Method of conducting a poker game

Abstract

Each player places at least one game wager. Game wagers include player hand proposition wagers on the composition of the player hand and inclusion of game indicia having predetermined characteristics in the player hand; competitive wagers on the comparison of the player hand to other player hands and/or a dealer hand; and individual game indicium proposition wagers on an identified characteristic of a designated game indicium of the player hand. Player hands, and optionally a dealer hand, are dealt. Wagers are resolved and rewards are issued for winning wagers.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of wagering games. Specifically, the present invention is a method for the play of a wagering game in which a player hand is compared against one or more of the hands of other players at the table, the dealer, and a predetermined schedule of hands with winning characteristics.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many variations of poker have proven extremely popular with gamblers at all levels, including many novice players who find the play exciting, but are afraid to play in high-stakes games or tournaments, based on a fear of playing against the perceived experts. Poker tournaments draw large player fields (and audiences), on-line poker sites abound, and even electronic table implementations of video poker-type games have become extremely popular. Casinos face growing player demand for poker tables of many sorts. Established table games such as Let It Ride, Three-Card Poker and Caribbean Stud have been joined by hybrid games like Deuces Wild, and the demand continues to grow.

Poker wagers typically fall into two categories, with many games combining instances of each. First, there are player banked wagers where losing wagers find winning wagers. These are often handled through a pot where wagers are aggregated. that is awarded to the winning player. Casino versions of such wagers often implement a “rake,” or house handling fee, to ensure their profit.

The second type of wager is the house banked wager, where wagers are paid by the casino based on the occurrence, or non-occurrence, of a specified result or event, and are not considered in competition with the wagers of other players. Games of this sort include Roulette, slot machines, and video poker and, while most such games involve simple, one-level, wagering, games such as craps permit of multi-level, skill based, wagers as well.

Player banked wagers appeal to the competitive nature of many players. The “best” hand wins, and there is always (or almost always) a winner. However, for a player to win, all other players must lose, and there is rarely a potential for a high-odds payout. At player at an eight-seat Hold-em table cannot win more than seven-to-one, and wins the same whether with one of the four possible Royal Flushes, one of the ten-thousand-plus straights, or one of the million-plus hands which have no pair, no straight, and no flush, i.e. the “high card” hands. In other words, the rarity of the hand does not affect the payout, only beating the other hands does.

As each category of wager has its assets and its drawbacks, games combining wagers of different types in an effort to appeal to the goals of all players are desirable. Further, simplifying wagering system and removing the advantage typically inuring to the professional player makes a game more enticing to the huge pool of non-expert, novice, or casual players.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a method for conducting a wagering game for one or more players. Each player places at least one game wager. Game wagers could include many different wagers.

For example, in one optional embodiment, game wagers include an individual game indicium proposition wager. In this game wager, the player designates an individual game indicium of the player hand and, for the designated game indicium, selects a characteristic from a plurality of predefined characteristics. In an optional embodiment, the characteristic is a subset of game indicia, such as the game indicia of a particular suit.

In another optional embodiment, game wagers include competitive wagers. Competitive wagers could include game wagers against the other players or against the dealer.

In yet another optional embodiment, game wagers include player hand proposition wagers. Player hand proposition wagers are based on the composition of the player hand. In one optional embodiment, player hand proposition wagers are resolved based on the player hand forming a winning hand according to a predetermined pay table. In another optional embodiment, player hand proposition wagers are resolved based on the quantity of game indicia in the player hand meeting a predetermined characteristic, such as suit.

Each player receives a player hand of game indicia. In an optional embodiment in which the player is allowed to place a competitive wager against the dealer, the dealer also receives a dealer hand of game indicia. The player and dealer hands may contain any quantity of game indicia.

Wagers are resolved. In an optional embodiment including individual game indicium proposition wagers, each designated game indicium is examined to determine if the designated game indicium includes the selected characteristic. If so, the player is rewarded based on the individual game indicium proposition wager for that designated game indicium. Optionally, any reward is based on, and varies directly and non-proportionally with, the quantity of individual game indicium proposition wagers to which the player is entitled to a reward.

In an optional embodiment including such wagers, competitive wagers against other players are resolved by comparing the player hands of all the players placing such competitive wagers against other players. A player is rewarded based on the comparison among the players placing competitive wagers. For example, in one embodiment, the player with the player hand having the highest ranking, optionally according to poker rankings, is rewarded. In an optional embodiment, the reward consists of at least a portion of a pot where the competitive wagers are aggregated. Optionally, a player's exposure is limited in that if the player loses, the player only contributes the lesser of the player's competitive wager, or a portion of the player's competitive wager equal to the winning player's competitive wager. In an optional embodiment, the house may retain a rake from each pot awarded.

In an optional embodiment including such wagers, competitive wagers against the dealer are resolved by comparing the player hand to the dealer hand. If the player hand outranks the dealer hand, the player is rewarded. In an optional embodiment including both competitive wagers against the other players and against the dealer, the wagers may be separately rewarded.

In an optional embodiment including such wagers, player hand proposition wagers on the composition of the player hand are resolved by comparing the player hand to a pay table designating at least one winning hand. If the player hand is a winning hand, the player is rewarded.

In an optional embodiment including such wagers, player hand proposition wagers on the quantity of game indicia in the player hand meeting a predefined characteristic are resolved by determining the quantity of game indicia that meet the predefined characteristic. If the player hand includes at least a threshold quantity of game indicia meeting the predefined characteristic, the player is rewarded. Optionally, the reward varies directly with the quantity of game indicia in the player hand that meet the predefined characteristic.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a top view of a table layout for conducting a game according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a player wager and game area for conducting a game according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION

Reference is now made to the figures wherein like parts are referred to by like numerals throughout. The present invention is a game. The present game is conducted using game indicia. The game indicia could include playing cards, dice, tiles, or any other form of game indicia. The game indicia could also be physical or electronic representations, such as that used in a gaming machine. For example, the present game could be conducted using a deck of playing cards, a supplemented deck of playing cards, multiple decks of playing cards, a subset of a deck of playing cards, or any other constitution of playing cards. In such an optional embodiment, the playing cards need not be a conventional deck of playing cards, but may include alternate or additional designations. In the example embodiment described herein, conventional playing cards of two through ace in four suits (hearts, clubs, spades, and diamonds) are used to described the present game. However, this should be considered illustrative rather than limiting.

Turning to FIGS. 1 and 2, an optional gaming layout 100 for play of a wagering game according to an optional embodiment of the present method is illustrated. The layout 100 consists a wager and play section 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 for each player and a play section for the dealer 170.

The wager and play section 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 for each player includes wager fields 201-224 for game wagers. It is noted that any number and combination of game wagers may be offered. Specifically, it is noted that while the present invention includes a plurality of different types of wagers, fewer or more wagers or types of wagers could be offered.

According to the optional embodiment illustrated, the wager and play section 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 for each player may include game indicium locations 230-234 into which the game indicia comprising the player's hand are to be dealt. Optionally, the play section for the dealer 170 contains the game indicium locations 171-175 into which the dealer's hand is dealt. In addition, wager areas are included on the layout 100 to offer the player the option of placing one or more of a Dealer wager 201, a Pot wager 202, a Hand Bonus wager 203, a Hearts Up! wager 204, and/or one or more Suit wagers 205-224. These wagers may be offered by the house in any combination and wagered by the player in any combination. Although the optional embodiment described below includes mandatory wagers, it is contemplated that any of the wagers may be optional or mandatory.

With reference generally to FIGS. 1-3, each player places 300 at least one game wager. To place a wager, a player places the desired amount on a wager field 201-224. Turning to the wagers themselves, in an optional embodiment, a competitive wager on the rank of a player's hand against the other players’ hands may be offered. In the illustrated embodiment, this wager is referred to as a Pot wager 202. A player placing a Pot wager 202 is wagering that his player hand will outrank the player hand of every other player that places a Pot wager 202.

Similarly, in an optional embodiment, a competitive wager on the rank of a player's hand against the dealer's hand may be offered. In the illustrated embodiment, this wager is referred to as a Dealer wager 201. A player placing a Dealer wager 201 is wagering that his player hand will outrank the dealer hand. In an optional embodiment, the Pot wager 202 and Dealer wager 201 are mandatory for play of the game. However, this should be construed as illustrative only, since either or both of these wagers could, in an alternate optional embodiment, be optional.

In an optional embodiment, an individual game indicium proposition wager may be offered. This wager is directed to a player wagering upon a characteristic of a designated game indicium in the player hand. If the player elects to place 302 such a wager, the player designates 304 the game indicium wagered upon and selects the characteristic to be wagered upon for that designated game indicium. While the characteristic could take any form, i.e. red or black, odd or even, number game indicium or face game indicium, suit, or the like, in an optional embodiment, the characteristic wagered upon is the suit of the designated game indicium. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, this wager is referred to as a Suit wager 205-224. To place a Suit wager, a player must designate a game indicium from the player hand and select the suit for that designated game indicium. For example, by placing a wager in the leftmost column over the image of the diamond 206, a player is wagering that the game indicium dealt to the game indicium position 230 at the head of that column (optionally signifying the first game indicium dealt to the player's hand) will be of the diamond suit. Similarly, by placing a wager in the center column over the image of a club 216, a player is wagering that the game indicium dealt to the game indicium position 232 at the head of that column (optionally signifying the third game indicium dealt to the player's hand) will be of the club suit.

In an optional embodiment, a player is only allowed to select one suit for each game indicium designated for Suit wager. Thus, in such an optional embodiment, a wager on a heart for the first game indicium 205 would preclude a wager on a diamond for the first game indicium 206, a spade for the first game indicium 207, or a club for the first game indicium 208. It is also contemplated that the player may elect to place a Suit wager for none, one, some, or all of the game indicia dealt to a player hand. Thus, if a player only wishes to place a Suit wager on the fourth game indicium dealt or on the second and fourth game indicia dealt, the player may, in such an optional embodiment, be allowed to do so without placing Suit wagers on the remaining game indicia dealt.

In an optional embodiment player hand proposition wagers may be offered. In an optional embodiment, a player hand proposition wager may be offered on the composition of the player hand compared to a pay table. For example, in the optional embodiment illustrated, a Hand Bonus wager 203 may be offered. A player placing a Hand Bonus wager 203 is wagering that his hand will be a winning hand according to a pay table designating at least one winning hand.

Similarly, a player hand proposition wager may be offered on the quantity of game indicia in a player hand meeting a predetermined characteristic. For example, in the optional embodiment illustrated, a Hearts Up! wager 204 is offered. A player placing a Hearts Up! wager 204 is wagering that his hand will contain a threshold quantity of game indicia having a particular characteristic. In an optional embodiment, a player placing a Hearts Up! wager 204 is wagering that his player hand will contain three or more game indicia of the heart suit.

Once all wagers have been placed 300, the dealer deals 306 a player hand to each player. In an optional embodiment in which a wager on a dealer hand is offered, the dealer may also deal 306 a dealer hand to himself. In the optional embodiment illustrated, game indicia may be dealt one at a time, in sequence to players and the dealer. Optionally, the game indicia dealt to a player hand are dealt face-up and game indicia dealt to a dealer hand are dealt face-down. However, it is also contemplated that in an alternate embodiment, an entire five-game indicium hand could be dealt to each player in turn, followed by an entire hand being dealt to the dealer.

It is contemplated that the sequence of the dealt game indicia may be identified by dealing game indicia to game indicium positions. For example, as alluded to above, the first game indicium dealt to a player hand may be placed at a first game indicium position 230, a second game indicium to a second game indicium position 231, a third game indicium to a third game indicium position 232, a fourth game indicium to a fourth game indicium position 233, and a fifth game indicium to a fifth game indicium position 234. As described in greater detail below, this sequencing may be used to identify the game indicia designated for any individual game indicium proposition wagers placed. Similarly, the dealer hand may be dealt to dealer game indicium positions 171-175, although in an optional embodiment, sequence is not significant in the dealing of the dealer hand.

Once player and dealer hands have been dealt, wagers may be resolved. While wagers may optionally be resolved in any order, in the optional embodiment illustrated they are resolved in a sequence of Pot wager 202, Dealer wager 201, Hand Bonus wager 203, Hearts Up! wager 204, and Suit wagers 205-224.

In an optional embodiment in which such a wager is provided, a competitive wager on player hands is resolved by comparing player hands. That is, among those players placing 308 a player hand competitive wager, the player hand with the highest ranking is designated the winner and is rewarded 310. In an optional embodiment, poker rankings are used; that is, for example, a player with a four of a kind would win such a competitive wager and be rewarded unless another player had a higher ranking four of a kind, a straight flush, or a royal flush. For example, in a game in which three players have each placed a competitive wager on player hands, if a first player had a pair of jacks, a second player had a non-flush straight, and a third player had ace-high, the second player would win his competitive wager because he has the highest ranking player hand among the three players.

For example, in the embodiment in FIGS. 1 and 2, a Pot wager is resolved by determining the highest player hand. Optionally, the Pot wager is mandatory. In such an embodiment, all the player hands are compared to determine a winner of the Pot wager. However, in an alternate embodiment in which the Pot wager is optional, only those player hands held by players placing a Pot wager may be compared. Thus, in one such optional embodiment, if the highest hand belongs to a player who did not place a Pot wager, the resolution would exclude such a player and proceed to the next highest hand.

In an optional embodiment, a player winning the competitive wager on player hands may be awarded at least a portion of a pot comprising at least a portion of each competitive wager on player hands placed. For example, the competitive wagers on player hand may be aggregated into a pot that is awarded to a player. In an optional embodiment, all the competitive wagers may be aggregated to a pot. In such an optional embodiment, three players placing competitive wagers on the player hands of $10, $20, and $40, the pot contains $70.

However, in an alternate embodiment, a player can only win an amount less than or equal to his own competitive wager from each player with a lower ranking player hand. That is, in such an optional embodiment, the amount collected is the lesser of the amount wagered by the winner and the amount wagered by the loser. Thus, if one player wagers $10, another $20, and a third $40, and the player wagering $20 were to have the highest ranking hand, that player would collect $10 from the player who wagered $10 and $20 from the player who wagered $40 for a total of $30. In such an optional embodiment, any Pot wager amount not collected by the holder of the winning hand is returned to the player making such wager.

In another optional embodiment, the house “rakes” a percentage from the pot as compensation for hosting the game. In such optional embodiment illustrated, the house deducts a “rake” or handling fee from the Pot wagers. Such “rake” would be computed based on the total amount won by the holder of the winning hand, and would be deducted from the winnings of the holder of the winning hand.

As noted above, in an optional embodiment in which competitive wagers on a dealer hand are not offered, a dealer hand may not be dealt. However, in an optional embodiment in which a competitive wager on a dealer hand is offered, a dealer hand is dealt. Thus, in the optional embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a dealer hand is dealt because Dealer wagers 201 are offered. To resolve Dealer wagers, the player hand associated with each player who has placed 312 a Dealer wager is compared to the dealer hand. If the player hand has a higher ranking, optionally according to conventional poker rankings, the player wins and is rewarded 314. Conversely, if the dealer hand has a higher ranking than the player hand, the player's Dealer wager may be collected by the dealer. In an optional embodiment, the reward paid to a player is equal to the Dealer wager placed. However, it is also contemplated that the house may take a “rake” or handling fee from the Dealer wagers won by the player. Any “rake” may be computed based on, and deducted from, the reward.

As previously noted, two types of player hand proposition wagers may be offered. One type of player hand proposition wager is based on the composition of the player hand. To resolve a player hand proposition wagers placed 316 on the composition of the player hand, the player hand is compared to a predefined pay table designating at least one winning hand and a pay out associated therewith. If the player hand is a winning hand, the player hand proposition wager is rewarded based 318 on the associated pay out. If the player hand is not a winning hand, the player hand proposition wager may be collected by the house.

For example, in the optional embodiment illustrated, the Hand Bonus wager is a player hand proposition wager on the composition of a player hand. To resolve the Hand Bonus wager, the player hand is compared to a pay table such as that shown in Table 1. Table 1 illustrates an example pay table in such an optional embodiment. It is noted that Table 1 is merely exemplary and that greater or fewer hands could be designated winning hands, and that the pay outs listed could be altered. For example, a flush or straight flush in one particular suit, such as hearts, could be rewarded at a greater rate than a flush or straight flush in another suit.

TABLE 1
Hand            Payout
Royal Flush     10,000:1
Straight Flush  1,500:1
Four-of-a-Kind  100:1
Full House      25:1
Flush           15:1
Straight        10:1
Three-of-a-Kind 5:1
Two Pair        3:1
Jacks or Better 1:1

A second type of player hand proposition wager is based on the inclusion of at least a threshold quantity of game indicia meeting a predefined characteristic. For each player placing 320 a game indicia characteristic proposition wager, the player is rewarded 322 if the player hand contains at least a threshold quantity of game indicia meeting the predefined characteristic. As noted above, the predefined characteristic could take any form. That is, even though the illustrated optional embodiment uses game indicium suit, specifically heart suit, as the predefined characteristic, in an alternate embodiment, any suit may be used in lieu of hearts. In another alternate embodiment, any predefined subset of the deck may be used in lieu of game indicium suit. Also, it is noted that while the illustrated pay table increases the pay out according to the quantity of game indicia meeting the predefined characteristic, the pay outs could take any form, including pay outs at a flat rate or decreasing with the quantity of game indicia meeting the predefined characteristic.

For example, in the optional embodiment illustrated, the Hearts Up! wager is a player hand proposition wager that is won when the player hand includes at least a threshold quantity of heart suit game indicia. To resolve the Hearts Up! wager, the quantity of heart suit game indicia contained in the player's hand are counted. If the player hand contains a quantity of heart suit game indicia to qualify as a winning hand, the player is rewarded for his or her Hearts Up! wager. If the player hand does not include a quantity of heart suit game indicia to qualify as a winning hand, the player's Hearts Up! wager may be collected. Optionally, the reward varies with the quantity of game indicia meeting the characteristic. For example, Table 2 illustrates a pay table for a Hearts Up! wager according to an optional embodiment of the present invention. It is specifically noted that Table 2 is exemplary only and the hands as well as the pay outs could be altered without departing from the scope of the invention.

TABLE 2
Quantity of Heart Suit Game Indicia in Player Hand Payout
Three                            5:1
Four                             20:1
Five                             500:1

As previously noted, individual game indicium proposition wagers require that the player designate a game indicium from the player hand and identify a characteristic for that designated game indicium when placing the wager. Thus, in resolving such individual game indicium proposition wagers, a determination is made whether the designated game indicium has the identified characteristic. As previously noted, although the optional embodiment illustrated uses suit as the identified characteristic, the characteristic could be any identifiable characteristic. For example, in alternate embodiments other subdivisions of the game indicia may be used in lieu of suit. For example, wagers could be placed on odd-even, or black-red, high-low, or any other characteristic.

For example, in the optional embodiment illustrated, Suit wager are individual game indicium proposition wagers. As shown in the figures, when placing a Suit wager 205-224, the player identifies the suit of a game indicium associated with a certain physical and/or sequential game indicium position 230-234. To resolve Suit wagers, the game indicium at the game indicium position designated by the location of the Suit wager is inspected to determine if the game indicium is of the identified suit. For example, a Suit wager placed on the club suit for the game indicium dealt to a first game indicium position 230 is rewarded if, in fact, the game indicium dealt to that position is a club suit game indicium. Suit wagers that incorrectly identify the suit may be collected.

Optionally, the individual game indicium proposition wagers are not separately rewarded. That is, in an optional embodiment the reward varies with the overall quantity of winning individual game indicium proposition wagers. While the reward could vary proportionally with the quantity of winning individual game indicium proposition wagers, in an optional embodiment the reward varies directly and non-proportionally with the quantity of winning individual game indicium proposition wagers. For example, Table 3 illustrates an example of a pay table indicating the pay out for the quantity of winning individual game indicium proposition wagers. It is noted that in this optional embodiment, the multiplier is applied to each wager. Thus, a player placing a one unit Suit wager on each of five game indicia who only wins one of the Suit wagers would, in this example, be rewarded one unit for the winning Suit wager and lose four units for the four losing Suit wagers. Conversely, if the player had won three of his suit wagers, the player would, in this example, be rewarded three units for each winning Suit wager and lose two units for the two losing Suit wagers. It is noted that Table 3 is exemplary only and other methods of rewarding Suit wagers could be used without departing from the scope of this invention.

TABLE 3
Correct Suit Predictions Payout
One                      1:1
Two                      2:1
Three                    3:1
Four                     10:1
Five                     100:1

While certain embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described it is to be understood that the present invention is subject to many modifications and changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims presented herein.

Claims

1. A method for conducting a game indicium game for one or more players playing against a dealer, using game indicia, or electronic representations thereof, comprising:

each player placing at least one game wager, said game wagers including competitive wagers and individual game indicium proposition wagers, wherein for each individual game indicium proposition wager placed, said player designates an individual game indicium of the player hand and, for the designated game indicium, selects a characteristic from a plurality of predefined characteristics;

each player receiving a player hand of game indicia;

comparing each player hand to other player hands and rewarding the player with the player hand based on said comparison among all players to place said competitive wager; and

for each individual game indicium proposition wager, determining the characteristics of the designated game indicium upon which the individual game indicium proposition wager was placed and rewarding individual game indicium proposition wagers if the designated game indicium has a characteristic selected when placing the individual game indicium proposition wager.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of rewarding the player with the player hand with the highest poker ranking includes awarding at least a portion of a pot formed from at least a portion of each competitive wager.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the dealer receiving a hand of game indicia; and

comparing each player hand to a dealer hand and rewarding each player whose player hand outranks said dealer hand.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said game indicia include suit identification, and said predefined characteristics used in said individual game indicium proposition wagers are suits.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising player hand proposition wagers including a wager on the quantity of game indicia in a player hand meeting a predefined characteristic and said pay table includes a reward for said player hand proposition wager when a player hand includes at least a threshold quantity of game indicia meeting said predefined characteristic, said reward varying directly with the quantity of game indicia in said player hand meeting said predefined characteristic.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said game indicia include suit identification, and said predefined characteristic is one or more of said suits.

7. A method for conducting a game indicium game for one or more players playing against a dealer, using game indicia, or electronic representations thereof, comprising:

each player placing at least one game wager, said game wagers including competitive wagers and individual game indicium proposition wagers, wherein for each individual game indicium proposition wager placed, said player designates an individual game indicium of the player hand and, for the designated game indicium, selects a characteristic from a plurality of predefined characteristics;

each player receiving a player hand of game indicia;

the dealer receiving a dealer hand of game indicia;

for each competitive wager, comparing the player hand to the dealer hand and rewarding each player whose player hand outranks said dealer hand; and

for each individual game indicium proposition wager, determining the characteristics of the designated game indicium upon which the individual game indicium proposition wager was placed and rewarding individual game indicium proposition wagers if the designated game indicium has a characteristic selected when placing the individual game indicium proposition wager.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising comparing each player hand to other player hands and rewarding the player with the player hand based on said comparison among all players to place said competitive wager.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of rewarding the player with the player hand with the highest poker ranking includes awarding at least a portion of a pot formed from at least a portion of each competitive wager.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein said game indicia include suit identification, and said predefined characteristics used in said individual game indicium proposition wagers are suits.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising player hand proposition wagers including a wager on the quantity of game indicia in a player hand meeting a predefined characteristic and said pay table includes a reward for said player hand proposition wager when a player hand includes at least a threshold quantity of game indicia meeting said predefined characteristic, said reward varying directly with the quantity of game indicia in said player hand meeting said predefined characteristic.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said game indicia include suit identification, and said predefined characteristic is one or more of said suits.

13. A method for conducting a game indicium game for one or more players playing against a dealer, using game indicia, or electronic representations thereof, comprising:

each player placing at least one game wager, said game wagers including player hand proposition wagers and individual game indicium proposition wagers, wherein for each individual game indicium proposition wager placed, said player designates an individual game indicium of the player hand and, for the designated game indicium, selects a characteristic from a plurality of predefined characteristics;

each player receiving a player hand of game indicia;

the dealer receiving a dealer hand of game indicia;

comparing each player hand to a predefined pay table designating at least one winning hand and rewarding player hand proposition wagers for each player having a winning hand; and

for each individual game indicium proposition wager, determining the characteristics of the designated game indicium upon which the individual game indicium proposition wager was placed and rewarding individual game indicium proposition wagers if the designated game indicium has a characteristic selected when placing the individual game indicium proposition wager.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said game wagers further comprise competitive wagers, said competitive wagers resolved among players by comparing each player hand to other player hands and rewarding the player with the player hand based on said comparison among all players to place said competitive wager.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said step of rewarding the player with the player hand with the highest poker ranking includes awarding at least a portion of a pot formed from at least a portion of each competitive wager.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein said dealer receives a hand of game indicia and said game wagers further comprise competitive wagers, said competitive wagers resolved between said dealer and said player by comparing each player hand to a dealer hand and rewarding each player whose player hand outranks said dealer hand.

17. A method for conducting a game indicium game for one or more players playing against a dealer, using game indicia, or electronic representations thereof, comprising:

each player placing at least one game wager, said game wagers including competitive wagers, player hand proposition wagers on the quantity of game indicia in a player hand meeting a predefined characteristic, and individual game indicium proposition wagers, wherein for each individual game indicium proposition wager placed, said player designates an individual game indicium of the player hand and, for the designated game indicium, selects a characteristic from a plurality of predefined characteristics;

each player receiving a player hand of n game indicia;

the dealer receiving a dealer hand of n game indicia;

comparing each player hand to other player hands and dealer hand and rewarding the player with the player hand with the highest poker ranking among all players to place said competitive wager and separately rewarding each player whose player hand outranks said dealer hand;

comparing each player hand to a predefined pay table and rewarding player hand proposition wagers when a player hand includes at least a threshold quantity of game indicia meeting said predefined characteristic, said reward varying directly with the quantity of game indicia in said player hand meeting said predefined characteristic; and

for each individual game indicium proposition wager, determining the characteristics of the designated game indicium upon which the individual game indicium proposition wager was placed and rewarding individual game indicium proposition wagers if the designated game indicium has a characteristic selected when placing the individual game indicium proposition wager.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said step of rewarding the player with the player hand with the highest poker ranking includes awarding at least a portion of a pot formed from at least a portion of each competitive wager.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said pot is formed from the aggregation of the competitive wagers placed by each player not having the highest ranking poker hand.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein if the competitive wager placed by a player not having the highest ranking poker hand is greater than the competitive wager placed by the player having the highest ranking poker hand, only a portion of the competitive wager of a player not having the highest ranking poker hand equal to the competitive wager of the player having the highest ranking poker hand is contributed to said pot.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein said player having the highest ranking poker hand is awarded the entire pot less a rake.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein said predefined characteristics used in resolving said individual game indicium proposition wagers include subsets of said game indicia.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said subsets are mutually exclusive.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said game indicia include suit identification, and said subsets are suits.

25. The method of claim 17 wherein said player hand proposition wagers include a wager on the quantity of game indicia in a player hand meeting a predefined characteristic and said pay table includes a reward for said player hand proposition wager when a player hand includes at least a threshold quantity of game indicia meeting said predefined characteristic, said reward varying directly with the quantity of game indicia in said player hand meeting said predefined characteristic.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said game indicia include suit identification, and said predefined characteristic is one or more of said suits.

27. A method for conducting a game indicium game for one or more players playing against a dealer, using game indicia, or electronic representations thereof, comprising:

each player placing at least one game wager, said game wagers comprising: competitive wagers, comprising: wagering on the relative ranking of said player's hand as compared to said dealer hand; and wagering on the relative ranking of said player's hand as compared to said player hands of such other players who have placed a wager on the relative ranking of their player hands in relation to the player hands of other players; player hand proposition wagers, comprising: wagering on the composition of the player hand according to a predetermined pay table designating at least one winning hand; and wagering on the number of game indicia within said player hand belonging to said predetermined suit; and individual game indicium proposition wagers, wherein for each individual game indicium proposition wager placed, said player designates an individual game indicium of the player hand and, for the designated game indicium, selects the suit of said designated game indicium;

each player receiving a hand of game indicia;

the dealer receiving a hand of game indicia;

resolving competitive wagers comprising: for competitive wagers placed against other players hands, comparing the poker ranking of each player hand for which a competitive wager against other players was placed and rewarding the player with the player hand with the highest poker ranking among all players to place said competitive wager, said reward comprising at least a portion of a pot formed from the aggregation of the competitive wagers placed by each player not having the highest ranking poker hand, wherein if the competitive wager placed by a player not having the highest ranking poker hand is greater than the competitive wager placed by the player having the highest ranking poker hand, only a portion of the competitive wager of a player not having the highest ranking poker hand equal to the competitive wager of the player having the highest ranking poker hand is contributed to said pot; and for competitive wagers placed against the dealer hand, comparing the player hand to the dealer hand and rewarding each player whose player hand outranks said dealer hand; resolving said player hand proposition wagers, comprising: for player hand proposition wagers on the composition of the player hand, comparing said player hand to a pay table and rewarding said player if said player hand is a winning hand; and for player hand proposition wagers on the quantity of game indicia in a predetermined suit, rewarding said player when said player hand includes at least a threshold quantity of game indicia in said predetermined suit, said reward varying directly with the quantity of game indicia in said player hand in said predetermined suit; and rewarding individual game indicium proposition wagers for which said designated game indicium is a game indicium within said selected suit, wherein if said player places more than one individual game indicium proposition wager, said reward varies directly and non-proportionally with the quantity of individual game indicium proposition wagers for which the player is rewarded.