E-z 9 pai gow card game

Abstract

A method for playing a wagering game with cards using a stripped-down 52-card deck, from which Tens, Jacks, Queens, and Kings have been removed and a Joker card added to create a 37-card deck. A player/dealer can play either one or two sets of hands per round of betting and players can also have the opportunity to bet on a bonus situation, thus providing multiple opportunities for players to win.

1 . A method for playing a card wagering game, comprising the steps of:
 providing a playing surface having a plurality of player spaces for up to eight players, wherein said player spaces include spaces for a front hand, a back hand, and wagering, and a player-dealer/dealer space, wherein said player-dealer/dealer space includes spaces for front hands and back hands of up to two piles of cards;   providing a random number generating device;   designating a player-dealer/dealer;   modifying a 52-card deck by removing Tens, Jacks, Queens, and Kings, and adding one Joker to create a 37-card deck to be used in said game, wherein said Joker can be designated as having equivalent numerical points, regardless of suit, to any other card in the deck;   each player posting a wager;   said player-dealer/dealer creating nine piles of cards having four cards each, with one leftover card as a discard;   using said random number generating device to determine to which player a first pile of cards should be distributed;   distributing said piles of cards to said players, starting with a player to whom a first pile of cards is distributed and the distribution moving around a table, wherein said player-dealer/dealer can have up to two piles in play, with any additional piles being discarded;   each player forming two hands from a pile of cards, a two-card front hand and a two-card back hand, with said back hand having a higher score than said front hand;   a player-dealer/dealer revealing the front hand and the back hand of each player-dealer/dealer pile and comparing the front hand and the back hand of each player-dealer/dealer pile to those of each player to determine which has a higher-ranking front hand and back hand;   a player-dealer/dealer settling the wager of each player according to a system further comprising the criteria,
 if a player wins on both the front hand and the back hand, a player-dealer/dealer pays out the amount wagered; 
 if a player wins one hand while the player and the player-dealer/dealer have an equivalent other hand, a player-dealer/dealer pays out the amount wagered. 
 if a player wins one hand and the player-dealer/dealer wins the other hand, no amount is exchanged. 
 if a player's and a player-dealer/dealer's hands are both equivalent, no amount is exchanged. 
 if a player loses one hand while the player and the player-dealer/dealer have an equivalent other hand, a player-dealer/dealer wins the player's wager. 
 if a player loses on both the front hands and the back hands, a player-dealer/dealer wins the player's wager. 
   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said random number generating device further comprises a plurality of dice and a receptacle. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said player/dealer has one pile of cards in play. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising the following steps:
 a player places an additional pre-posted bonus wager in a bonus specific designated area;   and a player-dealer/dealer rearranges the players' hands to determine if any of those hands qualify for a predetermined posted bonus payout.   
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising a bonus table option comprising the steps of:
 comparing a player's hand to a pre-posted series of ranked hands to determine if a player has a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank greater than or equal to the lowest ranking pre-posted qualifying hand;   and awarding a payout to players having a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank greater than or equal to the lowest ranking pre-posted qualifying hand;   determining if any player has a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank greater than or equal to the lowest ranking pre-posted qualifying hand for a specific bonus;   and awarding a payout to all players who have wagered a minimum predetermined amount on said specific bonus.   
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising a bonus table option comprising the steps of:
 comparing a player's hand to that of a player-dealer/dealer to determine if a player has a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank greater than or equal to the lowest ranking pre-posted qualifying hand and if a player-dealer/dealer concurrently has a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank greater than or equal to a qualifying player's hand;   awarding a payout to a player having a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank greater than or equal to the lowest ranking pre-posted qualifying hand and having a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank less than that of a player-dealer/dealer;   and awarding a payout to all players who have placed bonus wagers in a bonus-specific designated area if any other player has a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank less than that of a player-dealer.   
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising a bonus table option comprising the steps of:
 a player places a wager corresponding to a specific player's hand;   comparing a player's hand to a pre-posted ranked hand;   and awarding a payout when said hand has a pre-posted ranked hand greater than or equal to the lowest pre-posted qualifying hand.   
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said player-dealer/dealer has two piles of cards in play. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the following steps:
 a player places an additional pre-posted bonus wager in a bonus specific designated area;   and a player-dealer/dealer rearranges the players' hands to determine if any of those hands qualify for a predetermined posted bonus payout.   
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising a bonus table option comprising the steps of:
 comparing a player's hand to a pre-posted series of ranked hands to determine if a player has a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank greater than or equal to the lowest ranking pre-posted qualifying hand;   awarding a payout to players having a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank greater than or equal to the lowest ranking pre-posted qualifying hand;   determining if any player has a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank greater than or equal to the lowest ranking pre-posted qualifying hand for a specific bonus;   and awarding a payout to all players who have wagered a minimum predetermined amount on said specific bonus.   
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising a bonus table option comprising the steps of:
 comparing a player's hand to that of a player-dealer/dealer to determine if a player has a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank greater than or equal to the lowest ranking pre-posted qualifying hand and if a player-dealer/dealer concurrently has a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank greater than or equal to a qualifying player's hand;   awarding a payout to a player having a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank greater than or equal to the lowest ranking pre-posted qualifying hand and having a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank less than that of a player-dealer/dealer;   and awarding a payout to all players who have placed bonus wagers in a bonus-specific designated area if any other player has a pre-posted ranked hand of a rank less than that of a player-dealer.   
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising a bonus table option comprising the steps of:
 a player places a wager corresponding to a specific player's hand;   comparing a player's hand to a pre-posted ranked hand;   and awarding a payout when said hand has a pre-posted ranked hand greater than or equal to the lowest pre-posted qualifying hand.   
   
   
       13 . The method as in any one of  claims 1 - 12  inclusive, in which said game is house-banked. 
   
   
       14 . The method as in any one of  claims 1 - 12  inclusive, in which said game is player-banked.