Game Board and Method for Playing a Rummy-Type Card Game

Abstract

The method of playing a rummy-type game and/or tonk-type card game allows the players to play the game through a plurality of user profiles. Each of the user profiles places an initial wagers and a plurality of side wagers at the beginning of the card game so that a hand of cards can be dealt to each of the user profiles. All of the initial wagers are added into a communal pot which later goes to the winner of the card game. Each of the user profile is able to play the card game during their playing turn by implementing different winning strategies in order to win the communal pot. The user profiles also have the opportunity to win the plurality of side wagers throughout the card game.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method comprises the steps of:
 (A) providing at least one virtual deck of cards, wherein each of the virtual card is designated a point value;   (B) providing a plurality of user profiles, wherein each of the user profiles comprises a user name;   (C) receiving an initial wager from each of the user profiles and adding the initial wager to a communal pot;   (D) receiving a plurality of side wagers from each of the user profiles, wherein each of the side wagers includes at least one side bet selection and a user defined bet;   (E) dealing a hand of cards from the virtual deck of cards to each of the user profiles;   (F) respectively displaying the hand of cards to each of the user profiles;   (G) executing a playing turn for each of the user profiles;   (H) prompting each of the user profiles at the beginning of each playing turn to choose a winning strategy to either:
 (i) play for an initial point value with the hand of cards in order to win the communal pot; 
 (ii) play for a lowest point value with the hand of cards in order to win the communal pot; or 
 (iii) reduce the hand of cards in order to win the communal pot; 
   (I) retrieving a selection for (i), (ii), or (iii) at the beginning of an initial playing turn for each of the user profiles;   (J) retrieving a selection for (ii) or (iii) at the beginning of subsequent playing turns for each of the user profiles;   (K) determining at least one winner from the user profiles based on the selection during the playing turn;   (L) distributing the communal pot among the at least one winner;   (M) determining side bet winners from the user profiles based on the side wagers; and   (N) distributing the user defined bet among the side bet winners.   
     
     
         2 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 1  comprises the steps of:
 providing numbered cards, face cards, and ace cards within the virtual deck of cards; 
 designating the point value of each of the numbered cards based on their numerical face value; 
 designating the point value of each of the face cards as 10 points; and 
 designating the point value of each of the ace cards as 1 point. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 1  comprises the steps of:
 providing (i) is selected by any user profile at the beginning of the initial playing turn; 
 calculating a total point value from the hand of cards for each of the user profiles; 
 determining the at least one winner from the user profiles through a point system, wherein the point system requires the total point value for the hand of cards to be equal to 49 points, 50 points, or 13 points and under; and 
 displaying the total point value and the hand of cards for each of the user profiles. 
 
     
     
         4 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 3  comprises the steps of:
 providing an least one arbitrary profile and other profiles for the plurality of user profiles; 
 providing the total point value of the at least one arbitrary profile is 49 points; 
 designating the at least one arbitrary profile as the at least one winner, if the total point value for each of the other profiles is not 49 points, 50 points, or 13 points and under; and 
 notifying the at least one winner to each of the user profiles. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 3  comprises the steps of:
 providing an least one arbitrary profile and other profiles for the plurality of user profiles; 
 providing the total point value of the at least one arbitrary profile is 50 points; 
 designating the at least one arbitrary profile as the at least one winner, if the total point value for each of the other profiles is not 50 points or 13 points and under; and 
 notifying the at least one winner to each of the user profiles. 
 
     
     
         6 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 3  comprises the steps of:
 providing an least one arbitrary profile and other profiles for the plurality of user profiles; 
 providing the total point value of the at least one arbitrary profile is 13 points and under; 
 designating the at least one arbitrary profile as the at least one winner, if the total point value for each of the other profiles is not 50 points or 13 points and under; and 
 notifying the at least one winner to each of the user profiles. 
 
     
     
         7 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 1  comprises the steps of:
 providing an arbitrary profile from the plurality of user profiles; 
 receiving a catch payoff from the arbitrary profile, 
 if (ii) is selected by the arbitrary profile at the beginning of the initial playing turn or one of the subsequent playing turns, 
 wherein the catch payoff is double the communal pot; 
 calculating a total point value from the hand of cards for each of the user profiles; 
 designating the at least one winner from the user profiles, 
 if the total point value of the at least one winner is lower than the total point value of each of other profiles; 
 displaying the total point value and the hand of cards to the user profiles; and 
 notifying the at least one winner to each of the user profiles. 
 
     
     
         8 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 1  comprises the steps of:
 providing (iii) is selected by an arbitrary profile at the beginning of the initial playing turn or one of the subsequent playing turns, wherein the arbitrary profile is one of the user profiles; 
 receiving a run-of-cards from the arbitrary profile in order to discard the hand of cards, wherein the run-of-cards includes five virtual cards in sequential order; 
 designating the arbitrary profile as the—at least one winner, 
 if the arbitrary profile is able to discard the hand of cards through the run-of-cards; and 
 notifying the at least one winner to each of the user profiles. 
 
     
     
         9 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 1  comprises the steps of:
 providing (iii) is selected by an arbitrary profile at the beginning of the initial playing turn or one of the subsequent playing turns, wherein the arbitrary profile is one of the user profiles; 
 dealing a playing card from the virtual deck of cards to the arbitrary profile; 
 receiving a spread-of-cards, a hit-of-card, or a discard card from the arbitrary profile in order to discard the hand of cards; and 
 designating the arbitrary profile as the at least one winner, if the arbitrary profile is able to discard the hand of cards through the spread-of-cards or the hit-of-card. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 9  comprises the steps of:
 receiving a first spread-of-cards from the arbitrary profile, wherein the first spread-of-cards is three running order virtual cards in same suit or three similar virtual cards in different suit; 
 receiving a second spread-of-cards from the arbitrary profile, wherein the second spread-of-cards is three running order virtual cards in same suit or three similar virtual cards in different suit; and 
 notifying the at least one winner to each of the user profiles. 
 
     
     
         11 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 9  comprises the steps of:
 receiving a first spread-of-cards from the arbitrary profile, wherein the spread-of-cards is three running order virtual cards in same suit or three similar virtual cards in different suit; 
 receiving a first hit-of-card from the arbitrary profile, wherein the first hit-of-card is a single virtual card plays upon the running order cards or the similar cards of any existing spread-of-cards; 
 receiving a second hit-of-card from the arbitrary profile, wherein the second hit-of-card is a single virtual card plays upon the running order cards or the similar cards of any existing spread-of-cards; 
 receiving a third hit-of-card from the arbitrary profile, wherein the third hit-of-card is a single virtual card plays upon the running order cards or the similar cards of any existing spread-of-cards; and 
 notifying the at least one winner to each of the user profiles. 
 
     
     
         12 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 9  comprises the steps of:
 receiving a first spread-of-cards from the arbitrary profile, wherein the first spread-of-cards is four running order virtual cards in same suit or four similar virtual cards in different suit; 
 receiving a first hit-of-card from the arbitrary profile, wherein the first hit-of-card is a single virtual card plays upon the running order cards or the similar cards of any existing spread-of-cards; 
 receiving a second hit-of-card from the arbitrary profile, wherein the second hit-of-card is a single virtual card plays upon the running order cards or the similar cards of any existing spread-of-cards; and 
 notifying the at least one winner to each of the user profiles. 
 
     
     
         13 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 9  comprises the steps of:
 receiving a first hit-of-card from the arbitrary user profile, wherein the first hit-of-card is a single virtual card plays upon the running order cards or the similar cards of any existing spread-of-cards; 
 receiving a second hit-of-card from the arbitrary user profile, wherein the second hit-of-card is a single virtual card plays upon the running order cards or the similar cards of any existing spread-of-cards; 
 receiving a third hit-of-card from the arbitrary user profile, wherein the third hit-of-card is a single virtual card plays upon the running order cards or the similar cards of any existing spread-of-cards; 
 receiving a fourth hit-of-card from the arbitrary user profile, wherein the fourth hit-of-card is a single virtual card upon the running order cards or the similar cards of any existing spread-of-cards; 
 receiving a fifth hit-of-card from the arbitrary user profile, wherein the fifth hit-of-card is a single virtual card plays upon the running order cards or the similar cards of any existing spread-of-cards; 
 receiving a sixth hit-of-card from the arbitrary user profile, wherein the sixth hit-of-card is a single virtual card plays upon the running order cards or the similar cards of any existing spread-of-cards; and 
 notifying the at least one winner to each of the user profiles. 
 
     
     
         14 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 9  comprises the steps of:
 receiving a first spread-of-cards from the arbitrary profile, wherein the first spread-of-cards is five running order virtual cards in same suit; 
 receiving a first hit-of-card from the arbitrary user profile, wherein the first hit-of-card is a single virtual card plays upon the running order cards or the similar cards of any existing spread-of-cards; and 
 notifying the at least one winner to each of the user profiles. 
 
     
     
         15 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 9  comprises the steps of:
 receiving the discard card from the arbitrary profile, 
 if the arbitrary profile is not able to perform the spread-of-cards or the hit-of-card with the hand of cards; 
 wherein the arbitrary profile is not the at least one winner; and 
 prompting another profile from the user profiles to initiate the playing turn by selecting the winning strategy. 
 
     
     
         16 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 1  comprises the steps of:
 providing at least one arbitrary profile and other profiles for the plurality of user profiles; 
 displaying the side wagers to the user profiles, wherein the side wagers include initial hand wagers and game outcome wagers; 
 receiving the at least one side bet selection and the user defined bet for the side wagers from the at least one arbitrary profile; 
 notifying the at least one side bet selection to the other profiles; 
 completing the at least one side bet selection with at least one opposition bet, 
 if the at least one opposition bet is received from an opposition profile, 
 wherein the opposition profile is one of the profile from the other profiles; and 
 determining the side bet winners. 
 
     
     
         17 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 16  comprises the steps of:
 providing the initial hand wagers; and 
 determining the side bet winners based on the hand of cards in the initial playing turn, wherein the initial hand wagers include a highest card in each suit, a lowest card in each suit, a highest pair in same color suit, a highest pair in opposite color suit, a suicide king, and a one eyed jack. 
 
     
     
         18 . The method of playing a rummy-type card game and/or tonk-type card game by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method as claimed in  claim 16  comprises the steps of:
 providing the game outcome wagers; and 
 determining the side bet winners based on the hand of cards in the initial playing turn or one of the subsequent playing turns, wherein the game outcome wagers include a first to play a spread-of-card, a first to play a first spread-of-card and a second spread-of-card, and a first to win game.