Method and apparatus for playing multiple hand card game

Abstract

In a card game, each player and the dealer are dealt three cards to form a two-card hand and a one-card hand, corresponding to a HIGH hand and a LOW hand. The player HIGH and LOW hands are compared with the respective dealer hands to determine a game result. In one operating mode, players can make a wager for each of the hands, and the wagers are paid or taken separately depending on the respective comparison results. Alternatively, players may make a single wager that wins if the player at least wins one and pushes one of the two hands. The game also includes provisions for proposition wagers such as a copy wager and/or a pair wager as well as an empty hand or Dragon Hand concept.

1 . A method of playing a card game comprising: 
 (a) dealing a plurality of cards to a player and a dealer;    (b) the player and the dealer each forming two hands with the plurality of cards corresponding to a HIGH hand and a LOW hand, wherein for the dealer, step (b) is practiced according to predetermined hand-forming rules such that with a hand of no pair, the HIGH hand contains at least a high card and a low card, and the LOW hand is an odd card; and    (c) determining a game result by comparing the player HIGH and LOW hands with the respective dealer hands.    
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the HIGH hand must be better than the LOW hand.  
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein only pairs and high cards have rank value.  
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein a two-card straight flush, a two-card straight, a two-card flush, pairs and high cards have rank value.  
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 1 , further comprising, prior to step (a), the step of receiving a competition wager from the player on the game result.  
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 5 , wherein the wager receiving step comprises receiving the competition wager from the player that both of the player HIGH and LOW hands will beat the dealer's respective hands according to the comparison in step (c).  
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 5 , further comprising, after step (c), the step of paying a payout of 1 to 1 if the player LOW hand beats the dealer's LOW hand and the player HIGH hand is at least a copy of the dealer's HIGH hand according to the comparison in step (c).  
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 5 , wherein the wager receiving step comprises receiving a HIGH hand wager and a LOW hand wager, and further comprising, after step (c), the step of paying a payout for each player hand that beats the dealer's respective hands according to the comparison in step (c).  
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 8 , wherein the payout is 1 to 1.  
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 8 , wherein the HIGH hand wager and the LOW hand wager are equal amounts.  
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 1 , further comprising, prior to step (a), the step of receiving a proposition wager for a peripheral event during the card game.  
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 11 , wherein the peripheral event comprises at least one occurrence of a copy hand between the player and the dealer.  
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 12 , further comprising paying a variable payout based on a number of copy hands between the player and the dealer.  
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 11 , wherein the peripheral event comprises an occurrence of a pair in the player's plurality of cards.  
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 1 , further comprising, prior to step (a), the step of receiving a side wager on at least one dragon hand and substantially concurrently with step (a), the steps of: 
 dealing a plurality of cards and correspondingly forming each of the at least one dragon hand into two hands with the plurality of cards corresponding to a HIGH hand and a LOW hand;    determining a dragon hand game result by comparing the at least one dragon hand HIGH and LOW hands with either the respective dealer hands or the respective player hands; and    resolving the side wager according to the dragon hand game result.    
     
     
         16 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein step (b) is practiced according to predetermined hand rules for the player matching those for the dealer.  
     
     
         17 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein step (b) is practiced by prohibiting the dealer from splitting a pair.  
     
     
         18 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein step (a) is practiced by dealing from multiple decks.  
     
     
         19 . An apparatus for playing a card game comprising: 
 means for dealing a plurality of cards to a player and a dealer;    means for the player and the dealer each forming two hands with the plurality of cards corresponding to a HIGH hand and a LOW hand, wherein the dealer hand is formed according to predetermined hand-forming rules such that with a hand of no pair, the HIGH hand contains at least a high card and a low card, and the LOW hand is an odd card; and    means for determining a game result by comparing the player HIGH and LOW hands with the respective dealer hands.    
     
     
         20 . A method of playing a card game comprising: 
 (a) enabling a player to place at least one wager on a game result;    (b) dealing three playing cards each to the player and a dealer;    (c) the player and the dealer each forming two hands with the three cards corresponding to a two-card HIGH hand and a one-card LOW hand, at least the dealer being constrained according to predetermined hand-forming rules such that with a hand of no pair, the HIGH hand contains a high card and a low card and the LOW hand is an odd card;    (d) determining the game result by comparing the player HIGH and LOW hands with the respective dealer hands; and    (e) resolving the at least one wager according to the comparison in step (d).