Baccarat insurance game

Abstract

Additional options for the placement of wagers in the game of baccarat are provided, to expand the potential interest and excitement of the game. The various betting or wagering options include different types of “insurance” in which the customer is buying insurance against the loss (or tie in certain cases) of the hand being insured. These optional wagers may be placed in addition to the traditional wagers on the Banker, Player, or Tie bets.

1 . A computer device for providing a baccarat game, said computer device configured to perform:
 a dealing step, wherein a hand of playing cards is dealt face down from at least one standard deck of playing cards comprising 52 cards, to form at least one player hand and a banker hand, each of at least two cards;   a player hand turning step, wherein the at least two cards of said at least one player hand are turned face up whereby customers at the game may view the player hand cards;   a banker hand turning step, wherein the at least two cards of said at least one banker hand are turned face up whereby customers at the game may view the banker hand cards;   an insurance offering step, wherein said customers are provided an opportunity to take insurance on the hand first turned face up if the sum of the value of said at least two cards of said hand is within a predefined range of hand total values that is based on whether the hand first turned up is the banker hand or is the player hand; and   continuing play of said hand.   
   
   
       2 . The computer device of  claim 1 , further configured to perform:
 a second player hand turning step, wherein a third card is turned face up onto said player hand, if dictated by the rules of the game, whereby customers at the game may view said card; and   a second insurance offering step responsive to the second player hand turning step, which provides an opportunity to said customers to take insurance if insurance has not already been offered, if the sum of the value of said player hand is now from four to nine inclusive, and the rules of the game provides for a draw of at least one more card.   
   
   
       3 . The computer device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the banker hand turning step is performed before the player hand turning step; and   the predefined range of hand total values is from six to nine inclusive.   
   
   
       4 . The computer device of  claim 1 , further configured to perform:
 a second insurance offering step subsequent to the player hand turning step, which provides an opportunity to said customers to take insurance if insurance has not already been offered, if the sum of the value of said at least two cards of said player hand is from five to seven inclusive, and if the rules of the game provide for a draw of at least one more card to said banker hand.   
   
   
       5 . The computer device of  claim 4 , further configured to perform:
 a second player hand turning step, wherein a third card is turned face up onto said player hand, if provided by the rules of the game, whereby customers at the game may view said card; and   a second insurance offering step responsive to the second player hand turning step, which provides an opportunity to said customers to take insurance if insurance has not already been offered, if the sum of the value of said player hand is from five through nine inclusive, and if the rules of the game provide for a draw of at least one more card.   
   
   
       6 . The computer device of  claim 4 , further configured to perform:
 a second banker hand turning step, wherein a third card is turned face up onto said banker hand prior to said player hand, whereby customers at the game may view said card; and   a second insurance offering step responsive to the second banker hand turning step, which provides an opportunity to said customers to take insurance if insurance has not already been offered, if the sum of the said banker hand is from five through nine inclusive, and the rules of the game provide for a draw of at least one more card.   
   
   
       7 . The computer device of  claim 1 , further configured to perform:
 offering said customers an opportunity to take insurance before any cards are revealed.   
   
   
       8 . The computer device of  claim 1 , further configured to perform:
 offering said customers an opportunity to take insurance after at least one card has been revealed.   
   
   
       9 . The computer device of  claim 1 , further configured to perform:
 offering said customers an opportunity to take insurance after zero, one, two, three, four, or five cards of any totals have been revealed.   
   
   
       10 . The computer device of  claim 1 , further configured to perform:
 taking the insurance wager of said customers who have taken insurance, if the hand wins; and   paying said customers according to the posted pay scale who have taken insurance on a hand total that was beaten or who have taken insurance on a nine hand total which was tied.   
   
   
       11 . The computer device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the player hand turning step is performed before the banker hand turning step; and   the predefined range of hand total values is from six to nine inclusive.   
   
   
       12 . The computer device of  claim 1 , further configured to perform:
 a second insurance offering step subsequent to the banker hand turning step, which provides an opportunity to said customers to take insurance if insurance has not already been offered, if the sum of the value of the at least two cards of said banker hand is from four to seven inclusive, and if the rules of the game provides for a draw of at least one more card by the banker.   
   
   
       13 . An electronic device configured to perform:
 accepting a wager from at least one player in a game of baccarat;   dealing face down from at least one standard deck of playing cards comprising 52 cards, at least one player hand and a banker hand, each of at least two cards;   turning the at least two cards of said at least one player hand face up whereby the player hand cards are visible;   turning the at least two cards of said banker hand face up whereby the banker hand cards are visible;   after one of said turning steps and prior to a second of said turning steps, offering insurance to players of the game of baccarat, wherein said players may take insurance on said wager if said wager is on the hand first turned face up and if the sum of the value of said at least two cards of said face up hand is a predefined range of hand total values based on whether the hand first turned up is the banker hand or is the player hand; and   continuing play of said hand.   
   
   
       14 . The electronic device of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one player hand is turned face up prior to said banker hand, and wherein the predefined range of hand total values is six to nine inclusive. 
   
   
       15 . The electronic device of  claim 13 , wherein the banker hand is turned face up prior to said at least one player hand, and wherein the predefined range of hand total values is six to nine inclusive. 
   
   
       16 . One or more computer readable media storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by an electronic device, configure the electronic device to perform:
 dealing a hand of playing cards face down from at least one standard deck of playing cards comprising 52 cards, to form at least one player hand and a banker hand, each of at least two cards;   turning the at least two cards of said at least one player hand face up whereby one or more customers at the game may view the player hand cards;   turning the at least two cards of said at least one banker hand face up whereby the one or more customers at the game may view the banker hand cards; and   offering insurance to said one or more customers, wherein said one or more customers are provided an opportunity to take insurance on the hand first turned face up if the sum of the value of said at least two cards of said hand is within a predefined range of hand total values that is based on whether the hand first turned up is the banker hand or is the player hand.   
   
   
       17 . The computer readable media of  claim 16 , wherein said instructions further configure the electronic device to perform:
 turning a third card face up onto said player hand, when dictated by the rules of the game, whereby customers at the game may view said card; and   offering insurance, responsive to turning the third card face up, which provides an opportunity to said one or more customers to take insurance if insurance has not already been offered, if the sum of the value of said player hand is now from four to nine inclusive, and the rules of the game provides for a draw of at least one more card.   
   
   
       18 . The computer readable media of  claim 16 , wherein the banker hand cards are turned face up prior to the player hand cards being turned up. 
   
   
       19 . The computer readable media of  claim 18 , wherein the predefined range of hand total values is from six to nine inclusive. 
   
   
       20 . The computer readable media of  claim 16 , wherein the player hand cards are turned face up prior to the banker hand cards being turned up. 
   
   
       21 . The computer readable media of  claim 20 , wherein the predefined range of hand total values is from six to nine inclusive. 
   
   
       22 . The computer readable media of  claim 16 , wherein said instructions further configure the electronic device to perform:
 offering insurance subsequent to turning the player hand face up, which provides an opportunity to said one or more customers to take insurance if insurance has not already been offered, if the sum of the value of said at least two cards of said player hand is from five to seven inclusive, and if the rules of the game provide for a draw of at least one more card to said banker hand.   
   
   
       23 . A method of playing a baccarat game, comprising:
 dealing a hand of playing cards face down from at least one standard deck of playing cards comprising 52 cards, to form at least one player hand and a banker hand, each of at least two cards;   turning the at least two cards of said at least one player hand face up whereby one or more customers at the game may view the player hand cards;   turning the at least two cards of said at least one banker hand face up whereby the one or more customers at the game may view the banker hand cards; and   offering insurance to said one or more customers, wherein said one or more customers are provided an opportunity to take insurance on the hand first turned face up if the sum of the value of said at least two cards of said hand is within a predefined range of hand total values that is based on whether the hand first turned up is the banker hand or is the player hand.