Method and apparatus for playing a game

Abstract

A baseball-theme game of chance that maybe played either for monetary wagers or for fun in a table or video format.

1 . A method for playing a baseball-theme game with at least one player, P n,  where n≧1, comprising: 
 providing a game region for playing the game, the game region including a first set of BASE position labels, (1B, 2B, 3B) and a first plurality of sets of number of “Outs” labels, (No Outs, One Out, Two Outs);    defining a game event as one event selected from a group including an out, a single, a double, a triple, a home run, and a grand slam;    defining an “inning” as a duration from a “game start” to a “Three-Outs” situation for each “P B ”;    providing at least one status marker having a selective status indicia indicative of the “ON BASE” situation (‘ON’) and the “OFF BASE” (‘EMPTY’) situation, and which can be placed on an associated one of the BASE position labels during an ‘inning’;    providing a game engine for generating a plurality of different indicia;    associating each indicia with a particular game event;    affording P n  an opportunity to make a wager prior to engaging the game engine;    engaging the game engine, initially with all status markers in an “EMPTY” condition until any series of game engine indicia results in an “Out” game event three times, thus defining an end of the “inning”, wherein, during the “inning”, a tally of a number of “RUNS” is kept as maybe obtained by particular sequences of game engine indicia; and    clearing the status markers at the end of each inning to an “EMPTY” condition.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein one of the players engages the game engine.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the game engine is selected from the group consisting of a plurality of dice, a plurality of cards, and a plurality of chips.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said region includes a plurality of betting labels indicative of a corresponding plurality of betting options, said betting labels substantially including: a “Run Line” demarcation for 0 Outs, 1 Out, and 2 Outs; a “Shut Out Line” demarcation for No Outs, One Out, and Two Outs; a “No Hits Line” demarcation for No Outs, One Out, and Two Outs; a 1B, a 2B, a 3B, and a HR demarcation; a Hit, an Out, and an Xtra demarcation; and a GRAND SLAM demarcation.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein a player betting on the Run Line is wagering that a run will score before the third Out ending the inning, further wherein a player may place a bet in the RUN LINE corresponding to the current number of Outs provided that: (a) the “1 Out” bet can be no greater than a preselected multiple of at least two times the value of any “0 Outs” bet made by that player; (b) the “2 Outs” bet can be no greater than a preselected multiple of at least two times the value of any “1 Out” bet made by that player; and, all of the base position labels are EMPTY as indicated by the status markers.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein before the end of an inning, a player may increase or decrease his 1 Out or 2 Outs bets at any time within the parameters of (a) and (b).  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein for each Run, the “0 Outs” bet is paid 1 to 1, the “1 Out” bet is paid 8 to 5, and the “2 Outs” bet is paid 18 to 5.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein a player betting on the Shut Out Line is wagering that the third Out will result before any Run occurs, wherein a player may place a bet on the label corresponding to the current number of Outs.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein before the end of an inning, a player may increase or decrease his Shut Out Line bet any time of play if all of the base position labels are EMPTY as indicated by status markers.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein if the third Out is obtained before any Run occurs then: the “0 Outs” bet is paid 4 to 5; the “1 Out” bet is paid 2 to 5; and the “2 Outs” bet is paid 1 to 5, further wherein the original wagers are returned to the player.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein a player betting on the No Hits Line is wagering that the third Out will result before a single or a double or a triple or a home run occurs.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein if the third Out occurs before a single, double, triple, or a home run is obtained, then: the “0 Outs” bet is paid 11 to 5; the “1 Out” bet is paid 6 to 5; and the “2 Outs” bet is paid 2 to 5, further wherein the original wagers are returned to the player.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein a player betting on the 1B bet is wagering that a single will be obtained before the third Out occurs.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein if a single occurs before the third Out occurs, then the player is paid 11 to 5, further wherein the original wager is returned to the player.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein a player betting on the 2B bet is wagering that a double will occur before the third Out occurs.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein if a double occurs before the third Out occurs, then the player is paid 15 to 1, further wherein the original wager is returned to the player.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein a player betting on the 3B bet is wagering that a triple will occur before the third Out occurs.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein if a triple occurs before the third Out occurs, then the player is paid 15 to 1, further wherein the original wager is returned to the player.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein a player betting on the HR bet is wagering that a home run will occur before the third Out occurs.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein if a home run occurs before the third Out occurs, then the player is paid 11 to 5, further wherein the original wager is returned to the player.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein a player betting on the GRAND SLAM bet is wagering that a home run will occur while Base 1, Base 2 and Base 3 are all ON as indicated by status markers, before the third Out occurs.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein if a home run occurs while Base 1, Base 2 and Base 3 are all ON as indicated by status markers, then the player is paid 175 to 1, further wherein the original wager is returned to the player.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein a player betting on the 1B, 2B, 3B, or HR bets is wagering that the next occurring game event will be a single, double, triple, or home rune, respectively.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the winning payoffs are as follows: 
 1B: single; 5 to 1;    2B: double; 30 to 1    3B: triple; 30 to 1;    HR: home run; 5 to 1.    
   
   
       25 . A method of playing a baseball-theme game comprising the steps of: 
 (a) establishing five game events consisting essentially of out, single, double, triple, and home run;    (b) establishing a payoff table of at least four different prizes, each prize associated with one of said game events;    (c) affording a player an opportunity to wager on at least one game event;    (d) generating substantially by chance one of said five game events, where the odds of generating particular ones of said game events are not equal; and    (e) awarding to a player said prize associated with said game event if said generated game event is associated with one of said prizes.    
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the odds of generating an out are approximately twenty-four out of thirty-six game event generations, the odds of generating a single are approximately five out of thirty-six game event generations, the odds of generating a double are approximately one out of thirty-six game event generations, the odds of generating a triple are approximately one out of thirty-six game event generations, the odds of generating a home run are approximately five out of thirty-six game event generations.  
   
   
       27 . A method of playing a baseball-theme game comprising the steps of: 
 (a) establishing five game events consisting essentially of out, single, double, triple, and home run;    (b) establishing a plurality of different series of one or more game events that constitutes a run;    (c) affording a player an opportunity to make a first wager that a run will occur;    (d) generating substantially by chance at least three game events until three outs have been generated; and    (e) if a run occurs before three outs have been generated, awarding to the player who placed said first wager a first prize.    
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 27  comprising the further steps of: 
 affording a player an opportunity to make a second wager that three outs will be generated before a run occurs; and    if three outs are generated before a run occurs, awarding to the player who made said second wager a second prize.    
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 27  comprising the further steps of: 
 affording a player an opportunity to make a third wager that at least a preselected number of at least two runs will occur before three outs have been generated; and    if at least said preselected number of runs occurs before three outs have been generated, awarding to the player who made said third wager a third prize.    
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 27  comprising the further steps of: 
 affording a player an opportunity to make a fourth wager that a preselected number of at least two runs, and not more runs, occurs before three outs have been generated; and    if said preselected number of runs, and no more runs, occurs before three outs have been generated, awarding to the player who made said fourth wager a fourth prize.    
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 27  comprising the further steps of: 
 affording a player an opportunity to make a fifth wager that three outs will be generated before either a single, double, triple, or home run occurs; and    if three outs are generated before either a single, double, triple, or home run occurs, awarding to the player who made said fifth wager a fifth prize.    
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 27  comprising the further steps of: 
 affording a player the opportunity to make a sixth wager that a single occurs before three outs have been generated, a seventh wager that a double occurs before three outs have been generated, an eighth wager that a triple occurs before three outs have been generated, and a ninth wager that a home run occurs before three outs have been generated;    if a single occurs before three outs are generated, awarding to the player who made said sixth wager a sixth prize;    if a double occurs before three outs are generated, awarding to the player who made said sixth wager a seventh prize;    if a triple occurs before three outs are generated, awarding to the player who made said sixth wager a eighth prize;    if a home run occurs before three outs are generated, awarding to the player who made said sixth wager a ninth prize.    
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 27  comprising the further steps of: 
 establishing a game condition that is defined as a grand slam when a home run occurs;    affording a player an opportunity to make a tenth wager that a grand slam occurs before three outs have been generated; and    if a grand slam occurs before three outs are generated, awarding to the player who made said tenth wager a tenth prize.    
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 27  comprising the further steps of: 
 affording a player an opportunity to make an eleventh wager that the next game event generated will be a single;    affording a player an opportunity to make a twelfth wager that the next game event generated will be a double;    affording a player an opportunity to make a thirteenth wager that the next game event generated will be a triple;    affording a player an opportunity to make a fourteenth wager that the next game event generated will be a home run;    if the next game event generated is a single, awarding to the player who made said eleventh wager an eleventh prize;    if the next game event generated is a double, awarding to the player who made said twelfth wager an twelfth prize;    if the next game event generated is a triple, awarding to the player who made said thirteenth wager an thirteenth prize;    if the next game event generated is a home run, awarding to the player who made said fourteenth wager an fourteenth prize.    
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 27  wherein said game events are generated by rolling a pair of dice.  
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 27  comprising the further steps of: 
 providing an audio sound system capable of generating at least one sound that mimics a crowd cheering or applauding; and    utilizing said sound system to create at least one said sound when a preselected game event is generated.    
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 27  comprising the further steps of: 
 providing an audio visual system capable of generating at least one audio and visual display that portrays an actual baseball event;    utilizing said audio-visual display system to create at least one said display when a preselected game event is generated.    
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 27  comprising the further steps of: 
 providing a library containing a plurality of names of baseball players;    allowing a player to select one of said names from said library;    substantially randomly selecting one of said names from said library;    comparing said name selected by said player with said name substantially randomly selected; and    if said names match, then awarding the player a bonus prize.