Wagering game and table

Abstract

A wagering game and corresponding table are disclosed. In one embodiment, the wagering game is a poker-style game in which players may designate their hands as predicted winning hands according to a predetermined standard and players may alternatively designate their hands as qualifying hands entitled to at least a portion of the wagers at stake according to an alternative standard, in which a qualifying hand is awarded at least a portion of the wagers at stake unless the winning hand is a predicted winning hand. In another embodiment, the wagering game is a poker-style game in combination with a lottery-style game in which players may win the poker-style game according to a predetermined standard and players may also win the lottery-style game according to a jackpot standard.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A table set for playing a wagering game, the table set comprising a table including:
 a plurality of player place settings, each place setting having an ante wager position, a side game ante wager position, at least one follow-up wager positions for receiving bets during a deal for the wagering game, and a qualifying wager position for receiving a marker, the marker secretly identifying the respective player's hand as one of (a) a qualifying hand according to a predetermined qualifying standard or (b) a predicted winning hand, the player place settings being configured to further receive one or more player cards for use solely as part of a corresponding player's hand; and   a kitty card area for receiving one or more common cards, the common cards being cards for use as part of all player's hands.   
     
     
         2 . The table set of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of markers, each marker having at least two sides, a first side of each marker having the same design as the other markers so as to be indistinguishable from that side, and a second side of each marker having an identifier, identifying the marker as at least one of a qualifying hand marker and a predicted winning hand marker. 
     
     
         3 . The table set of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one follow-up wager positions for receiving bets during a deal for the wagering game consists of two wager positions. 
     
     
         4 . The table set of  claim 1 , wherein each place setting is configured to receive four player cards. 
     
     
         5 . The table set of  claim 4 , wherein the kitty card area consists of four positions for receiving four common cards. 
     
     
         6 . The table set of  claim 1 , further comprising a dealer place setting configured to receive one or more dealer cards for use solely as part of a dealer's hand. 
     
     
         7 . The table set of  claim 6 , wherein each place setting is configured to receive four player cards. 
     
     
         8 . The table set of  claim 7 , wherein the kitty card area consists of four positions for receiving four common cards. 
     
     
         9 . A method for playing a wagering game, the method comprising:
 providing playing cards;   providing a table set comprising a table including:
 a plurality of player place settings, each place setting having an ante wager position, a side game ante wager position, at least one follow-up wager positions for receiving bets during a deal for the wagering game, and a qualifying wager position for receiving a marker, the marker secretly identifying the respective player's hand as one of (a) a qualifying hand according to a predetermined qualifying standard or (b) a predicted winning hand, the player place settings being configured to further receive one or more player cards for use solely as part of a corresponding player's hand; and 
 a kitty card area for receiving one or more common cards, the common cards being cards for use as part of all player's hands; 
   receiving wagers from one or more players for a poker-style game and a lottery-style game;   dealing at least one card to each of the players;   awarding at least a portion of the wagers for the poker-style game according to a predetermined ranking standard;   identifying any jackpot hands according to a predetermined jackpot standard; and   awarding at least a portion of the wagers for the lottery-style game amongst one or more players having an identified jackpot hand.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein dealing at least one card to each of the players comprises dealing four cards to each of the players. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein each player's hand further comprises four cards dealt to the kitty card area. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the predetermined jackpot standard includes having a hand with a value of eighty-one points. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the predetermined jackpot standard includes having a hand with one or more Eights and one or more Aces. 
     
     
         14 . A method for playing a wagering game, the method comprising:
 providing playing cards;   providing a table set comprising a table including:
 a plurality of player place settings, each place setting having an ante wager position, a side game ante wager position, at least one follow-up wager positions for receiving bets during a deal for the wagering game, and a qualifying wager position for receiving a marker, the marker secretly identifying the respective player's hand as one of (a) a qualifying hand according to a predetermined qualifying standard or (b) a predicted winning hand, the player place settings being configured to further receive one or more player cards for use solely as part of a corresponding player's hand; and 
 a kitty card area for receiving one or more common cards, the common cards being cards for use as part of all player's hands; 
   receiving wagers from one or more players for a pot;   dealing at least one card to each of the players;   permitting each of the players to:
 (i) designate that his or her playing hand is a qualifying hand or a predicted winning hand by placing a corresponding marker in the qualifying wager position of his or her player place setting; or 
 (ii) continue in the game without making such designation; 
   resolving playing hands of the players by rank according to a predetermined ranking standard to determine a player with a winning hand;   identifying whether the winning hand is designated as a predicted winning hand; and   awarding the wagers in the pot (i) solely to the player having the winning hand if the winning hand has also been identified as a designated predicted winning hand, (ii) solely to the player having the winning hand where no other player has a qualifying hand, or (iii) in a predetermined portion to one or more players each having a qualifying hand, which was also designated as a qualifying hand, and the remainder to the player having the winning hand, where the winning hand was not designated as a predicted winning hand.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein dealing at least one card to each of the players comprises dealing four cards to each of the players. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein each player's hand further comprises four cards dealt to the kitty card area. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the qualifying standard includes having a hand comprising any combination of cards that has a value of fifty-one. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the qualifying standard includes having a hand comprising any combination of cards that has a value of fifty-one or higher. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein one or more cards are dealt subsequent to permitting each of the players to designate that his or her playing hand is a qualifying hand according to a qualifying standard or that his or her playing hand is a predicted winning hand.