Method And Apparatus For Executing A Draw-Type, Blackjack-Themed Lottery Game

Abstract

Described herein are a method and apparatus for executing a draw-type lottery game between a plurality of players and a dealer. The draw-type lottery game includes a plurality of subgames and each of the subgames includes at least one hand of a blackjack-type game. The method includes, for each hand of each of the subgames, using a central computer system to generate for each of the players a player hand; to generate for the dealer a dealer hand; to compare each player hand to the dealer hand to determine whether the player or the dealer has a better blackjack hand; and to identify each player who has a better blackjack hand than the dealer as a winner of the hand. For each of the subgames, the central computer system determines a winner of the subgame based on the winner of the at least one hand of the subgame. The apparatus includes the central computer system, a plurality of remotely located terminals communicatively coupled to the central computer system; and a plurality of lottery displays communicatively coupled to the central computer system.

1 . A method for executing a draw-type lottery game between a plurality of players and a dealer, the draw-type lottery game comprising a plurality of subgames and each of the subgames comprising at least one hand of a blackjack-type game, the method comprising:
 (a) for each hand of each of the subgames, using a central computer system to:
 (i) generate for each of the players a player hand; 
 (ii) generate for the dealer a dealer hand; 
 (iii) compare each player hand to the dealer hand to determine whether the player or the dealer has a better blackjack hand; and 
 (iv) identify each player who has a better blackjack hand than the dealer as a winner of the hand; and 
   (b) for each of the subgames, using the central computer system to determine a winner of the subgame based on the winner of the at least one hand of the subgame.   
     
     
         2 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the winner of the subgame is the winner of all the hands of the subgame. 
     
     
         3 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising, for each hand of each of the subgames, displaying the dealer hand on a lottery display that is communicatively coupled to the central computer system. 
     
     
         4 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the likelihood of winning any one of the subgames played during an instance of the draw-type lottery game is lower than the likelihood of winning any previous subgames played during the instance of the draw-type lottery game. 
     
     
         5 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising, for each hand of each of the subgames and prior to comparing each player hand to the dealer hand, using the central computer system to:
 (a) generate a player hit card; 
 (b) determine whether to add the player hit card to the player hand; 
 (c) add the player hit card to the player hand when it is determined that the player hit card is to be added to the player hand; 
 (d) generate a dealer hit card; 
 (e) determine whether to add the dealer hit card to the dealer hand; and then 
 (f) add the dealer hit card to the dealer hand when it is determined that the dealer hit card is to be added to the dealer hand. 
 
     
     
         6 . A method as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the draw-type lottery game comprises a subgame wherein the player hit card is automatically added to the player hand when doing so will not result in a player hand totaling greater than 21. 
     
     
         7 . A method as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the draw-type lottery game comprises a subgame, wherein prior to a ticket being issued for the draw-type lottery game:
 (a) each of the players chooses whether to add the player hit card to the player hand; and   (b) the lottery display displays to the player the value of one card of the dealer hand and the total value of the player hand.   
     
     
         8 . A method as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the draw-type lottery game comprises a subgame, wherein prior to a ticket being issued for the draw-type lottery game:
 (a) each of the players chooses whether to add the player hit card to the player hand; and   (b) the lottery display does not display to the player the value of any cards of the dealer hand, but does display the total value of the player hand.   
     
     
         9 . A method as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the draw-type lottery game comprises first, second and third subgames, the second subgame playable after playing the first subgame, and the third subgame playable after playing the second subgame, and wherein:
 (a) in the first subgame, the player hit card is automatically added to the player hand when doing so will not result in a player hand totaling greater than 21;   (b) in the second subgame, prior to being issued a ticket for the draw-type lottery game:
 (i) each of the players chooses whether to add the player hit card to the player hand; and 
 (ii) the lottery display displays to the player the value of one card of the dealer hand and the total value of the player hand; and 
   (c) in the third subgame, prior to being issued the ticket for the draw-type lottery game:
 (i) each of the players chooses whether to add the player hit card to the player hand; and 
 (ii) the lottery display does not display to the player the value of any cards of the dealer hand, but does display the total value of the player hand. 
   
     
     
         10 . A method as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the dealer hit card is added to the dealer hand when the total value of the dealer hand is less than 17, and wherein for each of the consecutive hands dealer hit cards are repeatedly generated and added to the dealer hand until the total value of the dealer hand is greater than or equal to 17. 
     
     
         11 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising, for each hand of each of the subgames:
 (a) determining whether any of the players has a better blackjack hand than the dealer; 
 (b) when none of the players has a better blackjack hand than the dealer, identifying all of the players as a winner of the hand. 
 
     
     
         12 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein when the dealer and the player both bust, the dealer is determined to have a better blackjack hand than the player. 
     
     
         13 . A method as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein when the dealer and the player push and do not both bust, the player is determined to have a better blackjack hand than the dealer. 
     
     
         14 . A method for executing a draw-type lottery game between a plurality of players and a dealer, the draw-type lottery game comprising one or more subgames, and each of the one or more subgames comprising a plurality of hands of a blackjack-type game, the method comprising:
 (a) for each of the hands of the one or more subgames, using a central computer system to:
 (i) generate for each of the players a player hand; 
 (ii) generate for the dealer a dealer hand; 
 (iii) compare each player hand to the dealer hand to determine whether the player or the dealer has a better blackjack hand; and 
 (iv) identify each player who has a better blackjack hand than the dealer as a winner of the hand; and 
   (b) for each of the one or more subgames, using the central computer system to determine a winner of the subgame based on the winner of the hands of the subgame.   
     
     
         15 . A method for executing a draw-type lottery game between a plurality of players and a dealer, the draw-type lottery game comprising three subgames, and each of the subgames comprising a plurality of hands of a blackjack-type game, the method comprising:
 (a) for each of the hands of the subgames, using a central computer system to:
 (i) generate for each of the players a player hand; 
 (ii) generate for the dealer a dealer hand; 
 (iii) compare each player hand to the dealer hand to determine whether the player or the dealer has a better blackjack hand; and 
 (iv) identify each player who has a better blackjack hand than the dealer as a winner of the hand; and 
   (b) for each of the subgames, using the central computer system to identify the winner of the subgame as the winner of all the hands of the subgame.   
     
     
         16 . A method as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the likelihood of winning any one of the subgames played during an instance of the draw-type lottery game is lower than the likelihood of winning any previous subgames played during the instance of the draw-type lottery game. 
     
     
         17 . An apparatus for executing a draw-type lottery game between a plurality of players and a dealer, the apparatus comprising:
 (a) a central computer system comprising a processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory having encoded thereon for execution by the processor a method as claimed in  claim 1 ;   (b) a plurality of remotely located terminals communicatively coupled to the central computer system; and   (c) a plurality of lottery displays communicatively coupled to the central computer system.   
     
     
         18 . A computer readable medium having encoded thereon a method as claimed in  claim 1 . 
     
     
         19 . A computer readable medium having encoded thereon a method as claimed in  claim 14 . 
     
     
         20 . A computer readable medium having encoded thereon a method as claimed in  claim 15 .