POKER GAME WITH DYNAMIC PAYOUTS

Abstract

A wagering game which reveals two separate hands. Upon revealing a partial hand from each hand, payouts on which poker hand are updated to reflect the current situation. The player then can decide to make further bet(s) on which poker hand he or she thinks will ultimately have the higher poker rank and the current updated payout. When all of the cards are ultimately revealed in each hand, all wagers are then resolved.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present general inventive concept is directed to a method, apparatus, and computer readable storage medium directed to a wagering game with dynamic odds on poker hands.

2. Description of the Related Art

Poker games are a very popular form of table games in a casino. Texas Hold'em is a popular televised game. In addition to displaying the players' cards (which are not visible to the other players), some networks will also electronically display a probability of each player winning based on his or her cards. This way, viewers can have a good idea of which player has the advantage and by what margin. For example, after each player's hole cards are dealt, in a game with only two players, a first player with a strong hand may be pictured with a probability of “80%” displayed adjacent to the first player (and his cards), while a second player with a weaker hand may have “20%” displayed adjacent to the second player (and his cards).

It would be desirable if players watching such games could also bet on such games.

In addition, what is also needed is a new variation of poker game which players should find more exciting and which should generate additional action for the casino.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an aspect of the present invention to provide flexibility and innovations in casino game play.

The above aspects can be obtained by a method that includes (a) revealing a first set of card(s) forming part of a first hand; (b) revealing at least one additional set(s) of cards forming part of additional hand(s); (c) determining a first payout based on a probability that when all hands are completed the first hand will be a winning hand over the additional hands, the probability determined using the first set of cards and the additional set(s) of cards; (d) receiving a wager from a bettor that the first hand when completed will be the winning hand; (e) completing the first hand and the additional hand(s); (f) determining which hand is the winning hand; and (g) if the first hand is the winning hand, the paying the wager based on the first payout.

These together with other aspects and advantages which will be subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of playing a poker game with variable odds, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2A is a diagram of a first stage of an example game, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2B is a diagram of a second stage of the example game, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2C is a diagram of a third stage of the example game, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2D is a diagram of a fourth stage of the example game, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2E is a diagram of a fifth stage of the example game, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2F is a diagram of a final stage of the example game, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a table that can be used to implement embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a game of Texas hold'em, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of implementing a dynamic odds betting game, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 6A is a block diagram illustrating an example of hardware used to implement an electronic gaming device, according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 6B is a block diagram illustrating components of betting on a poker game, according to an embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

The present inventive concept relates to a method, apparatus, and computer readable storage medium to implement a poker game with variable odds. Two hands can be dealt, one card revealed at a time, and each time card(s) are revealed, player(s) can wager on which hand they think will ultimately have a higher poker rank when all of the cards are revealed. Hands can be ranked according to standard poker ranks as well known in the art (or alternatively special ranking specific to the game). Examples of standard poker rankings are as follows (from lowest to highest): High card, pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, four of a kind, straight flush, royal flush. The hands can be formed from any number of cards, such as five.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of playing a poker game with variable odds, according to an embodiment.

The method can start with operation 100, which receives an initial wager from the player. An optional ante wager may be required to play the game (depending on house rules). The player may also bet on which hand (hand A or hand B, top or bottom, etc.), is going to win. Since no cards have been revealed at this stage, the odds for each hand should be equal. If there was no house advantage, then each hand would pay even money. Alternatively, cards can be revealed before bets are taken. Also, bets may be required to be placed but not yet committed to which side (hand). In other words, a player may be required to place a wager (or identify how much the player intends to wager), but at a later point in time (e.g., after cards are revealed), the player must then identify which hand that wager is to be placed on. For every wagering opportunity, a wager can be prohibited, required, or optional.

Both hands can be dealt face down and cards revealed as they are turned up, or cards can be dealt face up.

From operation 100, the method can proceed to operation 102, which reveals the next card in the first hand and the next card in the second hand.

From operation 102, the method can proceed to operation 104, which determines whether both hands are completed. If all of the cards in both hands have been revealed, then both hands have been completed.

If both hands are not yet completed, the method can proceed to operation 106, which displays updated odds/payouts. The updated odds are dependent upon the cards in each hand that have been revealed. If the first hand has a better chance of ultimately winning (having the higher poker rank) than the second other hand, then the odds of the second hand winning should pay more than the first hand, and vice versa.

The payouts can be determined in a number of ways. For example, they can be determined in real time using a monte carlo simulation. They can also be predetermined (using monte carlo simulations or other approach such as formulaic) and stored in a table or other data structure. Typically, a digital computer would be needed in order to determine the payouts. If a physical game is being played, the cards revealed can be entered into the computer, so the computer knows the contents of each hand and can compute the probability and/or odds and/or payouts of each hand winning. Typically, the payouts displayed should be related to each hand's respective chances of winning, wherein a house edge may be factored into the payout.

From operation 106, the method can proceed to operation 108, which can receive additional wager(s) from the player(s) based on the payouts determined and displayed in operation 106. Depending on house rules, the players may be required to make a wager upon each card revealed or wagers can be optional or not allowed.

For example, a player can bet $5 (or any amount) on the first hand at a displayed payout. The wagers each player makes are tracked (either electronically or physically), so that when all of the cards are revealed all of the wagers made can be resolved (winning bets paid and losing bets taken).

From operation 108, the method can return to operation 102, which continues to reveal cards.

If the determination in operation 104 determines that both hands are completed (all cards in each hand are revealed), then the method can proceed to operation 110, which resolves all of the wagers made. The winning hand is determined based on which hand has the highest poker rank. Then all bets on the winning hand win the payout that was in effect when the bet was made. Even though payouts and probabilities change as additional cards are revealed, the payout that was computed for a given situation is the payout used to resolve any bet made during that situation.

Embodiments described herein can be played on an electronic gaming machine (EGM), or as a table game in a casino using real cards.

FIG. 2A is a diagram of a first stage of an example game, according to an embodiment.

A first hand 200 and a second hand 202 are dealt, face down. If the game is being played on an EGM, then virtual cards are displayed. If the game is being played on a real table, then real cards are used, a live dealer can be used, and physical chips can be used. The game can also be played on a real table with video images embedded therein (a “virtual card table.”)

A payout display 204 displays payouts for the first hand to win and the second hand to win. Since no cards have been revealed yet, the payouts for each hand to win are even. If the game is being played on an EGM, then the payout display 204 can be displayed in a window on an output device on the EGM. If the game is being played on a real table, then the payout display 204 can be an electronic display on the table that all players can see.

A bet display 206 indicates all of the player's bets made and their respective payouts when the bet was made. If the game is being played on an EGM, then the bet display 206 can be displayed in a window on the output device on the EGM. It the game is being played on a real table, then the bet display 206 can be displayed on an electronic display on the table. Alternatively, in a real table version, the bet display 206 may not be necessary and players can place chips in betting circles for each card revealed. The game can note on a display what the payouts were at each point in the game, so when the game is over the dealer knows the respective payouts for each bet made so the dealer can resolve the wagers.

FIG. 2B is a diagram of a second stage of the example game, according to an embodiment.

At the second stage of the game, a first card in the first hand is revealed (either turned over or dealt face up) and a first card in the second hand is revealed (either turned over or dealt face up). Since the first card in the second hand is an ace, this is higher than the first card in the first hand (a three), thus the second hand has a higher probability of being the highest ranking poker hand when all of the cards are revealed. The bet display shows that the first (top) hand pays 1.25 to 1, while the second (bottom) hand pays 83:1. in other words, if a player bets $1 on the top hand, and the top hand wins, then the player wins $1.25 profit (e.g., bets $1, receives $2.25 back). It is noted that any other way to designate payouts can be used as well, such as betting lines (for example +$125), or including the original bet with the payout (for example 2.25:1). Note that the payouts used herein are just examples but have not been computed mathematically.

After viewing the revealed cards, the player places a $1 bet on the top (first hand). If the player is playing a live version, the player can simply place a $1 chip in a betting circle for the first hand. If the player is playing an EGM version, then the player can indicate on the EGM (using buttons, a touch screen, etc.) the amount of his wager and the hand the player wishes to wager on.

FIG. 2C is a diagram of a third stage of the example game, according to an embodiment.

A second card in the first hand is revealed (jack hearts) as well as a second card in the second hand is revealed (ten diamonds). The payout for the first hand winning has now gone up, since the second hand qualifies to make a flush, as well as there are now less chances for the first hand rank to beat the second hand rank.

After viewing all four revealed cards, the player makes a $2 bet on the top hand. This bet is indicated in the bet display. The player is of course betting on the underdog and hoping that the first hand will reveal cards which will outrank the second hand.

FIG. 2D is a diagram of a fourth stage of the example game, according to an embodiment.

A third card in the first hand is revealed (three diamonds) as well as a third card in the second hand is revealed (two clubs). The first hand now has a rank of a pair (pair of threes). Note that the payout on the first hand now has gone down to 0.625:1, while the payout on the second hand has gone up to 2.5:1. The second hand has two cards remaining to achieve a rank greater than a pair of threes in order for the second hand to win.

The player, after viewing all six cards and the updated payouts which reflect these six cards, now places a $1 bet on the bottom hand.

FIG. 2E is a diagram of a fifth stage of the example game, according to an embodiment.

A fourth card in the first hand is revealed (ace hearts), and a fourth card in the second hand is revealed (ace spades). The bottom hand now has a rank of a pair of aces, beating the top hand rank of a pair of threes. In order for the top hand to win, the last card in the top hand will have to be a three (and the last card in the bottom hand must not be an ace). The payouts for the top hand and bottom hand are updated to reflect the current situation. The player declines to place a bet at this stage.

FIG. 2F is a diagram of a final stage of the example game, according to an embodiment.

A fifth card of the first hand is revealed (queen diamonds), while a fifth card of the second hand is revealed (nine clubs). The poker rank of the top hand is a pair of threes, while the poker rank for the bottom hand is a pair of aces. Thus the bottom hand has the higher poker rank and the bottom hand wins.

All of the player's bets are now resolved. The player has wagered a total of $4. The player has won one of these wagers, the wager on the bottom hand. The player bet $1 on the bottom hand, and won $2.50 profit on the bottom hand, for a total payout of $3.50. Since the player had originally wagered a total of $4, the player has lost a total of $0.50.

The game has now ended and a new game can begin. It is noted that while two poker hands were illustrated in the prior example, embodiments described herein can be applied to any number of simultaneous poker hands to bet on (e.g., three or more), each hand played similarly.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a table that can be used to implement embodiments.

A top hand 300 and a bottom hand 302 are dealt using cards. Not shown is the deck of cards, an optional shuffling machine, the dealer's chip rack, and any other known apparatus used by a physical casino gaming table.

Betting circles are used by the player to place his or her chips that he or she wishes to wager. A top 0 betting circle 304 is used when the player wishes to bet on the top hand when 0 cards are revealed. A bottom 0 betting circle 314 is used when the player wishes to bet on the bottom hand when 0 cards are revealed. A top 1 betting circle 306 is used when the player wishes to bet on the top hand when 1 card is revealed. A bottom 1 betting circle 316 is used when the player wishes to bet on the bottom hand when 1 card is revealed. A top 2 betting circle 308 is used when the player wishes to bet on the top hand when 2 cards are revealed. A bottom 2 betting circle 318 is used when the player wishes to bet on the bottom hand when 2 cards are revealed. A top 3 betting circle 310 is used when the player wishes to bet on the top hand when 3 cards are revealed. A bottom 3 betting circle 320 is used when the player wishes to bet on the bottom hand when 3 cards are revealed. A top 4 betting circle 312 is used when the player wishes to bet on the top hand when 4 cards are revealed. A bottom 4 betting circle 322 is used when the player wishes to bet on the bottom hand when 4 cards are revealed. A payout sign (or display) 324 is visible to all players and the dealer(s) and is used to show all the payouts at various stages in the game, so when it is time for the dealer to resolve all of the wagers the dealer knows how much to pay each wager.

While the table illustrated in FIG. 3 only shows one player, such a table can similarly accommodate any number of simultaneous players (e.g., 2-8 or more).

It is noted that if one hand has no chance of beating another hand, then a wager on the hand may not be allowed. For example, in a five card hand game (although of course hands can be formed of any number of cards), if after four cards are dealt, a first hand has a rank of four of a kind, while the second hand has a rank of a pair, then it is not possible for the second hand to win, thus a bet on the second hand may not be allowed. It is also noted that any number of hands can be used (not just two), for example, 3 or more.

Texas holdem is typically played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The rules are well known. Respective players can ante, and then each player is dealt two hole cards wherein each player can only view their respective cards. A betting round ensues, and then three community cards are revealed (the flop). Another betting round ensues, and then a fourth community card is revealed (the turn). Another betting round ensues, and then a fifth community card is revealed (the river). A final betting round ensues, and then cards are revealed. The player who makes the highest ranking poker hand using any combination of his own hole cards and the community cards wins the pot.

A Texas holdem style game can be used for wagering using methods of the present invention. This can be played on an electronic gaming machine, a real live table, or a computer connected to the internet which can take wagers while a real Texas holdem game is being televised. Any number of players can be accommodated.

In televised poker, the viewers typically see the calculated chance for each hand to win the pot based on the other hands. So AhAc might be 91%, KhKc might be 6%, and 3d4d might be 3%. The general theme in all these ideas is to wager on some form of this chance to win, which can be called W%.

Typically, the payout for a 1-unit wager on a W% proposition would be 1/W%-for-1 minus some vig (house advantage) for the house edge. E.g. if W% is 18%, 1/18% is 5.56, so the wager may pay 5-for-1 (a.k.a. 4-to-1) for a 10% house edge. Note that the betting action on these hands must be done separately from the actual play of the live poker game, so as not to influence that game (i.e. use closed-circuit betting, like televised horse races). Wagers may be accepted on any available hand.

Also, since the W% figures for each hand change as each new community card is dealt (or in the case of Stud, each board card), other wagers may be made in addition to, or instead of, the wagers on the first set of player cards. On the flop, a bettor can bet on Jimmy's hand. Then on the turn, the player can bet on Mike's hand and Fred's hand, and so forth. The payouts are not pari-mutuel (although in another embodiment they can be), so they remain fixed even as the odds change as more cards come out. In other words, once the bet is booked, the payout and probability is known. The fact that the probability changes over the course of the hand (e.g. because the pair of 2s that was bet on flopped a set, or because a player's KQ suited missed the straight) can add to the excitement.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a game of Texas hold'em, according to an embodiment.

A game mechanism 400 is used to hold the cards, which can either be a physical table or a display of an electronic gaming machine. A first player's hole cards 400, a second player's hole cards 402, a third player's hole cards 404, and a fourth player's hold cards 406 are illustrated. Flop cards 408, a turn card 409, and a river card 410 are also illustrated. Not pictured but also optional is a payout display, similar to the payout display 324 from FIG. 3. It is noted that the payout display should appear in a remote location visible to only the players wagering on the odds-based outcome of the game. The actual players of the hold'em game should not see these payouts, as this would give the player's additional information as to what the other players' hands are.

A first player payout indicator 401 displays player one's probability of beating the other players given his hole cards and whichever community cards (the flop cards 408, the turn card 409, and the river card 410) have been revealed. The probability indicated by the first payout indicator 401 can (or cannot, depending on the embodiment) also take into consideration the other players' hole cards as well in determining the probability of winning. Thus, if the other players cards are taken into consideration, then a player dealt a pair a kings, would ordinarily have a high probability of winning, but if another player is dealt a pair of aces, then the displayed probability of the former player would be lower. A second player payout indicator 403, a third player payout indicator 405, and a fourth player payout indicator 407 operate similarly to the first player payout indicator 401, but for each respective player. Thus, at every step of the game, bettors (not necessarily the players playing the Texas-holdem game) can bet on which player will win. In an embodiment, no players actually play each hand, all hands are dealt out for the purpose of betting on which hand will win as described herein.

If bets are taken on a televised holdem game, it may be a problem if a player folds. This is because it is not mathematically possible to compute payout odds considering the subjectivity of a player folding. In Texas holdem, a player would not fold until he or she has seen his hole cards. One way this issue can be addressed, is that even if a player folds, for purposes of spectator betting, that folded player's hand can still be kept live for purposes of the spectator betting. Furthermore, in the case where all but one player folds before all community cards are dealt, normally the hand is over immediately. For the purposes of spectator betting, the remaining community cards should be dealt to enable the evaluation of the player hands (whether folded or not). To enable spectator betting in games such as 7-card stud, folded player hands may receive the remaining cards face-down, and in games such as 5-card draw, folded player hands may be played according to a pre-determined “house way”, while nevertheless remaining out of the actual competition for the pot.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of implementing a dynamic odds betting game, according to an embodiment.

The method can start with operation 500, which receives any initial wager(s). Each bettor can bet on which hand they think will win (have the highest rank when all cards are revealed). Of course, at this point no cards have been revealed, so the payouts on all hands should typically be equal.

From operation 500, the method can proceed to operation 502, which reveals two (or any other amount) hole cards to each player, and payouts are displayed for each player based on that player's chances of winning (having the highest rank when all cards are revealed). Note the hole cards are all revealed to the bettors. Note also that the hole cards may or may not be revealed to the players. Players may be real or imaginary. In a live hold'em game, each player would not know the contents of the others players' hole cards (until possibly the end of the round when all live players reveal their hands). However, bettors who are betting on which hand will win will know the contents of all of the hole cards when they are revealed.

From operation 502, the method can proceed to operation 504, which can receive wager(s). Bettors can wager on which player will win and will be paid based on the odds displayed in operation 502.

From operation 504, the method can proceed to operation 506, which reveals the flop card and displays payouts for each player to win using all revealed cards (hole cards and flop cards).

From operation 506, the method can proceed to operation 508, which can receive wager(s). Bettors can wager on which player will win and will be paid for this wager on the odds displayed in operation 504.

From operation 508, the method can proceed to operation 510, which reveals the turn card and displays payouts for each player based on that player's chances of winning (having the highest rank when all cards are revealed). The payouts take into consideration all of the revealed cards.

From operation 510, the method can proceed to operation 512, which can receive wager(s). Bettors can wager on which player will win and will be paid for this wager on the odds displayed in operation 510.

From operation 512, the method can proceed to operation 514, which reveals the river card. At this point, all the cards have been revealed.

From operation 514, the method can proceed to operation 516, which resolves all wager(s) placed. The winning player is determined based on the hand that has the highest ranking poker hand. This can be performed according to standard Texas-holdem rules. After the winning hand/player is determined, winning bet(s) are paid at the payouts active when the bet(s) were made, while losing bet(s) are taken by the house. In variations of the method, wagers at the several wagering steps 500, 504, 508, 512 (and any other wager) may be required, optional or disallowed.

The odds/payouts for embodiments described herein may be computed by real time analysis. A game that predetermines one or more of the starting sets of cards would alleviate some of this analysis. For example, a table game as in FIG. 5 with the starting cards AsQs, 9h9d, 7c2d yields W% of 44.54%, 44.72%, and 10.51%, respectively, and these W% figures may be precalculated. A bettor can then either bet on the AQ or 99 at 11-to-10 each (6% edge) or the longshot 72 offsuit at 8-to-1 (5.4% edge).

FIG. 6A is a block diagram illustrating an example of hardware used to implement an electronic gaming device, according to an embodiment.

A processing unit 600 is connected to input device(s) 602 (which can be any combination of input devices, such as a keyboard, button(s), touch screen, etc.) The processing unit 600 is also connected to an output device 604, which can be any combination of output devices, such as an LCD display, touch screen, etc. The processing unit 600 is also connected to a network device 606, which can be used to connect the EGD to any type of network, such as a LAN and/or the Internet. The processing unit 600 can also be connected to any other device 608 which is known in the art and can be used to operate the EGD. The processing unit 600 is also connected to RAM 610, which can be used by the processing unit 600 in order to execute software which can implement programs used to play any embodiments described herein. The processing unit 600 is also connected to a storage device 612, which can be any type of storage device (e.g., ROM, CD-ROM, DVD, EPROM, etc.) which can store programs needed for implementation. The processing unit 600 can also be connected to a financial device 614 which can be used to process transactions, such as receiving payments (of cash or other form of payment) and making payments (cash or other form of payments).

FIG. 6B is a block diagram illustrating components of betting on a poker game, according to an embodiment.

As described herein, a televised game can be wagered on using methods described herein. A physical poker game 620 can be played, photographed, and broadcast on a television 622. A player (not pictured) can be watching the broadcast on the television, and make a wager on a wagering apparatus 624. The wagering apparatus 624 can be an EGD, a dedicated terminal, a home computer, etc., which can accept the player's desired wager and transmit it using a computer communications network 626 (which can be the Internet, a LAN, or any other type of network) to a casino or sports book 628 which is the party that is accepting (booking) the wager.

Additional wagers can also be made at any point in the game, such as high card wagers can be made on which of two cards to be revealed will be higher in rank. Players may also wager, or be paid on, rankings on a pay chart for 3 of a kind, 2 pairs, flushes, straights, etc (on one or any of the hands). Players may also wager on a pre-declared series such as a 2 card, 3 card, 4 card, or 5 card poker hand. The odds can change for each as an ace against a 4 would be stronger on a 3 card hand than a 4 card hand and so on. Note that in addition to Texas Hold'em, any other poker based game can be applied to methods described herein as well, such as 7-card stud, Omaha, 5-card Draw, etc. In fact, spectator betting can be applied to any game (poker, general casino, or otherwise), which can involve multiple participants in the competition (live human or digital) and involves a series of operations such that the probability of each participant (or hand) winning the game, given the game's state at a given point, can be determined. Alternatively, payouts can be determined pari-mutuelly as well.

Further, a draw may be required at any point in time or can be optional (or prohibited). A draw can be where one hand discards one or more card(s) (or doesn't discard any card(s)) and receives additional card(s) to form their poker hand. If a card(s) is to be discarded, then a “house way” can be preset in order to determine which card to discard. In this way, a spectator that is betting on live players is merely betting on mathematical occurrences, not subjective decisions by players. A house way can consist of, for example, discarding a card in a five card hand that is not used to form any hand (e.g., pair, three of a kind, etc.), and is the lowest card in the hand. A draw and/or discard can occur at any point in any of the methods described herein.

Methods described herein can also be applied to other games such as Pai Gow, which is a combination of two poker hands. Each hand can either be wagered on separately, or the overall winner can be wagered on. Any embodiment described herein can be broken down into separate hands (to be wagered on individually or as a group). If hands are wagered on as a group, then some or all of the hands in the group need to beat the other players' hands in order to win.

The odds for displayed on a payout display can be determined in a number of ways. For example, they can be determined in real time using Monte-Carlo simulations. They can also all be predetermined (using Monte-Carlo simulations or using a formulaic approach) and stored in a table for all possible card combinations for all possible card combinations so that when a particular game situation arises, that situation can be indexed and retrieved in the table to determine the respective payouts for each hand.

Any embodiments herein can be played with a standard 52 card deck of cards, or multiple decks of cards (e.g., 2-10 or more). Special decks can also be used, e.g., a Spanish deck, a deck which includes wild card(s), or any other special deck.

It is also noted that any and/or all of the above embodiments, configurations, variations of the present invention described above can mixed and matched and used in any combination with one another. This also includes any prior document incorporated by reference, and any feature described herein can also be applied to any such documents. Any claim herein can be combined with any others (unless the results are nonsensical).

Moreover, any description of a component or embodiment herein also includes hardware, software, and configurations which already exist in the prior art and may be necessary to the operation of such component(s) or embodiment(s).

Further, the operations described herein can be performed in any sensible order. Any operations not required for proper operation can be optional. Further, all methods described herein can also be stored on a computer readable storage to control a computer.

The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

revealing a first set of card(s) forming part of a first hand;

revealing at least one additional set(s) of cards forming part of additional hand(s);

determining a first payout based on a probability that when all hands are completed the first hand will be a winning hand over the additional hands, the probability determined using the first set of cards and the additional set(s) of cards;

receiving a wager from a bettor that the first hand when completed will be the winning hand;

completing the first hand and the additional hand(s);

determining which hand is the winning hand; and

if the first hand is the winning hand, the paying the wager based on the first payout.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first set of card(s) is one card and a complete first hand comprises five cards.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the payout reflects the probability that the first hand will outrank other hands and with a house advantage factored in.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising, determining a second payout based on a probability that when all hands are completed an additional hand will outrank other hands, the probability determined using the first set of cards and the additional set(s) of cards.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising receiving a second wager from a bettor that the additional hand when completed will be a winning hand, and after the completing, if the additional hand is the winning hand, then paying the second wager using the second payout.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising, determining whether it is possible for the additional hand to be the winning hand, and if not, then preventing the bettor from placing a wager on the additional hand.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the revealing the first set of cards and the revealing of the additional sets of cards is performed with physical cards on a table.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising televising the revealing the first set of cards and the revealing of the additional sets of cards and the receiving a wager receives wagers remotely from players not physically present at the revealing of cards who are watching the televising on an output device.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the completing the first hand and the additional hand(s) includes allowing the first hand and the additional hand(s) to each replace at least one card in the respective hand.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the at least one card in the respective hand to be replaced is determined by a house way without any human decision involved.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method is performed on an electronic gaming device.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the additional set(s) of card(s) include community card(s).

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the additional set(s) of card(s) include card(s) dealt individually to each hand.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the completing the first hand and the additional hand(s) comprises:

revealing further card(s) forming part of the first hand and the additional hand(s), but not yet completing the first hand and the additional hand(s);

determining a second payout based on a probability that when all hands are completed the first hand will be a winning hand over the additional hands, the probability determined using the first set of cards and the additional set(s) of cards and the further card(s); and

receiving a second wager from the bettor that the first hand when completed will be the winning hand.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein, if the first hand is the winning hand, the paying the second wager based on the second payout.

16. An electronic gaming device to implement a method to play a poker game, the electronic gaming device comprising:

a processing unit performing: revealing a first set of card(s) forming part of a first hand; revealing at least one additional set(s) of cards forming part of additional hand(s); determining a first payout based on a probability that when all hands are completed the first hand will be a winning hand over the additional hands, the probability determined using the first set of cards and the additional set(s) of cards; receiving a wager from a bettor that the first hand when completed will be the winning hand; completing the first hand and the additional hand(s); determining which hand is the winning hand and if the if the first hand is the winning hand, the paying the wager based on the first payout; and

an output device displaying results of the processing unit.

17. The electronic gaming device as recited in claim 1, wherein the completing the first hand and the additional hand(s) comprises:

revealing further card(s) forming part of the first hand and the additional hand(s), but not yet completing the first hand and the additional hand(s);

determining a second payout based on a probability that when all hands are completed the first hand will be a winning hand over the additional hands, the probability determined using the first set of cards and the additional set(s) of cards and the further card(s); and

receiving a second wager from the bettor that the first hand when completed will be the winning hand.

18. The electronic gaming device as recited in claim 17, wherein, if the first hand is the winning hand, the paying the second wager based on the second payout.