternatively, any other appropriate payout odds can be used. [0051]
Bonus Bet: [0052]

After at least one wager is placed, each Player and the Banker are each dealt six cards. In the preferred embodiment, each Player and the Banker each receives his or her own six cards dealt, starting from the Player sitting to the immediate left of the dealer, continuing in a clockwise fashion and ending with the Banker. Cards are preferably dealt to each Player and to the Banker one card at a time for six times if the cards are shuffled by a dealer; the cards are preferably dealt to each Player and to the Banker in a stack of six cards if the cards are shuffled by a shuffling device. In an embodiment, seven hands of six cards are always dealt, regardless of the actual number of players; and some random number generation device such as a random number generator or a dice shaker, is used to assign the dealt hands to players to reduce the likelihood of problems in dealing. In other embodiments, each Player and the Banker, will receive their hand in either one of the following fashions: [0054]
1. they receive their own five cards and one community card; [0055]
2. they receive their own four cards and two community cards; [0056]
3. they receive their own three cards and three community cards; [0057]
4. they receive their own two cards and four community cards; and [0058]
5. they receive their own one card and five community cards. [0059]
Once having delivered the cards to all players, the dealer turns over the Banker's six cards with only the top card exposed. From each Player's own six cards, each Player selects and places his or her best 5-card hand and one discard face down on the appropriate spaces of the table layout. The dealer then reveals the Banker's five remaining cards, selects the Banker's best 5-card hand, discards one other card, settles each Player's side-bet wager(s) first if any, and then each Player's Poker Bet wager if any, against the Banker. After completing the transaction of the Player at the immediate right of the dealer, the dealer moves on and completes the transaction of the next Player, and so on. Upon the completion of all transactions, a new round of play will begin. [0060]

Creating Other Versions of 6 Card Pair Magic

The games of Poker Bet, Specified One Pair Bet, Two Pair Bet, 3 Of A Kind Bet, and Bonus Bet are five subgames of 6 Card Pair Magic. There are many ways to create other versions of 6 Card Pair Magic and they are: [0061]
1. Pair Magic consists of the game of Poker Bet only. [0062]
2. Pair Magic consists of the games of Poker Bet and any one of four side bets. [0063]
3. Pair Magic consists of the games of Poker Bet and any two of four side bets. [0064]
4. Pair Magic consists of the games of Poker Bet and any three of four side bets. [0065]
5. Pair Magic consists of the game of any one of four side bets. [0066]
6. Pair Magic consists of the games of any two of four side bets. [0067]
7. Pair Magic consists of the games of any three of four side bets. [0068]
8. Pair Magic consists of the games of all four side bets. [0069]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method of playing a card game among a plurality of Players and a Banker, each Player wagering against the Banker. The method comprising the following steps:

(a) providing and shuffling at least one standard poker deck of 52 cards;

(b) each Player placing at least one wager of Poker Bet, Specified One Pair Bet, Two Pair Bet, 3 Of A Kind Bet and Bonus Bet;

(c) dealing cards into enough dealt hands of six cards to provide a dealt hand for each Player and for the Banker;

(d) determining which dealt hand is assigned to each Player and which dealt hand is assigned to the Banker;

(e) from their own six-card dealt hand, each Player and the Banker selecting and keeping their own best 5-card hand, and discarding one other card;

(f) determining whether each Player's side-bet wager or wagers win or lose, if any;

(g) settling any side-bet wagers of each Player against the Banker;

(h) comparing each Player's best 5-card hand to the Banker's best 5-card hand according to the rankings selected for the Poker Bet game, wherein hands are ranked in descending order as follows: 4 of a Kind, Full House, 3 of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair and Point Count; wherein Ace is the highest High Card, following by King, Queen, Jack, Ten, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2; wherein 9 points is the highest point count hand, following by 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and 0 point;

(i) determining whether each Player's Poker Bet wager wins, loses or ties, if any;

(j) settling each Player's Poker Bet wager against the Banker.

2. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein the card game uses one standard poker deck of 52 cards.

3. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein the invention sits six Players and one Banker.

4. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein the Players and the Banker each receives his or her own six cards.

5. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein the Players and the Banker each receives his or her six cards in the combination of his or her own card or cards and the community card or cards.

6. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein a Player's Specified One Pair Bet wager wins if the Player's best 5-card hand is the specified pair, any pair that ranks higher than the specified pair, Two Pair, 3 of a Kind, Full House, 4 of a Kind; and this wager loses if the Player's best 5-card hand is not one of the aforesaid winning hands.

7. The method of playing a card game according to claim 6, wherein Specified One Pair Bet pays Even Money, namely 1 to 1, on a hand of the specified pair, any pair that ranks higher than the specified pair, Two Pair, 3 of a Kind, Full House, 4 of a Kind.

8. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein a Player's Two Pair Bet wager wins if the Player's best 5-card poker hand is Two Pair, 3 of a Kind, Full House, 4 of a Kind; this wager loses if the Player's best 5-card hand is not one of the aforesaid winning hands.

9. The method of playing a card game according to claim 8, wherein Two Pair Bet pays 8 to 1 on a hand of Two Pair, 3 of a Kind, Full House, 4 of a Kind.

10. The method of playing a card game according to claim 8, wherein Two Pair Bet pays 4,000 to 1 on a hand of 4 Aces, 300 to 1 on a hand of 4 Twos through 4 Kings, 50 to 1 on a hand of Full House, 7 to 1 on a hand of 3 of a Kind, and 3 to 1 on a hand of Two Pair.

11. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein a Player's 3 of a Kind Bet wager wins if the Player's best 5-card hand is 3 of a Kind, Full House or 4 of a Kind.

12. The method of playing a card game according to claim 11, wherein 3 Of A Kind Or Better Bet pays 25 to 1 on a hand of 3 of a Kind, Full House, 4 of a Kind.

13. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein a Player's Poker Bet wager is settled against the Banker as follows:

If a Player's best 5-card hand ranks lower than the Banker's best 5-card hand, then the Player's Poker Bet wager loses.

If a Player's best 5-card hand ranks the same as the Banker's, then the two hands tie and this wager neither wins nor loses. And

If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks higher than the Banker's, this wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1, less a certain percent commission.

14. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein a Player's Poker Bet wager is settled against the Banker as follows:

If a Player's best 5-card hand ranks lower than the Banker's best 5-card hand, the Player's Poker Bet wager loses.

If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks higher than the Banker's, this wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1, less a 5% commission.

15. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein a Player's Poker Bet wager is settled against the Banker as follows:

If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks lower than the Banker's best 5-card hand, the Player's Poker Bet wager loses.

If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks the same as the Banker's, then the two hands tie and this wager neither wins nor loses. And

If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks higher than the Banker's, this wager wins and either is paid even money, namely 1 to 1, if the Banker's losing hand is not a predetermined hand that pays one half of the winning wager, or is paid one half of the wager, namely 1 to 2, if the Dealer's losing hand is a predetermined hand that pays one half of the winning wager.

16. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein a Player's Poker Bet wager is settled against the Banker as follows:

If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks higher than the Banker's, this wager wins and either is paid even money, namely 1 to 1, if the Player's losing hand is one of the predetermined hands that pays one half of the winning wager, namely 1 to 2, or is paid one half of the wager, namely 1 to 2, if the Dealer's losing hand is one of the predetermined hands that pays one half of the winning wager, namely 1 to 2.

17. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein a Player's Poker Bet wager is settled against the Banker as follows:

If a Player's best 5-card hand ranks lower than the Banker's best 5-card hand or if the Player and the Banker have one of the predetermined Player losing copy hand, then the Player's Poker Bet wager loses.

If the Player and the Banker have a copy hand that is not one of the predetermined Player losing copy hands, this wager is a tie. And

If the Player's best 5-card hand ranks higher than the Banker's best 5-card hand, this wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1.