Method for playing five card stud poker billiards

Abstract

A game which combines aspects of pocket billiards and poker begins with determining the order of play for the pocket billiards portion and determining the ante amount and the raise amount for the poker portion. Cards are then dealt for the poker portion after which the players bet on their poker hands. Ante amounts and penalty values are set for penalty cards before the pocket billiards play begins. Pocket billiards is then played until all billiard balls corresponding to the poker cards of a player have been pocketed, and that player is the winner of the pocket billiards portion and receives the pocket billiards payout. The best poker hand is then determined, with the winner receiving the poker portion payout.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of games, and more particularly to a game which combines aspects of pocket billiards and poker.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Some people like to play pool. Some people like to play poker. There is a need for a game which combines some of the aspects of both.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly stated, a game which combines aspects of pocket billiards and poker begins with determining the order of play for the pocket billiards portion and determining the ante amount and the raise amount for the poker portion. Cards are then dealt for the poker portion after which the players bet on their poker hands. Ante amounts and penalty values are set for penalty cards before the pocket billiards play begins. Pocket billiards is then played until all billiard balls corresponding to the poker cards of a player have been pocketed, and that player is the winner of the pocket billiards portion and receives the pocket billiards payout. The best poker hand is then determined, with the winner receiving the poker portion payout.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a method for playing a game combining aspects of pocket billiards and poker and having a pocket billiards portion and a poker portion includes the steps of (a) determining a order of play for the pocket billiards portion; (b) determining an ante amount and a raise amount for the poker portion; (c) dealing cards to a plurality of players for the poker portion; (d) betting on poker hands in the poker portion; (e) determining an ante amount and penalty values for penalty cards for the pocket billiards portion; (f) playing consecutive order pocket billiards in the pocket billiards portion until all billiard balls corresponding to the poker cards of a billiard player have been pocketed; and (g) determining a poker player having a best poker hand in the poker portion.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the method of playing the game is adapted for tournament play by including the steps of (a) playing a first specified plurality of games at each of a plurality of tables; (b) determining, at a conclusion of playing the first specified plurality of games, a winner for each of the tables; (c) forming a final table consisting of all the winners from each of the tables; (d) playing a second specified plurality of games at the final table; and (f) determining, at a conclusion of playing the second specified plurality of games, a winner at the final table.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the arrangement for racking conventional billiard balls when playing the game of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the arrangement for racking poker billiard balls when playing the game of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows the sequence of game play for the game of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a player position form optionally used when playing the game of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a table log optionally used when playing the game of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Five Card Stud Poker Billiards combines elements of poker and billiards (pool) at the same time using the accessories and rules of each game. There are two “Winners”, one for each part of the game: (1) the one who has the winning poker hand and (2) the one that is the “First Out” in the billiards game by having all the balls matching the 5-card poker hand pocketed first.

The following are needed to play the game:

• • (a) two to ten players of any skill level. It helps if they all know the basic rules for both poker and pool, but it is not necessary for all to have fun - players can learn as you go;
  • (b) one standard 52-card deck of playing cards (the Jokers are not used);
  • (c) a pool table (any size) with all the normal equipment (balls, rack, sticks, chalk, etc.); and
  • (d) a copy of these rules to get started and to answer any questions as play progresses through the various steps of the game.

Combining both games is done as follows. The value of each card matches the number on one of the billiard balls. For example, Ace=1, Two=2, etc.. and Jack=11, Queen=12, King=13. The 14 & 15 balls have no corresponding value as cards and are considered “Free”.

The players are set up as follows. Each player is assigned a position around a table. This is the player's “spot” throughout the entire game. This assignment is totally random and has no effect on the playing of either poker or pool, i.e., no one has an advantage. Preferably, the player assigned to Seat #1 should know both the games of poker and pool. The player at Seat #1 runs the game and is termed the Banker for purposes of this detailed description. The Banker deals all of the cards and checks, collects, and pays out all bets, directs all play and resolves all problems by referring to the rules.

The basic rules for play are as follows. (1) Each player leaves all of the cards and chips on the table in their position at all times. (2) Cards are not to be shown to any other player. (3) When a “First Out” is signaled by a player, the “First Out” hand is exposed and checked by the Banker. Unlike regular poker, cards are not to be shown until the “First Out” hand on the table has been verified a winner. (4) All decisions made by the Banker are final.

Referring to FIG. 3, the Banker shuffles the cards to begin the game, whether using the full deck or those set aside to determine the shooting order, and then deals one card to each player. The order of play for pool is then determined (step 10). The person with the highest card shoots pool first, i.e., breaks. The remaining players take turns shooting in the order of the cards dealt, highest to lowest. If two players have the same value card, then the order is determined by the suit with spades being the highest followed by hearts, diamonds and clubs. If another deck of cards is available, it is preferable to pull out the number of cards equal to the number of players so that they can be left by each player's position while play continues for the rest of the game. Otherwise, a piece of paper is preferably placed in front of each player with their shooting order written on it so as to provide an easy reference for the players to shoot in the correct order.

Then the ante and raise amounts for the poker part are determined (step 12). Each player then places his ante on the table in front of him. The Banker collects all of the ante chips and places them in the “Stud Poker” box. Any container is suitable for this purpose. The first shooter, i.e., the one with the highest single card, is considered the “Dealer” for the poker hand. The Banker shuffles the cards, offers the cut to the player on the Dealer's right, and then deals five cards to each player, one at a time, starting with the player on the Dealer's left (step 14). Betting starts with the player on the dealer's left and each player in turn chooses to stay, raise, or drop out (step 16). If the raise is chosen, the cards of the player raising are placed face down on the table with the chips for the raise on top of the hand. The suggested betting to start with is having the ante be one chip and the raise be up to two chips. The poker hands are not shown until after the pool play has finished when a “First-Out” Winner is declared and verified. In an alternate method of play, all players ante one chip for the poker hand and there are no raises permitted.

The Dealer then picks up the chips of each player still in the hand, i.e., those who haven't folded, and places them in the “Stud Poker” box with the ante chips, makes sure that all of the poker hands are face down on the table in front of each player, and prepares to play the “First-Out” part of the game. Players may look at their hands any number of times during the game, but must be careful not to show their cards to any of the other players.

The pool play, i.e., the “First-Out” part of the game, begins with the Dealer determining the “First-Out” ante and setting the amount for each penalty card whose corresponding billiard ball is not pocketed (step 18). The ante chips are placed on the table in front of each player. The Banker collects all of the ante chips and places them in the “First Out” box, which may be any type of container. The suggested betting is to start with an ante of one chip, with a penalty for each card left being one chip.

The pool game is played according to conventional rules for “consecutive order of play” pocket billiards with the exception of the “free balls” as noted below. The balls are racked as shown in the corresponding arrangements as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, depending on which set of balls are used. Conventional pool balls are shown in FIG. 1, while poker balls are shown in FIG. 2. The Dealer breaks the rack and continues the turn if any balls are pocketed. After the break, the balls are played in numerical order, lowest to highest. At any time the shooter may shoot the 14 or 15 ball, i.e., the free balls, instead of the lowest ball on the table. However, if the shooter has “Ball-in-Hand”, i.e., the shooter has the cue ball in hand due to the preceding player's foul, whereby the shooter can place the cue ball anywhere on the table, the player is not permitted to play the free balls but must shoot the lowest ball on the table. Should the player pocket the lowest ball, the player now has the option of shooting the lowest, 14, or 15 ball. “Ball-in-Hand” is the result of a foul by the preceding shooter, e.g., pocketing the cue ball, scratching, or not striking a permitted ball first.

When the hand is complete with all balls matching the five cards in any player's hand being pocketed, that player immediately places his or her cards on the table, face up, and declares “First Out” (step 20). The hand is inspected and verified, after which the other players place their cards face up on the table. The winner gets the ante plus the predetermined amount from each opponent for each card held by the opponent matching a ball still on the table (step 22). Should any other hands prove to be completed at the same time for “First-Out”, a tie ensues with the “First Out” pot being split equally.

Some playing hints are as follows. First, pocketing the 14 and 15 balls extends a player's turn but does not count in the player's poker hand, and may also limit the player's options later in the game. Second, a player should always try to pocket the balls that are high cards in the player's hand, i.e., the Jack, Queen, and King, or the high pairs such as 8's, 9's or 10's first, because the smaller numbered balls will fall in normal rotation as other players shoot. Third, as long as a player hits the ball that is lowest in rotation or a “free” ball first, any legitimately pocketed ball counts and the player continues shooting. For example, suppose the player has a King in his hand. The player should then shoot the lowest ball on the table or a “Free” ball (the 14 or 15) into the 13 ball (corresponding to the King) to pocket the 13 ball.

The player's turn is terminated if (1) there is a foul on the break, i.e., a scratch or if four balls do not hit rails, in which case the balls are re-racked and the second shooter breaks, (2) there is a scratch during normal shooting, (3) if any ball goes off the table, (4) if a ball is not shot in the correct order, (5) if no ball hits a rail, (6) if the cue ball hits anything other than the object ball first, (7) if there is a double hit on the cue ball during the stroke, (8) if the cue ball is moved for any reason other than the shooter has Ball-in-Hand, (9) for shooting out of order, or (10) if there is a frozen object ball against the cue ball or the rail and if the player “pushes” the shot. Balls pocketed during any foul are placed on the mark in the order they were pocketed. The next player then has Ball-in-Hand. On a bar table, i.e., a coin-operated table in which pocketed balls are unreachable and therefore out of play once pocketed, the balls stay down and the next player has Ball-in-Hand. A “First Out” game is forfeited by the player if the wrong ball is pocketed on a coin-operated table, but the player will still be in poker hand.

After the pool play, the poker hand is then finished by inspecting and determining the best poker hand (step 24). The best poker hand wins the poker pot (step 26). If two players have identical hands, they split the pot. The order of winning poker hands is the conventional poker hand ranking, i.e., from lowest to highest (ace high), one pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight (five sequential cards not of the same suit), flush (five cards all of the same suit), full house (three of a kind plus one pair), four of a kind, straight flush (five sequential cards all of the same suit), and royal flush (a straight flush with an ace high in it).

In non-tournament play, the game is over after each round and new players may start a new game.

Alternate Methods of Play for Poker:

(a) Use Wild cards (for 2 to 10 players). For example, assume that the 2's are declared “wild” and a player's hand contains a 10 of Hearts, Jack of Hearts, Ace of Hearts, and a pair of 2's. With the wild cards, the hand is now 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, all Hearts, which is a Royal Flush. That is, wild cards can be designated as any card and any suit.

(b) Three Card Draw (for 2 to 6 players). A player can discard up to three cards and be dealt the same number of replacement cards in an attempt to better his poker hand before betting. For example, if the player's hand contains A, 4, 5, J, and K, the player may choose to discard the 4, 5, and J and receive three more cards attempting to better his or her poker hand OR the player may choose to keep the 4+5 in an attempt to better the player's “First Out” hand.

(c) Seven Card Stud (for 2 to 7 players). Seven (7) cards are dealt to each player. For a better hand, the player selects two cards to discard and keeps the five best cards for either the Poker or “First Out” hand. For example, if the player's hand contains A, 2, 5, 6, 7, K, and K, the player may discard the 6+7 for a better Poker hand or discard the two Kings for a better “First Out” hand.

(d) Seven Card Stud (for 2 to 10 players). Five (5) cards are dealt to each player. Two more cards are placed face up as community cards, i.e., they can be used by all players for a better poker hand only. The five cards are used for the “First Out” part of the billiards play, but the community cards are used only in the Poker play. This variation permits ten (10) players to play because five cards each are dealt to ten players, with the last two cards being the community cards.

(e) For “First Out”, make the 14+15 balls “Wild.” When a “Wild” ball is pocketed during a player's turn, the player places any one of their cards face down on the table at the end of the player's turn, thus reducing the number of balls needed to be pocketed for “First Out.” If the player pockets both the 14 and 15 during the same turn, the player gets to discard only one (1) card. If on the next turn the player pockets the last “Wild” ball, the player would then discard one (1) more card.

(f) Five-Card Stud Billiards© Tournament. Suggested rules:

(1) Always be considerate of other players and all of the equipment. No Smoking immediately around the pool table. No food or drinks on the pool tables. No foul language. No displays of temper or anger. A violation of any of the above will be grounds for IMMEDIATE ELIMINATION from the tournament with NO refund of the entry fee, at the Tournament Director's discretion, and all decisions will be final.

(2) When setting up the tournament, try to have between six and eight players at each first round table. The number of tables will depend on how many enter the tournament. The top players (the number of players will be determined by the Tournament Director and be based on the number of first round tables) will advance to the final table.

(3) First round setup: Set a “Player Position” form at each position (8 maximum) around each table prior to the start of the tournament. Make sure each player either has or has access to a copy of the rules and has read, understands and agrees to them—especially the first rule. Assign each player a position around the tables—the only seat that is important will be Seat #1 who, in tournament play, combines the functions of the Banker and the Dealer and will be referred to herein as the “Banker/Dealer.” Start each player with 30 to 40 chips for the first round, depending on how many players have entered. The chips are optionally set on “Player Position” forms (FIG. 4) at each position on the tables before the tournament starts, completed their “Player Position” form and placed them at the assigned table, with the choice being up to the Tournament Director.

(4) The Banker/Dealer at each table will run the Game: deal the cards for shooting order, deal the cards for the Poker hand, check and collect all bets, and distribute all pay-outs. The Banker/Dealer is also responsible for directing the play by the rules and referring any questions, problems, or conflicts to the Tournament Director. The Banker/Dealer optionally keeps track of the games in the round using a Table Log as depicted in FIG. 5.

(5) Leave all cards, face down, and chips on the table in assigned position at all times. Players may look at their hands any number of times during the game, but should be careful not to show their cards to any of the other players or expose them to all before the play is over. Doing so will let everyone know what is held and what is needed to win.

(6) There will be a two minute “Show-up” time to shoot. If the next player in the rotation does not show up to shoot within the time limit, the player loses his or her turn and the player following in the rotation will shoot. The time will be kept by the Banker/Dealer and the Banker/Dealer's decision will be final.

(7) If a player has just enough chips left to cover the Ante for “First Out”, the player will be allowed to play the “First Out” portion of the game ONLY. If a player does not have enough chips left for the “First Out” Ante, the player will surrender his or her remaining chip(s) which will be added to the current “First Out” pot and then the player will be eliminated from the tournament.

(8) At the end of each game, the declared “First Out” hand is exposed and checked. If verified correct by the Banker/Dealer, all other hands are exposed and the players place chips for each card matching the corresponding balls left on the table on top of their hand, left face up, on the player's “Player Position” form on the table.

(9) If there is a question or conflict, the Banker/Dealer will first check the rules to resolve the problem. If this doesn't provide a solution, the Banker/Dealer will then consult the Tournament Director whose decision will be final.

(10) Each round preferably consists of six games. At the end of the 1 st round, all chips are left on the table for the Tournament Director to count and move to the final round table.

(11) The winners advancing to the final table will be the top chip winners from each table. The actual number will be determined by the number of players entered in the tournament. It is preferable to have between 6 and 8 players in the final round.

EXAMPLES

Table setup depending on the number of players:

15 players. One table of 8 and one table of 7. The top 3 players from each table advance to the final.

22 players. One table of 8 and two tables of 7. The top 2 players from each table advance to the final.

24 players. Three tables of 8. The top 2 players from each table to the final.

32 players. Four tables of 8. The top 2 players from each table to the final.

This arrangement is only suggested as a guideline and is flexible to accommodate the number of players registered in the tournament and the number of tables available.

Ante and Betting:

There will be 6 games played per round. Based on this, the following is a suggested betting progression for each round to allow the games to move along satisfactorily. The average time for a 24 player tournament is approximately 4 hours.

First round:

• • First 3 games: Poker: Ante 1 chip, raises up to 2 chips
    • First Out: Ante 1 chip, each card left 1 chip

Last 3 games Poker: Ante 2 chips, raises up to 4 chips

• • First Out: Ante 2 chips, each card left 2 chips

Final table: The winners of the first round will start with the chips that they won in the first round.

First 3 games Poker: Ante 3 chips, raises up to 6 chips

• • First Out: Ante 3 chips, each card left 3 chips

Last 3 games Poker: Ante 4 chips, raises up to 8 chips

First Out: Ante 4 chips, each card left 4 chips

TABLE 1
Payoffs on the Final table:
	Place:
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
6 players	40%	23%	14%	10%	8%	5%	—	—
8 players	40%	23%	14%	8%	6%	4%	3%	2%

Suggested payoffs for the final table are shown in Table 1.

For an alternate game variation, use a special 60-card deck with 2's through 10's being the same as a regular 52-card deck, but with two added face cards designated herein as the Knight (N) and the Bishop (B). This variation eliminates the “Free” balls and adds eight new face cards to the deck. The face cards are ranked as follows.

The Jack (J) is the 11 ball,

The Night (N) is the 12 ball,

The Bishop (B) is the 13 ball,

The Queen (Q) is the 14 ball,

The King (K) is the 15 ball, and

The Ace (A) is the 1 ball.

The Ace in the Poker hands would still be either high or low.

While the present invention has been described with reference to a particular preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the preferred embodiment and that various modifications and the like could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for playing a game combining aspects of pocket billiards and poker and having a pocket billiards portion and a poker portion, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a order of play for the pocket billiards portion;

(b) determining an ante amount and a raise amount for the poker portion;

(c) dealing cards to a plurality of players for the poker portion;

(d) betting on poker hands in the poker portion;

(e) determining an ante amount and penalty values for penalty cards for the pocket billiards portion;

(f) playing consecutive order pocket billiards in the pocket billiards portion until all billiard balls corresponding to the poker cards of a billiard player have been pocketed; and

(g) determining a poker player having a best poker hand in the poker portion.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

paying pocket billiard winnings to the billiard player in step (f); and

paying poker winnings to the poker player in step (g).

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the poker portion includes a variation of five-card stud poker.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the poker portion includes a variation of seven-card stud poker.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the poker portion includes a variation of three-card draw poker.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein a 14-ball and a 15-ball are free balls when playing a pocket billiards portion of the game.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein a 14-ball and a 15-ball are wild card balls when playing a pocket billiards portion of the game.

8. A method according to claim 1 adapted for tournament play, wherein the steps of claim 1 are collectively defined as one game, the method further comprising the steps of:

playing a first specified plurality of games at each of a plurality of tables;

determining, at a conclusion of playing the first specified plurality of games, a winner for each of the tables;

forming a final table consisting of all the winners from each of the tables;

playing a second specified plurality of games at the final table; and

determining, at a conclusion of playing the second specified plurality of games, a winner at the final table.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the step of determining, at the conclusion of playing the second specified plurality of games, further includes the step of determining a finishing place for each player at the final table.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of paying winnings to a plurality of players at the final table, wherein the winnings are computed on the finishing place for each player.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein a 60-card deck is used for the poker portion of the game, the 60-card deck including ace through ten of each of four suits, and including five face cards in each of the four suits, so that each suit consists of fifteen cards ranked one to fifteen which correspond to a plurality of pocket billiard balls numbered one through fifteen.