Two-to-one blackjack variation card game and method therefore

Abstract

A Blackjack variation card game including one or more conventional decks of cards, each having a plurality of individual playing cards. Each of the individual playing cards has a back, a face, a face suit and an associated face value. The card game a set of rules for playing the card game. The rules include removing all cards having a face value of ten from the one or more conventional decks of cards; each player placing a wager in order to play the game; dealing one card to each player face-up and one card to a dealer face-up; dealing another card to each player face-up and another card to the dealer face-down; and paying each player having blackjack two times the respective player's wager, if the dealer does not have blackjack. Blackjack is a condition when two cards add up to twenty-one.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a card game and method of playing a card game, and more particularly, to a two-to-one blackjack variation card game and a method of playing such a two-to-one blackjack variation card game.

Card games such as Blackjack are generally well known in the art. In conventional Blackjack, the object is to draw cards that total twenty-one or come closer to twenty-one than a dealer without going over twenty-one. All numbered cards are counted as their respective face value (i.e., 2-10). The Jack, Queen and King are counted as ten. An Ace counts as a one or eleven unless an eleven would result in the possessor of the Ace having a score in excess of twenty-one, in which case, the Ace counts as one (“hard”). The dealer deals from a shoe containing from four to eight conventional decks of cards each having fifty-two cards. The table is shaped like a semi-circle and typically seats from five to seven players. Closest to the dealer is a chip rack, where all of the chips are stored; there is an area where the dealer places his cards; and, in a semi-circle, the players have respective areas to lay down their bets or wagers. Closest to the individual players, is a box where the dealer deals each player's cards. In a normal round, the dealer deals all of the players and the dealer two cards each. The players' cards are both face-up, but the dealer has one card up and the other face down (i.e., the “hole card”). Each player is given the opportunity to “hit” (draw one or more cards) or to “stand” (draw no more cards) until the player reaches twenty-one or comes as close to twenty-one as they can. If the player requests a hit and the total of their cards goes over twenty-one, they “break” or “bust” and automatically lose the hand. Each player is playing against the dealer's hand alone, meaning that each player's hand has no bearing on determining the win, lose or draw status of another player's hand.

After all of the players have taken their turn at hitting or standing, the dealer turns over the hole card and acts on the dealer's hand by dealing or standing to the dealer, strictly in accordance with the rules of the game. The dealer must draw for total values up to sixteen and must stand when seventeen or more is reached. The dealer does not get to choose, but must act according to the rules.

If a player's first two cards are an Ace and any ten value card, the dealer announces the hand as Blackjack. The player will be paid at this time if the dealer does not have an Ace or a ten value card as a face-up card. However, if the dealer's face-up card is an Ace or a ten value card, the player will not be paid until the dealer's hole card is turned over. If the dealer's hand is blackjack, it is a “standoff.” In the event the player has blackjack, i.e., two (2) card twenty-one, and the Dealer draws to twenty-one, the player's blackjack is the winning hand and will be paid at odds of three-to-two. In the event the player draws to twenty-one with more than two (2) cards, the dealer's blackjack is the winning hand. In conventional Blackjack, blackjack pays out three-to-two, any other hand that beats the dealer's hand without going over twenty-one pays out one-to-one, and the dealer collects all bets that go over twenty-one or when the dealer's hand is a winning hand.

One variation of a Blackjack card game is called Multiple Action Blackjack® (a registered Trademark of Four Queens, Inc., Las Vegas, Nev.). Multiple Action Blackjack allows players to play up to three rounds of Blackjack with a single hand against the dealer's first card. The dealer's first card is used for all three rounds of play. Each round is the same as one complete hand in regular, conventional Blackjack. The game begins with players placing their wagers in at least two of the three betting spots in front of each player's position. Each player is dealt one card face-up and the dealer receives one card face-up in the first of three squares in front of the chip rack which is in front of the dealer's position. A second card is dealt to each player. At this time, the dealer does not receive a second card. The players now make their decision on how they will play their hand. Insurance may be offered if the dealer's card is an Ace. Players may double or split if they choose. The player's first hand and the dealer's first card will be used through all three rounds of play. After all the players have made their decisions and placed any additional wagers, they may draw additional cards or stand. After all the players have completed their hands, the dealer completes his hand by drawing one or more cards. The dealer then pays, takes or pushes all first round wagers. The dealer now picks up and discards only his hit card or cards, keeping his original card on the layout. The dealer then moves the dealer's original card to the second square in front of the chip rack and completes the dealer's hand again. All second round wagers are paid, picked up or pushed. As in the first round, the dealer picks up only the dealer's hit card or cards and leaves the original card on the layout. The dealer then moves the original card to the third square in front of the chip rack. In this final round, the dealer again completes this hand and pays, picks up or pushes all the third round wagers. All of the player's and dealer's cards are then picked up and a new hand is dealt.

Another variation of a Blackjack card game is called Spanish 21 which is another variation of the Blackjack game with various options. Spanish 21 is played with “Spanish Decks.” A Spanish Deck consists of forty-eight (48) cards including two through nine and Jack, Queen, King and Ace. All the number ten “10” cards and Jokers are removed. The game is played like conventional Blackjack with the following exceptions: a player's Blackjack always beats a dealer blackjack; a player's total of twenty-one always beats a dealer total of twenty-one except when the player has twenty-one in more than two cards and the dealer has blackjack, in which case the player will lose; players can “double down” once on two or more cards, including after splitting; players can split cards of equal value including Aces up to three times thereby creating four hands; “hitting” and “doubling down” of split hands, including Aces, is permitted; “double down rescue-after doubling”, where players may choose to “rescue” (i.e., take back) the doubled portion of their wager and forfeit the original wager except when they are over twenty-one, is permitted; and a player may Surrender one-half of their wager on the first two cards and drop from the hand. If the dealer's face-up card is a Jack, Queen, King or Ace, the dealer must check for blackjack, and if there is no blackjack, player may surrender; but, players cannot surrender when the dealer's hand is blackjack.

Other new variations of Blackjack card games which are more fast paced, pay out at a better ratio or at different odds and/or require the player to strategize are always sought after. Such Blackjack variation card games can be provided by making rule changes. It is possible to determine how the odds change for the player or against the player, and conversely, against the house or for the house, respectively, by making changes to the rules. For example, by changing the number of decks of cards used in the shoe, the difference in disadvantage for the player is about [−0.67%] from one deck to eight decks. Simulation software which plays a large number of “hands” using the modified rule set is typically utilized to determine the revised advantage.

It is desirable to provide a Blackjack variation card game that is more challenging to reach twenty-one. Further, it is desirable to provide a Blackjack variation card game which pays out at a higher ratio, such as two-to-one, for obtaining blackjack (i.e., two cards having a combined face value of twenty-one).

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly stated, the present invention comprises a Blackjack variation card game including one or more conventional decks of cards, each having a plurality of individual playing cards. Each of the individual playing cards has a back, a face, a face suit including one of Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades, and an associated face value including one of two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace. The card game has a set of rules for playing the card game. The rules include removing all cards having a face value of ten from the one or more conventional decks of cards; each player placing a wager in order to play the game; dealing one card to each player face-up and one card to a dealer face-up; dealing another card to each player face-up; and paying each player having blackjack two times the respective player's wager, if the dealer does not have blackjack. Blackjack is a condition when two cards add up to twenty-one.

The present invention further comprises a Blackjack variation card game including one or more conventional decks of cards, each having a plurality of individual playing cards as set forth above. The Blackjack variation card game has a set of rules for playing the card game. The rules include removing all cards having a face value of ten from the one or more conventional decks of cards; each player placing a first wager and a second wager, separately; dealing one card to each player face-up and one card to a dealer face-up; dealing another card to each player face-up; paying each player having blackjack two times the respective player's first wager when the dealer's face-up card is not an Ace, Jack, Queen or King, blackjack being a condition when two cards add up to twenty-one; each player drawing additional cards or standing based on the individual player's discretion or until a total of the face value of the player's cards exceeds twenty-one; after each of the player is done hitting cards, the dealer drawing additional cards until a total of the face value of the dealer's cards is equal to or greater than seventeen or until the total of the face value of the dealer's cards exceeds twenty-one; the dealer collecting the first wager of each player having a total face value of cards less than the dealer's total face value of cards or having a total face value of cards in excess of twenty-one; and the dealer paying out one times the first wager of each player having a total face value of cards greater than the dealer's total face value and less than or equal to twenty-one but not having blackjack.

In yet another aspect, the present invention is a method of playing a Blackjack variation card game in accordance with a set of rules. The card game includes one or more conventional decks of cards, each having a plurality of individual playing cards. Each of the individual playing cards has a back, a face, an associated face suit including one of Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades and an associated face value including one of Ace, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, Jack, Queen and King. The method includes removing all cards having a face value of ten from the one or more conventional decks of cards; each player placing a wager; dealing one card to each player face-up and one card to a dealer face-up; dealing another card to each player face-up; and paying each player having blackjack two times the respective player's wager if the dealer does not have blackjack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings an embodiment which is presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a playing area for a Blackjack variation card game in accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows playing cards for a conventional deck of cards;

FIG. 3 shows playing cards for a Blackjack variation card game in accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 4-7 show various cards that have been dealt on the playing area of FIG. 1 during play of a Blackjack variation card game in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 8-12 show various cards that have been dealt on the playing area of FIG. 1 during play of a Blackjack variation card game in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and should not be construed as limiting. The word “a” as used in the claims and in the corresponding portions of the Specification, means “one or more than one.” In the drawings, the same reference numerals are employed for designating the same elements throughout the figures.

Referring to the drawing in detail, FIG. 1 shows a playing area 104, FIG. 2 shows a conventional deck 102 of playing cards 103 and FIG. 3 shows the deck 102 of playing cards 103 configured for a Blackjack variation card game 100, 200 in accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 4-7 depict the Blackjack variation card game 100 playable in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. The Blackjack variation card game 100 includes one or more conventional decks of cards 102, each having a plurality of individual playing cards 103. FIG. 2 shows that each of the individual playing cards 103 has a back, a face, a face suit including one of Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades, and an associated face value including one of two “2”, three “3”, four “4”, five “5”, six “6”, seven “7”, eight “8”, nine “9”, ten “10”, Jack “J”, Queen “Q”, and King “K” and Ace “A”. The card game 100 further includes a shoe 116 configured to accept cards 103 of the deck or decks 102 for dealing during play. The shoe 116 is disposed proximate to or within the playing area 104 (FIG. 1), nearest the dealer position.

The Blackjack variation card game 100 further includes a set of rules for the card game 100. The rules include removing all cards 103 having a face value of ten “10” from the one or more conventional decks 102 of cards 103 (FIG. 3); each player placing a bet or wager in order to play the game (FIG. 4); dealing one card 103 to each player face-up and one card 103 to a dealer face-up (FIG. 4); dealing another card 103 to each player face-up (FIG. 5); and paying each player having blackjack two times the respective player's wager (i.e., pays two-to-one for blackjack). Blackjack is a condition when the face value of a hand with only two cards add up to twenty-one and if the dealer does not have blackjack. However, if the dealer's face-up card is an Ace “A” or a Jack “J”, Queen “Q” or King “K” (i.e., one of the remaining ten value cards 103), the player will not be paid until the dealer's hole card is turned over. If the dealer's hand is blackjack, it is a “standoff,” a standoff being a condition where the player does not win or lose the wager. The player will be paid at this time if the dealer does not have an Ace or a ten value card as a face-up card. In the event the player has blackjack, i.e., two (2) card twenty-one, and the dealer draws to twenty-one, the blackjack is the winning hand and will be paid at odds of two-to-one. In the event the player draws to twenty-one with more than two (2) cards, the dealer's blackjack is the winning hand. Alternatively, a player may be paid two-to-one for Blackjack regardless of the dealer's cards 103.

The rules further include each player drawing additional cards 103 or standing based on the individual player's discretion or until a total of the face value of the player's cards 103 exceeds twenty-one; the dealer drawing additional cards 103 until a total of the face value of the dealer's cards 103 is equal to or greater than seventeen or until the total of the face value of the dealer's cards 103 exceeds twenty-one; the dealer collecting the wager of each player having a total face value of cards 103 less than the dealer's total face value of cards 103 or having a total face value of cards 103 in excess of twenty-one; and the dealer paying out one times the wager of a player having a total face value of cards 103 greater than the dealer's total face value and less than or equal to twenty-one but not having blackjack.

The rules may optionally include requiring the dealer to take another card 103 when the dealer has a combination of cards 103 forming a “soft seventeen.” Soft seventeen is a condition when an Ace counts as an eleven instead of a one. Conversely, the rules may optionally include requiring the dealer to stand when the dealer has a combination of cards 103 forming a soft seventeen.

Preferably, the deck 102 of cards 103 is a conventional deck 102 of cards 103 comprising fifty-two (52) cards 103 with the point tens (i.e., ten on the face) removed therefrom, leaving forty-eight (48) cards. However, the deck 102 of cards 103 may include any number of cards 103 without departing from the present invention.

Preferably, the cards 103 have conventional face values including two “2”, three “3”, four “4”, five “5”, six “6”, seven “7”, eight “8”, nine “9”, ten “10”, Jack “J”, Queen “Q”, and King “K” and Ace “A” and the cards 103 also have a suit including hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades, as shown in FIGS. 2-12. However, the cards 103 may include other suits or face values using other numbering systems.

The Blackjack variation card game 100 may include other commonly known Blackjack concepts such as “doubling down,” “splitting,” “insurance” and “surrender.”

“Doubling down” may occur after drawing two cards such that the player may decide to “double” the bet, if the player thinks that the hand is going to win, such as when drawing eleven the odds of hitting a face card 103 are fairly high and may therefore warrant a doubling of the wager. Insurance is offered when the dealer starts with an Ace “A”.

“Splitting” is when the player is dealt a pair, such as two (2) Aces “A”, and the player then decides to “split” the pairs and have two (2) hands instead of one. In this situation, the player must double the wager amount. The player must complete play on their first hand before playing their second hand. However, the player may double down on each hand. If the split pairs are Aces “A”, the play will receive only one card 103 on each hand. Pairs, i.e., cards 103 with the same numerical value, may only be split once.

“Insurance” can be “purchased” for a total cost of half of the player's total wager. If the dealer hits a blackjack, the net effect is that the player does not lose any money because the insurance pays out two-to-one even though the player loses the original wager. However, if the dealer does not hit a blackjack, the player loses their original wager plus the insurance when they lose the hand or the player loses the insurance and gets paid out when they win the hand.

“Surrendering” is analogous to folding in poker. If the player is not satisfied with their current hand, they “surrender” and turn in their cards 103. However, the player also loses half of their original wager in the process of surrendering.

By way of example, a round of play of the Blackjack variation card game 100 will be explained with respect to FIGS. 4-8. The dealer removes all the cards 103 having a face value of ten from the one or more conventional decks 102 of cards 103 prior to placing them in the shoe 116. Each of the players places a bet or wager in their respective first wager zone 130a, 132a, 134a, 136a, 138a prior to beginning a round of play. The dealer deals cards 103 to each of the players face-up in their respective zones 130, 132, 134, 136, 138 and one card 103 to the dealer face-up. Referring to FIG. 4, the first player receives an Ace of clubs, the second player receives a nine of hearts, the third player receives a King of clubs, the fourth player receives a six of spades, the fifth player receives a five of diamonds and the dealer receives a nine of diamonds. FIG. 5 shows that the dealer has dealt a second card 103 to each of the players face-up and another card 103 to the dealer face-down. The first player receives a Jack of spades, the second player receives a Queen of diamonds, the third player receives a three of hearts, the fourth player receives a seven of clubs, and the fifth player receives an eight of spades. Because the first player had Blackjack and the dealer had a face up card 103 that was not a face card 103 or an Ace, the first player was paid two-to-one immediately. FIG. 6 shows that the first and second players have chosen to stand (i.e., take no more cards 103). The third player takes a third card 103, the five of spades. The fourth player has also taken a third card 103, the eight of hearts. The fifth player has taken two additional cards 103, the two of diamonds and six of clubs, respectively. FIG. 7 shows that the dealer has turned over the hole card 103 revealing the Ace of spades having a total face value of twenty so the dealer must stand because the dealer has a total face value greater than seventeen. The first player has blackjack, and therefore, already won over the dealer's hand. The second player only has a total face value of nineteen, and therefore, loses to the house. Similarly, the third player only has eighteen and also loses to the house. The fourth player busted (i.e., went over twenty-one), and therefore, the dealer took the fourth player's cards and the fourth player's wager (this would actually happen before proceeding to deal to the fifth player). The fifth player has a total of face value of twenty-one, and therefore, the fifth player also wins against the dealer's total value of twenty. After the dealer pays out or collects all wagers, the dealer collects all the cards and drops them into a dealer drop slot 122. Players can then let their wager ride, remove their winnings and stand out of the game, or place another different wager.

FIGS. 8-12 show a Blackjack variation card game 200 in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. The Blackjack variation card game 200 also includes one or more conventional decks 102 of cards 103, each having a plurality of individual playing cards 103, as described above with respect to the first preferred embodiment. The alternate Blackjack variation card game 200 has a set of rules for playing the card game 200 that are a variation on Multiple Action Blackjack.

The rules include removing all cards 103 having a face value of ten “10” from the one or more conventional decks 102 of cards 103; each player placing a first wager and a second wager, separately; dealing one card 103 to each player face-up and one card 103 to a dealer face-up; dealing another card 103 to each player face-up; paying each player having blackjack two times the respective player's first wager when the dealer's face-up card 103 is not an Ace “A”, Jack “J”, Queen “Q” or King “K”, blackjack being a condition when two cards 103 add up to twenty-one. Alternatively, a player may be paid two-to-one for blackjack regardless of the dealer's cards.

The rules further include each player drawing additional cards 103 or standing based on the individual player's discretion or until a total of the face value of the player's cards 103 exceeds twenty-one; after each of the players is done drawing additional cards 103, the dealer drawing additional cards 103 until a total of the face value of the dealer's cards 103 is equal to or greater than seventeen or until the total of the face value of the dealer's cards 103 exceeds twenty-one; the dealer collecting the first wager of each player having a total face value of cards 103 less than the dealer's total face value of cards 103 or having a total face value of cards 103 in excess of twenty-one; and the dealer paying out one times the first wager of each player having a total face value of cards 103 greater than the dealer's total face value and less than or equal to twenty-one but not having blackjack.

The rules further include discarding all of the player's cards 103 and all of the dealer's cards 103 except the first card 103 dealt to the dealer; dealing one card 103 to each player face-up; dealing another card 103 to each player face-up; paying each player having blackjack two times the respective player's second wager when the dealer's face-up card is not an Ace, Jack, Queen or King; each player drawing additional cards 103 or standing based on the individual player's discretion or until a total of the face value of the player's cards 103 exceeds twenty-one; the dealer drawing additional cards 103 until a total of the face value of the dealer's cards 103 is equal to or greater than seventeen or until the total of the face value of the dealer's cards 103 exceeds twenty-one; the dealer collecting the second wager of each player having a total face value of cards 103 less than the dealer's total face value of cards 103 or having a total face value of cards 103 in excess of twenty-one; and the dealer paying out one times the second wager of each player having a total face value of cards 103 greater than the dealer's total face value and less than or equal to twenty-one but not having blackjack. Alternatively, a player may be paid two-to-one for blackjack regardless of the dealer's cards.

By way of example, a round of play of the Blackjack variation card game 200 will be explained with respect to FIGS. 8-12. In the multiple action-type Blackjack variation card game 200, each player places a wager in their two or more respective betting zones 130a-130c, 132a-132c, 134a-134c, 136a-136c and 138a-138c. Prior to the beginning of the game, the dealer removes all cards 103 having a face value of ten “10” from the one or more conventional decks 102 of cards 103 and places the remaining cards 103 in the shoe 116 for dealing. After each player places a wager, the dealer deals one card 103 to each player face-up and one card 103 to the dealer face-up. The dealer next deals another card 103 to each player face-up. FIG. 8 shows that the first player receives an Ace of clubs, the second player receives a nine of hearts, the third player receives a King of clubs, the fourth player receives a six of spades, the fifth player receives a five of diamonds and the dealer receives an Ace of Spades. FIG. 8 also shows that the first player receives a Jack of spades and has chosen to stand, the second player receives a Queen of diamonds and has also chosen to stand, the third player receives a three of hearts and takes a hit to receive a third card 103, a five of spades, the fourth player receives a seven of clubs and chooses to hit and receives a nine of clubs, the fifth player receives an eight of spades and chooses to hit twice receiving the two of diamonds and the six of clubs, and the dealer receives a face up card 103, the nine of diamonds. The fourth player has twenty-two, and therefore has gone over twenty-one to bust so the dealer removes the player's first wager and the player's cards 103 immediately after the fourth player bust. FIG. 9 shows that the dealer has taken another card 103 revealing a nine of diamonds providing a total face value of twenty so the dealer must stand. The dealer then resolves all bets, in this case, the first player has blackjack and the dealer pays the first player two-to-one. The second player has nineteen and loses to the dealer's twenty. The third player has eighteen and loses to the dealer's twenty. The fifth player has twenty-one and beats the dealer twenty so the dealer pays out the fifth player's first wager. The dealer removes all the players' cards 103 and the dealer's face-up cards 103 except for the originally dealer dealt card 103 which was the Ace of spades.

The dealer next deals a face-up card 103 to each of the players for the second wager. The first player receives an eight of diamonds, the second player receives a six of diamonds, the third player receives a nine of clubs, the fourth player receives a seven of diamonds, and the fifth player receives a four of spades. The dealer then deals a second face-up card 103 to each of the players. The first player receives a two of hearts, the second player receives an Ace of hearts, the third player receives a Queen of spades, the fourth player receives a Jack of hearts, the fifth player receives a seven of spades, and the dealer receives an eight of hearts. The first player chooses to hit twice receiving a four of clubs and a five of spades for a total face value of nineteen. The second player chooses to hit once receiving a three of diamonds for a total face value of twenty. The third player chooses to stand for a total face value of nineteen. The fourth player chooses to hit once receiving a five of hearts, and therefore, a total face value of twenty-two. Thus, the fourth player has bust again and the dealer collects the fourth player's cards and second wager. The fifth player chooses to hit once and receives a nine of diamonds for a total face value of twenty. The dealer then takes another card, an eight of hearts, for a total face value of nineteen. The dealer must stand at nineteen. So, the dealer then resolves all of the second wagers. The first player has nineteen and the dealer has nineteen, therefore, the first player loses. The second player has twenty which beats the dealer's nineteen and the dealer pays out the second player's second wager. The third player has nineteen, which is a push, and therefore loses the second wager to the dealer. The fourth player has already lost. The fifth player has twenty which beats the dealer's nineteen and the dealer pays out the fifth player's second wager. The dealer then collects all face up cards 103 and the dealer's face-up card 103 except for the dealer's originally dealt card 103, the Ace of spades.

FIG. 11 shows that the dealer deals a third round of face-up cards 103 for the third wager. The first player receives a King of diamonds, the second player receives a two of clubs, the third player receives a Queen of hearts, the fourth player receives an eight of clubs, and the fifth player receives a nine of diamonds. The dealer then deals a second face up card 103 to each of the players. The first player receives a nine of spades, the second player receives an eight of hearts, the third player receives an Ace of hearts (blackjack), the fourth player receives a five of hearts, the fifth player receives an Ace of clubs, and the dealer receives a two of hearts. The third player has blackjack but since the dealer has an Ace, the dealer does not pay the third player immediately. The first player has chosen to stand for a total face value of nineteen. The second player has chosen to hit receiving a Jack of diamonds for a total face value of twenty. The fourth player chooses to hit once receiving a King of spades for a total face value of twenty-three, which is again a bust, so the dealer collects the fourth player's third wager and cards. The fifth player chooses to stand for a total face value of twenty. The dealer takes another card 103, a two of hearts which is a total face value that is less than seventeen, and therefore, the dealer must hit. The dealer receives a five of clubs for a total face value of eighteen, so therefore, the dealer must stand. The dealer then resolves all of the third wagers. The third player has blackjack and the dealer does not, so the dealer pays out two-to-one to the third player. The first player has nineteen, which beats the dealer's eighteen, so the dealer pays out the first player's third wager. The second player has twenty which beats the dealer's eighteen so the dealer pays out the second player's third wager. The third player has already been paid two-to-one. The fourth player has already lost. The fifth player has twenty which also beats the dealer's eighteen and the dealer therefore pays out the fifth player's third wager.

In an alternate embodiment, the dealer must hit on a soft-seventeen, i.e. when an Ace counts as an eleven.

Paying out two-to-one on blackjack gives the player approximately a [+2.3%] advantage. But, taking all four (4) tens out of each deck 102 in the shoe 116 shifts the advantage [+2.0%] for the house (i.e., [−2.0%] for the player). So, changing multiple rules may be alluring because the players recognize the advantage in one rule change, such as paying two-to-one on blackjack, but the net effect of the multiple rule changes may actually yield little change in advantage for or against the player and may alternatively yield a positive net advantage for the house.

From the foregoing, it can been seen that the present inventions comprises a Blackjack variation card game and method therefore including a set of rules including removing cards having a face value of ten and paying out two-to-one for blackjack. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A Blackjack variation card game comprising:

(a) one or more conventional decks of cards, each having a plurality of individual playing cards, each of the individual playing cards having a back, a face, a face suit including one of Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades, and an associated face value including one of two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace; and

(b) a set of rules for the card game, the rules including: (i) removing all cards having a face value of ten from the one or more conventional decks of cards; (ii) each player placing a wager in order to play the game; (iii) dealing one card to each player face-up and one card to a dealer face-up; (iv) dealing another card to each player face-up and one card to the dealer face-down; and (v) paying each player having blackjack two times the respective player's wager, if the dealer does not have blackjack, blackjack being a condition when two cards add up to twenty-one.

2. The card game of claim 1, wherein the rules further comprise:

(vi) permitting each player to surrender after receiving only two cards in exchange for a portion of the respective player's wager.

3. The card game of claim 2, wherein the portion is one-half of the respective player's wager.

4. The card game of claim 1, wherein the rules further comprise:

(vi) requiring the dealer to take another card when the dealer has a combination of cards forming a soft seventeen, soft seventeen being a condition when an Ace counts as an eleven instead of a one.

5. The card game of claim 1, wherein the rules further comprise:

(vi) requiring the dealer to stand when the dealer has a combination of cards forming a soft seventeen, soft seventeen being a condition when an Ace counts as an eleven instead of a one.

6. The card game of claim 1, wherein the rules further comprise:

(vi) each player drawing additional cards or standing based on the individual player's discretion or until a total of the face value of the player's cards exceeds twenty-one;

(vii) the dealer turning over the face-down card and then drawing additional cards until a total of the face value of the dealer's cards is equal to or greater than seventeen or until the total of the face value of the dealer's cards exceeds twenty-one;

(viii) the dealer collecting the wager of each player having a total face value of cards less than the dealer's total face value of cards or having a total face value of cards in excess of twenty-one; and

(ix) the dealer paying out one times the wager of a player having a total face value of cards greater than the dealer's total face value and less than or equal to twenty-one but not having blackjack.

7. The card game of claim 1, wherein the one or more conventional decks of cards include a plurality of conventional decks of cards.

8. A Blackjack variation card game comprising:

(a) one or more conventional decks of cards, each having a plurality of individual playing cards, each of the individual playing cards having a back, a face, a face suit including one of Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades, and an associated face value including one of two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace; and

(b) a set of rules for the card game, the rules including: (i) removing all cards having a face value of ten from the one or more conventional decks of cards; (ii) each player placing a first wager and a second wager, separately; (iii) dealing one card to each player face-up and one card to a dealer face-up; (iv) dealing another card to each player face-up; and (v) paying each player having blackjack two times the respective player's first wager when the dealer's face-up card is not an Ace, Jack, Queen or King, blackjack being a condition when two cards add up to twenty-one; (vi) each player drawing additional cards or standing based on the individual player's discretion or until a total of the face value of the player's cards exceeds twenty-one; (vii) after each of the players is done drawing additional cards, the dealer drawing additional cards until a total of the face value of the dealer's cards is equal to or greater than seventeen or until the total of the face value of the dealer's cards exceeds twenty-one; (viii) the dealer collecting the first wager of each player having a total face value of cards less than the dealer's total face value of cards or having a total face value of cards in excess of twenty-one; and (ix) the dealer paying out one times the first wager of each player having a total face value of cards greater than the dealer's total face value and less than or equal to twenty-one but not having blackjack.

9. The card game of claim 8, wherein the rules further comprise:

(x) discarding all of the player's cards and all of the dealer's cards except the first card dealt to the dealer;

(xi) dealing one card to each player face-up;

(xii) dealing another card to each player face-up; and

(xiii) paying each player having blackjack two times the respective player's second wager when the dealer's face-up card is not an Ace, Jack, Queen or King;

(xiv) each player drawing additional cards or standing based on the individual player's discretion or until a total of the face value of the player's cards exceeds twenty-one;

(xv) the dealer drawing additional cards until a total of the face value of the dealer's cards is equal to or greater than seventeen or until the total of the face value of the dealer's cards exceeds twenty-one;

(xvi) the dealer collecting the second wager of each player having a total face value of cards less than the dealer's total face value of cards or having a total face value of cards in excess of twenty-one; and

(xvii) the dealer paying out one times the second wager of each player having a total face value of cards greater than the dealer's total face value and less than or equal to twenty-one but not having blackjack.

10. The card game of claim 8, wherein the one or more conventional decks of cards include a plurality of conventional decks of cards.

11. A method of playing a Blackjack variation card game in accordance with a set of rules, the card game including one or more conventional decks of cards, each having a plurality of individual playing cards, each of the individual playing cards having a back, a face, an associated face suit including one of Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades, and an associated face value including one of Ace, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, Jack, Queen and King, the method comprising:

(a) removing all cards having a face value of ten from the one or more conventional decks of cards;

(b) each player placing a wager;

(c) dealing one card to each player face-up and one card to a dealer face-up;

(d) dealing another card to each player face-up and another card to the dealer face-down; and

(e) paying each player having blackjack two times the respective player's wager, if the dealer does not have blackjack, blackjack being a condition when two cards add up to twenty-one.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

(f) permitting each player to surrender after receiving only two cards in exchange for a portion of the respective player's wager.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the portion is one-half of the respective player's wager.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

(f) requiring the dealer to take another card when the dealer has a combination of cards forming a soft seventeen, soft seventeen being a condition when an Ace counts as an eleven instead of a one.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

(f) requiring the dealer to stand when the dealer has a combination of cards forming a soft seventeen, soft seventeen being a condition when an Ace counts as an eleven instead of a one.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

(f) each player drawing additional cards or standing based on the individual player's discretion or until a total of the face value of the player's cards exceeds twenty-one;

(g) the dealer turning over the face-down card and then drawing additional cards until a total of the face value of the dealer's cards is equal to or greater than seventeen or until the total of the face value of the dealer's cards exceeds twenty-one;

(h) the dealer collecting the wager of each player having a total face value of cards less than the dealer's total face value of cards or having a total face value of cards in excess of twenty-one; and

(i) the dealer paying out one times the wager of a player having a total face value of cards greater than the dealer's total face value and less than or equal to twenty-one but not having blackjack.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the one or more conventional decks of cards include a plurality of conventional decks of cards.

18. A method of playing a blackjack variation card game in accordance with a set of rules, the card game including one or more conventional decks of cards, each having a plurality of individual playing cards, each of the individual playing cards having a back, a face, an associated face suit including one of Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades, and an associated face value including one of Ace, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, Jack, Queen and King, the method comprising:

(a) removing all cards having a face value of ten from the one or more conventional decks of cards;

(b) each player placing a first wager and a second wager, separately;

(c) dealing one card to each player face-up and one card to a dealer face-up;

(d) dealing another card to each player face-up;

(e) paying each player having blackjack two times the respective player's first wager, if the dealer does not have blackjack, blackjack being a condition when two cards add up to twenty-one;

(f) each player drawing additional cards or standing based on the individual player's discretion or until a total of the face value of the player's cards exceeds twenty-one;

(g) the dealer drawing additional cards until a total of the face value of the dealer's cards is equal to or greater than seventeen or until the total of the face value of the dealer's cards exceeds twenty-one;

(h) the dealer collecting the first wager of each player having a total face value of cards less than the dealer's total face value of cards or having a total face value of cards in excess of twenty-one; and

(i) the dealer paying out one times the first wager of each player having a total face value of cards greater than the dealer's total face value and less than or equal to twenty-one but not having blackjack.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

(j) discarding all of the player's cards and all of the dealer's cards except the first card dealt to the dealer;

(k) dealing one card to each player face-up;

(l) dealing another card to each player face-up;

(m) paying each player having blackjack two times the respective player's second wager when the dealer's face-up card is not an Ace, Jack, Queen or King;

(n) each player drawing additional cards or standing based on the individual player's discretion or until a total of the face value of the player's cards exceeds twenty-one;

(o) the dealer drawing additional cards until a total of the face value of the dealer's cards is equal to or greater than seventeen or until the total of the face value of the dealer's cards exceeds twenty-one;

(p) the dealer collecting the second wager of each player having a total face value of cards less than the dealer's total face value of cards or having a total face value of cards in excess of twenty-one; and

(q) the dealer paying out one times the second wager of each player having a total face value of cards greater than the dealer's total face value and less than or equal to twenty-one but not having blackjack.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the one or more conventional decks of cards include a plurality of conventional decks of cards.