Method and system of wagering in a house-based card game

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/752,490 filed Dec. 22, 2005, entitled “Method and System of Wagering in a House-based Card Game”, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

FILED OF INVENTION

The invention relates generally to the art of entertainment, and more particularly to the field of gaming.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Many card (and other) games of chance require a ‘house’, which participates in the game. In such games of chance, the house typically has statistically significant higher odds of winning than the players, and thus the house or gaming establishment is able, over the long run, to profit from the game. Blackjack is one such game. However, in order to carry out such a business, the gaming establishment may need to carry a significant cash float in order to provide for players' winnings over the short term, which may be undesired from a business point of view. In particular, the gaming establishment may not be interested in profiting as a direct participant of the gaming per se, but only for example, from providing hosting services such as by hosting such games virtually over the Internet. The invention provides an alternative means of wagering in such games without assuming any wagering-related financial risk.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The invention generally relates to a method that enables users to play and wager in any card (or any other) game that conventionally require a ‘house’ in such a manner that the house or gaming establishment does not risk any funds.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of wagering amongst players in a card game, such as Blackjack, having a dealer or house. The method includes: accepting a quantum of money from each player, thereby establishing a pot; playing the game according to pre-determined game rules, wherein the game includes a house or dealer, each player is enabled to wager at each round in the game, and each player wins or loses his or her wager relative to the house or dealer at each round; keeping track of each player's winnings and losses during game play; and at the end of game play, dividing the pot amongst the players according to pre-determined ratios correlated to the accumulated winnings of each player.

In the event the total value of the winnings possessed by all players is equal to or greater than said pot, then the percentage of the pot is preferably payable to each player in proportion to that player's winnings relative to the winnings of the remaining players.

In the event the players' total winnings is less than the pot, each player receives his winning and the difference between the value of the pot and the total winnings of all winners is divided equally amongst the players.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Qnext™ is peer-to-peer web service that offers a user the ability to create zones of information or game play, wherein access to the zone is controlled or limited to certain individuals of the user's choosing. The operation of such a web service is exemplified in the following patent applications, which are incorporated herein by reference:

• • U.S. Ser. No. 09/976,169, filed Oct. 11, 2001, entitled “Method and System for Peer-to-Peer Image Streaming”;
  • U.S. Ser. No. 10/360,334, filed Feb. 10, 2003, entitled “Peer-to-Peer Service Designer”; and
  • U.S. Ser. No. 10/657,925 filed Sep. 10, 2003, entitled “Development Platform for Peer-to-Peer Applications”.
    Within the peer-to-peer environment, a group of friends may wish to wager in a game of chance such Blackjack, but the web service has no interest in gaming, and thus participating as the ‘house’.

As an element of the web service, a player may create a BlackJack zone to host a ‘real’, pre-arranged, competition among his or her friends within a peer group. The zone comprises control software downloaded on the host peer node computer, which displays a virtual gaming room, including the ‘table’, and the card hands of each participant, including that of a virtual dealer. The gaming room display is communicated to each peer group participant's computer system over the peer-to-peer network.

In the competition mode, the participants would like to know their relative outcomes after a given amount of time has elapsed, or some other event defines the end of the game (such as the bankruptcy of one or more players). In this case, the zone will record the start/finish amounts of chips, and calculate a Payout Ratio to determine the division of anted (gambled) money, as described in greater detail below.

Upon starting a game in competition mode, the zone distributes “money” (chips) to each player. (Players may also have an option to buy more chips if they lose.) The players will test their luck against the virtual dealer constructed by the gaming zone, with no formal or direct competition amongst the players at the table. Players can play in the gaming zone in accordance with the predefined rules thereof, betting in accordance with predefined table limits until they choose to leave, or lose all the money available within the given time-limit (under the assumption that there will be a chip purchasing limit on a per/hour basis, for example).

The manner in which the competition mode operates is exemplified by considering three players X, Y and Z, playing a game of Blackjack. Each player believes that he or she is the best BlackJack player and can make the most amount of money in an hour of play. X, Y, and Z agree before-hand that they will each put $100 in a pot or purse and split it up when accordance with who played the best BlackJack in the zone.

In one embodiment of the competition mode, the zone will function like a poker tournament. Each player puts the same amount of money into the pot, and at the end of the time/hand limit, one player is in 1^st place, one is in 2^nd place, and one is in 3^rd place. Hence, 1^st place will receive 75% of the pot, 2^nd will receive 25%, and 3^rd will get nothing, for example. The zone can determine default payout ratios for tournament mode or allow users to input their own ratios, as long as the total of the payout percentages equals 100%.

In a second embodiment of the competition mode, the zone will function more like a poker “buy-In”. Using the aforementioned scenario with players X, Y and Z, the zone operates as follows to determine the payout ratio:

Assume that each of the three players X, Y, and Z put $100 into the pot to total $300, and wherein one chip=$1.

If at the end of the time/hand limit the total value of the chips possessed by all three players is equal to or greater than $300 (which will arise if the ‘house’ loses money), then the percentage of the pot ($300) is equal to each player's proportion of the total chips in play. For example, if player X, Y, and Z end up with $100, $150, and $200 (for a total of $450) in chips, respectively, then the payout ratio will be as follows:
Player X will receive (100/450=0.2222) 22.22% of $300=$66.66
Player Y will receive (150/450=0.3333) 33.33% of $300=$99.99
Player Z will receive (200/450=0.4444) 44.44% of $300=$133.33

• • (Note that 66.66+99.99+133.33=299.98, the inequality being due to a slight rounding error.)

However, if at the end of play the value of the total chips possessed is less than $300, each player will first receive the dollar value of the chips they possess, and the remainder will be equally divided amongst all three players. For example, if X, Y, and Z have $75, $50, and $25 (for a total of $150) in chips, respectively, then the Payout Ratio will be as follows:
X will receive (75+[(300−150)/3])=$125
Y will receive (50+50)=$100
Z will receive (25+50)=$75
(125+100+75=300)

Other payout calculations under various scenarios are exemplified in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1
3 PLAYERS - $100 EACH

	FINAL CHIPS		PAYOUT	NET

	Player X	100	100	0
	Player Y	100	100	0
	Player Z	100	100	0
	Player X	150	60	−40
	Player Y	200	80	−20
	Player Z	400	160	60
	Player X	0	16.66	−83.33
	Player Y	0	16.66	−83.33
	Player Z	250	266.66	166.66
	Player X	0	75	−25
	Player Y	75	150	50
	Player Z	0	75	−25
	Player X	300	257.14	157.14
	Player Y	0	0	−100
	Player Z	50	42.86	−57.14
	Player X	600	120	20
	Player Y	500	100	0
	Player Z	400	80	−20

In the preferred embodiment, the web service provides the following zone-creation options listed below:

• • 1. What Game? (Blackjack, Spanish 21).
  • 2. How many seats/participants? (1,2,3,4,5,6).
  • 3. Competition Mode? (On/Off). In the event the competition mode flag is set to “on”, dialogue boxes #4, #5 and #6 are activated, and computerized players option #8, #9 are disabled.
  • 4. Tournament or Buy-In? (Check one). Selecting “tournament” will activate the option #5.
  • 5. Tournament Payout Ratios: 1^ST Place:?/2^nd Place:?/3^rd Place:?/
  • 6. Buy-In: (Enter base amount to calculate relative outcomes)
  • 7. Time Limit or Hand Limit? (Time/Hand). The user enters either a time limit or the number of hands to be played.
  • 8. How many computerized players? (1,2,3,4,5)
  • 9. How many reserved seats, and for whom?
  • 10. Minimum/Maximum Bet? (This depends on the buy-ins allowed by the zone . . . general table limits are 5/100:15/200:25/500:50/1000)

The rules of Blackjack that are preferably provided or programmed by the zone, are as follows.

A. Objective:

• • The object of the game is to reach as close to a total of 21 between the dealt cards without going over 21, and while still ending with a better hand than the dealer.
  • All bets are paid out 1:1, except Blackjack (A-10, A-J, A-Q, A-K) which pays 3:2.
  • Before the cards are dealt, each player places a bet in accordance with the table limits; this bet will be paid out 1:1 should the player win a regular hand (without splitting/doubling down), and the whole bet is lost if the player busts or the dealer has a higher total.
  • If a player and the dealer have an equal final hand, it is a ‘push’ and the player keeps his original bet.

B. The Deal:

• • The dealer deals around the table, starting from the seat to the (virtual) left, one card at a time until everyone has two cards.

All players' cards are dealt face up and only one of the dealer's cards is shown face up, at this point.

• • As mentioned above, if a player is dealt a Blackjack in his first two cards, he is immediately paid 3:2, unless the dealer is showing an Ace.

If the dealer is showing an Ace, Insurance is offered.

Insurance is the option to bet up to half of a player's original bet in the hopes of being paid 2:1 if the dealer has a 10 or a face-card under his Ace.

If the player has a Blackjack and the dealer is showing an Ace, the player has the option to take ‘even-money’. If the player takes even money, he will be paid 1:1 instead of 3:2 on his Blackjack. If does not take ‘even-money’, he will be paid 3:2, unless the dealer also has Backjack, in which case the player pushes and wins nothing.

C. The Playing Round:

Now each player, in the same order as the cards are dealt, has a chance to ‘hit’, ‘stay’, ‘split’, or ‘double-down’.

• • A player receives one card per hit until he chooses to stay, or busts over 21.
  • If a player believes that he only needs one more card to beat the dealer he may ‘double-down’; he will double his bet at this point and agree to stay after hitting only one more card.
  • If a player is dealt two of the same cards, he may ‘split’; he must again double his bet—he now gets dealt a second card on each of his original two cards (which have now formed two separate hands) and may proceed two play each hand separately. (Note: The player may double down on his new split hands if he chooses. Also note: If the player splits 8's, for example, the player may hit as many additional cards until he is satisfied or goes bust. If the player splits Aces, he may only receive one additional card after the split.)

The Dealer:

• • The virtual dealer has guidelines regarding how it must play its cards. The virtual dealer has absolutely no choice how to plays its cards, i.e., it must follow pre-defined rules.
  • The dealer must always hit when its total is 16 or less, and must always stand when its total is 17 or greater.
  • The dealer must always consider an Ace to be 11, unless that will make it bust. For example, A-6=17>STAND/A-5=16>HIT>A-5-9=25 or 15? 15!>HIT>A-5-9-3=18 STAND
  • The dealer does not reveal its ‘down-card’, and begins hitting only after all players have completed their round of play.

Those skilled in the art will understand that a variety of modifications may be made to the embodiments exemplified herein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.