EP0753331B1 - Game-playing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Games of skill or chance which provide a player, who has received a wild indicia during one game, with the opportunity to reserve that wild indicia for use in a subsequent game.

Description

• The present invention is directed to games and, moreparticularly, to novel games which provide a player with theopportunity to reserve a "wild" indicia from one play for usein a subsequent play.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• Games utilizing playing cards are popular throughoutthe world. Many people get hours of enjoyment and relaxationfrom playing cards. In certain parts of the world, wageringadds an additional dimension of excitement to the game.Whether in "card room" games where the players play againsteach other or in a traditional "casino" game environment wherean employee of the house acts as a banker, wagering addsexcitement to many forms of card games.
• Players involved in card games with wagering oftenenjoy new games with relatively simple rules that can readily be learned by a beginner or casual player.
• Typical card games involve a dealer providing aplurality of cards to each player. Each player then gathersthe cards and tries to form the best possible hand accordingto some pre-determined hierarchy of hand values. For example,a standard poker hierarchy is, in descending order, RoyalFlush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush,Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card.In some games, players are permitted to discard certain cardsand receive new cards in an effort to form a better hand.
• It is also common to designate one or more cards as"wild" cards which can have any one of a predetermined numberof values at the option of the player(s) receiving such wildcards. In this manner, the designation of wild cards withina deck can significantly increase the chances of a playerattaining a particular hand. In known games which utilizewild cards, players must use the wild card in the hand inwhich the wild card is received. Therefore, if a player hasa card hand of low or no value, the wild card may not besufficient to allow that player to form a winning hand. Forexample, if the payout schedule for a given game starts at apair of jacks, and the player has the following hand: 2, 4, 5,10 of different suits and a wild card, the best poker handthat the player could form with one wild card would be a pair of 10's. This hand would not qualify for a winning payout.
• GB-A-2 062 922 discloses a gaming machine in which drums carrying symbols arespun. A "nudge" feature enables each drum to be indexed forwards or backwards to bringdifferent symbols into line.
• A slot machine having independently movable series of symbols disposed side byside is disclosed in EP-A-0 238 289. Certain combinations of symbols lying side by sideafter play represent a winning combination. A special mark can be used as a replacementfor one or more symbols and its occurrence in a winning line gives rise to a dividendpayout.
• It is therefore desirable to provide a card game which increases the players'excitement and enjoyment, as well as the level of player participation by providing a playerwith an opportunity to maximize the impact of receiving a wild card.
• It is also desirable to provide wagering games other than cards with an exciting, newfeature which comprises a wild indicia and novel methods of using that wild indicia.
• It is also desirable to provide novel games readily adaptable to wagering which arerelatively simple to learn for new players.
• It is also desirable to provide games which provide one or more players withopportunities to modify the player's winning payout by using such a wild indicia, receivedduring one play, with a subsequent play.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• The various embodiments of the present invention are directed to providing aplayer who has received at least one wild indicia during one play, with the opportunity to reserve that wild indicia for use in a subsequent play.The advantages of the present invention are applicable to awide variety of games including "card" games, and otherconventional games of chance or skill including keno, bingo,gaming devices, such as reel slots, dice games and lotto. Asused herein, the term "card game", is intended to includeconventional table/board type games wherein one or morepersons deal actual playing cards to one or more players, aswell as any types of mechanical or electronic devices whichdisplay indicia of playing cards.
• The wild indicia of the present invention may takeany forms desired by the players or the establishmentconducting the game. For example, when playing a card game,the wild indicia will typically comprise a wild card. Whilejokers may be utilized to indicate a wild card, it is alsowithin the scope of the present invention to use one or moreother indicia such as one of the other cards of a deck or nonconventionalindicia to indicate a wild card. Similarly, ingames other than card games any form of wild indicia may beutilized. In all forms of the present invention, a player isprovided with the possibility of utilizing a wild indicia whenit is most advantageous for the player to do so, i.e. when theplayer will maximize a winning payout. When a player receivesa wild indicia, the player can use that wild indiciaimmediately or may reserve the wild indicia for use in a subsequent play. For example, a player may use a wild card ina subsequent hand or may use a wild indicia received duringthe play of one game of bingo in a subsequent game.
• One preferred embodiment of the present inventioncomprises a gaming device having an electronic touch-sensitivescreen which is controlled, at least in part, by a playertouching images on the screen.
• Another embodiment of the present inventioncomprises a gaming device wherein input from a player issupplied to a device through actuation buttons.
• A still further embodiment of the present inventioncomprises a game table designed for use by a dealer and aplurality of players. Along with conventional indicia on thegame table including betting areas for each player, eachplayer area is also provided with a reserve area wherein aplayer may place a wild card if that player decides not to usethe wild card in the hand in which he receives the wild cardand prefers to use the wild card in a later hand.
• Each of the embodiments of the present inventionprovide one or more players with opportunities to maximize thebeneficial effect of a wild indicia.
• Accordingly, there is provided a game playingapparatus as set out in the appended claims.
• These and other embodiments are described in greaterdetail with reference to the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 illustrates a gaming device embodiment of thepresent invention comprising a touch screen.
• FIG. 2 illustrates a touch screen used with theembodiment of FIG. 1.
• FIG. 3 illustrates a gaming device of anotherembodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 4 illustrates a board game embodiment of thepresent invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• The various embodiments of the present inventionincrease the level of player input, increase the likelihood ofa winning payout, provide at least one player with thepossibility to maximize the amount of a winning payout, andincrease the overall level of enjoyment to a game whichutilizes at least one wild indicia. The present inventionachieves these desirable results by providing a player who receives a wild indicia during the play of one game with theoption of reserving that wild indicia for use in a subsequentgame.
• While the various embodiments of the presentinvention are illustrated in conjunction with a game of five-carddraw poker, the advantages of the present invention areequally applicable to a wide variety of other games of skillor chance.
• According to the illustrated embodiments, fiveindicia of playing cards are displayed to a player. Theplayer is provided with the opportunity to discard one or moreof the cards and, if the player has received a wild card, toplace that wild card in a reserve area for use with a laterhand. To the extent that the player has discarded any cardsor moved a wild card from his hand to a reserve area, theplayer is provided with replacement cards. Furthermore, aplayer may be provided with the option of reserving a wildcard even if that player received the wild card as a drawcard, i.e. as a replacement to one of the first indicia ofplaying cards displayed to that player. A winning payout isthen provided to either the player with the highest hand or toany players which have attained a winning hand as determinedby a predetermined payout schedule.
• According to one preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, a first plurality of playing card indicia which aredisplayed to a player are selected from a collection whichdoes not include a wild card. In this manner, the game can becontrolled so that the first plurality of card indiciadisplayed to a player never contains a wild card. The cardsremaining after making the first display can then bereshuffled along with one or more wild cards to form a secondcollection of cards from which additional cards are selected.The first plurality of playing card indicia may comprise anumber of cards sufficient to form a complete hand or somelower number of cards. For example, the first three cardsdisplayed to a player in a five-card poker hand may beselected from the first collection which does not include anywild cards while all remaining cards may be selected fromcollections to which at least one wild card indicia has beenadded. Similarly, wild card indicia may be placed in a firstcollection of cards from which the player's first card indiciaare selected and then wild card indicia not displayed to oneor more players as of a certain point in a hand may be removedso that no further wild cards are displayed. For example, ina five-card draw poker game, each player's first five cardsmay be selected from a first collection comprising one or morewild cards while draw cards may be selected from a secondcollection from which wild cards have been removed.
• From the present description, those skilled in theart will appreciate that the odds of a player attaining asuccessful hand may be modified by modifying certainparameters of a game including the number of wild cards used,the number of indicia displayed from collections comprisingone or more wild indicia, and the timing of when indicia areselected from collections comprising wild indicia. These andother parameters may be modified without departing from thescope of the present invention.
• Further limitations can be placed upon one or moreof the games of the present invention by limiting the numberof plays for which a player may reserve a wild indicia. Forexample, in a game of bingo, a player may be provided with theopportunity of reserving a wild indicia for ten bingo games.In such instances, if the player does not use the reservedwild indicia within ten games after the wild indicia wasdisplayed, the wild indicia would be forfeited. Similarly, ina card game, a player may be limited to utilizing a wildindicia in a certain number of hands following receipt of thatwild indicia. By so limiting the use of a wild indicia, aplayer's chances of achieving a very high payout can becontrolled. Those skilled in the art will also appreciatethat the chances of displaying a wild indicia to a player canbe controlled by controlling the total number of playingindicia in the collection from which cards are selected, by controlling the number of wild indicia added to thecollection, as well as by keeping the wild indicia out of thecollection until a predetermined number of indicia have beendisplayed.
• FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the presentinvention in the form of agaming device 10 having a pressure-sensitivetouch screen 20, acoin slot 60, abill validator70, a credit card receiver/terminal 75, flashinglight 80,payout schedule 85,coin chute 90 andcoin trough 95. Thisembodiment of the present invention can be activated by aplayer inserting an item of monetary value including coins,paper currency, tokens, or some form of credit indicator, suchas a credit card. Suitable instructions are provided ininstruction window 22 to guide a player through the initialsteps necessary to start the game, as well as throughsubsequent steps. If a player has inserted more than theamount of the minimum wager, the player will be required todesignate the amount of his wager by touching thecorrespondingwager area 24 under the designation "SELECTWAGER". The amount wagered will then be displayed inwagerwindow 26. If the player had inserted an amount greater thanthe amount wagered, the player's remaining credits will appearincredit window 28. Wagers for subsequent hands can then beautomatically drawn from the player's credits in a mannerwhich is now well known in the art.
• After a player has selected an amount for an initialwager, a plurality of indicia ofplaying cards 30 aredisplayed on the screen. Following instructions and promptsprovided ininstruction window 22, the player may opt to holdone or more of the cards by simply touching the image of thecard onscreen 20. An actuator may also be provided for thisand other player input on a button panel. If the playerreceives a wild card, the player may also opt to reserve thewild card for use in a subsequent hand by touching the"RESERVE WILD CARD"area 32. When a player reserves a wildcard, the player is preferably provided with an image of thewild card inreserve area 34. In this and other embodimentsof the present invention, a player may or may not be permittedto utilize a wild indicia in the same hand or game in whichthe player designated that the wild indicia be reserved. Suchrules are preferably set by the house or other rulemaker priorto play. Furthermore, as stated above, a player may receivea wild indicia either in an initial display or in a subsequentdisplay, such as cards drawn after a discard.
• If the player has discarded any cards and/orreserved a wild card, replacement cards are provided to theplayer's hand and displayed indisplay area 30. If theresulting display comprises one of a predetermined pluralityof winning card hands, the player is provided with a winningpayout. Particularly high winning payouts may be accompanied by discernable signals such as a flashinglight 80 and audiblesirens from a speaker (not shown) . The amount that the playerhas won is then preferably added to the amount shown in the"CREDITS"window 28.
• As an example, the hand shown incard display area30 of FIG. 2 indicates a hand in which a player would want toutilize a wild card previously held inRESERVE area 34. Thosefamiliar with poker will appreciate that by replacing the 3 ofdiamonds with the wild card, the player will have attained aRoyal Flush and, typically, a large payout.
• Since the present invention can be played with awide variety of games, the winning payouts for a winning handcan vary widely. As an example, with the five-card draw pokergame described above, the payout schedule could be as follows:

  SAMPLE TABLE PAYOUT SCHEDULE
  Royal Flush	800 for 1
  Straight Flush	50 for 1
  Four Of A Kind	25 for 1
  Full House	8 for 1
  Flush	5 for 1
  Straight	4 for 1
  Three Of AKind	3 for 1
  TwoPair	2 for 1
  Pair of Jacks or better	1 for 1

• An alternative embodiment of the present inventionis illustrated in FIG. 3 in the form of a gaming device. Thisembodiment of the present invention differs from theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 in that decisions areinput to the machine by the player depressing one or morebuttons on abutton panel 125.Button panel 125 comprises a"DEAL/DRAW"button 126, "BET ONE"button 128, a "BET MAX"button 127, a plurality of "HOLD"buttons 132, a "RESERVE WILDCARD"button 133, a "CASH/CREDIT"button 136, achange button137 and a "COLLECT WINNINGS"button 138. According to thisembodiment of the present invention, after a player has inputmonetary value intocoin slot 160 orbill validator 170, hecan select the amount that he wants to wager on the presenthand by depressing "BET ONE"button 128 the number of timesneeded to properly show his wager in the wager window onscreen 120 orBET MAX button 127. The remaining portion ofthe player's credits will be indicated incredit window 129.The player then depresses "DEAL/DRAW"button 126 in order toreceive a first plurality of cards. The player may thenselect which cards to hold by depressing corresponding "HOLD"buttons 132 which are most preferably aligned with the indiciaofplaying cards 130 appearing on screen 120. If the playerhas received a wild card that he wishes to reserve for use in a subsequent hand, the player then depresses "RESERVE"button133 which will move the wild card up into wild card reservearea 134 on screen 120.
• When the player has made his selection regardingwhich cards to hold and/or reserve, he must then again press"DEAL/DRAW"button 126 in order to receive replacement cards.According to this illustrated embodiment, after the player hasreceived any necessary replacement cards thegaming device 100automatically evaluates whether the player has received awinning hand and, if he has, provides a winning payoutaccording topayout schedule 185 and increases the player'scredits shown incredit window 129 accordingly. When a playerhas finished playing and wishes to withdraw any credits shownincredit window 129, the player can simply depress "COLLECTWINNINGS"button 138 in order to receive his money and/orcredits. As illustrated,button panel 125 is also providedwith "CHANGE"button 137 which will alert a casino attendantthat a player requires change.
• Another embodiment of the present invention isillustrated in FIG. 4 wherein a gaming table 200 is providedwith a playingsurface 210,chip rack 220,card shoe 230 anddiscardtray 240. A plurality of player stations are locatedaround the playing surface. According to this embodiment ofthe present invention, each playing area comprises awager area 250, acard area 260 and a wildcard reserve area 270.According to this embodiment of the present invention, when aplayer wishes to reserve a wild card for subsequent use, thereserved wild card is placed in a "wild card reserve area"270.
• While the present embodiments have been described asproviding a player with an option of reserving a wild cardwhen that player receives such a wild card during the initialdeal, the various embodiments of the present invention canalso provide a player with the option of reserving a wild cardfor use in a subsequent hand even if that player receives oneor more wild cards as replacement cards for those which he hadoriginally discarded or reserved. Furthermore, a player maybe provided with the option of retrieving a wild indicia froma wild indicia reserve area for use in the same game that thewild indicia was received, either between or after the playerhas received or seen additional playing indicia.
• As a further enhancement to the excitement providedby the games of the present invention, it is also within thescope of the present invention to provide a higher or lowerpayout when the player uses a wild indicia.
• The present invention is readily adapted for usewith a wide variety of wagering games of chance or skill including blackjack, other forms of poker, keno, bingo, lotto,as well as with video slots and/or a reel slot. For example,other card games such as blackjack may be similarly playedwherein one or more wild card indicia are displayed to playerseither in a physical form, such as in a table version, or asan image on a screen in a video version.
• Those skilled in the art will appreciate that thepresent invention can be modified for use in other games withor without additional restrictions. For example, in a bingogame, a wild indicia received during one game may be utilizedin subsequent games to cover whatever spot that a playerchooses. In a lotto game, a player might utilize a wildindicia for use as any number in a subsequent play. Stillfurther embodiments may comprise placing a wild indicia on oneor more faces of a die for use in a dice game. Therefore, itis within the scope of the present invention to utilize thetraveling wild indicia of the present invention in games ofcraps. In a keno game, a keno game could be limited to permita player to use a reserved wild indicia in subsequent playsonly if the player was using an identical wager in anidentically played game. The use of the wild indicia may berestricted to a predetermined number of hands following thereceipt of the wild indicia by the player. These and otherrestrictions may or may not be imposed on other wagering gamesof chance or skill.
• According to further embodiments of the presentinvention, a wild indicia may have limitations. For example,the wild indicia may be completely wild in that it can be usedas a substitute to any indicia in the game. Alternatively,the wild indicia may be restricted so that it can only beplayed as certain other symbols.
• Furthermore, according to a further embodiment ofthe present invention, the mere receipt of a wild indicia canprovide a player with one or more winning advantages. Forexample, a wild indicia may act as a multiplier in order tomodify the payout schedule. Alternatively, the receipt of awild indicia may provide or qualify the player for a superjackpot. Still furthermore, a player may be provided with anopportunity to increase the amount of a payout by somepercentage e.g. 25% or even by a multiplier of two or three.Still furthermore, the wild indicia could also provideopportunities for a player to qualify for other opportunities.For example, in a card game if a wild card was utilized toform a royal flush, that winning player could be entered intoa super-jackpot prize drawing. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that these embodiments may be achieved withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (17)

1. Game-playing apparatus (10) comprising means for displaying at least one indicia(30) of playing indicia to at least one player which indicia is randomly selected from a firstcollection of playing indicia;
      characterised in that it includes means for designating at least one indicia as atravelling wild indicia (34); and
      means (32) for providing said at least one player during the play of said game withthe option of reserving said travelling wild indicia for use in a subsequent game if said atleast one player has been displayed a travelling wild indicia.
2. Game-playing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of playing indicia(30) are displayed to said player.
3. Game-playing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said game is selected from thegroup consisting of poker, blackjack, keno, reel slots, video slots, dice, bingo and lotto.
4. Game-playing apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said at least one player isprovided with the option of only using a reserved travelling wild indicia in one of a predetermined number of subsequent games.
5. Game-playing apparatus according to claim1 wherein said at least one player is provided with the optionof only using a reserved travelling wild indicia in one of apredetermined number of subsequent games.
6. Game-playing apparatus according to claim1 wherein said game is a card game.
7. Game-playing apparatus according to claim6 wherein said at least one player receives a replacement cardif said at least one player reserved said travelling wild cardfor subsequent use.
8. Game-playing apparatus according to claim 7further comprising means for requiring said player todecide whether the player will use the travelling wild indiciain a given hand before receiving replacement cards in thathand.
9. Game-playing apparatus according to claim1 wherein said first collection comprises at least one wildindicia.
10. Game-playing apparatus according to claim1 wherein said first collection does not contain a wildindicia.
11. Game-playing apparatus according to claim1 further comprising at least one subsequent collection andwherein said subsequent collection comprises at least oneindicia.
12. Game-playing apparatus according to claim1 wherein said playing indicia are selected utilizing at leastsome input from said player.
13. Game-playing apparatus according to claim12 wherein said player input comprises rolling at least onedie.
14. Game-playing apparatus according to claim12 wherein said player input comprises said player selectingat least one indicia before said player is informed of winningindicia.
15. Game-playing apparatus according to claim1 wherein said at least one player receives a replacementindicia if said at least one player reserved said travellingwild indicia for subsequent use.
16. Game-playing apparatus according to claim 14 further comprising means forrequiring said player to decide whether the player will use the travelling wild indicia in agiven hand before receiving replacement indicia.
17. Game-playing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising means (24) forproviding at least one player with the opportunity to place at least one wager.

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