Hot Links

Abstract

The invention relates to a casino game for live play and play through an electronic device and including methods for playing the casino game. The casino game includes a deck of cards having at least two series of cards having values 1-n wherein n is any whole number; and at least two colors, wherein each series of the at least two series of cards consists of cards having the same color. The game also includes Ante wagers and Bonus wagers each having separate win conditions and payout odds.

Claims

1. A casino game comprising: a deck of cards wherein said deck of cards comprises at least two series of cards, each having values from 1 to n wherein n is any whole number, and wherein each series of cards consists of cards having the same color and wherein each series has a distinct color; a playing surface which comprises distinct designated areas for player cards, community cards, and an Ante wager.

2. The casino game of claim 1, wherein the playing surface additionally comprises a distinct designated area for a Bonus wager.

3. The casino game of claim 2, wherein the playing surface additionally comprises at least one table showing win conditions and payouts for the Ante wager and the Bonus wager.

4. The casino game of claim 3, wherein the playing surface comprises a table showing win conditions and payouts for the Ante wager and a separate table showing win conditions and payouts for the Bonus wager.

5. The casino game of claim 4, wherein the playing surface additionally comprises a dealer's chip tray.

6. The casino game of claim 5, wherein the playing surface additionally comprises a chip tip slot.

7. The casino game of claim 6, wherein the playing surface additionally comprises a logo, game title, or game identifying information.

8. The casino game of claim 1, wherein the distinct designated areas for the community cards consists of five separately defined areas.

9. The casino game of claim 8, wherein the distinct designated areas for the player cards is a single defined area for each player and wherein the total number of distinct designated areas for the player cards indicates the maximum number of players which playing surface can accommodate.

10. The casino game of claim 6, wherein the distinct designated areas for the community cards is positioned at the general center of the playing surface, the distinct designated areas for the player cards is positioned around the exterior of the playing surface, and the distinct designated areas for the Ante wager and Bonus wager are positioned directly between each distinct designated areas for the player cards and the distinct designated areas for the community cards, and wherein the designated areas for the Ante wager and Bonus wager are positioned adjacent to each other.

11. The casino game of claim 1, wherein n equals 14.

12. A method for playing a casino game comprising: dealing three cards to each player who has placed an Ante wager from a deck comprising: at least two series of cards, each having values from 1 to n wherein n is any whole number, and wherein each series of cards consists of cards having the same color and wherein each series has a distinct color; determining whether the three cards dealt to each player meet any win conditions for the Ante wager; resolving a first round of the game by a) paying each player with a Ante wager win condition in accordance with greatest payout odds matching the Ante wager win condition satisfied by the three cards, and b) removing each Ante wager where the three cards fail to satisfy any win condition of the Ante wager; conducting additional rounds of the game upon satisfaction of addition round conditions, said additional rounds comprising: dealing at least one community card, determining whether the community card in combination with the three cards previously dealt to a player meet any win conditions of the Ante wager, resolving the additional round by a) paying each player with cards satisfying a Ante wager win condition in accordance with greatest payout odds matching a satisfied Ante wager win condition of the combination of community and player cards, and b) removing all Ante wagers of each player whose cards fail to satisfy any win condition of the Ante wager; wherein the additional round conditions comprise: a) at least one player has placed an additional Ante wager for every additional community card dealt, b) the cards of the at least one player who has placed the additional Ante wager have never failed to satisfy at least one win condition in any round of the game.

13. The method for playing a casino game of claim 12 additionally comprising determining whether the cards for each player who has placed a Bonus wager meet any win conditions of a Bonus wager, and resolving a first round of the game by a) paying each player whose cards satisfy a Bonus wager win condition in accordance with greatest payout odds matching the Bonus wager win condition satisfied by the three cards, and b) removing each Bonus wager where the three cards fail to satisfy any win condition of the Ante wager; conducting additional rounds of the game upon satisfaction of addition round conditions, said additional rounds comprising: dealing at least one community card, determining whether the community card in combination with the three cards previously dealt to a player meet any win conditions of the Bonus wager, resolving the additional round by a) paying each player with cards satisfying a Bonus wager win condition in accordance with greatest payout odds matching a satisfied Bonus wager win condition of the combination of community and player cards, and b) removing all Bonus wagers of each player whose cards fail to satisfy any Bonus wager win conditions; wherein the addition round conditions comprise: a) at least one player has placed an additional Bonus wager for every additional community card dealt, b) the cards of the at least one player who has placed the additional Bonus wager have never failed to satisfy at least one Bonus wager win condition in any round of the game.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the win conditions for the Ante wager comprise: a Pair, a Two-card Link wherein all the cards in the link have the same color, a Three-card Link wherein all the cards in the link have the same color, a Four-card Link wherein all the cards in the link have the same color, a Five-card Link wherein all the cards in the link have the same color, a Six-card Link wherein all the cards in the link have the same color, a Seven-card Link wherein all the cards in the link have the same color, a Two-card Link wherein at least two cards in the link have a different color, a Three-card Link wherein at least two cards in the link have a different color, a Four-card Link wherein at least two cards in the link have a different color, a Five-card Link wherein at least two cards in the link have a different color, a Six-card Link wherein at least two cards in the link have a different color, and a Seven-card Link wherein at least two cards in the link have a different color.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the payout odds for the Ante wager win conditions comprise: 1:1 for a Pair, 1:1 for a Two-card Link wherein all the cards in the link have the same color, 6:1 for a Three-card Link wherein all the cards in the link have the same color, a 15:1 for Four-card Link wherein all the cards in the link have the same color, 50:1 for a Five-card Link wherein all the cards in the link have the same color, 100:1 for a Six-card Link wherein all the cards in the link have the same color, 250:1 for a Seven-card Link wherein all the cards in the link have the same color, 1:1 for a Two-card Link wherein at least two cards in the link have a different color, 3:1 for a Three-card Link wherein at least two cards in the link have a different color, 5:1 for a Four-card Link wherein at least two cards in the link have a different color, 20:1 for a Five-card Link wherein at least two cards in the link have a different color, 25:1 for a Six-card Link wherein at least two cards in the link have a different color, and 75:1 for a Seven-card Link wherein at least two cards in the link have a different color.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the win conditions for the Bonus wager comprise: Three cards all having the same color, Four cards all having the same color, Five cards all having the same color, Three cards all having different colors, Four cards all having different colors, Five cards all having different colors, Two cards all having the same value, Three cards all having the same value, Four cards all having the same value, Five cards all having the same value.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the payout odds for the Bonus wager win conditions comprise: 2:1 for Three cards all having the same color, 5:1 for Four cards all having the same color, 25:1 for Five cards all having the same color, 2:1 for Three cards all having different colors, 5:1 for Four cards all having different colors, 25:1 for Five cards all having different colors, 1:1 for Two cards all having the same value, 5:1 for Three cards all having the same value, 20:1 for Four cards all having the same value, 100:1 for Five cards all having the same value.

18. The casino game of claim 12, wherein n equals 14.

19. The casino game of claim 12, wherein the game is played on a playing surface or an electronic device.

20. The casino game of claim 12, wherein the game deals a maximum of five community cards over a maximum of 5 additional rounds.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:

[0127] FIG. 1 depicts a table layout used for playing the game.

[0128] FIG. 2 is a display used for playing the game in an electronic medium.

[0129] FIG. 3 is an example display used for playing the game in an electronic medium.

[0130] FIG. 4 is alternative display configuration for playing the game in an electronic medium or at a live table showing a close up view of the player cards section of the display.

[0131] FIG. 5 is alternative display configuration for playing the game in an electronic medium or at a live table showing a close up view of the player cards section of the display.

[0132] FIG. 6 shows and example of the front and back of cards suitable for use in the embodiments of the invention.

[0133] FIG. 7 shows and example of the front and back of cards suitable for use in the embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0134] FIG. 1 depicts a table layout used for playing the game. This could be used for playing a live game or alternatively it could be displayed on an electronic device. The logo, game title, and/or game identifying information (1) is positioned at the top center portion of the board from the players perspective, i.e., closest to where the dealer is positioned. In the preferred embodiment the word Hot Links and the representation of the cards 5-6-7-6, underneath the word is displayed.

[0135] The dealer's chip tray (2) is positioned where the facility which operates the game stores its chips, i.e., the house. The displayed option in the figure places the chip tray (2) in the center of the table opposite where the players are positioned. The value of the chips is determined by the facility which operates the game. The chips can have any value, for example, $1, $5, $10, $25, $100, or $500. The purpose of the chip tray is to convert the player's cash into money chips which are of the same value of the player's cash money. These chips are used for wagers offered by the players, and the chip tray (2) is the location where the chips are removed from to pay the player's winning wagers, and the location to store the chips from the players that lose wagers.

[0136] The chip tip slot (3) is used for dealers to store the chips that are given to the dealer in the form of a tip from the players. The chip tip slot (3) may be positioned anywhere. In the preferred embodiments, it is positioned within reach of the dealer and/or closer to the dealer than to the players.

[0137] The Bonus Payout Table (4) identifies the scenarios/win conditions of the player's cards to which the players win the Bonus Wager and the payout odds for the player's Bonus wagers. In the preferred embodiment, the top of this table is positioned in an area adjacent to the dealer's chip tray (2) and optionally the chip tip slot (3). In the preferred embodiment, the Bonus Payout Table (4) includes four headings at the top of the table, for example, Scenario, All Same Colors, All Different Colors, and Same Value. The Scenario column identifies the number of cards which the player is utilizing to qualify for a Bonus payout. The columns of All Same Colors, All Different Colors, and Same Value identify the arrangement of cards the player must have to win the Bonus Wager. The win conditions and payout odds for the Bonus bet are displayed in the Bonus Payout Table (4). In the preferred embodiments the Scenario, All Same Colors, All Different Colors, and Same Value are positioned from left to right in the Bonus Payout Table (4).

[0138] The player's Ante wager spot (5) is a visually defined location where a player must place chips in to place an Ante wager which is required to play the game. The Ante wager must be placed in the Ante wager spot (5) prior to the player receiving their initial three cards and before the revealing any community card. The player may place additional Ante wagers only if the player wins the previous Ante wager. The Ante wager is won if the player's initial three cards form a pair or a link, and additional Ante wagers are won if the community card revealed pair with the player's cards, or link with the player's cards and community cards.

[0139] The player's Bonus wager spot (6) is a visually defined location where a player must place chips in to place a Bonus wager. In the preferred embodiments, this is an option bet which is not mandatory to player the game. In the preferred embodiments, the Bonus wager amount must be equal to or less than the Ante wager. If the player decides to place the optional Bonus wager, the Bonus wager must be placed in the Bonus wager spot (6) prior to receiving the player's three cards or the revealing of a community card. The player may place additional Bonus wagers only if the player wins the previous Bonus wager. The Bonus wager is won if the player's initial three cards form a pair, three cards of the same color or three cards each of different colors. Additional Bonus wagers are won if the community card revealed pair with one of the player's cards, is the same color of the cards that are all the same color, or is of a different color than the previous cards that are all of different colors.

[0140] The player's cards spot (7) is a visually defined location where the dealer places the player's cards. That is, in the preferred embodiments, the three cards dealt to the player after an Ante wager is placed in the Ante wager spot (5) are dealt to the player's cards spot (7). In the preferred embodiment, the player's cards spot (7) is located close to the where a player is sitting at the table.

[0141] The table includes an Ante Payout Table (8). The Ante Payout Table (8) identifies the scenarios of the player's cards to which the players win the Ante Wager, i.e., the win conditions and payouts for Ante wagers. The Ante Payout Table (8) of the preferred embodiment includes three headings at the top of the table including Scenario, Same Color-Pay, and Multi-Color Pay. The Scenario column identifies the number of cards which the player is utilizing to qualify for an Ante payout. The columns identify the arrangement of cards the player must have to win the Ante Wager. For each number of cards the players have, and for the arrangement of cards the players have, the player may win the wager and be paid in accordance with the payout odds posted in the Ante Payout Table. In the preferred embodiments the Scenario, Same Color-Pay, and Multi-Color Pay are positioned from left to right in the Ante Payout Table (8).

[0142] The table of FIG. 1 also includes a community cards spot (9). The community cards spot (9) is a visually defined location where the dealer places the community cards. The community cards are cards that each player combines with the cards that are dealt to the player to compete against the Ante and Bonus wagers payout tables. These cards are revealed one at a time after the players place an additional Ante and/or Bonus wager. In the preferred embodiment, the community cards spot (9) is located at or near the center of the table i.e., at an equal distance to all player table positions.

[0143] FIG. 2 is a display used for playing the game in an electronic medium, i.e., on an electronic device.

[0144] The display of FIG. 2 includes a logo, game title, and/or game identifying information (1), Bonus Payout Table (4), player's cards spot (7), Ante Payout Table (8), and community cards spot (9) as defined above.

[0145] The display of FIG. 2 also includes a credits spot (10). The credits spot (10) shows the balance of credits the player has to wager with. The display also includes a cash out button (11). The cash out button (11) visually indicates a location on the display which can be used by the player to withdraw credits from the game.

[0146] FIG. 2 also includes a total bet display (12). This shows the combined total of the current bet. The deal button (13) visually indicates a location on the display which allows the player to begin the deal after the player has placed their bet. The fold button (14) visually indicates a location on the display which allows the player to quit the current hand.

[0147] FIG. 2 also includes an Ante bet button (15) which visually indicates a location on the display which allows the player to place a wager for the Ante bet. The Ante wager must be placed prior to beginning play. The player may place additional Ante wagers only if the player wins the previous Ante wager. The Ante wager is won if the player's initial three cards form a pair or a link, additional Ante wagers are won if the community card revealed pair with the player's cards, or link with the player's cards and community cards.

[0148] FIG. 2 also includes a Bonus bet button (16) which visually indicates a location on the display which allows the player to place a wager for the Bonus bet. In the preferred embodiment, the Bonus wager amount must be equal to or less than the Ante wager. If the player decides to place the optional Bonus wager, the Bonus wager must be placed prior to beginning play. The player may place additional Bonus wagers only if the player wins the previous Bonus wager. The Bonus wager is won if the player's initial three cards form a pair, three cards of the same color or three cards each of different colors. Additional Bonus wagers are won if the community card revealed pair with one of the player's cards, is the same color of the cards that are all the same color, or is of a different color than the previous cards that are all of different colors.

[0149] FIG. 3 is an example display used for playing the game in an electronic medium showing a logo, game title, and/or game identifying information (1), Bonus Payout Table (4), player's cards spot (7), Ante Payout Table (8), community cards spot (9), a credits spot (10), a cash out button (11), a total bet display (12), a deal button (13), a fold button (14), a Ante bet button (15) and a Bonus bet button (16) as defined above.

[0150] FIG. 4 is alternative display configuration for playing the game in an electronic medium or at a live table showing a close up view of the player cards section of the display. FIG. 4 includes Ante wager spot (5), Bonus wager spot (6), player's cards spot (7), and Ante Payout Table (8).

[0151] FIG. 5 is alternative display configuration for playing the game in an electronic medium or at a live table showing a close up view of the player cards section of the display. FIG. 5 includes Bonus Payout Table (4), Ante wager spot (5), Bonus wager spot (6), and player's cards spot (7).

[0152] Without further elaboration, it is believed that one skilled in the art can, using the preceding description, utilize the present invention to its fullest extent. The preceding preferred specific embodiments are, therefore, to be construed as merely illustrative, and not limitative of the remainder of the disclosure in any way whatsoever.

[0153] The preceding examples can be used with similar success by substituting the generically or specifically described alternative win conditions and payouts or by alternatively rearranging the positioning of the structures shown in the figures as needed.

[0154] From the foregoing description, one skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.