Electronic gaming system with real playing cards and multiple player displays for virtual card and betting images

Abstract

Electronic gaming system with real playing cards and multiple player displays for virtual card and betting images. In one implementation, the exemplary system allows real playing cards to be used in electronic gaming systems that provide multiple video displays for multiple live participants at a gaming table. The system can post virtual images of the cards in play on the participant displays and can also display virtual bets, e.g., wagering chips, on the same displays. The real playing cards provide the look, feel, and action of playing a card game while the electronic gaming system provides elements of automation, security, and virtual display of the cards and bets. By converting the identities of the cards in play into processor-usable information, the exemplary system can add entertaining graphics, automate tedious and costly aspects of double-checking card and chip movement and whereabouts, and provide confidence and security to those at the gaming table that the cards and chips are being digitally tracked for each participant to see and verify.

1 . An electronic gaming device comprising:
 a table including a top surface;   a plurality of flat panel touch screen video displays arranged around a portion of a perimeter of the top surface, opposite a dealer position at the table, configured to receive player touch inputs and output video images associated with a play of a primary wager-based game at the table;   at least one processor, coupled to the plurality of flat panel touch screen video displays, configured to   control an output of the video images,   receive the touch inputs,   store vital data received from each of the plurality of flat panel touch screen displays to a power-hit tolerant memory; and   after power is restored following a power interruption, output video images including the vital data to a portion of the plurality of flat panel touch screen displays actively being used prior to the power interruption.   
     
     
         2 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the vital data includes betting information associated with the primary wager-based game being played when the power interruption occurred. 
     
     
         3 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the vital data is associated with a game decision made by a player at one of the portion of the plurality of flat panel touch screen displays actively being used prior to the power interruption. 
     
     
         4 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the power-hit tolerant memory is a non-volatile random access memory (NV-RAM). 
     
     
         5 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more card readers for receiving an identification card. 
     
     
         6 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate an interface on each of the plurality of flat panel touch screen displays which allows a player to enter security information associated with the identification card. 
     
     
         7 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 5 , wherein a credit amount purchased from the casino available for use at the electronic gaming device is accessed and made available for use on the electronic gaming device via information received from the identification card. 
     
     
         8 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to transfer credits electronically to the electronic gaming device from a remote source and wherein the credits are made available for wagering on the electronic gaming device. 
     
     
         9 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , further comprising an identification code reading device for reading user-specific identification information from a user instrument. 
     
     
         10 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the primary wager-based game is a card game. 
     
     
         11 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate to control output of video images including virtual cards used in the card game. 
     
     
         12 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 10 , further comprising a random number generator wherein the random number is used to select the virtual cards output in the video images. 
     
     
         13 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate a secondary wager-based game, separate from the primary wager-based game which is played simultaneously with the primary wager-based game. 
     
     
         14 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 13 , wherein the secondary wager-based game is played independently of the primary wager-based game. 
     
     
         15 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 12 , wherein processor is further configured to receive a second wager on the secondary wager-based game which is separate from and in addition to a first wager on the primary wager-based game. 
     
     
         16 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 13 , wherein the secondary wager-based game is a slot game. 
     
     
         17 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine an award associated with the secondary wager-based game which is separate from an award for the primary wager-based game. 
     
     
         18 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 13 , wherein an outcome of the secondary primary wager-based game depends upon an outcome of the primary wager-based game. 
     
     
         19 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 13 , wherein the secondary wager-based game is a card game. 
     
     
         20 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 13 , wherein the primary wager-based game or the secondary wager-based game is played using live card, virtual cards or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         21 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , further comprising a chip tray proximate to the dealer position for receiving betting chips. 
     
     
         22 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , further comprising a dealer video display proximate to the dealer position. 
     
     
         23 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the dealer video display is a flat panel touch screen video display configured to receive touch inputs from a live dealer. 
     
     
         24 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one chip sensor configured to detect a presence of a betting chip. 
     
     
         25 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one chip sensor configured to determine a value of a betting chip. 
     
     
         26 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one speaker for outputting sounds associated with the play of the wager-based game. 
     
     
         27 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to communicate with a remote computer. 
     
     
         28 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 27 , wherein the processor is further configured to send information associated with the play of the primary wager-based game to the remote computer. 
     
     
         29 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , further comprising a camera for receiving biometric data from a player. 
     
     
         30 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is secured within a housing mounted to a bottom surface of the table. 
     
     
         31 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 30 , further comprising one or more sensors communicatively coupled to the processor configured to detect access to the housing. 
     
     
         32 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 30  the housing includes a first access door and a second access door each secured with a key lock wherein the second access door is configured to control access to a communication port which is communicatively coupled to the processor. 
     
     
         33 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , further comprising an open table support trestle including a plurality of legs configured to support the table. 
     
     
         34 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to control output of video images including advertising to the plurality of flat panel touch screen video displays. 
     
     
         35 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein processor is configured to control output to each of the flat panel touch screen video displays such that first video content is output to a primary section of the flat panel touch screen video display and secondary content is output to a secondary section of the flat panel touch screen video display. 
     
     
         36 . The electronic gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate video images of virtual betting chips used for betting on each of the flat panel touch screen video displays. 
     
     
         37 . An electronic gaming device comprising:
 a table including a top surface;   a plurality of flat panel touch screen video displays arranged around a perimeter of the top surface configured to receive player touch inputs and output video images associated with a play of a primary wager-based game at the table;   at least one processor, coupled to the plurality of flat panel touch screen video displays, configured to   control an output of the video images,   receive the touch inputs,   store vital data received from each of the plurality of flat panel touch screen displays to a power-hit tolerant memory; and   after power is restored following a power interruption, output video images including the vital data to a portion of the plurality of flat panel touch screen displays actively being used prior to the power interruption.