AU2018236779A1 - Apparatus and methods for conducting a wager game - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of playing a card based wager game, comprising: initiating a first wager phase in which ante wagers are received from each player to participate in the wager game; following 5 the first wager phase, initiating a community card draw phase in which three community cards are presented face up on a game table, the three community cards being drawn from a randomly ordered card deck; following the community card draw phase, initiating a secondary wager phase in which each of the players are given the option, based on the three community cards, to either: (a) fold and forfeit the ante wager; or (b) place a secondary wager to remain in the wager 10 game, the secondary wager having a value which is dependent on a value of the ante wager and being equal to, or between, one to two times the value thereof; following the secondary wager phase, initiating an interim draw phase in which each remaining player is presented with an individual card drawn from the remaining card deck for combining with the three community cards to further their respective and now unique partial hands; the individual card being 15 presented face up on the game table; following the interim draw phase, initiating a final wager phase in which each of the remaining players are given the option, based on their respective partial hands, to either: (a) fold and forfeit both the ante wager and the secondary wager; or (b) place a tertiary wager to remain in the wager game, the tertiary wager having a value which is dependent on a value of the ante wager and being equal to, or between, one to two times the 20 value thereof; following the final wager phase, initiating a final draw phase in which: each remaining player is presented with a final individual card drawn from the remaining card deck for combining with their respective partial hand so as to form a complete hand; the final individual card being presented face up on the game table; and evaluating the complete hands of the remaining players and awarding payouts to winning card combinations based on a 25 predefined payout structure. (FIGURE 2) 2/5 Primary wager phase S1 . Players place ante wagers 1..... ........-F. --.......... 2 Community draw phase Deal three community cards face up IF Secondary wager phase S3 Optional ?wager? 4 'Interim draw phase Deal first individual player card(s) face up Final wager phase S5 S6 Deal second FiadrwhaeFold individual player * card(s) face up S7 Awardpayoutto * any winning 'Figure 2 F hand S 6_____________________________________ Fo l Dea second*-*- -*-*- -*-.

Description

2/5 Primary wager phase S1 . Players place ante wagers

1..... ........- F. --.......... 2 Community draw phase Deal three community cards face up

IF Secondary wager phase S3 Optional

?wager?

4 'Interim draw phase Deal first individual player card(s) face up

Final wager phase S5

S6 Deal second FiadrwhaeFold

individual player * card(s) face up

S 6_____________________________________ Fo l

Dea -*-*- second*-*- -*-.

S7 Awardpayoutto * any winning 'Figure 2 F hand

APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR CONDUCTING A WAGER GAME

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to gaming systems, game apparatus and methods of gaming. It particularly relates to a unique variant on stud poker for play on a physical table or as a virtual equivalent (e.g. over the Internet on computers or mobile devices).

Background of the Invention

The following sequence of play is typical for many forms of stud poker where there is a combination of player cards and community cards. Firstly, a player places an ante bet to participate in the game. The player is then dealt an initial partial hand (for example, two cards dealt to each player is typical). A number of community cards are dealt, either before or after the player receives their initial cards, but not yet revealed. The community cards will ultimately be used by all players to form part of their individual hands. Typically, there are two or three community cards (such as in "Mississippi Stud Poker", where each player receives an initial two cards and there are three community cards).

The player may then, according to the game design, check (take no action but stay in the game) or have the option or the requirement to make a second wager, which is typically equal to or an integer multiple of the ante bet, to stay in the game. If the player cannot check and chooses to fold, they lose their ante bet and they are out of the game. The game ends if it is a single player game, or continues if at least one player makes the second wager. If a second wager is made, one of the community cards is revealed which contributes to the player's hand. If there is only one community card (or if the game dictates that all community cards are revealed at this time), the player's hand is assessed and completed, according to the rules of the game, and awards are paid according to a pay table. More often the contributing community card forms a further partial hand (i.e. made up of the cards the player was originally dealt and the first community card).

If play continues, the player may then, according to the game design, check (take no action but stay in the game) or have the option or the requirement to make a third wager to stay in the game. The third wager is again based on the ante bet and is often equal to or an integer multiple thereof. If the player cannot check and chooses to fold, they lose their ante bet and their second wager and they are out of the game (again the game ends at this stage if a single player game, or continues if at least one player makes a third wager to stay in). If the player makes the third wager, another community card is revealed, typically giving the player either a further partial hand or their final hand (i.e. formed of the cards they were originally dealt and the multiple community cards). Play may continue in like fashion for the reveal of additional card or cards and the optional or required placing of additional wagers.

Payouts are generally based on a fixed pay table on the final hands for remaining players (for instance of 5 cards, being for example 2 player cards initially dealt to each player, plus the 3 community cards), but some payouts may be, or may include, or may be superseded (paid in preference to the alternative fixed prize) a progressive component, usually named as a progressive jackpot.

In games such as "Mississippi Stud", a player has to make an initial ante bet and then three subsequent wagers in order to see the last of the community cards and assess their full 5-card poker hand. Payouts are based on a fixed pay table on the final hands for remaining players from the 5 cards that now make up their poker hand (the 2 cards dealt individually to the player as an initial partial hand, plus the 3 community cards).

Though such forms of poker are popular, there are several problems with the outlined sequence of play. Firstly, the initial play is randomised such that some players will receive an initially advantageous partial hand, while others will not. The individual nature of this play is typical of casino card games, but often creates negative feelings amongst players that receive a succession of poor starting hands, while seeing others around them getting highly advantageous or automatically-winning hands.

Secondly, players make individual decisions to play on or fold based on the individual partial hands that they have been dealt. In many of these games, players are dealt an initial partial hand of two cards, towards their ultimate hand of five cards (including, in this case, three community cards), leaving the player to make their decision to stay in based on less than half of the cards that will form their final hand. This often leads to players chasing the possibility of a win, but ultimately losing, having had to make additional wagers for each of the three community cards, or folding early and missing out on a win. This can rapidly wipe out a player's stake and therefore negatively impact their enjoyment in the game. Alternatively, the player may elect to fold their hand early, and miss out on a what would have been a winning hand after the reveal of the community cards.

Thirdly, players are not allowed to communicate with each other during the phases of play, to prevent players from learning the individual cards that other players have, which would affect the decision-making process of other players as to whether they stay in or fold. That is, if players ascertain that some of the cards they are seeking in the unrevealed community cards are actually in other player's hands already, they may fold, providing an unfair advantage. For this reason, casinos ban communication during the phases of play of such games, creating less of a social play atmosphere, which is advantageous in games that do not have such preclusions, such as Blackjack, where all player cards are revealed face-up.

Fourthly, as wild card play has not been introduced in many table games of this type (where players are playing to achieve a set hand, rather than to beat an opponent's or the house's hand), there are less hand possibilities versus games that make use of at least one wild card (as it is then possible to have different pay possibilities for hands that do or do not include a wild card). This includes hands that are physically impossible in a game using only a standard deck, namely "5 of a kind", being four of the same ranked card with a Joker. The higher number of hand combinations that include a wild may allow for superior hit rate and lower volatility compared to existing games, at the sacrifice of some of the rates of pay for certain combinations. A higher hit rate (stand off or better being more likely to be achieved) and lower volatility will increase player play time, increasing player enjoyment and perceived quality of play.

It would be advantageous if there was provided a new form of poker that addressed at least one of the above stated deficiencies associated with conventional forms.

Summary of the Invention

In accordance with a first aspect there is provided a method of playing a card-based wager game, comprising: initiating a first wager phase in which ante wagers are received from each player to participate in the wager game; following the first wager phase, initiating a community card draw phase in which three community cards are presented face up on a game table, the three community cards being drawn from a randomly ordered card deck; following the community card draw phase, initiating a secondary wager phase in which each of the players are given the option, based on the three community cards, to either: (a) fold and forfeit the ante wager; or (b) place a secondary wager to remain in the wager game, the secondary wager having a value which is dependent on a value of the ante wager and being equal to, or between, one to two times the value thereof; following the secondary wager phase, initiating an interim draw phase in which each remaining player is presented with an individual card drawn from the remaining card deck for combining with the three community cards to further their respective and now unique partial hands; the individual card being presented face up on the game table; following the interim draw phase, initiating a final wager phase in which each of the remaining players are given the option, based on their respective partial hands, to either: (a) fold and forfeit both the ante wager and the secondary wager; or (b) place a tertiary wager to remain in the wager game, the tertiary wager having a value which is dependent on a value of the ante wager and being equal to, or between, one to two times the value thereof; following the final wager phase, initiating a final draw phase in which: each remaining player is presented with a final individual card drawn from the remaining card deck for combining with their respective partial hand so as to form a complete hand; the final individual card being presented face up on the game table; and evaluating the complete hands of the remaining players and awarding payouts to winning card combinations based on a predefined payout structure.

In an embodiment the game table is a physical table. In an alternative embodiment the game table is a virtual game table displayed on an electronic display screen.

In an embodiment the card deck comprises a standard 52 cards plus a joker card which is treated as a wild card that can count for any other card.

In an embodiment the card deck comprises a standard 52 cards plus two joker cards which are each treated as wild cards that can count for any other card.

In an embodiment the card deck comprises a standard 52 cards and wherein one or more of the cards in the 52 card deck are treated as a wild card that can count for any other card.

In an embodiment a different payout structure is applied for awarding a payout to a complete winning hand including the wild card(s) than for winning hands without.

In an embodiment, a higher payout is paid to at least one winning card combination that does not comprise a wild card than for the same winning combination(s) formed using the wild card.

In an embodiment the cards are drawn from the card deck by an automated dealing machine and presented to the players by a croupier.

In an embodiment, in the event of a malfunction by the automated dealing machine after the community cards have been presented, the community cards are evaluated, and in the event the community cards form a winning card combination, a payout is awarded to each of the players based on a predefined payout structure.

In an embodiment the cards are drawn and presented to the players by a croupier.

In an embodiment the cards presented in at least one of the community, interim and final draw phase(s) are drawn prior to commencement of the community draw phase.

In an embodiment the method further comprises allowing a player to place one or more side wagers that are independent of the main game wagers on one or more winning card combinations formed from at least one of the community cards and/or individual cards.

In accordance with a second aspect there is provided an automated card dealing machine programmed to deal cards from a card deck according to the method described in accordance with the first aspect.

In accordance with a third aspect there is provided a method of playing a card-based wager game, comprising: initiating a first wager phase in which ante wagers are received from each player to participate in the wager game; following the first wager phase, initiating a community card draw phase in which three community cards are presented face up on a game table, the three community cards being drawn from a randomly ordered card deck; following the community card draw phase, initiating a secondary wager phase in which each of the players are given the option, based on the three community cards, to either: (a) fold and forfeit the ante wager; or (b) place a secondary wager to remain in the wager game, the secondary wager having a value which is dependent on a value of the ante wager; following the secondary wager phase, initiating an interim draw phase in which each remaining player is presented with an individual card drawn from the remaining card deck for combining with the three community cards to further their respective and now unique partial hands, the individual cards being presented such that they are not revealed to other players; following the interim draw phase, initiating a final wager phase in which each of the remaining players are given the option, based on their respective partial hands, to either: (a) fold and forfeit both the ante wager and the secondary wager; or (b) place a tertiary wager to remain in the wager game, the tertiary wager having a value which is dependent on a value of the ante wager; following the final wager phase, initiating a final draw phase in which: (a) each remaining player is required to reveal the individual card they were dealt during the interim draw phase to the other remaining players; and (b) each remaining player is presented with a final individual card drawn from the remaining card deck for combining with their respective partial hand so as to form a complete hand; the final individual card being presented face up on the game table; and evaluating the complete hands of the remaining players and awarding payouts to winning card combinations based on a predefined payout structure.

In an embodiment the value of the respective wagers is equal to, or between, one to two times the value of the ante wager.

In an embodiment players are free to communicate about the cards in the respective hands during all phases of the wager game with the exception of the interim draw phase and immediately following wager phase.

In an embodiment step (a) of the final wager phase is completed before step (b) is initiated.

In accordance with a fourth aspect there is provided a method of playing a card based wager game, comprising: initiating a first wager phase in which ante wagers are received from each player to participate in the wager game; following the first wager phase, initiating a community card draw phase in which two community cards are presented face up on a game table, the two community cards being dealt from a randomly ordered card deck; following the community card draw phase, initiating a secondary wager phase in which each of the players are given the option, based on the two community cards, to either: (a) fold and forfeit the ante wager; or (b) place a secondary wager to remain in the wager game, the secondary wager having a value which is dependent on a value of the ante wager and being equal to, or between, one to two times the value thereof; following the secondary wager phase, initiating an interim draw phase in which each remaining player is presented with an individual card drawn from the remaining card deck for combining with the two community cards to further their respective and now unique partial hands; following the interim draw phase, initiating a tertiary wager phase in which each of the remaining players are given the option, based on their respective partial hands, to either: (a) fold and forfeit both the ante wager and the secondary wager; or (b) place a tertiary wager to remain in the wager game, the tertiary wager having a value which is dependent on a value of the ante wager and being equal to, or between, one to two times the value thereof; following the tertiary wager phase, initiating a further interim draw phase in which a further individual card drawn from the remaining card deck is presented to each of the remaining players for combining with their respective partial hands; following the further interim draw phase, initiating a final wager phase in which each of the remaining players are given the option to either (a) fold and forfeit all previous wagers; or (b) place a quaternary wager to remain in the wager game, the quaternary wager having a value which is dependent on a value of the ante wager and being equal to, or between, one to two times the value thereof; following the final wager phase, initiating a final draw phase in which: each remaining player is presented with a final individual card drawn from the remaining card deck for combining with their respective partial hand so as to form a complete hand; evaluating the complete hands of the remaining players and awarding payouts based on a predefined payout structure; and wherein the individual player cards drawn during at least one of the interim draw phases are dealt face down and wherein during the final wager phase each remaining player is required to reveal the individual cards they were dealt face down during the interim draw phase(s).

Players may be free to communicate about the cards in the respective hands during all phases of the wager game with the exception of the interim draw phase(s) and immediately following wager phase(s).

In an embodiment step (a) of the final wager phase is completed before step (b) is initiated.

In accordance with a fifth aspect there is provided a gaming terminal operable to implement the method as described in accordance with any one of the preceding aspects, the terminal comprising a controller for implementing each of the game phases and respective displays for each player such that the displays are viewable only by the corresponding player.

In accordance with yet another aspect there is provided a computer readable medium comprising computer program including at least one instruction which is arranged to implement the method as described in accordance with any of the preceding aspects.

An embodiment of the apparatus further includes a central controller for running a gaming algorithm, and a plurality of remote clients in communication with the central controller over a communications network, the remote clients including screens for the display of information to players.

Embodiments of the present invention may be applied in non-table based format on any suitable type of gaming system or platform. For example, they can be implemented by a stand-alone gaming apparatus, e.g. electronic gaming machines, such as video gaming machines, to gaming machines that are linked together, e.g. via a network such as an intranet, and/or to gaming systems provided through computing or other electronic devices, e.g. personal computers, PDAs, mobile telephones, digital televisions, and the like, e.g. over the Internet or other communications networks.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a game table, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a flowchart of an embodiment;

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are plan views of a game table in accordance with alternative embodiments of the invention.

Detailed Description

Embodiments described herein relate to a new poker game variant. It will be understood that embodiments may be implemented either in table form (i.e. where cards are dealt, and wagers are placed on a physical wager table operated by a croupier), or in a virtual form (e.g. played in an automated fashion on an electronic gaming machine, or the like).

A physical "table based" embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figure 1. The table 100 includes a centrally located community card region 102 for placement of three community cards. The table 100 also includes an ante wager region 104 for placement of ante wager (hereafter wagers), a first optional wager region 106 for placement of a first optional wager, a second optional wager region 108 for placement of a second optional wager, a player card region 109 for placement of individual player cards, a discard region 110 for discarded cards and a shuffling machine 112. It will be understood that the placement of the various regions and shuffling machine 102 to 112 should not be seen as being limited to those depicted in Figure 1 and could be located in any suitable table location. For example, Figures 3 to 5 show alternative placements.

A process flow illustrating game play for a preferred embodiment will now be described with reference to Figure 2. The following description assumes multiple players are participating in the wager game. However, it will be understood that the wager game may be played by a single player since all variants described herein are played against a fixed pay table, and further that a single player may play multiple hands in a single complete round of the game. According to the illustrated embodiment, the game is played utilising a deck of 53 cards, comprising a standard 52 card poker deck, plus a joker "wild card" that can count for any other card.

At step Si, each player places an ante wager in a conventional manner (referred to herein as the "first wager phase"). The ante wagers are placed in the ante-wager region 104. However, in direct contrast to convention forms of poker, following the first wager phase players are not dealt individual cards that form the basis of respective partial hands. Instead, at step S2, a "community card draw phase" is initiated in which three community cards are dealt and placed face up in a community card region 102 of the table 100. Players may freely communicate during the community card draw phase, as well as all subsequent draw and wager phases, since in the preferred embodiment there are no hidden cards and thus no advantage to be gained by the players staying silent.

The community card draw phase is followed by a secondary wager phase (step S3) in which each of the players may decide, on an individual basis, whether to continue to play by placing a secondary wager, or to fold and lose their Ante Bet. The secondary wager value is based on the value of the ante wager and may be equal to, or between one and two times the value of the ante wager. The secondary wager value may or may not be an integer of the ante wager, depending on the desired implementation.

At step S4, an interim draw phase in initiated in which each remaining player is dealt an individual player. The individual card is dealt face up and can be combined with the three community cards to form a respective unique partial hand for each remaining player.

The interim draw phase is followed by a final wager phase (step S5) in which each of the remaining players may decide, based on their respective unique partial hands, whether to continue to play by placing a tertiary wager, or to fold and lose both their ante bet and secondary wager. The tertiary wager value is based on the value of the ante wager and may be equal to, or between one and two times the value of the ante wager. The tertiary wager value may or may not be an integer of the ante wager, depending on the desired implementation.

After players have made their tertiary wager (or folded), a final draw phase is initiated (step S6). In this final phase a second individual card is dealt face up to each remaining player, to form their final respective hands (consisting of the initial three community cards, plus the two individual player cards).

Finally, at step S7, remaining players with winning hands are awarded a payout based on a fixed pay table.

As previously mentioned, the wager game described above uses a 52-card standard deck, plus a "joker" card, which is a wild card that can count for any other card. In another alternative embodiment, two jokers may be added to the deck, such that the deck comprises 54 cards. In yet another alternative embodiment, a designated rank of cards, or individual cards from the standard deck, may be designated as wild cards, for example "Deuces Wild", where all cards with a rank of "2" are Wild, or for example where the "Ace of Spades" is Wild. A different pay structure may be applied for hands that include the joker versus those that do not, favouring the "natural" hands, as these are harder to achieve. In a still further alternative embodiment, the

wager game may use a standard 52-card deck with no wilds.

Exemplary Pay Table

Below is an exemplary pay table (Table 1) for a main game in accordance with the preferred embodiment (i.e. where the main game utilises a 52-card standard deck plus one "Joker" wild card).

Final Hand: Natural: With Joker: Ante Bonus

No Hand

Pair of 2's to 8's

Pair of 9's to 10's Stand Off Stand Off Stand Off

Pair of J's to A's 1-1 1-1 Stand Off

2 Pair 2-1 Stand Off

3 of a Kind 3-1 2-1 Stand Off

Straight 4-1 3-1 Stand Off

Flush 5-1 4-1 1-1

Full House 10-1 6-1 3-1

4 of a Kind 30-1 10-1 7-1

Straight Flush 50-1 30-1 20-1

Royal Flush 500-1 60-1 50-1

5 of a Kind 500-1 100-1

Table 1

According to the above pay table, a "Lose" entry results in the player losing their Ante wager and any secondary and tertiary wagers. It will also be understood that the term "Stand Off'is used to refer to the scenario whether neither the dealer nor player wins and the wagers are returned to those players. An "odds field" such as "2-1" indicates that the player retains the indicated wager and receives a prize award based on the first entry in the odds field, in this example being 2 times the amount wagered. According to the above pay table, secondary and tertiary wagers may be one to two times the value of the ante wager (including wagers in between these integer values). The wager game has a calculated return to player (RTP) (i.e. calculated return based on best strategy, taking into account the odds of achieving given hands versus the corresponding probability of such). According to one specific embodiment using a specific strategy as to when to place the secondary and/or tertiary wagers or fold, the nominally calculated RTP may be approximately 98%.

It will be understood that other pay tables or other strategies may be utilised, which will result in an alternative calculated RTP. For instance:

Final Hand: Natural: With Joker: Ante Bonus No Hand Lose Lose Pair of 2's to 6's Lose Lose Lose Pair of 7's to 10's Stand Off Stand Off Stand Off Pair of J's to A's 1-1 1-1 Stand Off 2 Pair 1-1 Stand Off 3 of a Kind 2-1 2-1 Stand Off Straight 3-1 3-1 1-1 Flush 5-1 5-1 2-1 Full House 8-1 8-1 3-1 4 ofa Kind 20-1 20-1 7-1 Straight Flush 100-1 50-1 20-1 Royal Flush 500-1 100-1 50-1 5 of a Kind 500-1 500-1 Table 2 Such models are still consistent with the advantages outlined beforehand in comparison to existing systems.

According to the pay table shown in Table 2, an ante bonus is paid to hands consisting of a straight or better.

Alternative Embodiments

In one alternative embodiment, individual player cards dealt during the interim draw phase(s) are dealt face down and players are refrained from communicating about their respective cards until all cards have been dealt in the final draw phase.

The cards presented during the various draw phases as described herein may be dealt either solely by a human dealer or by an automated dealing machine in conjunction with a croupier.

The automated dealing machine may be programmed with the card dealing structure outlined above, namely:

a. After being randomly shuffled by the automated dealing machine, three cards are initially produced from the dealing machine, awaiting the croupier taking these cards and revealing them on the game table 102 in the community card zone, which would take place after the first wager phase; b. The automated dealing machine is then configured to produce single cards, which the croupier takes and places before each player that has placed a second wager, and then subsequently a third wager; c. The automated dealing machine then produces all remaining cards in the deck that was used for that game, typically upon the croupier pressing a button on the machine to indicate no further cards are required; d. All remaining cards are typically placed into the discard pile, along with cards from players that placed a second wager and subsequently folded.

As an alternative to the above machine-based method, the initial 3 cards are dealt by the machine and then all remaining cards are produced and individually dealt by the croupier (i.e. the croupier may pick up the remaining deck and deal them out by hand).

In yet another alternative embodiment, the cards may be dealt (either by the dealer or automated dealing machine) before being revealed/presented to the players. In more detail, the dealer or machine/croupier may deal the community cards and place them in position without being revealed to the players, as well as dealing (n) single cards for subsequently presented to the players during the interim and final draw phases. The single cards may either be dealt into distinct positions for each player, or placed in some holding area for subsequent player distribution. Play then continues as described above. An advantage of the pre-dealing method is that, in the event of a machine malfunction or other event, players may not be annoyed by the fact that a good community card set may have been revealed prior to a malfunction that may otherwise void the hand. In this regard, in the event of malfunction after the community cards have been revealed, pays may still be made to players based on the revealed community cards (only), if such community cards comprised a winning combination.

In an alternative embodiment to that described above, an additional interim draw phase is implemented (i.e. introduced between the secondary wager phase and final draw phase).

According to such an embodiment, only two community cards may be revealed during the community card draw phase, with the three individual cards presented during the two interim draw phases and the final draw phase, completing the respective hands.

In yet another alternative embodiment, each player may place a side wager that is entirely independent of the ante wager and subsequent wagers placed in the main game to remain therein. The pay table applied for all side wagers may have a different value for hands that include a wild versus those that do not. The side wager may be placed on the three community cards that are initially dealt (i.e. such that the three cards comprise a 3-card hand that is compared to a pay table against the side bet placed for this purpose only - see the Figure 4 table variant where the side wager may be placed in the side wager region 111). Alternatively, or in addition to an additional second optional side wager, the side wager may also be placed on the individual player cards that are dealt during the interim and final draw phases, independent of whether or not the player even stays in the main game. In such instances, if the player has folded they are still dealt a first individual card face down, as with players that remain in the main game. As with other remaining players, these cards are revealed prior to the dealing of the final individual player cards. A pay table is used for the 2-card hand and/or for the completed 5 card hand, against the side wager placed for this purpose only. In one form, a side wager may be placed on the outcome of any other player hand achieving a certain hand magnitude or higher (e.g. greater than two pair).

In an embodiment, a fixed and/or progressive jackpot may exist as part of the pay table. For example, a player may place a separate jackpot side wager for eligibility towards a fixed or incrementing jackpot or mixture ofjackpots, such as jackpots that may be won for achieving a final hand such as a natural royal flush, or a natural royal flush of a certain suit only, or a 5-of a-Kind, or all of the above. Alternatively, the jackpot side wager may be the side wager described above, or included in the side wager described above. Alternatively, the jackpot may be able to be won without the placing of a side wager. In such an instance the jackpot forms part of the pay table for regular play of the game, for example where a 5 of a kind wins a progressive jackpot prize instead of a fixed value prize.

Although the afore-described embodiments were described in the context of a venue-based game it will be understood that alternative embodiments may involve players remotely participating in the game. For example, a gaming controller could be configured to communicate over any suitable network such as an intranet, and/or to gaming systems provided through computing or other electronic devices, e.g. personal computers, PDAs, mobile telephones, digital televisions, and the like, e.g. over the Internet or other suitable communications networks.

It will be understood that the embodiments described above should not be seen as being limited for play on a physical casino table and instead could readily be implemented as a screen based game, e.g. playable on an electronic gaming machine EGM, as an Internet-based game or the like. In this regard, an electronic game controller implemented by a computer server may be used to receive player wagers, control game play and award winning hands (according to the fixed pay table).

One or more embodiments as described herein provide a new form of poker game play that may provide the following advantages over conventional forms of poker game play:

o All players start with the same partial hand, being the revealed community cards. There is no unfair starting position for any given player, eliminating player angst over receiving poor cards compared to players around them. o According to one embodiment, players see three of the five cards that will form their final hand, before making the decision to play on or to fold. Players therefore have a much better rationale for making that decision versus convention forms of poker where this decision is made based on two individual player cards towards their final 5-card hand. Since there are only two cards remaining, there are also a maximum of two further wagers, versus games where there are three further wagers. This eliminates the likelihood of the rapid erosion of a player's stake versus such games. o Game play is far more social than existing games in this field, where players may not communicate as soon as cards are dealt. According to embodiments described herein, players may freely communicate with each other during and following the drawing of the community cards, which are revealed to all players. This creates a "team" environment, versus the current games, which are "solo" environments. Being able to freely communicate after the initial community cards are revealed, and again before the final individual cards are revealed, are major social aspects that are devoid from current games that make use of community cards. This is a major benefit that may attract and retain players. o Use of at least one wild card introduces another pay structure versus current games that do not use a wild card. This includes "5 of a kind", which are not possible in existing games that do not use a wild card.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Claims (19)

CLAIMS:

1. A method of playing a card-based wager game, comprising: initiating a first wager phase in which ante wagers are received from each player to participate in the wager game; following the first wager phase, initiating a community card draw phase in which three community cards are presented face up on a game table, the three community cards being drawn from a randomly ordered card deck; following the community card draw phase, initiating a secondary wager phase in which each of the players are given the option, based on the three community cards, to either: (a) fold and forfeit the ante wager; or (b) place a secondary wager to remain in the wager game, the secondary wager having a value which is dependent on a value of the ante wager and being equal to, or between, one to two times the value thereof; following the secondary wager phase, initiating an interim draw phase in which each remaining player is presented with an individual card drawn from the remaining card deck for combining with the three community cards to further their respective and now unique partial hands; the individual card being presented face up on the game table; following the interim draw phase, initiating a final wager phase in which each of the remaining players are given the option, based on their respective partial hands, to either: (a) fold and forfeit both the ante wager and the secondary wager; or (b) place a tertiary wager to remain in the wager game, the tertiary wager having a value which is dependent on a value of the ante wager and being equal to, or between, one to two times the value thereof; following the final wager phase, initiating a final draw phase in which: each remaining player is presented with a final individual card drawn from the remaining card deck for combining with their respective partial hand so as to form a complete hand; the final individual card being presented face up on the game table; and evaluating the complete hands of the remaining players and awarding payouts to winning card combinations based on a predefined payout structure.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the card deck comprises a standard 52 cards plus ajoker card which is treated as a wild card that can count for any other card.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the card deck comprises a standard 52 cards plus two joker cards which are each treated as wild cards that can count for any other card.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the card deck comprises a standard 52 cards and wherein one or more of the cards in the 52 card deck are treated as a wild card that can count for any other card.

5. A method in accordance with any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a different payout structure is applied for awarding a payout to a complete winning hand including the wild card(s) than for winning hands without.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5, wherein, a higher payout is paid to at least one winning card combination that does not comprise a wild card than for the same winning combination(s) formed using the wild card.

7. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cards are drawn from the card deck by an automated dealing machine and presented to the players by a croupier.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7, wherein in the event of a malfunction by the automated dealing machine after the community cards have been presented, the community cards are evaluated, and in the event the community cards form a winning card combination, a payout is awarded to each of the players based on a predefined payout structure.

9. A method in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cards are drawn and presented to the players by a croupier.

10. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cards presented in at least one of the community, interim and final draw phase(s) are drawn prior to commencement of the community draw phase.

11. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, further comprising allowing a player to place one or more side wagers that are independent of the main game wagers on one or more winning card combinations formed from at least one of the community cards and/or individual cards.

12. An automated card dealing machine programmed to deal cards from a card deck according to the method outlined in any one of the preceding claims.

13. A method of playing a card-based wager game, comprising: initiating a first wager phase in which ante wagers are received from each player to participate in the wager game; following the first wager phase, initiating a community card draw phase in which three community cards are presented face up on a game table, the three community cards being drawn from a randomly ordered card deck; following the community card draw phase, initiating a secondary wager phase in which each of the players are given the option, based on the three community cards, to either: (a) fold and forfeit the ante wager; or (b) place a secondary wager to remain in the wager game, the secondary wager having a value which is dependent on a value of the ante wager and being equal to, or between, one to two times the value thereof; following the secondary wager phase, initiating an interim draw phase in which each remaining player is presented with an individual card drawn from the remaining card deck for combining with the three community cards to further their respective and now unique partial hands, the individual cards being presented such that they are not revealed to other players; following the interim draw phase, initiating a final wager phase in which each of the remaining players are given the option, based on their respective partial hands, to either: (a) fold and forfeit both the ante wager and the secondary wager; or (b) place a tertiary wager to remain in the wager game, the tertiary wager having a value which is dependent on a value of the ante wager and being equal to, or between, one to two times the value thereof; following the final wager phase, initiating a final draw phase in which: (a) each remaining player is required to reveal the individual card they were dealt during the interim draw phase to the other remaining players; and (b) each remaining player is presented with a final individual card drawn from the remaining card deck for combining with their respective partial hand so as to form a complete hand; the final individual card being presented face up on the game table; and evaluating the complete hands of the remaining players and awarding payouts to winning card combinations based on a predefined payout structure.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein players are free to communicate about the cards in the respective hands during all phases of the wager game with the exception of the interim draw phase and immediately following wager phase.

15. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein step (a) of the final wager phase is completed before step (b) is initiated.

16. A method of playing a card-based wager game, comprising: initiating a first wager phase in which ante wagers are received from each player to participate in the wager game; following the first wager phase, initiating a community card draw phase in which two community cards are presented face up on a game table, the two community cards being dealt from a randomly ordered card deck; following the community card draw phase, initiating a secondary wager phase in which each of the players are given the option, based on the two community cards, to either: (a) fold and forfeit the ante wager; or (b) place a secondary wager to remain in the wager game, the secondary wager having a value which is dependent on a value of the ante wager and being equal to, or between, one to two times the value thereof; following the secondary wager phase, initiating an interim draw phase in which each remaining player is presented with an individual card drawn from the remaining card deck for combining with the two community cards to further their respective and now unique partial hands; following the interim draw phase, initiating a tertiary wager phase in which each of the remaining players are given the option, based on their respective partial hands, to either: (a) fold and forfeit both the ante wager and the secondary wager; or (b) place a tertiary wager to remain in the wager game, the tertiary wager having a value which is dependent on a value of the ante wager and being equal to, or between, one to two times the value thereof; following the tertiary wager phase, initiating a further interim draw phase in which a further individual card drawn from the remaining card deck is presented to each of the remaining players for combining with their respective partial hands; following the further interim draw phase, initiating a final wager phase in which each of the remaining players are given the option to either (a) fold and forfeit all previous wagers; or (b) place a quaternary wager to remain in the wager game, the quaternary wager having a value which is dependent on a value of the ante wager and being equal to, or between, one to two times the value thereof; following the final wager phase, initiating a final draw phase in which: each remaining player is presented with a final individual card drawn from the remaining card deck for combining with their respective partial hand so as to form a complete hand; evaluating the complete hands of the remaining players and awarding payouts based on a predefined payout structure; and wherein the individual player cards drawn during at least one of the interim draw phases are dealt face down and wherein during the final wager phase each remaining player is required to reveal the individual cards they were dealt face down during the interim draw phase(s).

17. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein players are free to communicate about the cards in the respective hands during all phases of the wager game with the exception of the interim draw phase(s) and immediately following wager phase(s).

18. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein step (a) of the final wager phase is completed before step (b) is initiated.

19. A gaming terminal operable to implement the method in accordance with any one of claims I to 18, the terminal comprising a controller for implementing each of the game phases and respective displays for each player such that the displays are viewable only by the corresponding player.