Computer-based poker card game

Abstract

The subject invention comprises a computer generated format means for a computer-based Poker game such as a poker game referred to a Texas Hold or other similar card game involving a single player from any of various dispersed locations participating in a card game, along with a plurality of virtual players, or with the simultaneous real time participation of other actual players, in which standard gaming formats is set forth with an instant play having be automatically generated minimal betting formats, such games being available on the Internet or at specifically located game unit consoles, or otherwise based for access to play.

1 . A process of playing a poker-type card game comprising, in combination, the steps of:
 a) Initially the participating players or player pays an ante to play the game, that is to start the game.   b) As the next step, a deck of cards comprised of the standard fifty-two card deck, with thirteen cards for each of the four suits, namely hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades is made available in the computer program for the subject game, and from this deck of fifty-two cards the virtual cards are randomly arrayed in the computer program as if they had been properly interspersed for a random distribution of the cards, as if they were shuffled as an actual deck of cards, and thus placed randomly virtually in the available deck in the computer program as consummated in the Central Processing Unit of the base computer.   c) As the next step in the program sequence, cards are dealt in a programmatic manner from the random array of the cards as randomly arrayed in such virtual setting in the computer program. In the usual sequential order the deal is first made as one card to each of the players, including the sole individual player and additional fictitious or virtual players, and thence another card is dealt to the players separately as before, with a total of two cards being dealt to the individual players, and in sequence is compliant with the usual practice that the players' cards are dealt, either virtually or actually. This sequence may not be followed precisely as stated above, so long as the cards that are dealt in a random order from a random array of the actual or virtual cards. More particularly, as stated above, the computer program uses a random number generator to stack the cards in a random assemblage. For this purpose each of the numbered cards such as two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten are assigned their face equivalent numbers from the random number generator with the Jack having an eleven designation, the Queen a twelve designation, the King a thirteen designation, and the Ace a fourteen designation. Each card suit is given a prefix number to further this purpose, such as a prefix of two for hearts, three for spades, four for diamonds, and five for clubs. Thus, as an example, the Jack of clubs would be assigned a designated number 511 in the random number generator format. This particular assignation of numbers is only relevant to the process of generating a random array of cards and is not used for any other purpose. In this process the players, including the fictitious or virtual players are assured of an unbiased dealing process. Further in this initial draw, two cards dealt to each virtual player, as opposed to the actual player, are dealt and displayed face-down as represented on the display screen so that the actual player is unaware of the cards dealt or assigned to the virtual players, while the actual player's cards are dealt face-up for immediate and constant viewability on the display screen during game play.   d) Once the actual player can see his two cards and thus knowing their potential values from a poker perspective, a betting interval arises, and the actual player can bet solely on the force of his two cards, not knowing what the community cards are or what the other players have in their hands. In other forms of the game, the betting does not commence until the initial array of the community cards is dealt and displayed.   e) The next step in the process is for the computer program to deal or assign the initial array of community cards namely three cards. The first step is the revelation of three community cards as shown on the display screen, as arbitrarily placed on such screen. In this position on the screen, the three community cards initially revealed are commonly referred to in poker genre as the flop.   f) Once the initial deal is made of the three community cards as outlined in the above steps, the actual player, when viewing the screen, can now assess his own two cards, as shown on the screen, and concurrently the actual player can observe the three community cards displayed. In overviewing the two cards in the actual player's hand in conjunction with the three community cards, the player can assess the strength of a five card poker hand using a combination of his two cards and the three community cards. At this point the program will generate a standard or automatic bet amount shown on a visual indicator on the screen as the “current bet”, the minimum additional bet to stay in the game. The actual player can increase the minimum bet up to any predetermined or limited or yet unlimited amount, depending on the game format. However, the minimum bet amount must be tendered in order to remain in the game. Alternately, the player can elect to fold and leave the game at this juncture of the game.   g) If the player remains in the game, the next sequential step generated by the master software program is to deal, in a virtual sense, an additional or fourth community card and thus reveal on the screen such additional community card as displayed in the community card position on the screen, generally aligned next to the three initial community cards. As indicated, this additional card provides a fourth card for the community card array, all openly displayed. At this point the actual player, upon seeing this fourth card, can further determine the additional viability, if any, of his hand for a five card array using any three of the four displayed community cards along with his two cards. Again at this point, the player can fold by pressing the fold indicator and the game terminates. Once the fold indicator has been activated the game is terminated in the computer programming sequence. If the player elects to stay in the game and at least comply with the minimum betting requirements, he will press the bet indicator at the new minimum bet amount which is automatically increased through the computer program to a new level. Additionally at this point, the player can opt to increase the bet by pressing a bet increase indicator.   h) If the actual player stays in the game by complying with the above mentioned betting requirements then the game progresses to the next level, and at final community card, commonly referred to as the river, is dealt and displayed at the community card display position for a total of five community cards.   i) At this latter juncture with five community cards now displayed, the actual player can elect to exit the game based on an assessment of his or her two cards in conjunction with any three of the five community cards displayed, but not knowing up to this point what two cards are dealt to each of the other virtual players, who are passively involved in the game format. With the new minimum bet amount set, as stated, an automatic amount generated through the computer program, the player can elect to fold, and the game is stopped. If the player elects to stay, he can upon seeing the fifth community card elect to play at the minimum bet or increase the bet, as based on what the actual player perceives as his chances as a winning poker hand versus the unknown hands of the fictitious players, again using his two displayed cards in conjunction with any three of the community cards.   j) At this point, if the player elects to stay in the game after the fifth community card has been dealt, the computer program will reveal on the display screen the face sides of the two cards of each of the virtual or fictitious players to allow the actual player to see the other players' competitive cards vis-a-vis the community cards.   k) The ensuing step in the program sequence in the Central Processing Unit, is to compare the value of the respective hands of the four fictitious players or whatever number of fictitious players verses the actual player using a valuation process that compares the hierarchy of hands. If a hand of a fictitious player has a higher value than that of the actual player, the actual player loses the game. On the other hand, if the actual player's hand is of a higher value than those of the hands of the virtual players, the actual player wins and collects the bet. In some game formats a system of lesser or reduced winnings could be implemented if the actual player's hand places second or third or whatever place deemed feasible under the circumstances.   l) As a final step the actual player may cash out his winnings on the game or elect to retain a credit for further game play.   
   
   
       2 . The process of  claim 1  comprising the step of having a first wager from said at least one actual player that a virtual player hand will have a higher poker value than a completed dealer hand. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2  comprising the step of receiving a second wager from said at least one actual player that a virtual player hand will have a higher poker value than an actual player. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 2  further providing the step of collecting from each said at least one player at least one of said first wager amount and subsequent wager amounts when said completed community card hand is completed. 
   
   
       5 . The process described in  claim 2  further comprising the process of providing on a computer display screen the probability factors of drawing certain cards on an anticipated deal of an additional card to the community card array. 
   
   
       6 . The method described in  claim 1  further providing the probability factors of drawing specified hands at a given point in the game. 
   
   
       7 . The method as described of  claim 1  comprises the step of providing betting pay-outs for a hand less in poker ranking than the winning hand, but greater in poker ranking than the other poker hands in the game. 
   
   
       8 . The method described in  claim 1  comprising the step allowing a player to be eligible to earn a set bonus pay-out based on the results of a succession of multiple plays of such game by a player 
   
   
       9 . The method described in  claim 1  comprising the step of granting a bonus to a player who achieves a predetermined score based on the results of a given number of series of play of said game. 
   
   
       10 . A process of playing a poker-type card game comprising, in combination, the steps of:
 a) Initially the participating players or player pays an ante to play the game, that is to start the game.   b) As the next step, a deck of cards comprised of the standard fifty-two card deck, with thirteen cards for each of the four suits, namely hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades is made available in the computer program for the subject game, and from this deck of fifty-two cards the virtual cards are randomly arrayed in the computer program as if they had been properly interspersed for a random distribution of the cards, as if they were shuffled as an actual deck of cards, and thus placed randomly virtually in the available deck in the computer program as consummated in the Central Processing Unit of the base computer.   c) As the next step in the program sequence, cards are dealt in a programmatic manner from the random array of the cards as randomly arrayed in such virtual setting in the computer program. In the usual sequential order the deal is first made as one card to each of the players, including the sole individual player and additional fictitious or virtual players, and thence another card is dealt to the players separately as before, with a total of two cards being dealt to the individual players, and in sequence is compliant with the usual practice that the players' cards are dealt, either virtually or actually. This sequence may not be followed precisely as stated above, so long as the cards that are dealt in a random order from a random array of the actual or virtual cards. More particularly, as stated above, the computer program uses a random number generator to stack the cards in a random assemblage. For this purpose each of the numbered cards such as two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten are assigned their face equivalent numbers from the random number generator with the Jack having an eleven designation, the Queen a twelve designation, the King a thirteen designation, and the Ace a fourteen designation. Each card suit is given a prefix number to further this purpose, such as a prefix of two for hearts, three for spades, four for diamonds, and five for clubs. Thus, as an example, the Jack of clubs would be assigned a designated number 511 in the random number generator format. This particular assignation of numbers is only relevant to the process of generating a random array of cards and is not used for any other purpose. In this process the players, including the fictitious or virtual players are assured of an unbiased dealing process. Further in this initial draw, two cards dealt to each virtual player, as opposed to the actual player, are dealt and displayed face-down as represented on the display screen so that the actual player is unaware of the cards dealt or assigned to the virtual players, while the actual player's cards are dealt face-up for immediate and constant viewability on the display screen during game play.   d) Once the actual player can see his two cards and thus knowing their potential values from a poker perspective, a betting interval arises, and the actual player can bet solely on the force of his two cards, not knowing what the community cards are or what the other players have in their hands. In other forms of the game, the betting does not commence until the initial array of the community cards is dealt and displayed.   e) The next step in the process is for the computer program to deal or assign the initial array of community cards namely three cards. The first step is the revelation of three community cards as shown on the display screen, as arbitrarily placed on such screen. In this position on the screen, the three community cards initially revealed are commonly referred to in poker genre as the flop.   f) Once the initial deal is made of the three community cards as outlined in the above steps, the actual player, when viewing the screen, can now assess his own two cards, as shown on the screen, and concurrently the actual player can observe the three community cards displayed. In overviewing the two cards in the actual player's hand in conjunction with the three community cards, the player can assess the strength of a five card poker hand using a combination of his two cards and the three community cards. At this point the program will generate a standard or automatic bet amount shown on a visual indicator on the screen as the “current bet”, the minimum additional bet to stay in the game. The actual player can increase the minimum bet up to any predetermined or limited or yet unlimited amount, depending on the game format. However, the minimum bet amount must be tendered in order to remain in the game. Alternately, the player can elect to fold and leave the game at this juncture of the game.   g) If the player remains in the game, the next sequential step generated by the master software program is to deal, in a virtual sense, an additional or fourth community card and thus reveal on the screen such additional community card as displayed in the community card position on the screen, generally aligned next to the three initial community cards. As indicated, this additional card provides a fourth card for the community card array, all openly displayed. At this point the actual player, upon seeing this fourth card, can further determine the additional viability, if any, of his hand for a five card array using any three of the four displayed community cards along with his two cards. Again at this point, the player can fold by pressing the fold indicator and the game terminates. Once the fold indicator has been activated the game is terminated in the computer programming sequence. If the player elects to stay in the game and at least comply with the minimum betting requirements, he will press the bet indicator at the new minimum bet amount which is automatically increased through the computer program to a new level. Additionally at this point, the player can opt to increase the bet by pressing a bet increase indicator.   h) If the actual player stays in the game by complying with the above mentioned betting requirements then the game progresses to the next level, and at final community card, commonly referred to as the river, is dealt and displayed at the community card display position for a total of five community cards.   i) At this latter juncture with five community cards now displayed, the actual player can elect to exit the game based on an assessment of his or her two cards in conjunction with any three of the five community cards displayed, but not knowing up to this point what two cards are dealt to each of the other virtual players, who are passively involved in the game format. With the new minimum bet amount set, as stated, an automatic amount generated through the computer program, the player can elect to fold, and the game is stopped. If the player elects to stay, he can upon seeing the fifth community card elect to play at the minimum bet or increase the bet, as based on what the actual player perceives as his chances as a winning poker hand versus the unknown hands of the fictitious players, again using his two displayed cards in conjunction with any three of the community cards.   j) At this point, if the player elects to stay in the game after the fifth community card has been dealt, the computer program will reveal on the display screen the face sides of the two cards of each of the virtual or fictitious players to allow the actual player to see the other players' competitive cards vis-a-vis the community cards.   k) The ensuing step in the program sequence in the Central Processing Unit, is to compare the value of the respective hands of the four fictitious players or whatever number of fictitious players verses the actual player using a valuation process that compares the hierarchy of hands. If a hand of a fictitious player has a higher value than that of the actual player, the actual player loses the game. On the other hand, if the actual player's hand is of a higher value than those of the hands of the virtual players, the actual player wins and collects the bet. In some game formats a system of lesser or reduced winnings could be implemented if the actual player's hand places second or third or whatever place deemed feasible under the circumstances.   l) As a final step the actual player may cash out his winnings on the game or elect to retain a credit for further game play.   m) Providing at each of the foregoing stated steps of play a listing of the ongoing mathematical probability factors that a particular type of card will be dealt at a given step of the game.