Non-commission pai gow poker games, devices, systems and methods thereof

Abstract

Methods of playing commission-free pai gow poker games are disclosed. The commission-free pai gow poker games have multiple features, including a novel push mechanism and a novel copy-fostering mechanism, that provide a gaming establishment with an adequate house edge without the need to charge a commission on player wins. The features of the commission-free pai gow poker games may be incorporated in one or more instruction sets or software configured in one or more mechanical devices and/or electronic devices. Furthermore, the features may be configured in one or more displays in communication with one or more servers as desired. Furthermore, the commission-free pai gow poker games may be offered in a non-gaming media environment as desired.

1 - 22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . A system for facilitating game play of an improved commission-free pai gow poker game that designates certain dealer hands as ties to confer a house advantage, the system comprising:
 a table layout, wherein the table layout includes:
 a table instruction region, 
 a dealer location, 
 one or more player locations, wherein the dealer location and the one or more player locations are proximate to corresponding short side and long side locations, the dealer location and the one or more player locations configured to receive a hand of cards in a round of play of the pai gow poker game, and 
 at least one wagering region proximate to each of the one or more player locations, wherein the at least one wagering region includes a main wagering region and at least one proposition wagering region; and 
   a standard poker card deck of randomly ordered physical playing cards, wherein a dealer initiates game play of the pai gow poker game on the table layout as follows:
 the dealer deals at least one card selected from a group of card hands consisting of five cards, six cards, seven cards and eight cards from the standard poker card deck including a wild card to each of one or more players and the dealer, the cards dealt to the dealer forming a dealer's card hand, during the round of play, 
 the dealer's card hand is evaluated to determine whether the dealer's card hand comprises a dealer's pai gow hand having no poker elements other than the value of individual singleton cards, 
 a highest card value of the dealer's card hand is identified, 
 a push condition is provided having a preselected card value comprising a single card selected from a group of single cards consisting of ace, king, queen, jack, ten and nine, 
 the highest value card of the dealer's card hand is compared with the push condition to determine whether the highest value card of the dealer's card hand is of the same value as the preselected card value, and 
 the round of play is settled as a tie when the push condition is satisfied. 
   
     
     
         23 . The system of claim  1 , wherein the preselected card value comprises at least one card of a contiguous range of cards selected from a group consisting of ace or lower, king or lower, queen or lower, jack or lower and ten or lower. 
     
     
         24 . The system of claim  1 , wherein the preselected card value comprises at least one card of a non-contiguous combination of cards selected from a group of cards consisting of ace or queen, ace or jack, ace or ten, ace or nine, king or jack, king or ten, king or nine, queen or ten, queen or nine, jack or nine, jack or eight, ace or queen or jack, ace or queen or ten, ace or jack or ten, ace or jack or nine, ace or ten or nine, ace or ten or eight, ace or nine or seven, king or jack or ten, king or jack or nine, king or ten or nine, king or ten or eight, king or nine or seven, queen or ten or nine, queen or ten or eight, queen or nine or eight, queen or nine or seven, jack or nine or eight, jack or nine or seven, and jack or eight or seven. 
     
     
         25 . The system of claim  1 , wherein at least one of the one or more players acts as a banker. 
     
     
         26 . The system of claim  1 , wherein gameplay further includes:
 one or more proposition wagers is offered, wherein the one or more proposition wager includes at least one of:
 a bonus wager independent of a main wager, wherein a player achieves a three-of-a-kind or higher ranking card hand, 
 a protection wager independent of a main wager, wherein a player achieves a pai gow hand or an A-5 natural straight flush, 
 a wager that the dealer will push all main bets on a dealer's queen-high pai gow card hand when a main bet on a 20 dealer's queen-high pai gow hand is pushed, and 
 a wager that the dealer will push all main bets on a dealer's jack-high or lower pai gow card hand when a main bet on a dealer's jack-high or lower pai gow hand is pushed. 
   
     
     
         27 . The system of claim  1 , wherein each of a player's card hand and a dealer's card hand comprises at least one of the following: eight playing cards subdivided into a five-card long side and a three-card short side, seven playing cards subdivided into a five-card long side and a two-card short side, six playing cards subdivided into a four-card long side and a two-card short side, six playing cards subdivided into a three-card long side and a three-card short side, and five playing cards subdivided into a three-card long side and a two-card short side. 
     
     
         28 . A method for facilitating game play of an improved commission-free pai gow poker game that designates certain dealer hands as ties to confer a house advantage, the method comprising:
 accepting at least one wager from each of one or more players at a wagering region, wherein the wagering region includes a main wagering region and at least one proposition wagering region;   dealing, by a dealer from a standard poker card deck of randomly ordered physical playing cards, at least one card selected from a group of card hands consisting of five cards, six cards, seven cards and eight cards from a standard poker card deck including a wild card to each of the one or more players, at one or more player locations, and the dealer, at a dealer location adjacent to a table instruction region and the wagering region, the cards dealt to the dealer forming a dealer's card hand, during a round of play, wherein the dealer location and the one or more player locations are proximate to a corresponding short side and long side location;   evaluating a dealer's card hand to determine whether the dealer's card hand comprises a dealer's pai gow hand having no poker elements other than the value of individual singleton cards;   identifying a highest card value of the dealer's card hand;   providing a push condition having a preselected card value comprising a single card selected from a group of single cards consisting of ace, king, queen, jack, ten and nine;   comparing the highest value card of the dealer's card hand with the push condition to determine whether the highest value card of the dealer's card hand is of the same value as the preselected card value; and   settling the round of play as a tie when the push condition is satisfied.   
     
     
         29 . The method of claim  7 , wherein the preselected card value comprises at least one card of a contiguous range of cards selected from a group consisting of ace or lower, king or lower, queen or lower, jack or lower and ten or lower. 
     
     
         30 . The method of claim  7 , wherein the preselected card value comprises at least one card of a non-contiguous combination of cards selected from a group of cards consisting of ace or queen, ace or jack, ace or ten, ace or nine, king or jack, king or ten, king or nine, queen or ten, queen or nine, jack or nine, jack or eight, ace or queen or jack, ace or queen or ten, ace or jack or ten, ace or jack or nine, ace or ten or nine, ace or ten or eight, ace or nine or seven, king or jack or ten, king or jack or nine, king or ten or nine, king or ten or eight, king or nine or seven, queen or ten or nine, queen or ten or eight, queen or nine or eight, queen or nine or seven, jack or nine or eight, jack or nine or seven, and jack or eight or seven. 
     
     
         31 . The method of claim  7 , wherein at least one of the one or more players acts as a banker. 
     
     
         32 . The method of claim  7 , further comprising the steps of:
 offering one or more proposition wagers, wherein the one or more proposition wager includes at least one of:
 a bonus wager independent of a main wager, wherein a player achieves a three-of-a-kind or higher ranking card hand, 
 a protection wager independent of a main wager, wherein a player achieves a pai gow hand or an A-5 natural straight flush, 
 a wager that the dealer will push all main bets on a dealer's queen-high pai gow card hand when a main bet on a 20 dealer's queen-high pai gow hand is pushed, and 
 a wager that the dealer will push all main bets on a dealer's jack-high or lower pai gow card hand when a main bet on a dealer's jack-high or lower pai gow hand is pushed. 
   
     
     
         33 . The method of claim  7 , wherein each of a player's card hand and a dealer's card hand comprises at least one of the following: eight playing cards subdivided into a five-card long side and a three-card short side, seven playing cards subdivided into a five-card long side and a two-card short side, six playing cards subdivided into a four-card long side and a two-card short side, six playing cards subdivided into a three-card long side and a three-card short side, and five playing cards subdivided into a three-card long side and a two-card short side. 
     
     
         34 . A system for facilitating game play of an improved commission-free pai gow poker game that designates certain dealer hands as ties to confer a house advantage, the system comprising:
 a table layout, wherein the table layout includes:
 a table instruction region, 
 a dealer location, 
 one or more player locations, wherein the dealer location and the one or more player locations are proximate to corresponding short side and long side locations, the dealer location and the one or more player locations configured to receive a hand of cards in a round of play of the pai gow poker game, and 
 at least one wagering region proximate to each of the one or more player locations, wherein at least one wagering region includes a main wagering region and at least one proposition wagering region; and 
   a standard poker card deck of randomly ordered physical playing cards, wherein a dealer initiates game play of the pai gow poker game on the table layout as follows:
 one or more proposition wagers is offered, wherein the one or more proposition wager includes at least one of:
 a bonus wager independent of a main wager, wherein a player achieves a three-of-a-kind or higher ranking card hand, 
 a protection wager independent of a main wager, wherein a player achieves a pai gow hand or an A-5 natural straight flush, 
 a wager that the dealer will push all main bets on a dealer's queen-high pai gow card hand when a main bet on a 20 dealer's queen-high pai gow hand is pushed, and 
 a wager that the dealer will push all main bets on a dealer's jack-high or lower pai gow card hand when a main bet on a dealer's jack-high or lower pai gow hand is pushed, 
 
 the dealer deals at least one card selected from a group of card hands to each of one or more players and the dealer, the cards dealt to the dealer forming a dealer's card hand, during the round of play, wherein at least one of the one or more players acts as a banker, and wherein each of a player's card hand and a dealer's card hand comprises at least one of the following: eight playing cards subdivided into a five-card long side and a three-card short side, seven playing cards subdivided into a five-card long side and a two-card short side, six playing cards subdivided into a four-card long side and a two-card short side, six playing cards subdivided into a three-card long side and a three-card short side, and five playing cards subdivided into a three-card long side and a two-card short side, 
 the dealer's card hand is evaluated to determine whether the dealer's card hand comprises a dealer's pai gow hand having no poker elements other than the value of individual singleton cards, 
 a highest card value of the dealer's card hand is identified, 
 a push condition is provided having a preselected card value comprising queen or lower, 
 the highest value card of the dealer's card hand is compared with the push condition to determine whether the highest value card of the dealer's card hand is of the same value as the preselected card value, and 
 the round of play is settled as a tie when the push condition is satisfied. 
   
     
     
         35 . A method for facilitating game play of an improved commission-free pai gow poker game that designates certain dealer hands as ties to confer a house advantage, the method comprising:
 accepting at least one wager from each of one or more players at a wagering region, wherein the wagering region includes a main wagering region and at least one proposition wagering region;   offering one or more proposition wagers, wherein the one or more proposition wager includes at least one of:
 a bonus wager independent of a main wager, wherein a player achieves a three-of-a-kind or higher ranking card hand, 
 a protection wager independent of a main wager, wherein a player achieves a pai gow hand or an A-5 natural straight flush, 
 a wager that the dealer will push all main bets on a dealer's queen-high pai gow card hand when a main bet on a 20 dealer's queen-high pai gow hand is pushed, and 
 a wager that the dealer will push all main bets on a dealer's jack-high or lower pai gow card hand when a main bet on a dealer's jack-high or lower pai gow hand is pushed; 
   dealing, by a dealer from a standard poker card deck of randomly ordered physical playing cards, at least one card selected from a group of card hands to each of one or more players and the dealer, the cards dealt to the dealer forming a dealer's card hand, during the round of play, wherein at least one of the one or more players acts as a banker, and wherein each of a player's card hand and a dealer's card hand comprises at least one of the following: eight playing cards subdivided into a five-card long side and a three-card short side, seven playing cards subdivided into a five-card long side and a two-card short side, six playing cards subdivided into a four-card long side and a two-card short side, six playing cards subdivided into a three-card long side and a three-card short side, and five playing cards subdivided into a three-card long side and a two-card short side, wherein the dealer location and the one or more player locations are proximate to a corresponding short side and long side location;   evaluating the dealer's card hand to determine whether the dealer's card hand comprises a dealer's pai gow hand having no poker elements other than the value of individual singleton cards;   identifying a highest card value of the dealer's card hand;   providing a push condition having a preselected card value comprising a queen or lower;   comparing the highest value card of the dealer's card hand with the push condition to determine whether the highest value card of the dealer's card hand is of the same value as the preselected card value; and   settling the round of play as a tie when the push condition is satisfied.