Method of playing blackjack with auxiliary side wager feature

Abstract

A method of playing the standard game of Blackjack which includes at least one auxiliary wagering feature pertaining to various outcomes of a players hand is provided. In addition to the standard game of Blackjack, the present invention provides the option of wagering on the numerical outcome of the player's hand, whether the numerical value of the player's hand and the dealer's hand will be equal, whether the player will be dealt a Blackjack and whether the player's hand will exceed 21 when played according to house rules. The present invention provides a method for gaming establishments to increase the potential return on a per table basis, while also providing additional wagering options to the player which are simplistic to understand, and that have larger payouts than those typically associated with the conventional game of Blackjack.

1 . A method of playing a Blackjack card game between a dealer and a player, which includes an auxiliary wagering feature, comprising the steps of:
 placing at least one auxiliary wager selected from the group consisting of a bust prediction wager, a numeric prediction wager, a tie prediction wager, a blackjack prediction wager and a dual bust prediction wager, on the outcome of the player's hand prior to commencement of the underlying Blackjack card game;   playing the underlying Blackjack card game to completion according to known Blackjack card game rules; and   resolving the at least one auxiliary wager based upon the final value of the player's hand governed by predetermined rules and pay out structure for each of the wager types.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
 placing a standard Blackjack wager prior to commencement of the underlying Blackjack card game; and   resolving the standard Blackjack wager governed by known Blackjack card game rules after the underlying Blackjack card game has been completed.   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein when a bust prediction wager is placed by the player, the player's hand is played according to the house rules governing the play of the dealer's hand, and a winning outcome is achieved on the bust prediction wager when the final value of the player's hand exceeds 21. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the house rules governing the play of the dealer's hand comprise receiving an additional card when the value of the hand is less than 17 and not receiving an additional card when the value of the hand is 17 or more. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the house rules governing the play of the dealer's hand further comprises that if the value of the hand is 17 and contains an ace valued as 11 then an additional card is received. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein there are distinct numeric prediction wager options that correspond to potential final values of the player's hand, and when the numeric prediction wager is placed by the player, a winning outcome is achieved when the final value of the player's hand after the underlying Blackjack card game has been completed corresponds with the value of the numeric prediction wager that has been placed. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the distinct prediction wager options available to the player are at least one of 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein when the tie prediction wager is placed by the player, a winning outcome is achieved when the final value of the player's hand matches the final value of the dealer's hand after the underlying Blackjack card game has been completed. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein a tie prediction wager is not successful when the player and the dealer are both dealt a blackjack or when both hands exceed 21. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein when the blackjack prediction wager is placed by the player, a winning outcome is achieved when the player is dealt a blackjack. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein when the blackjack prediction wager is placed by the player, and both the dealer and the player are dealt a blackjack, the player is awarded a double blackjack prediction payout. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein when a player is playing two separate Blackjack hands and the blackjack prediction wager is placed by the player for each hand, and a blackjack is dealt for each of the player's hands and for the dealer's hand, the player is awarded a triple blackjack prediction payout. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein when a dual bust prediction wager is placed by the player, the player's hand must be played according to the house rules governing the play of the dealer's hand, and a winning outcome is achieved from the dual bust prediction wager when the final value of the player's hand exceeds 21 and the final value of the dealer's hand exceeds 21. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the house rules governing the play of the dealer's hand comprise receiving an additional card when the value of the hand is less than 17 and not receiving an additional card when the value of the hand is 17 or more. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the house rules governing the play of the dealer's hand further comprises that if the value of the hand is 17 and contains an ace valued as 11 then an additional card is received. 
     
     
         16 . A method of playing a Blackjack card game which includes an auxiliary wagering feature, comprising the steps of:
 placing an auxiliary bust prediction wager and/or dual bust prediction wager prior to commencement of the underlying Blackjack card game;   playing the underlying Blackjack card game to completion where the player's hand is played according to the house rules governing the play of the dealer's hand; and   resolving the auxiliary bust prediction wager and/or dual bust prediction wager based upon the final value of the player's hand governed by predetermined rules and pay out structure for each of the wager types.   
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising the steps of:
 placing a standard Blackjack wager prior to commencement of the underlying Blackjack card game; and   resolving the standard Blackjack wager governed by known Blackjack card game rules after the underlying Blackjack card game has been completed.   
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising the step of:
 placing at least one additional auxiliary wager selected from the group consisting of a numeric prediction wager, a tie prediction wager and a blackjack prediction wager prior to commencement of the underlying Blackjack card game; and   resolving the numeric prediction wager, a tie prediction wager and a blackjack prediction wager based upon the final value of the player's hand governed by predetermined rules and pay out structure for each wager type after the underlying Blackjack card game has been completed.   
     
     
         19 . A method of playing a Blackjack card game between a dealer and a player, which includes an auxiliary wagering feature, comprising the steps of:
 placing at least one auxiliary wager selected from the group consisting of a numeric prediction wager, a blackjack wager and a tie prediction wager prior to commencement of the underlying Blackjack card game;   dealing two cards each to the dealer and player for the underlying Blackjack card game;   resolving the numeric prediction wager, the blackjack prediction wager and/or the tie prediction wager based upon the value of the initial two cards dealt to the player for the underlying Blackjack card game by predetermined rules and payout structure for each wager type.   
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 19 , further comprising the steps of:
 placing a standard Blackjack wager prior to commencement of the underlying Blackjack card game;   playing the underlying Blackjack card game to completion according to known Blackjack card game rules; and   resolving the standard Blackjack wager governed by known Blackjack card game rules after the underlying Blackjack card game has been completed.   
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 19 , further comprising the step of:
 placing at least one additional auxiliary wager selected from the group consisting of a bust prediction wager and a dual bust prediction wager prior to commencement of the underlying Blackjack card game;   playing the underlying Blackjack card game to completion where the player's hand is played according to the house rules governing the play of the dealer's hand; and   resolving the bust prediction wager and/or the dual bust prediction wager based upon the final value of the player's hand governed by predetermined rules and pay out structure for each wager type.