Method and apparatus for playing a card game

Abstract

A system and method for playing a card game are disclosed. The card game may be played with a real deck of cards and an associated playing surface or with a virtual deck of cards as part of a virtual card game on a processor-based platform. The method comprises providing at least one deck of playing cards and shuffling the deck such that the playing cards are put into a substantially unknown random order. The method further comprises placing at least one wager by betting a monetary amount and attempting to correctly guess a number of points that will be totaled during a current round of play. The method further includes dealing each of the playing cards in an arrangement and revealing a face of each of the playing cards. The method also includes totaling a number of points associated with the dealt playing cards based on at least a number of revealed pairs within the arrangement. The method also includes paying any winning wager according to the monetary amount bet and odds associated with the winning wager.

1 . A method of playing a card game, said method comprising: 
 providing at least one deck of playing cards or representations of cards;    shuffling said at least one deck of playing cards such that said playing cards in said deck are put into a substantially unknown random order;    dealing each of said playing cards in an arrangement and revealing a face of each of said playing cards;    totaling a number of points associated with said dealt playing cards based on at least a number of revealed pairs within said arrangement.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein each of said playing cards are dealt consecutively face down to form said arrangement and subsequently revealed sequentially maintaining said arrangement.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the playing cards are dealt in a overlapping arrangement, and selectively sequentially revealed from a beginning card in the arrangement to an ending card  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the arrangement is a circular type of arrangement, and the ending card is adjacent to the beginning card.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising cutting said shuffled deck at least once to change an order of said cards.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said deck of playing cards comprises a conventional deck of fifty-two playing cards.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein any one of said revealed pairs comprises any two consecutive cards within said arrangement having a same face number value.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein any one of said revealed pairs comprises any two consecutive cards within said arrangement having a same face value and color.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein any one of said revealed pairs comprises any two consecutive cards within said arrangement having a same suit.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the steps of placing at least one wager and attempting to chose the number of points that will be obtained during a current round of play, and paying on any winning wager.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said winning wager includes any wager whose guessed totaled number of points corresponds to and/or is greater than an actual number of totaled points for said current round of play.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a doubling or point increasing feature is provided upon successive rounds of play wherein the same point totals were obtained.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the player places a wager, and the wager is doubled in the event that successive rounds of play result in the same point totals.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said deck of playing cards is virtual and said method is implemented as an electronic game.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said deck of playing cards is virtual and said method is implemented as a computer-based card game.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said card game is played virtually on a processor-based apparatus, and wherein said processor-based apparatus comprises a personal computer which is programmed, via software, to implement at least said method.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said card game is played virtually on a processor-based apparatus, and wherein said processor-based apparatus comprises a hand-held electronic device which is programmed, via software, to implement at least said method.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said card game is played virtually on a processor-based apparatus, and wherein said processor-based apparatus comprises a standalone video-poker type of electronic system which is programmed, via software, to implement at least said method.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said card game is played virtually by accessing a software implementation of said card game from a server, via the Internet, using a personal computer.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising debiting an account for each placed wager.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising crediting an account for each winning wager.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising notifying a player of said card game when said player wins a wager.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising notifying a player of said card game when said player loses a wager.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said number of points includes bonus points.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said arrangement is provided on an instant lottery ticket, which is initially covered and selectively revealed by the user.  
   
   
       26 . A processor-based system for implementing a virtual card game, said processor-based system comprising: 
 at least one processor to execute playing of said virtual card game, and wherein said playing of said virtual card game comprises the steps of providing at least one virtual deck of playing cards, electronically shuffling said at least one virtual deck of playing cards such that said playing cards in said deck are put into a substantially unknown random order, electronically placing at least one wager by betting a monetary amount, electronically dealing each of said playing cards consecutively to form an arrangement and revealing a face of each of said playing cards, electronically totaling a number of points associated with said electronically dealt playing cards based on at least a number of revealed pairs within said arrangement, and electronically paying any winning wager according to said monetary amount bet and odds associated with said winning wager;    a program memory interfacing to said at least one processor to store software associated with said virtual card game;    a user interface connecting to said at least one processor to allow a player of said virtual card game to select various functional inputs of said virtual card game;    an image memory interfacing to said at least one processor to store image data of said virtual card game to be displayed;    a display controller interfacing to said image memory to extract image data from said image memory in a controlled manner and to convert said image data to video data; and    a display interfacing to said display controller to accept said video data from said display controller such that said video data is presented to said player on said display.    
   
   
       27 . The system of  claim 26  wherein said wager is based upon the user choosing how many points will be totaled during a current round of play.  
   
   
       28 . The system of  claim 26  wherein said user interface comprises at least one of a keyboard, a mouse, a touch-screen, and push-buttons.  
   
   
       29 . The system of  claim 26  wherein said various functional inputs include at least one of an ability to select a monetary amount per wager, an ability to select a total number of points per wager, and an ability to select that a virtual deck of playing cards be shuffled and/or cut.  
   
   
       30 . The system of  claim 26  wherein each of said playing cards are dealt consecutively face down to form said arrangement and subsequently revealed sequentially maintaining said arrangement.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 30  wherein the playing cards are dealt in a overlapping arrangement, and selectively sequentially revealed from a beginning card in the arrangement to an ending card.  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 31  wherein the arrangement is circular, and the ending card is adjacent to the beginning card.  
   
   
       33 . The system of  claim 26  wherein a notification of a winning wager is displayed to a player of said virtual card game on said display when said player wins a wager.  
   
   
       34 . The system of  claim 26  wherein a notification of a losing wager is displayed to a player of said virtual card game on said display when said player loses a wager.  
   
   
       35 . An instant lottery card game system comprising: 
 at least one game piece on which to execute playing of said card game, wherein the game piece has thereon a dealt representation of at least one deck of playing cards which have been placed in randonmized order, with said representation being selectively revealed by a player, such that a face of each of said playing cards is revealed, wherein upon revealing said playing cards, a total number of points associated with said revealed cards is obtained, based on the number of revealed pairs within said revealed playing cards arrangement, upon which any winnings for the game are based.