Dice Game

Abstract

Inter alia the present invention provides an apparatus for playing a dice game with bets on the outcome of throws of the dice, which apparatus comprises: a table with a playing surface: at least one die having a plurality of sides, each of said plurality of sides having a different one from a set of indicia; a plurality of substantially identical playing pieces/chips to be used by different players or by one player for different bets in a game, the playing surface of the table being marked with a plurality of independent betting areas each corresponding to a different outcome of a throw of the at least one die, wherein at least one of the betting areas is marked with a plurality of mutually differently marked zones, each of said plurality of differently marked zones to receive a playing piece/chip thereon that is specific to one player so that each playing piece/chip may be differentiated by player from another not by the colour of the playing piece/chip but by the selected differently marked zone of the at least one betting area that the playing piece/chip is placed on.

1 . An apparatus for playing a dice game with bets on the outcome of throws of the dice, which apparatus comprises: a table with a playing surface, the playing surface of the table being marked with a plurality of independent betting areas each corresponding to a different outcome of a throw of the at least one die, wherein at least one of the betting areas is marked with a plurality of mutually differently marked zones, each of said plurality of differently marked zones to receive a playing piece/chip thereon that is specific to one player so that each playing piece/chip may be differentiated by player from another not by the colour of the playing piece/chip but by the selected differently marked zone of the at least one betting area that the playing piece/chip is placed on. 
     
     
         2 . An apparatus for playing a dice game as claimed in  claim 1 , which apparatus further comprises: at least one die having a plurality of sides, each of said plurality of sides having a different one from a set of indicia; and a plurality of substantially identical playing pieces/chips to be used by different players or by one player for different bets in a game. 
     
     
         3 . An apparatus for playing a dice game as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the differently marked zones of the at least one betting area are configured in a radial array around a centre of the at least one betting area. 
     
     
         4 . An apparatus for playing a dice game as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the at least one betting area is polygonal and each side of the polygon is a differently marked zone. 
     
     
         5 . An apparatus for playing a dice game as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each differently marked zone of the at least one betting area is differentiated by its colour. 
     
     
         6 . An apparatus for playing a dice game as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein there are at least two dice and each die is a six-sided die 
     
     
         7 . An apparatus for playing a dice game as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein there are at least 21 independent betting areas, each corresponding to a different outcome of a throw of the pair of dice. 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus for playing a dice game as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein there are a further six independent betting areas corresponding to the six different outcomes for one of the pair of dice. 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus for playing a dice game as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the at least 21 independent betting areas are configured on the playing surface grouped together in a triangular arrangement. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus for playing a dice game as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the at least 21 independent betting areas are configured on the playing surface grouped together with adjacent sides of adjacent betting areas being contiguous. 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for playing a dice game as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the table has at least two dice-throwing zones, each having a perimeter wall towards which the dice may be thrown/rolled and serving to contain the dice on the table, there being an inset bay/recess between the at least two dice-throwing zones where a game supervisor may stand. 
     
     
         12 . An apparatus for playing a dice game with bets on the outcome of throws of the dice, which apparatus comprises: a table with a playing surface on which the dice may be thrown wherein the table has at least two dice-throwing zones, each having a perimeter wall towards which the dice may be thrown/rolled and serving to contain the dice on the table, there being an inset bay between the at least two dice-throwing zones where a game supervisor may stand 
     
     
         13 . An apparatus for playing a dice game as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein each of the perimeter walls curves/bows outwardly from the table as viewed from above. 
     
     
         14 . An apparatus for playing a dice game as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein a first of the perimeter walls curves/bows outwardly oriented in a first direction and a second perimeter wall curves/bows outwardly oriented in a second direction at an acute angle to the first direction. 
     
     
         15 . An apparatus for playing a dice game as claimed in  claim 14  wherein each of the perimeter walls curves/bows outwardly substantially symmetrically and each is oriented with its axis of symmetry at an acute angle to the axis of symmetry of the other perimeter wall. 
     
     
         16 . An apparatus for playing a dice game as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the playing surface is further marked with a further group of betting areas wherein each betting area of the group corresponds to multiple different outcomes of a throw of the at least one die so that a player may bet on multiple different outcomes with one placed bet. 
     
     
         17 . An apparatus for playing a dice game as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the playing surface is further marked along the perimeter of the table facing the players with a series of marks each corresponding to a different one of the marks of the differently marked player-specific zones so that each player will stand behind their specific marked position. 
     
     
         18 . A method for playing a multi-player game of chance in which bets are placed using betting areas marked on a playing surface, the method comprising marking the betting areas thereon with a plurality of markings each of which markings is specific to one player so that each player's playing piece/chip may be differentiated from that of another player not by the colour of the playing piece/chip but by the selected differently marked zone of the betting area that the playing piece/chip is placed on. 
     
     
         19 . A method for playing a multi-player game of chance as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the game is a dice game and the pay-offs for all of the available betting areas offer the same house advantage. 
     
     
         20 . A method for playing a multi-player game of chance as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the game is a dice game and pay-offs for all of the available betting areas are whole number (ie odds of X to 1 where X is a whole number).