A computerized gaming apparatus is disclosed in which a card game, such as poker, is electronically simulated on a plurality of individual player consoles. Each of the player consoles is interconnected with a central computer unit which simulates and controls the game, and at the same time, tabulates and displays all betting information for each participant. Each of the player consoles displays all of the player's own cards and either the up-cards of the other players, or the number of cards drawn by the other players (depending upon whether stud or draw poker is being played). The console also allows each player to input certain data to the central computer at specified times during the game.
It is, of course, known to provide electronic devices to simulate the playing of poker or other card games. The known devices, however, are limited insofar as they allow only one or two players to play the game simultaneously and, although individual machines may have means to store data relating to the number of cards played and discarded, the betting totals, etc., none of the prior art devices discloses the concept of using a central computer unit to electronically simulate a gambling game and store large amounts of data from a relatively large number of game players. It is also known to provide electronic gaming devices wherein a plurality of individual units are electronically linked to a central computer which records and tabulates playing data. Most of these known devices rely upon the performance of an actual event (i.e., bingo, keno, horse racing, etc.) and do not provide an electronic simulation of the event itself.
Individual booths having electronically simulated gaming events are also known, but these are typically self-contained units for individual participants and no means are provided to link the units with a central computer which controls the game, and tabulates betting and card information.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
System for interactively playing poker with a plurality of players in which a game, namely poker, is electronically simulated on a plurality of individual consoles interconnected with a central computer unit which simulates and controls the game and, at the same time, tabulates and displays all betting information for each participant. The invention provides a system which simulates the actual playing of poker for a large number of participants, increases the speed of the game to maintain participant interest and increases the amounts of money that may be won in the pot. The game allows up to 52 players to play in one pot and requires that all bets, raises, calls or discards in the same poker game be accomplished during the same few seconds by all of the players, regardless of their number. Another embodiment allows as many players as whose consoles may be interconnected to the central computer to play in one pot.
This is accomplished by interconnecting a plurality of consoles, one for each player, to a central computer unit which electronically simulates the playing of the game, controls the visual displays in each console and tabulates the necessary betting information. Each console displays all of the player's own cards and either the up cards of the other players or the number of cards drawn by other players (depending upon whether stud or draw poker is being played). When a request is displayed, each player has the same few seconds in which to signal a call, raise, drop or discard.
The computerized game according to this invention minimizes the time required to handle money transactions between the players and the casino, and also provides a printout system as well as a backup system to minimize the effects of possible mechanical or electrical failures. The game not only retains the elements of skill and luck found in regular poker, but adds the factor of decision-making speed to enhance the enjoyment for the participant.
The central computer can, of course, be programmed to play all types of poker games: draw, stud (5,6 and 7 card), twist games (stud with a discard), hold-em games (some common cards for all players), etc. However, 7-card stud, high-low split-the-pot has been found to be the poker game that most individuals would prefer to play and the instant invention will be described initially in relation to this configuration.
To maintain the interest of the players who have dropped out of a pot, the computer may automatically enter that player in another pot. Since the number of players involved is relatively large, the size of the pot would be rather large relative to the amount that an individual player could call or raise in fixed limit games and, therefore, such games would be mainly ones in which many players would have a tendency to continue to call.
The game apparatus according to the invention also makes it possible to play poker games with hands that are outside the traditional realm. Hands consisting of more than five cards, such as 6-card straights, 7-card flushes and hands consisting of four of a kind plus three of a kind have previously been considered by poker experts, but to this point have been deemed to be impractical. In addition, new poker games, such as draw poker with two rounds of drawings or split-pot games with more than a two-way split are also made possible.
The system enables the poker game to be played much faster than current poker games because the cards are dealt at a faster rate, and the number of players and their individual speeds no longer control the pace of the game. The players can also make their decisions faster, because there are no cards to remember (all are still available for all players) and the video screen display provides a snapshot view of the overall poker situation. The player who likes action will get more action than ever before possible, while at the same time, the player who likes to wait for a good hand will not have to wait as long with this invention.
Statistics can be continually gathered and correlated by the central computer unit to determine possible changes in the types of poker played, and the time and betting limits to provide the largest pots in the optimal amount of time. The system can also be programmed for paramutual betting on sports events by all the players. In this mode, players could make a bet on the result of the next play of a sporting event displayed on their screen from a computer-supplied list of alternatives.
In one embodiment of the invention, all of the players are either in the primary game or in the consolation game, which consisted of those who had dropped out of the primary game. Alternate enhancements in the instant invention, allow several games to exist concurrently wherein players who drop from one game may be assigned to a newly formed game, thus providing greater flexibility in the time allowed for player decisions in any one game. Bonus winnings for poker hands of certain values have been added to increase the interest of all players in any game and to provide action for a single player during any period when there is an insufficient number of available players for a competitive game. Player turnover can now be controlled by varying the number of participants in the game. The current embodiments convey game play and facilitate game action for players, who possess varying levels of poker playing skill and experience in viewing a video screen, with such clarity that the previous needs for both practice hands and possible player panic situations have been eliminated. In order to attract the largest number of participants, the current embodiments provide a choice of different skill levels for casual players who desire a lesser test of skill than available in standard poker and for serious players who desire a greater test of skill.
In order to satisfy desires of both casino management and gaming regulatory commissions for minimum attendant personnel and maximum monetary control, another embodiment of the instant invention provides for the usage of automated monetary input and output equipment in each player console, hereinafter referred to as the automated cashier embodiment. Said embodiment reduces the structures and space previously needed for supervisory stations. In order to further increase the casino profit per square foot of floor space, the instant invention reduces the previous width and depth dimensions of the individual player consoles. Said size reduction necessitates enhanced means to restrict the view of a player's cards.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the individual player console according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the console shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the console shown in FIG. 1 along line 3--3 in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a rear view of the individual player console shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a partial top view of the player console taken along lines 5--5 in FIG. 3.
FIG. 6 is a partial top view of player console taken along lines 6--6 in FIG. 3.
FIG. 7 is a partial top plan view showing two individual player consoles.
FIG. 8 is a top plan view showing an arrangement of a plurality of individual consoles and supervisor station according to an alternate embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a top plan view showing an arrangement of a plurality of individual consoles and supervisor platform according the invention.
FIGS. 10A-10F are layouts of the various screen displays appearing on the various consoles according to the invention.
FIG. 11 is a flow-chart illustrating the logic sequence in the overall system according to the invention.
FIGS. 12 through 17 are flow-charts illustrating the logic sequence for the central processing unit program according to the invention.
FIGS. 18 through 21 are flow-charts illustrating the logic sequence for each of the player consoles according to the invention.
FIG. 22A is a schematic diagram showing the combined hand and values.
FIG. 22B is schematic diagram showing the card construction of an individual card in FIG. 22A.
FIGS. 23A and 23B are definitions of high poker values and their possible improvement.
FIGS. 24A-24F illustrates sample combined hand and values according to one embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 25A and 25B illustrate expansions levels for separators and ranks according to one embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 26A and 26B illustrate expansions levels for high and low according to one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 27 is a view of the video display displayed on each player console for a 7-card stud poker game according to the invention.
FIG. 28 is a partial view of the video display shown on each player console for a 5-card draw poker game according to the invention at the time of the draw.
FIG. 29 is a partial view of the video display shown on each player console for a 5-card draw poker game according to the invention after the last raise round.
FIG. 30 is a view of an alternative embodiment of the video display shown on each player console for a common-card poker game according to the invention.
FIG. 31 is a definition of low poker values and their possible improvement.
FIG. 32A illustrates the expansions for all defined 5-card high poker values according to one embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 33A through 33M illustrate the expansions for 5-carded hands when an additional card is allowed according to one embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 34A through 34F illustrate additional expansions for 5-carded hands when an added plurality of cards is allowed according to one embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
General Configuration
The overall configuration of one embodiment of the instant invention is shown in FIG. 9 and comprises a centrally located, elevated supervisor platform 10 with four player sections, A, B, C and D. Each of the player sections contains thirteen individual player consoles to enable 52 players to participate in the game at one time. Each of the individual player consoles, designated generally at 12, will be described in more detail hereinafter.
The supervisor control platform 10 may be elevated to give the game supervisor a visual overlook of each of the player sections. The central computer unit (CPU) includes a minicomputer . . . 14, a teletype 16, status and program disks 18, audit tape drives 20, and an audit printer 22. Audit tapes 20 and printer 22 may rest on the gaming area floor, while minicomputer 14, teletype 16, and disks 18 are located on platform 10 and may rest on a shelf over a passageway connecting various areas which are restricted to game and casino personnel. Also located on control platform 10 are two supervisory stations 24 and 26, each station having a pair of overhead RGB monitors 28, and a pair of microprocessor keyboards 30. The RGB monitors 28 and the microprocessor keyboards 30 are interconnected with the central processing unit's minicomputer 14 to display information and to enable the supervisors to input certain data, which will be hereinafter explained in more detail.
A pair of NTSC monitors 32 are located such that they may be viewed from each of the players' sections and are used to display various information of interest to service personnel and to the players. NTSC monitors 33 provide additional information regarding play in the current game which may be of interest to the players, prospective players, and service personnel. The NTSC monitors 32 and 33, along with RGB monitors 28, may either be suspended from the ceiling or mounted upon pedestals to give them a height sufficient to be viewed by the players and/or by the service personnel servicing each of the players' sections. An additional NTSC monitor 34 is similarly mounted adjacent entrance-way 36. Monitor 34 provide game information and a listing of available seating to the incoming players. Entrance 36 and exit 38 are defined by barrier 40 which may be utilized to define the playing area. Barrier 40 may be a rope or other device which prevents passers-by from entering the game area while at the same time provides them a view of the players in order to generate an interest in the game. Players enter the game area at entrance-way 36 and proceed to the right or to the left to an open set indicated on entrance monitor 34. A player departs the gaming area by proceeding to exit 38. Entrance 36 may be restricted to player use, and a pair of light beam announcers 41 may be used to aid in the orderly and swift entry of new players into the game.
Each of the player sections A-D contain two rows of player consoles, one row having seven such consoles, the remaining row having six. The rows define a service area 42 between them. This service area enables cashiers or other service personnel ready access to each of the players. The layout of the game area also enables the supervisors to maintain a visual check during cash transactions between the cashiers and the players. Cashiers and other casino personnel would normally enter and exit the gaming area at exit 38 and their movements would normally be restricted to control platform 10, services areas 42, and a passageway adjacent to the platform which connects the service areas. Player movement in the game area as described above would be in a normally one-way direction in the player aisles 43 along the outside of the player sections. Thus, there are two different physically defined areas: one for the players and one for all other service personnel in the game area. Any movement behind a player should be limited to an occasional player proceeding in a predetermined direction.
Although monitors 28, 32 and 33 are shown as being incorporated into a common module that may be either suspended from the ceiling or attached to the floor, they could be mounted separately without exceeding the scope of this invention.
Teletype 16 may be replaced by video terminal 17, and audit tape 20 may be replaced by audit removable disk unit 21. In the automated cashier embodiment, another printer 23 may be required to produce documents which satisfy federal and state regulations regarding such automated transactions.
The CPU minicomputer 14, teletype 16 (or video terminal 17), status and program disk 18, audit tape drive 20 (or disk unit 21), audit printers 22 and 23 may, in totality or in part, be located in a secure area either adjacent to or remote to the player consoles 12.
The automated cashier embodiment renders the location of supervisory stations 24, RGB monitors 28, and keyboards 30 optional, and eliminates the need for an elevated platform. FIG. 8 shows an arrangement for any number of consoles in two substantially straight lines with a single service area 42. The consoles may also be arranged in circular clusters with a service area 42 for each cluster, or a combination of the straight and circular aligned consoles. Arrangement of the consoles in a straight line without any service area behind the consoles is also possible if the consoles are modified to be serviced from the front. The location of the hopper 75 and microprocessor 72 in a position not directly in front of the player affords easy console access from either front or rear.
Quite obviously other configurations may be utilized, depending upon the physical limitations of the available area within each casino and fire regulation considerations, without exceeding the scope of the invention.
INDIVIDUAL PLAYER CONSOLE
The individual player console 12 is shown in detail in FIGS. 1-6. This console construction provides a comfortable, private, sturdy, non-confined area for the player to participate in the game, while at the same time providing complete privacy for each of the individual card displays. The console is also designed to provide a compact storage area for the video display and its associated electronic equipment while giving easy access to this equipment for service and/or replacement. The console design provides sufficient space for the player and for the placement of beverages, etc., in such a way as to not interfere with the players' access to the display screen and the actuating buttons. The individual console and its location with respect to adjacent consoles allows sufficient space for substantial changes in player position and posture, plus allows player entry and exit with minimum distraction to the surrounding players.
In the automated cashier embodiment, the console also contains all hardware needed to accept, store, and output coins or tokens.
All references with respect to left and right sides will be made in accordance with the players' left and right side as he sits at the machine on stool 44 facing the viewing screen 46.
All references with respect to front and rear are made in accordance with the front of the console being nearest to the player as described above. Attached to the underside of screen 46 is light filter 47 to be described hereinafter. The console comprises side members 49 which are interconnected by lateral front panels 50, and lateral front L-shaped panel 51 and armrest member 54 as shown in FIG. 2. Horizontal shelf member 57 located, preferably on the left side of the view screen, is attached to the left side member 49 and supported by member 58 which extends from the lower surface of shelf 57 to the upper surface of armrest 54. Shelf 57 provides a flat, horizontal surface to support beverages, ashtrays, or other player convenience items. The left half portion of shelf 57 and armrest 54 may be utilized by another player if there is another console to the left of console 12. If there is not another console to the right of console 12, a properly supported armrest member 54A may be added to the right side of console 12.
Side members 49 are further interconnected by cross member 64. There may be a door which covers the rear of the console between side members 49. Member 64 is disposed in a horizontal orientation to provide a shelf for console microprocessor unit 72, as shown in FIG. 3. The details of this unit will be described in more detail hereinafter.
Members 67 and 69 provide a shelf and brace for microprocessor keyboard 74. Keyboard 74 permits the cashier or service personnel to enter transactions between them and the player into the central processing unit. In the automated cashier embodiment, member 67 provides a shelf for coin hopper 75 and control board 79 may be attached to the underside of shelf 67. In said embodiment, keyboard 74 may rest on cross member 64 since access to 74 would be rare.
Shelf 81 and lateral panel 83 and rear lateral panel 85 define an area for money storage that is accessible to the player. The rear of viewing screen 46 terminates at and rests upon panel 83. Screen 46 slopes down from front panel 51 to lateral panel 83 to reduce reflection on the screen and to maximize access to the money storage area. Side member 87 rests upon shelf 67 and provides a left support for shelf 81 and separates shelf 81 from area defined by shelf 67.
The console video display monitor 90 is located between side elements 49. Transparent panel 91 provides a cover for the face of monitor 90. Monitor 90 rests upon adjustable support 93. Vertical adjustment of support 93 may be necessary to facilitate removal and or servicing of the monitor from the rear of the console. Light filter 95 rests on the face of monitor 90.
FIG. 3 shows the locations of top light filter 47 and bottom light filter 95 as viewed from the side of console 12. All light emitted from the screen face of monitor 90 which is visible to any individual passes through both filters. FIG. 5 shows the top view of filter 47, which comprises front section 47A, side sections 47B and 47C, and center section 105. Filter 95 comprises front center section 95A and remaining area 107. FIG. 6 shows a top view of filter 95 as oriented with button strip 108. Filter section 95A is a neutral linear polarizer possessing a balance of luminous transmittance and extinction transmittance for the visible light spectra such as a Polaroid Corporation HN38 polarizer. Filter section 107 is a neutral linear polarizer whose axis of polarization is at right angles to the axis of polarization of section 95A. The function of section 107 is to reduce the contrast of the filtered light of the entire screen face and may have the same luminous and extinction transmission characteristics as section 95A, or 107 may possess more luminous transmittance and less extinction transmittance than 95A. Filter sections 47A, 47B, and 47C are neutral linear polarizers possessing approximately the same luminous and extinction transmission characteristics as filter section 95A. The axes of polarization of filter sections 47A, 47B, and 47C are all the same and are all at right angles to the axis of polarization of filter section 95A. Filter section 105 has no polarization characteristics and may be a hole in filter 47.
For any fixed vertical distance from filter 47 to 95, as distance d between filter 47B and 47C (the width of 107) is made smaller, the portion of the screen face under 95A which can be viewed from either side becomes smaller. Distance d is less than the width of 95A. However, distance d should be sufficient for a one-eyed player to view the entire area under filter 95A from some distance above filter 47. The player views the entire width of the screen face by positioning himself in the approximate middle of filter section 105. The one-eyed player or player with poor uncorrected vision in one eye will need to center the good eye in the approximate middle of filter section 105 and perhaps move somewhat closer to filter 47. The distance w from filter 105 to the front edge of filter 47A is the primary factor in determining the portion of the area of the screen face under 95A which can be viewed from the front. The player can view as much as he desires of button strip 108 (and his finger tips when pressing the buttons) by leaning forward.
Obviously, if an intruder placed his head over the console, the afore described view protection would be diminished. Player could physically cover his screen, or in another embodiment, protection against physical intrusion can be provided by the use of light beam announcer 109. Announcer 109, comprising a beam transmitter and a beam receiver, is attached to the underside of armrest 54 and its light beams passes through a small hole in panel 51. Light beam reflector 109A may be attached to any fixture such that tall passers-by will not break the light beam. FIG. 7 shows a simple configuration which provides automatic intruder protection by activating microprocessor 72 software to remove the elements on the screen face which are below filter 95A whenever the pulsed-light beam between announcer 109 and its reflector 109A is interrupted. A second announcer 111 is located next to 109. The configuration of FIG. 7 also serves another function in the system as will be described hereinafter. Light beam reflector 111A may be attached to barrier 40 or to any structure behind player aisle 43.
Panel 115, supported by rear panel 85, is a holder for game playing instructions which may be illuminated. In the automated cashier embodiment, structure 117 contains coin input, acceptance, return, and diversion into the hopper hardware. Coin output from the hopper leaves the hopper at hopper exit 119, enters exit funnel 121, and is thence stored on shelf 81 for player access.
The front of panel 51 may be padded, as indicated at 120, to cushion the impact to the player's hands, arms or knees should be accidently come into contact with it.
Although the console has been described in terms of individual pieces and elements, quite obviously it may be formed integrally should the console be fabricated from fiber glass, plastic, or other moldable material. The respective elements of the console may be attached to each other by any known means, such as nails, screws, glue or the like. The electronics contained in each of the plurality of player consoles may comprise the following terms:
______________________________________
1 Microprocessor/Keyboard
IBM A210D
1 EGA Interface NEC GBS-1
1 EGA Monitor NEC Multisync
1 Digital I/O Interface
Data Translation
DT2817
1 Set pressure-sensitive
Sheldahl 1000-19
sealed membrane buttons
1 IEEE-488 Interface Telmar PC-Mate
______________________________________
For the automated cashier embodiment, each of the plurality of consoles may additionally comprise the following items:
______________________________________
1 I/O Control Board
Consulting Engineering
JS-1
1 Coin Hopper Bally AS-3105-273
1 Hopper Control Board
Bally AS-2981-5
1 Coin Comparitor Coin Mech CC-40
1 Bill Acceptor Rowe OBA-4
______________________________________
Control Platform and Adjacent Area
As indicated previously, the control platform contains the CPU minicomputer 14, teletype 16, and status and program disks 18. In addition, each supervisory position contains microprocessor/keyboards 30 and RGB monitors 28. The RGB monitors 28 allow each supervisor to keep advised of the progress of the game, status of each player, etc. Furthermore, the raised position of the control platform allows the supervisors to maintain visual supervision of the playing area.
The hardware components of the central computer processing unit may comprise the following elements:
______________________________________
1 Minicomputer Data General Nova 4/S
with 16 slots
1 Teletype DG 6080A Dasher TP1
Subsystem, printer,
keyboard, interface,
cable
2 Magnetic Tape Transports
DG 6027 Tape Subsystem,
1 transport,
controller, cables, DG
6023 Tape Transport
2 Disks DG 6030 Dual Diskette
Subsystem, 2 diskettes,
controller, cable
1 Printer DG 6086 Dasher LP2
Subsystem, printer,
controller, cable
2 IEEE-488 Controllers
Consulting Engineering,
Gaithersburg, Maryland
RBI-417 (4 boards each)
______________________________________
Each of the supervisor stations on the control platform may comprise the following:
______________________________________
2 Microprocessors IBM A210D
2 Keyboards Included in above
2 Color Video Interfaces
IBM-C156U
2 RGB Monitors Amdek Color-II Monitor
2 IEEE-488 Interfaces
TelMar PC-Mate
______________________________________
Each supervisor station may contain two sets of electronic equipment so that two supervisors can operate at each station during times of heavy player turn-over, such as the opening and closing of the game. During other times, one supervisor may operate each station and the redundant set of electronics can be used for immediate back up in the event of hardware failure. If only one supervisor is operating a station, the second RGB monitor may be designated as a supervisor alternate monitor 28A and may display game play. The contents of the monitor displays for monitors 28 are described in more detail hereinafter. The monitors 28 may be located generally to the front of the supervisor and he may view the playing sections by looking to his right or left.
Audit tapes 20 and printer 22 may be located on the floor of the gaming area in front of supervisor station 24. The floor area in front of supervisor station 26 may be reserved for other casino usage.
The particular constructions of the control platform per se is not believed to be germane to the invention and, suffice to say, any structure supporting all of the necessary hardware and allowing the supervisors to have visual contact with the player area, is considered to be within the scope of this invention.
Overhead Displays
Overhead displays 32, 33 and 34 are located at various points in the playing area. Displays 32, used to provide information to the cashiers and food/beverage servers, are located adjacent the service area 42. Displays 33, showing play in the primary game (normally 7-card stud) may also be located within the service areas and adjacent the entrance to provide information of interest to the cashiers and to the prospective players. Display 34 located adjacent the game entrance provides prospective players, with information needed to enter the game, such as seat availability, minimum required buy-in stake, game rules and betting limits.
In FIG. 9, overhead displays 32 are shown at four locations, displays 33 at five locations, and display 34 at one location. The exact number and location of these overhead displays is not critical to the invention, but their number and location is limited only by their ability to be read by the persons to whom the information is directed.
Each of the overhead displays may comprise an NTSC monitor (such as Sony XK 1901), a microprocessor (such as IBM A210D), a color video interface (such as IBM C156U), and an IEEE-488 interface (such as TelMar PC-Mate). Display 34 may additionally comprise a pair of pulse-beam announcers 41 (such as Tandy 49-201) located at knee level adjacent the entrance 336 to signal the entry of a player into the game area, and digital analog input interface (such as IBM C160U).
Display Contents
The elements which may comprise the contents of the displays on monitor 90, supervisor RGB monitors 28, 28A and NTSC monitors 32, 33 and 34 are shown in FIGS. 10A through 10F.
The upper portions 123 of each screen on player monitor 90 displays information common to all players in the hand. This display will show the rules and limits of a hand prior to the beginning of hand and then display the up card for all players in stud hands, or the number of cards drawn by each player in draw hands plus symbols indicating which players have raised, or gone all in for the pot. The display area 124 shows the name of poker game being played plus an explanation of the symbols shown in portion 123. The pot display element 126 shows the amount of money currently in the pot. The decision element 128 shows any decision that the player must now act upon, such as discard or the amount bet.
The lower portion of the display on player monitor 90 contains instruction area 130 which indicates how the player will signal his decisions and a timer area 132 which shows the remaining time within which the player must signal his decisions. This lower portion also contains information unique to each player: his seat number area 134; his remaining stake area 136; his entire hand in area 138; and the value of his high and low hands in area 140. In one embodiment, areas 138 and 140 are combined into area 141. A detailed description of displays appearing in elements 123 through 141 at the start of a 7-card stud hand is shown in FIG. 27.
The display of the player's own hand in area 138 and its values in area 140 is controlled by the appropriate push-button in button strip 108. When the hand is initially displayed, a first push of the button will cause the hand to disappear, while a second push of the button will make the hand reappear. This show/hide button provides additional security to the player and prevents anyone from inadvertently looking at his cards.
Supervisor RGB monitor 28 may contain: status information in area 142 about each seat in his section(s); directions in area 144 for the supervisor, such as the need to verify money in or out of the game; an image in area 146 of any keyboard input by the supervisor; and other information in area 148 as shown in FIG. 10B.
The information in status area 142 may include: seat number; stake left; total money put into the game by current player; a flag if the console status is "panic"; the total number of "panics" for the console today; the date of last maintenance for the console; position in the cashier queue, if any, or identification of cashier present; and an indication of a seat being vacant; or which game, if any, the player is in. Other supervisor information in areas 148 may vary for supervisors, with seat availability information being displayed to the supervisor at station 26, and cashier money and house cut amounts being displayed to the supervisor at station 24.
If two supervisors are manning the supervisor station, each of the two monitors 28 will contain the status in area 142 for a different player section. If one supervisor is manning the console, one monitor 28 will contain the status for the two sections under his control while the other monitor may display the same game elements as on areas 123, 124, 126 and 128 on player monitor 90 for the primary game, plus a consolation game summary in area 150 as seen in FIG. 10C. Summary area 150 may include: the name of the poker game; the amounts in the pot and currently bet; and the number of players who are in the pot, have raised, "panicked", or gone all-in. If the consolation game is draw poker, summary area 150 may also include the number of players who have drawn the varying number of discards. Between consolation hands, 150 may contain promotional or other messages.
Overhead monitor 32 also shows the same display as in area 150 plus, for the section to which it is directed, a list of players desiring food/beverage service in area 152, a list of open seats in area 154, and cashier directions in area 156 as shown in FIG. 10D.
Overhead monitors 33 may show the same display as in elements 123 through 128 on player monitor 90. Entrance monitor 34 may show the consolation summary as in area 150 (or promotional messages as previously mentioned), minimum buy-in stake and overall rules and limits in 158, and seat availability information in 160. Display element 160 may show the open seat number for the next waiting player and an arrow pointing in the direction of the seat with respect to the location of monitor 34 so that waiting players may swiftly and simply be directed to an open seat. If no seats are available, area 160 may display the number of players who are all in for the pot or who have almost exhausted their stakes so prospective players will have an indication of how long a wait there may be for open seats.
The displays appearing on any of the game monitors can be generated by graphics or by characters. In graphic displays, each dot on the screen, called a pixel, can be given color to form any desired shape. In character displays, a fixed series of pixels (for instance, eight horizontal.times.eight vertical, or eight horizontal.times.fourteen vertical) are defined into a foreground color and a background color. Several characters can be combined to create one shape. Character displays are limited only in that at most two different colors can appear in the fixed set of pixels.
Each character set for a given make of equipment contains all letters (usually in upper and lower case), numbers, plus many special symbols--some including those for suits of a card deck. In addition, enhanced graphic EGA monitors provide for the addition or substitution of additional user defined characters.
In monitors 90 and 28 for the player console and supervisor station, the horizontal resolution needed for the game displays can only be achieved on a monitor screen that has separate "guns" for the basic colors of red, blue, and green, with all of the other colors being some combination of these basic colors. In present technology, such RGB and EGA monitors are limited to relatively small sizes. Since overhead monitors 32, 33 and 34 must be read from greater distances than the monitors in the player consoles and supervisor stations, current RGB monitors are unsuitable due to their limited size. Screens of larger sizes are only available in standard composite signal monitors (NTSC). However, such composite signal monitors can display only approximately 40 columns of characters across the screen, whereas the RGB monitors are capable of displaying 80 characters and EGA monitors 120 characters.
Cards shown in display element 123 normally occupy an area two characters wide by two characters high. At least one line is left above each card and may be used to display information regarding that particular player (i.e., a raise, or all-in symbol). If a large number of players are in a pot each card may occupy an area one character wide by two characters high.
The player's attention may be directed to various screen elements by momentarily emphasizing said element or darkening the other screen elements.
Program Logic
The system for controlling the game consists of one central computer and its peripheral devices (CPU) which communicates with various microprocessors located in the supervisor and player consoles. The supervisor consoles initiate game activities while the player consoles display information, and report cashier and player transactions. The overhead display consoles merely display information. The CPU controls the simulation of the game and the communications between all of the components by means of an IEEE-488 interface system. IEEE-488 terminology is used in the descriptions wherein one unit is designated by the CPU to be the "Talker" and any number of other units are designated as the "listener". However, the IEEE-488 systems has means for any "listener" to initiate a "service request" which will enable it to become a "talker".
The overall logic for the entire system is shown in FIG. 11, while the subsystem logic for the CPU, supervisor consoles, the player consoles, etc., are shown in FIGS. 12 through 20. Although the CPU controls the entire system, the supervisor console will be described first, since it supplies the instructions to the CPU for initiating the game. The logic flow diagram for the supervisory console is shown in FIG. 11. Various CPU processing is initiated by input from the supervisory keyboard, which input is checked by the software and may result in a request for additional or corrected input. This input is listed in FIG. 11 and further described in FIG. 12 where the resulting CPU actions are also described. The final step in the processing path is a service request so that the desired action can be processed by the CPU. The supervisor control processing may be interrupted at any point to receive information from the CPU about the status of any player. This information updates the about the status of any player. This information updates the status display for a player on the supervisor's console and may require no positive action on the supervisor's part. However, if the player's status change is to put money into or take money from the game, the supervisor would first perform the displayed requirement (visually checking the amount, talking to the cashier by telephone, etc.) and then press a key on his keyboard to signal the CPU and hence the cashier information display that the player status is approved or made final. In the automated cashier embodiment, the preceding supervisor verification of player money into or from the game is eliminated.
The CPU processing cycle, as shown in detail in FIGS. 12 through 17, consists of receiving information from each player console, processing this information, and sending any changes in player status to the supervisor console. The CPU will also control the generation of transaction records on magnetic audit tapes 20 and the printing of the current stake left for each player on printer 22. Game transactions may include all supervisor, cashier, and player inputs which are reported to the CPU plus cards dealt and winnings awarded by the CPU. These transactions are recorded for later normal audit processing and for recovery processing in the event of catastrophic system failure. They may also be utilized to compute statistics relating to amount of money in the pot, player reaction time, etc., for various hands. The CPU also maintains several software queues. Such a queue is a list of items in which items are taken from the front of the list when the queue is active. Items are normally added at the end of the list, but may be placed anywhere in the list. Control of the game play is achieved by means of an event queue, where the queue may contain sequential events for more than one game. Time control of event queue is maintained by CPU timer 170. As will be described in detail hereinafter, the computer may provide an alternative game of 5-card draw poker for those players who have dropped out of the 7-card stud game prior to the appearance of their third up-card. Table 4, shows the event structure of said embodiment in terms of event time entities which are hereinafter described. An alternate embodiment provides for a flexible distribution of players into several concurrent games as shown in FIG. 15. A list of the game events is shown in FIG. 11, while the events and their processing are described in more detail in FIG. 16. After each event, information is sent to the player's and supervisor's consoles and to the entrance displays. The CPU processing cycle may be interrupted to perform actions requested from the supervisors input console or as the result of a new player passing the entrance console light beam 41, which may also result in the sending of this information to other consoles.
The player console processing cycle is shown in FIGS. 18 through 21 and consists of monitoring any input from the cashier's keyboard or the player's buttons, adjusting the player's status accordingly, and creating the player's console display screen. This cycle may be interrupted to send player status to the CPU, to show the remaining time for a player decision, or to receive event information from the CPU.
The system also contains overhead display and entrance display consoles. All of these consoles receive information from the CPU and display it, and only the entrance console may provide input from these devices to the CPU.
As shown in FIG. 11 and in more detail in FIG. 12, after initiating input data from the supervisory keyboard, the first step in starting the game is a review of a preventive maintenance (PM) file which contains the date on which the various computer hardware components were last replaced. This file is read by the CPU and matched against a stored estimated minimum useful life of each component. This comparison produces a listing of parts which are to be replaced that day, if any. If repairs are to be made, the event queue is not started and the appropriate player consoles are placed in the cashier queue in order to allow the necessary repairs to be made. Once any hardware component is replaced, the preventive maintenance file is updated and stored for retrieval on subsequent days.
After the preventive maintenance has been performed or if there is none to be performed that particular day, the CPU processing cycle is as follows:
Open game--the rules and limits of the start up games are specified as are the number of players required to begin play. The event queue is activated and all of the seats are placed into the open seat queue.
Player in--signalled by the entrance console as each player enters the game area. This will cause the open seat queue to be advanced and the next open seat to be displayed on the game entrance display to direct the incoming player to the available seat.
Player $ in--occurs after the cashier has received a player's money, the amount has been displayed to the supervisor who has verified the amount and approved the transaction. The money is added to the player's stake, this amount is printed out and an approval signal is displayed on the section to monitor indicate to the cashier that the transaction has been approved. In the automated cashier embodiment, Player $ in is obtained during the polling of the player's console and manual verification of the amount is not performed.
Player $ out--this occurs when the cashier has staged the amount of money due to be paid to the player and the supervisor has verified the amount and approved the transaction. The stake for the player's seat is zeroed and printed, an approval signal appears on the section display, and the seat is placed in the open seat queue. In the automated cashier embodiment, Player $ out is obtained during the polling of the player's console and no manual operations are performed unless the amount to be payed out exceeds the amount that can be automatically dispensed from the player's console.
Pot Mix--Defines at any time the criteria for the desired mix of players to be placed into the plurality of poker pots as will be discussed in detail hereinafter. Pot mix may be input by a supervisor or determined by internal CPU processing. Initiation by either method need not result in any information being displayed on the player, section or entrance console.
Audit--"audit" for the cashier will appear on the cashier's overhead section display and the total amount of cash and chips in a denomination that the cashier should have is calculated and printed. The cashier's cash and chips will then be stored with the audit listing for later verification.
Change game--the rules and limits of a future game are specified in addition to the time in which the change will take place. A message regarding the new game is displayed after every pot prior to activation of the new game.
Halt game--this is requested when, in the judgement of supervisor, the game must be halted. The event queue stops immediately and a message regarding the stoppage of play will be displayed on each console.
Restart game--used only if the halt game is in effect and will restart the game with an appropriate message of explanation.
Close game--last action of the day or gaming session. It stops the event queue when it reaches the next last event of each pot and places all of the players' seat number in the cashier queue. When said last event is reached in the automated cashier embodiment, an end of play message will be displayed on all pertinent consoles and every player console with a stake remaining will automatically pay out said stake.
The above actions would ordinarily be performed in the order listed, although action such as halt game and restart game will occur only under unusual circumstances. In addition, under exceptional circumstances it may be necessary for a supervisor to manually correct such things as an action he has initiated, consoles in the cashier or open seat queue, and player status. After the occurrence of any of the above actions, the processing cycle goes to D99B to transmit any immediately needed display information from whence processing returns to its origins in the CPU processing cycle. Continue is abbreviated CONT. in the flow charts to indicate that processing continues at the instruction from which it was interrupted.
At B10, the CPU processing cycle starts a polling of each player in which an attention signal is sent to each player's console, and status and stake data are received from the console and stored. If the status is invalid (or no data is received) or if the data regarding the player's stake does not match the stake as calculated by the CPU, the player's console is placed in "panic" status. In the automated cashier embodiment, the CPU may accept the stake data provided by the player's console. If the player status has changed since the last polling, the new status is sent to the supervisor console. If the new status is "panic" or "cashier" the player's console is automatically placed in the cashier queue for attention from the cashier. If any interrupt processing has established a display that should now be displayed, the appropriate consoles are designated as listeners and the contents of the displays transmitted to them. Although only the supervisor or entrance console can interrupt the CPU processing cycle in the current embodiments, the ability of other consoles to interrupt the CPU is considered within the scope of this invention.
Some events require no response from any player. For events requiring a response, individual console timers 172 are set for a slightly shorter time period than CPU timer 170 to insure that no player's time is truncated by the CPU. When all polling related to the current event has been completed and it is not yet time for the next event the CPU will continue polling the players until it is time for the next event. This secondary polling will allow the system to continue detecting input from the player consoles such as cashier transaction, or requests for a cashier or food/beverage service.
FIGS. 14 and 15 shows the CPU logic to determine the time for the next event in all of a plurality of pots. After the polling of each player console J, if the player is currently playing in a single player game (to be described in the hereinafter), the time 170 of completion for the bonus event is checked, otherwise processing goes to C14. If the bonus event time is complete, player J is added to the list of available players and processing goes to C20, otherwise the current event for player J is tested for being a draw event. If not a draw event, the processing goes to C20, otherwise the draw event (which has no time limitation in single player mode) is tested for completed draw action by player J. If the player J's action is not complete, the processing goes to C20, otherwise a deal event to replace player's discards and a bonus event to determine possible money award is generated and processing goes to D99Q. At C14, if player J is currently playing in any pot, processing goes to C20, otherwise player J is added to the available pool and processing goes to C20. At C20, if the polling cycle has not included all players, processing goes to B10 to poll the next player, otherwise the processing proceeds as follows. If there are currently no pots in the game (which would be the situation at open game) processing goes to C50, otherwise each pot N is tested. At C24, if it is time 170 for the next event entity, processing to C30, otherwise the current event for pot N is checked for being a bet or a draw event. If the event is neither of said events, processing goes to C34, otherwise the time is saved for those players in pot N who have completed the required action for the event and a test is made to determine if all of the players in pot N have completed said action. If all players have not completed the current (bet or draw) action, processing goes to C34, otherwise an event alter, which will shorten the event entity time when transmitted, is generated for pot N and processing goes to C34.
At C30, if the current event (whose time 170 has been heretofore determined as ended) is a bonus event, all players in pot N are added to the available pool, one more pot is available, and processing goes to C34, otherwise processing is as follows. If the current event is not a bet or draw event, processing goes to C34, otherwise the (bet or draw) event is checked for completion action by all players in pot N. If all have acted, processing goes to C34, otherwise the skill level embodiment is tested. If the skill level is not I or II, player action has been made by default. If Skill Level II, an event alter, which will lengthen the event entity time when transmitted, is generated for pot N and processing goes to C34. If Skill Level I, the CPU determines and generates an event alter for the best action for each player who has not completed the required action and an event alter, which will lengthen the event time for pot N when transmitted, and proceeds to C34. The best action for any player may be determined by computing the action which provides the best winning expectation from the theoretical mathematical probabilities or from the statistical data base of past play recorded by the CPU or from some combination of the two methods. Said computed bet actions may be restricted to a call or drop out. Said computed draw actions may either consider or disregard any partial discards of the player.
At C34, if all of the current pots have not been checked, the next pot is processed as described above at C24, otherwise all of the pots are tested for a next event entity time 170 or alter event as follows. If no next event and no event alter, processing goes to B10 to poll all of the players starting with the first player. If no next event but an event alter, processing goes to D99 to transmit the alters. Otherwise processing goes to B60 for event generation and transmission to the players unless the situation first requires proceeding to C50 to determine the possible initiation of new pots. Processing goes to C50 if one or more of the currently completed events for any pot contains a bonus event or an event which normally yields a large number of players who drop out of a pot, such as the first bet round in any pot. Said limitations prevent the excessive system consideration of pot initiation, but will not keep players who drop out of a pot at any time from waiting for new pot consideration more than the few seconds until the end of a bonus or high drop event in any one of the current pots.
Processing at C50, which will be hereinafter described, proceeds ultimately to B60 for generation of the next event entity.
A sample event queue for the simultaneous simulation of a 7-card stud game and a consolation draw game is described in detail in the discussion of approximate display time for each player decision.
At the next event time, B60, a magnetic tape written record is made which contains all transactions during this cycle. If the event queue is active and the last event in the queue has been performed, a check will be made to determine if there are any future events and, if this is the case, any conditions for the future event will be tested. If the future event conditions are satisfied, its rules and limits replace those of the current game on the console display screen. In any case, a
