Alternative bets and betting structure in pai gow poker games

Abstract

Pai Gow poker wagering card game is played by: a) Players wagering on a Pai Gow game; b) Players placing an optional wager against a pay table on a specified color combination of playing cards in a separate game that uses only residual cards from the Pai Gow poker game; c) dealing seven-card hands from a set of cards to six player positions and one dealer position, leaving at least three residual cards that have not been dealt to players or the dealer as residual cards; d) resolving the game of Pai Gow poker; e) comparing playing cards in the residual cards to the specific color combination wagered on in step b); and f) paying players who have placed the optional wager when the color combination in the residual cards matches the color combination wagered on in step b) and wherein playing cards are provided as either physical playing cards on a gaming table or are provided as virtual playing cards from a processor having an associated random number generator. A tie-breaking event may also be included in the game using residual cards.

1 . A method of playing a wagering game under the control of a dealer comprising:
 a) a set of physical playing cards is used to provide random physical playing cards during play of the wagering game;   b) a dealer accepts wagers at at least one player position in a Pai Gow game;   c) a dealer accepts at the at least one player position an optional wager against a pay table on a specified color combination of playing cards in a separate game that uses only residual cards from the Pai Gow poker game;   d) the dealer dealing seven-card hands of physical playing cards of random cards from the set of physical playing cards to six player positions and one dealer position, leaving at least three residual physical playing cards that have not been dealt to players or the dealer as residual cards;   e) the dealer resolving the wagers on the game of Pai Gow poker;   f) the dealer comparing physical playing cards in the residual physical playing cards to the specific color combination wagered on in step b); and   g) and f) the dealer paying player positions where the dealer has accepted the optional wager when the color combination in the residual cards matches the color combination wagered on in step b) without regard to general same suit combinations in the residual cards and   
       wherein the physical playing cards are provided as physical playing cards on a gaming table. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the physical playing cards are provided from a mechanical physical playing card randomizing machine that provides playing cards for the dealer to distribute. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the set of cards comprises a standard fifty-two card deck and three residual cards are used to determine the specified color combination, and a playing card randomizing machine provides subsets of physical playing cards in a delivery tray for the dealer to deliver to positions on the gaming table. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the set of cards consists of fifty-three cards, a fifty-two card playing card deck and one joker and exactly three of the residual cards are used to determined the specified color combination. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the dealer accepts wagers at each player position on a specified color combination event selected from the group consisting of:
 a) only one card is a specific suit; 
 b) exactly two cards are a specific suit; 
 c) exactly three cards are a specific suit; 
 d) only one card is a specific color; 
 e) exactly two cards are a specific color; and 
 f) exactly three cards are a specific color. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the dealer accepts a single wager at a player position on a specified color combination event encompassing each of two events selected from the group consisting of two cards are a specific color and three cards are a specific color. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the presence of a joker in the residual cards causes the optional wager at a player position to be forfeit, regardless of the suit, color or rank of other residual cards. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the presence of a joker in the residual cards causes the optional wager at a player position to be forfeit, regardless of the suit, color or rank of other residual cards. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the presence of a joker in the residual cards causes the optional wager at a player position to be forfeit, regardless of the suit, color or rank of other residual cards. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the wagering accepted by the dealer on the game of Pai Gow poker comprises accepting a wager that includes the steps of including a Tie Breaker event in the underlying game of Pai Gow and the playing cards are provided by an automatic card handling device that either shuffles entire physical sets of playing cards or provides random cards removed from the physical set of playing cards. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the wagering accepted by the dealer on the game of Pai Gow poker comprises accepting a wager that includes the steps of including a Tie Breaker event in the underlying game of Pai Gow. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  where a single card in the residual cards is used by the dealer as a basis for a tie breaking event. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the dealer physically moves cards in step d) and the physical playing cards that are moved are provided from a mechanical physical playing card randomizing machine that provides playing cards for the dealer to distribute. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the dealer physically moves cards in step d) and the physical playing cards are provided from a mechanical physical playing card randomizing machine that provides playing cards for the dealer to distribute. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the dealer physically moves cards in step d) and the physical playing cards are provided from a mechanical physical playing card randomizing machine that provides playing cards for the dealer to distribute. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the physical set of playing cards are provided from a physical playing card randomizing machine, and specific numbers of playing cards are provided for the dealer to distribute to a single position at at least one step during play of the game. 
     
     
         17 . A method of playing a wagering game on an electronic system under the control of a virtual dealer, the electronic system comprising a processor, a video display screen and player input controls at at least one player position, the processor acting as a virtual dealer comprising:
 a) a virtual set of virtual playing cards is provided by the processor as a randomized set of playing cards;   b) a virtual dealer accepts wagers at at least one player position in a Pai Gow game;   c) a virtual dealer accepts at the at least one player position an optional wager against a pay table on a specified color combination of playing cards in a separate game that uses only residual cards from the Pai Gow poker game;   d) the virtual dealer dealing seven-card hands of physical playing cards from the randomized set of physical playing cards to six player positions and one virtual dealer position, leaving at least three residual physical playing cards that have not been dealt to players or the virtual dealer as residual cards; of the two locations, for a total of four cards at each player position;   e) the virtual dealer resolving the wagers on the game of Pai Gow poker;   f) the virtual dealer comparing physical playing cards in the residual physical playing cards to the specific color combination wagered on in step b); and   g) the virtual dealer paying players who have placed the optional wager when the color combination in the residual   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the virtual dealer accepts a wager on each of the player's two hand locations for a bonus wager paid off at odds listed by the virtual dealer on a virtual paytable saved on the processor, the virtual dealer resolving the wagers with odds and paying player position hands based on the odds listed on the virtual paytable. 
     
     
         19 . A method of playing a Pai Gow poker wagering card game according to  claim 1  wherein the wager accepted by the dealer on the underlying game includes the steps of including a Tie Breaker event in the underlying game of Pai Gow, and a single card in the residual cards is used as a basis for a tie breaking event. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the tie breaking event uses the single card from the residual cards to determine a color, and the color determines a tie breaking outcome by at least one of the following events:
 a) the initial underlying wager was accepted by the dealer at an area dedicated to a single color, and in the event of a tie, the acceptance of the underlying wager in an area dedicated to the color of the single residual card breaks the tie in favor of the player position or dealer.