Gaming method for playing a card game, and gaming apparatus for performing the same

Abstract

A gaming method for playing a card game includes the steps of: configuring a gaming apparatus to generate a gaming screen that includes a predetermined number of player areas and a virtual card dealing wheel surrounded by the player areas; configuring the gaming apparatus to distribute virtual playing cards on the virtual card dealing wheel; configuring the gaming apparatus to spin the virtual card dealing wheel for a limited time and, after the virtual card dealing wheel stops spinning, to deal at least a portion of the virtual playing cards on the virtual card dealing wheel to the player areas having active players associated therewith; and configuring the gaming apparatus to determine a winner of the card game based on the virtual playing cards dealt to the player areas having active players associated therewith.

1 . A gaming method for playing a card game, said gaming method being adapted to be implemented by a gaming apparatus and comprising the steps of:
 a) configuring the gaming apparatus to generate a gaming screen that includes a predetermined number of player areas and a virtual card dealing wheel surrounded by the player areas;   b) configuring the gaming apparatus to distribute virtual playing cards from a predetermined virtual playing card deck on the virtual card dealing wheel, the virtual playing cards corresponding in number to the player areas and being shown on the gaming screen;   c) configuring the gaming apparatus to spin the virtual card dealing wheel for a limited time and, after the virtual card dealing wheel stops spinning, to deal at least a portion of the virtual playing cards on the virtual card dealing wheel to the player areas having active players associated therewith, the virtual playing cards being dealt to the player areas that are registered in position therewith when spinning of the virtual card dealing wheel stops; and   d) configuring the gaming apparatus to determine at least one winner of the card game based on the virtual playing cards dealt to the player areas that have active players associated therewith.   
     
     
         2 . The gaming method as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising, between steps a) and b), the step of configuring the gaming apparatus to deal an initial number of the virtual playing cards from the predetermined virtual playing card deck to each of the player areas that has an active player associated therewith, and to show on the gaming screen the virtual playing cards dealt to the player areas. 
     
     
         3 . The gaming method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the initial number of the virtual playing cards is two, one of the virtual playing cards in the initial number being shown face up on the gaming screen, the other one of the virtual playing cards in the initial number being shown face down on the gaming screen. 
     
     
         4 . The gaming method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein one of the virtual playing cards in the initial number is shown face down on the gaming screen, said gaming method further comprising the step of configuring the gaming apparatus to show a corner of said one of the virtual playing cards that is shown face down on the gaming screen in response to a peek command from the active player associated with the player area dealt with said one of the virtual playing cards. 
     
     
         5 . The gaming method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein, in step b), the virtual playing cards are shown face up on the gaming screen. 
     
     
         6 . The gaming method as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein each of the player areas is associated with a button set including at least one of a bet button, a call button, a fold button, a check button, a raise button, a re-raise button and an all-in button, said gaming method further comprising, between steps b) and c), the step of configuring the gaming apparatus to accept input from the active players associated with the player areas through the button sets associated with the player areas, to calculate and record a total amount of bets in the pot, to mark the player areas associated with inactive players who opted to fold through the fold button, and to not deal the virtual playing cards to the player areas associated with the inactive players. 
     
     
         7 . The gaming method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein step c) includes configuring the gaming apparatus to receive a spin trigger input from one of the active players associated with the player area dealt with a greatest hand value of the virtual playing cards relative to the other player areas and to start spinning the virtual card dealing wheel upon receipt of the spin trigger input. 
     
     
         8 . The gaming method as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising, between steps c) and d), the step of configuring the gaming apparatus to repeat steps b) and c) until each of the player areas having an active player associated therewith has been dealt with a predetermined number of the virtual playing cards, the predetermined number of the virtual playing cards forming a card hand from which the gaming apparatus determines said at least one winner of the card game in step d). 
     
     
         9 . The gaming method as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein:
 when the gaming apparatus performs step b) fora final round of the card game, the gaming apparatus is configured to add a set of joker playing cards into the predetermined virtual playing card deck, and   in step d), the gaming apparatus is configured to treat the value of each of the joker playing cards as that of one of the virtual playing cards that would result in a greatest card hand value for the player area dealt with the joker playing card.   
     
     
         10 . A computer program product comprising a machine readable storage medium having program instructions stored therein which when executed cause a computer to perform a gaming method for playing a card game according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         11 . A gaming apparatus for playing a card game, comprising:
 a display unit;   a memory device storing program instructions for playing a card game; and   a processing unit coupled to said display unit and said memory device, and operable to execute the program instructions to perform a gaming method for playing the card game, the gaming method including the steps of:   a) generating a gaming screen that includes a predetermined number of player areas and a virtual card dealing wheel surrounded by the player areas, and showing the gaming screen on the display unit;   b) distributing virtual playing cards from a predetermined virtual playing card deck on the virtual card dealing wheel, the virtual playing cards corresponding in number to the player areas and being shown on the gaming screen;   c) spinning the virtual card dealing wheel for a limited time and, after the virtual card dealing wheel stops spinning, dealing at least a portion of the virtual playing cards on the virtual card dealing wheel to the player areas having active players associated therewith, the virtual playing cards being dealt to the player areas that are registered in position therewith when spinning of the virtual card dealing wheel stops; and   d) determining at least one winner of the card game based on the virtual playing cards dealt to the player areas that have active players associated therewith.   
     
     
         12 . The gaming apparatus as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein, in step b), the virtual playing cards are shown face up on the gaming screen. 
     
     
         13 . The gaming apparatus as claimed in  claim 12 , further comprising an input unit coupled to said processing unit, said input unit providing a plurality of button sets, each of the button sets being associated with a respective one of the player areas and including at least one of a bet button, a call button, a fold button, a check button, a raise button, a re-raise button and an all-in button,
 the gaming method further including, between steps b) and c), the steps of accepting input from the active players associated with the player areas through the button sets, calculating and recording a total amount of bets in the pot, marking the player areas associated with inactive players who opted to fold through the fold button, and not dealing the virtual playing cards to the player areas associated with the inactive players.   
     
     
         14 . The gaming apparatus as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein said input unit and said display unit are integrated into a touch screen. 
     
     
         15 . The gaming apparatus as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein said gaming method further includes, between steps c) and d), the step of repeating steps b) and c) until each of the player areas having an active player associated therewith has been dealt with a predetermined number of the virtual playing cards, the predetermined number of the virtual playing cards forming a card hand from which the processing unit determines said at least one winner of the card game in step d). 
     
     
         16 . The gaming apparatus as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein:
 when the processing unit performs step b) for a final round of the card game, the processing unit is configured to add a set of joker playing cards into the predetermined virtual playing card deck, and   in step d), the processing unit is configured to treat the value of each of the joker playing cards as that of one of the virtual playing cards that would result in a greatest card hand value for the player area dealt with the joker playing card.   
     
     
         17 . The gaming apparatus as claimed in  claim 11 , further comprising a plurality of payment sensors coupled to said processing unit and respectively associated with the player areas, each of the payment sensors being operable to send a payment signal to said processing unit, said processing unit being operable to start the card game when at least two payment signals from at least two of said payment sensors are received thereby.