Novel side bet for card games

Abstract

Optional wagers for casino-style card games are disclosed wherein the wages are rewarded based on the number of times a predetermined set of cards is dealt among all qualifying initial sets of cards dealt for any given round of play.

1 . A method of conducting a card game, the game including a dealer or house entity, at least one player, a game playing surface and playing cards, comprising:
 a) accepting a wager placed on a game playing surface prior to the dealing of cards for a round of play that at least one occurrence of a predetermined set of cards will be dealt among all qualifying initial sets of cards dealt onto the playing surface for the round of play;   b) dealing at least one initial set of cards for each player and at least one initial set of cards for the dealer onto the playing surface for the round of play; and   c) resolving the outcome of a placed wager, wherein:
 i) the wager is rewarded based at least in part on the number of times the predetermined set of cards is dealt among all qualifying initial sets of cards for the round of play; and 
 ii) the wager is lost if the predetermined set of cards is not dealt among any of the qualifying initial sets of cards for the round of play. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the qualifying initial sets of cards comprise all initial sets of cards dealt to all players. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the qualifying initial sets of cards comprise all initial sets of cards dealt to all players and the dealer. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined set of cards comprises at least one card. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined set of cards comprises any two cards totaling a count of 21, otherwise known as a natural blackjack. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wager is positioned in a designated marked area on the game playing surface. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wager is an optional side wager for an underlying card game. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising completing the underlying card game and determining the winner of the underlying game by comparing the player's cards to the dealer's cards. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the use of an automatic card shuffler to determine the cards that are dealt. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the use of a programmed computer or random number generator to determine the value of the cards. 
     
     
         11 . A computer-implemented method of playing a card game, the game including a virtual dealer or house entity, at least one player, a computer-generated game playing surface and computer-generated playing cards, comprising:
 a) accepting a wager, by means of a programmed computer, placed on a computer-generated game playing surface prior to the dealing of computer-generated cards for a round of play that at least one occurrence of a predetermined set of cards will be dealt among all qualifying initial sets of cards dealt onto the playing surface for the round of play;   b) dealing, by means of a programmed computer, at least one initial set of cards for each player and at least one initial set of cards for the dealer onto the computer-generated playing surface for the round of play; and   c) resolving the outcome, by means of a programmed computer, of a placed wager, wherein:
 i) the wager is rewarded based at least in part on the number of times the predetermined set of cards is dealt among all qualifying initial sets of cards for the round of play; and 
 ii) the wager is lost if the predetermined set of cards is not dealt among any of the qualifying initial sets of cards for the round of play. 
   
     
     
         12 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein the computer comprises at least one computer processor operative to execute instructions from at least one computer program product embodied in at least one computer-readable medium. 
     
     
         13 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein the qualifying initial sets of cards comprise all initial sets of cards dealt to all players. 
     
     
         14 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein the qualifying initial sets of cards comprise all initial sets of cards dealt to all players and the dealer. 
     
     
         15 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein the predetermined set of cards comprises at least one card. 
     
     
         16 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein the predetermined set of cards comprises any two cards totaling a count of 21, otherwise known as a natural blackjack. 
     
     
         17 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein the wager is positioned in a designated marked area on the game playing surface. 
     
     
         18 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein the wager is an optional side wager for an underlying card game. 
     
     
         19 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 18 , further comprising completing the underlying card game and determining the winner of the underlying game by comparing the player's cards to the dealer's cards. 
     
     
         20 . A computerized gaming device for conducting a card game, the game including a virtual dealer or house entity, at least one player, a computer-generated game playing surface and computer-generated playing cards, comprising: at least one computer processor operative to execute instructions from at least one computer program product embodied in at least one computer-readable medium, to:
 a) accept a wager placed on a computer-generated playing surface prior to the dealing of computer-generated cards for a round of play that at least one occurrence of a predetermined set of cards will be dealt among all qualifying initial sets of cards dealt onto the playing surface for the round of play;   b) deal at least one initial set of cards for each player and at least one initial set of cards for the dealer onto the computer-generated playing surface for the round of play; and   c) resolve the outcome of a placed wager, wherein:
 i) the wager is rewarded based at least in part on the number of times the predetermined set of cards is dealt among all qualifying initial sets of cards for the round of play; and 
 ii) the wager is lost if the predetermined set of cards is not dealt among any of the qualifying initial sets of cards for the round of play.