Gaming system and method for displaying pot amounts to facilitate calculation of pot odds for pot dependent wagers

Abstract

A gaming system having a live table game and capable of displaying real-time calculations of pot levels is provided. The gaming system includes a tracking system including an chip identifier for identifying the amount of each wager for each player position. In one embodiment, after identifying a wager the tracking system communicates the wager amount to a processor, and the processor calculates the value of the pot, the minimum allowable wager, the minimum allowable raise, and the maximum allowable wager. Each of these amounts are displayed to the players through one or more display devices.

1 . A gaming system operated at least partially under control of at least one processor, said gaming system comprising: 
 a table for a live card game, said table including a support structure, a playing surface, a plurality of player positions, a dealer position and at least one wagering area, and wherein said card game employs at least one deck of playing cards;    a tracking system including a chip identifier, said chip identifier operable to identify one or more chips which represent an amount of each wager placed in the at least one wagering area, wherein the tracking system is operable to communicate the wager amounts to the processor; and    at least one display device operable to display a value of a pot for each play of the card game at the table to each of a plurality of players at the table and to a dealer at the table, wherein the processor is operable to calculate the value of the pot for each play of the card game after each wager for plays of the card game at the table.    
   
   
       2 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , which includes a plurality of display devices, the dealer position and each of the player positions associated with one of the plurality of display devices.  
   
   
       3 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one display device includes a communal display device operable to display a call amount, a minimum raise, a maximum raise and a maximum wager for each of the plurality of player positions for plays of the card game at the table.  
   
   
       4 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the card game is a poker game including at least one round of wagering.  
   
   
       5 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the card game is a poker game selected from the group consisting of: Five Card Stud; Seven Card Stud; Five Card Draw; Texas Hold'em and Omaha Hold'em.  
   
   
       6 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the card game is a poker game including at least one round of wagering, and the processor is operable to determine a number of raises during a particular round of wagering and cause said number of raises to be displayed by the display device.  
   
   
       7 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein for the play of the card game at the table the processor is operable to calculate pot odds for each player position, wherein the pot odds are based, at least in part, on the value of the pot for said play of the card game at the table.  
   
   
       8 . The gaming system of  claim 7 , wherein the processor is operable to cause the pot odds to be displayed on the at least one display device associated with each of the player positions.  
   
   
       9 . The gaming system of  claim 7 , wherein for the play of the card game at the table the processor is operable to calculate a range of pot odds for each player position, said range of pot odds based on each players' minimum allowable wager and maximum allowable wager for said play of the card game at the table.  
   
   
       10 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the tracking system is operable with the processor to determine for the play of the card game at the table a house rake, said house rake based on the value of the pot for said play of the card game at the table.  
   
   
       11 . The gaming system of  claim 10 , wherein the processor is operable to calculate and cause the at least one display device to display: 
 (a) a portion of the pot to be paid to one or more players based on the value of the pot for one of the plays of the card game at the table,    (b) the house rake, and    (c) the number of winning hands.    
   
   
       12 . The gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the tracking system includes a card identifier operable to identify the rank and suit of each card dealt for plays of the card game at the table, wherein said tracking system is operable to communicate the information about each card dealt in said play of the card game to the processor.  
   
   
       13 . The gaming system of  claim 10 , wherein the processor is operable to determine the probability of achieving any one of a plurality of predetermined hands for each player position based on the player's cards and any community cards.  
   
   
       14 . The gaming system of  claim 13 , which includes a plurality of display devices each associated with one of the plurality of player positions, wherein the probabilities of achieving one of the plurality of predetermined hands are optionally displayed to the players on the display devices.  
   
   
       15 . A gaming system operated at least partially under control of at least one processor, said gaming system comprising: 
 a table for a live poker game, said table including a support structure, a playing surface, a plurality of player positions, a dealer position and at least one wagering area, wherein said poker game employs at least one deck of playing cards;    a tracking system including at least one chip identifier, said chip identifier operable to identify one or more chips which represent an amount of each wager placed at each wagering area for a play of the card game at the table, wherein the tracking system is operable to communicate the wager amounts to the processor; and    a plurality of display devices, the dealer position and the player positions each including one of said plurality of display devices, wherein the processor is operable to cause each of the display devices to display a value of a pot for at least one play of the poker game at the table after at least one wager for plays of the poker game at the table.    
   
   
       16 . The gaming system of  claim 15 , wherein the table is configured for a pot limit poker game.  
   
   
       17 . The gaming system of  claim 15 , wherein the tracking system includes a plurality of chip identifiers, each associated with a different one of the player positions.  
   
   
       18 . The gaming system of  claim 17 , which includes a memory device, wherein the processor causes the value of each of the wagers for each of the players to be stored into said memory device.  
   
   
       19 . The gaming system of  claim 15 , wherein the processor is operable to cause each of the display devices to display the value of a pot, a minimum wager, a minimum raise and a maximum wager associated with each respective player, wherein the value of the pot, the minimum wager, the minimum raise and the maximum raise are calculated by the processor after each wager according to the rules of the poker game for plays of the poker game at the table.  
   
   
       20 . The gaming system of  claim 19 , wherein the display device at the dealer position has at least one input associated therewith.  
   
   
       21 . The gaming system of  claim 20 , wherein the input includes a touch screen display.  
   
   
       22 . A gaming system operated at least partially under control of at least one processor, said gaming system comprising: 
 a table for a live poker game, said table including a support structure, a playing surface, a plurality of player positions, a dealer position and at least one wagering area, wherein said poker game employs at least one deck of playing cards;    a tracking system including at least one chip identifier, said chip identifier operable to identify one or more chips which represent an amount of each wager placed in the wagering area for plays of the card game at the table, wherein the tracking system is operable to communicate the wager amounts to the processor; and    at least one display device, wherein the processor is operable to cause the display device to display, after each wager for the play of the poker game at the table, a total value of the pot and a value selected from the group consisting of: a minimum wager; a minimum raise; and a maximum wager.