Casino-style game apparatus involving player guessing

Abstract

A method of playing a card game wherein gamers must guess numerous consecutive cards whether the following card will be lower or higher than the last card. A particular embodiment of this game is to play it on an electronic gaming device as a secondary game where the winnings of the primary game are used to fund bets for the secondary game. The preferred game display consists of presenting on a single row the thirteen (13) cards of a same suit of a standard card deck, all the thirteen (13) cards turned face down, and to turn the first to the left card face up when the gamer has decided to play. The gamer has to guess whether the following card to be turned will be lower or higher than that of the card displayed. If the gamer succeeds to pass through guessing right the whole thirteen (13) cards, a prize is awarded.

1 . An apparatus for playing a casino-type game, the apparatus comprising: 
 a selection device for selecting an arrangement of a plurality of gaming symbols having a predetermined ranking value;    a player input device for selecting one of at least an increase and a decrease in ranking value of a gaming symbol between a selected one of said gaming symbols and a neighbouring one of said gaming symbols;    a display generator generating a display of at least ones of said gaming symbols whose increase or decrease in ranking value has been selected; and    a prize calculator determining whether said selected increase or decrease in ranking value is correct with respect to said selected one of said gaming symbols and said neighbouring one of said gaming symbols for each of said gaming symbols, and outputting a prize value.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said gaming symbols are playing cards.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said arrangement of a plurality of gaming symbols comprises a row of said playing cards.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein said playing cards are selected from a single deck.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein said playing cards are selected from a single suit of a single deck.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 3 ,  4  or  5 , wherein said display generator displays simultaneously a plurality of parallel ones of said rows, each said row representing a single game segment, and said prize calculator determining a prize after each game segment is played.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein a first card in said row of playing cards is displayed as overturned on said display, said player input device, said display generator and said prize calculator being operative to allow a player to select whether a next card is of higher or lower value than a previous card, following which said next card is displayed as overturned, until all cards in said row are overturned.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein said prize value is zero unless said selected increase or decrease in ranking value is correct for all cards in said row.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said selection device selects said arrangement at random.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said display generator generates a display of at least one of said gaming symbols independently from increase or decrease in ranking value of said gaming symbols being selected.  
     
     
         11 . A method of calculating a prize in a casino-type game, the method comprising: 
 selecting an arrangement of a plurality of gaming symbols having a predetermined ranking value;    selecting one of at least an increase and a decrease in ranking value of a gaming symbol between a selected one of said gaming symbols and a neighbouring one of said gaming symbols;    generating a display of at least ones of said gaming symbols whose increase or decrease in ranking value has been selected;    determining whether said selected increase or decrease in ranking value is correct with respect to said selected one of said gaming symbols and said neighbouring one of said gaming symbols for each of said gaming symbols; and    calculating a prize value based on said determining.    
     
     
         12 . The method as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein said gaming symbols are playing cards.  
     
     
         13 . The method as claimed in any one of claims  11  or  12 , wherein said arrangement of a plurality of playing symbols comprises a row of said playing symbols.  
     
     
         14 . The method as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein said playing cards are selected from a single deck.  
     
     
         15 . The method as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein said playing cards are selected from a single suite of a single deck.  
     
     
         16 . The method as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein said arrangement comprises a plurality of parallel ones of said rows, each said row representing a single game segment, with calculating a said prize value after each said game segment is played.  
     
     
         17 . The method as claimed in any one of  claims 11  to  16 , wherein said arrangement of gaming symbols are selected at random.  
     
     
         18 . The method as claimed in any one of claims  13  or  16 , wherein said prize value is zero unless said selected increase or decrease is correct for all said gaming symbols in said row.  
     
     
         19 . The method as claimed in any one of  claims 11  to  18  wherein the said method is executed automatically in an electronic gaming device.  
     
     
         20 . A computer program comprising code means adapted to perform all steps of any one of  claims 11  to  18 , embodied on a computer readable medium.  
     
     
         21 . A computer program comprising code means adapted to perform all steps of any one of  claims 11  to  18 , embodied on an electrical or electro-magnetic signal.  
     
     
         22 . A gaming device comprised of 
 a betting controller receiving information from a gamer, further said information being interpreted as bets;    a game controller generating signals representing outcomes in the game;    a display controller displaying a representation of said signals on a gaming display;    a prize awarding means to award prizes according to said outcomes and said bets; and    wherein said game device executes the steps defined in any one of  claims 11  to  18 .