Gaming table providing opportunities to wager on other players

Abstract

A gaming surface including multiple player stations including a first station and a second station, the second player station being displaced from the first player station in a first direction and a first distance. The first player station includes a first area where bets are placed to wager on an outcome associated with the first player station, and a second area where bets are placed to wager on an outcome associated with the second player station; the second area being offset from the first area in a direction derived from the first direction and being offset from the first area by a distance that is proportional to the first distance.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A gaming surface including:
 multiple player stations including a first station and a second station, the second player station being displaced from the first player station in a first direction and a first distance;   the first player station including:
 a first area where bets are placed to wager on an outcome associated with the first player station, and 
 a second area where bets are placed to wager on an outcome associated with the second player station; the second area being offset from the first area in a direction derived from the first direction and being offset from the first area by a distance that is proportional to the first distance. 
   
     
     
         2 . The gaming surface of  claim 1 , wherein the second player station includes:
 a third area where bets are placed to wager on the outcome associated with the second player station,   a fourth area where bets are placed to wager on the outcome associated with the first player station; the fourth area being offset from the third area in a direction derived from a direction that the second player station is offset from the first player station, the fourth area being offset from the third area by a distance that is proportional to the first distance.   
     
     
         3 . The gaming surface of  claim 2 , further including a third player station, the third player station being displaced from the first player station in the first direction and by a second distance, the second distance being greater than the first distance; the third player station including:
 a fifth area where bets are placed to wager on an outcome associated with the third player station,   a sixth area where bets are placed to wager on the outcome associated with the first player station, the sixth area being offset from the fifth area in a direction derived from a direction that the third player station is offset from the first player station, the sixth area being offset from the fifth area by a distance that is proportional to the second distance;   a seventh area where bets are placed to wager on the outcome associated with the second player station, the seventh area being offset from the fifth area in a direction derived from a direction that the third player station is offset from the second player station, the seventh area being offset from the fifth area by a distance that is proportional to a distance between the second player station and the third player station.   
     
     
         4 . The gaming surface of  claim 3 , wherein the first player station further includes an eighth area where bets are placed to wager on the outcome associated with the third player station, the eighth area being offset from the first area in a direction derived from a direction that the third player station is offset from the first player station, the eighth area being offset from the first area by a distance that is proportional to the distance between the first player station and the third player station. 
     
     
         5 . The gaming surface of  claim 4 , wherein the second player station further includes a ninth area where bets are placed to wager on the outcome associated with the third player station, the ninth area being offset from the third area in a direction derived from a direction that the third player station is offset from the second player station, the ninth area being offset from the third area by a distance that is proportional to the distance between the second player station and the third player station. 
     
     
         6 . The gaming surface of  claim 1 , wherein the first player station includes multiple areas, including the second area, such that for every player station at the table, there is an area within the first player station where a bet is placed to wager on that station. 
     
     
         7 . The gaming surface of  claim 6 , wherein every area within the first player station that provides for a bet on the outcome of another station is physically offset from the first area in a manner that is directionally indicative of the location of the other player station whose outcome determines a payout therefor. 
     
     
         8 . The gaming surface of  claim 7 , wherein the areas within a player station are directionally indicative and spatially indicative as to the direction and magnitude of the spacing between each player station and the other player stations. 
     
     
         9 . A gaming surface including:
 multiple player stations including a first station, the first player station including:
 multiple unique areas, such that for every player station at the table, there is a unique area within the first player station dedicated to receiving a bet whose outcome is dependent upon the outcome of that player station; where each unique area is positioned spatially to reflect the spatial positioning of the player stations whose outcome determines the outcome of the bet placed that unique area relative to the first player station. 
   
     
     
         10 . The gaming surface of  claim 9 , wherein the first player station includes:
 a first unique area dedicated to accepting bets on the outcome associated with the first player station, and   a second unique area dedicated to accepting bets on the outcome associated with a second player station located to the immediate right of the first player station, wherein the second unique area is located to the immediate right of the first unique area.   
     
     
         11 . The gaming surface of  claim 10 , wherein the first player station includes:
 a third unique area dedicated to accepting bets on the outcome associated with a third player station located to the immediate left of the first player station, wherein the third unique area is located to the immediate left of the first unique area.   
     
     
         12 . The gaming surface of  claim 10 , wherein the first player station includes:
 a fourth unique area dedicated to accepting bets on the outcome associated with a fourth player station located to the immediate right of the second player station, wherein the fourth unique area is located to the immediate right of the second unique area.   
     
     
         13 . The gaming surface of  claim 9 , wherein the multiple player stations further includes a second player station, the second player station including:
 multiple unique areas, such that for every player station at the table, there is a unique area within the second player station dedicated to receiving a bet whose outcome is dependent upon the outcome of that player station; where each unique area is positioned spatially to reflect the spatial positioning of the player stations whose outcome determines the outcome of the bet placed that unique area relative to the second player station.   
     
     
         14 . The gaming surface of  claim 9 , wherein each unique area within the first player station includes a number within the unique area that is the number of a player station that bets placed therein are wagering on. 
     
     
         15 . A method of operating a wagering game using a table layout including:
 accepting a first wager placed on the table layout by a first player in a first player station, the first player station having a first area dedicated to accepting the first wager by the first player on the outcome of gaming implements assigned to the first player station, and   accepting a second wager placed on the table layout by the first player in the first player station, the second wager being placed in a second area dedicated to accepting a wager by the first player on the outcome of gaming implements assigned to a second player station.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein accepting the second wager places a bet on the outcome of a set of gaming implements other than those associated with a dealer. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , further including:
 accepting a third wager placed on the table layout by a second player in the second player station, the second player station having a first area dedicated to accepting the third wager by the second player on the outcome of gaming implements assigned to the second player station, and   accepting a fourth wager placed on the table layout by the second player in the second player station, the fourth wager being placed in a second area in the second player station dedicated to accepting a wager by the second player on the outcome of gaming implements assigned to a first player station.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , further including moving the second wager to a dedicated area in the second player station. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further including:
 determining an outcome of a gaming session associated with the second player station,   paying off the second wager when the second player station is determined to have a winning gaming session, and   placing winnings from the second wager in the first player station.   
     
     
         20 . A gaming surface including:
 multiple player stations including a first station, the first player station including:
 multiple unique areas, such that for every other player station at the table, there is a respective unique area within the first player station dedicated to receiving a bet whose outcome is dependent upon the outcome of that other player station; where each unique area includes a visual indication of the player station whose outcome determines the outcome of the bet placed that unique area.