Methods and Apparatus of Playing Card Games of Strategy and Chance

Abstract

Methods of playing card games of strategy and chance involving a main pot, bonus pot, and/or progressive pot in which players may perform atypical card game actions such as robbing or killing a dragon. Players invoke events by displaying, or playing, predetermined cards or pattern combinations of cards. Players may rob the dragon, thereby requiring all other players to return played cards back to their hand. Players may kill the dragon in order to win a bonus pot. Players may also be disqualified for committing a foul. The method of the present invention also increases revenue for a house hosting the method by requiring all players to place a wager prior to viewing his or her cards and by allowing the players more opportunities to raise his or her wagers.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A method of playing a table card game for at least two players comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing components of a table card game including:
 a game table, said game table including a main pot location, a bonus pot location, a raise pot location, a dealer card deck location, and a discard pile location; and at least two player display areas, each of said player display areas associated with one of said at least two players; and 
 a plurality of cards; and 
   (b) receiving an initial main pot wager from each of said at least two players in a respective one of said at least two player display areas;   (c) receiving an initial bonus pot wager from each of said at least two players in a respective one of said at least two player display areas;   (d) moving each of said initial main pot wager from each of said at least two player display areas to said main pot location;   (e) moving each of said initial bonus pot wager from each of said at least two player display areas to said bonus pot location;   (f) selecting a first player;   (g) dealing a predetermined quantity of said plurality of cards face down to each of said at least two player display areas;   (h) placing undealt ones of said plurality of cards in said dealer card deck location;   (i) allowing each of said at least two players to view said predetermined quantity of said plurality of cards located in a respective one of said at least two player display areas;   (j) initiating a wagering round by allowing said first player to perform a main pot raise by placing said main pot raise in said raise pot location;   (k) allowing each of said players to sequentially perform a subsequent main pot raise by placing said subsequent main pot raise in said raise pot location;   (l) allowing said first player to become a current player and initiate a flow by placing an initial pattern of one or more of said plurality of cards face up in said player display area of said first player;   (m) allowing each of said players to sequentially become said current player;   (n) allowing said current player to pass or place an allowed higher ranking pattern in said player display area of said current player;   (o) continuing said flow until all of said players pass or one of said players holds zero of said plurality of cards;   (p) repeating steps (f) through (o) until one of said players holds zero of said plurality of cards; and   (q) declaring said one of said players holding zero of said plurality of cards as a winner of said table card game.   
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1  further comprising:
 allowing any of said at least two players to place a predetermined winning pattern of said plurality of cards in a respective one of said at least two player display areas. 
 
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1  further comprising:
 allowing said current player to perform at least one of the group consisting of robbing the dragon, killing the dragon, and combinations thereof. 
 
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 1  further comprising:
 initiating subsequent ones of said flows until a predetermined number of said flows have been played. 
 
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said components of said table card game include a random number generator. 
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 5 , wherein said selecting a first player is performed via use of said random number generator. 
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said first player in a subsequent one of said flows is selected from the group consisting of: a player of said at least two players who last placed a pattern in said respective one of said at least two player display areas during a previous one of said flows and a sequentially subsequent one of said at least two players as determined by a last player of said previous one of said flows. 
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said predetermined quantity is eight. 
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein a maximum value of said main pot raise is a predetermined table limit multiplied by three. 
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 1  further comprising:
 repeating steps (j) and (k) until all of said players have performed all desired ones of said main pot raises. 
 
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 1  further comprising:
 awarding at least one of the group consisting of said main pot, said bonus pot, and combinations thereof to said winner. 
 
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of cards includes one or more standard fifty-two card decks. 
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of cards is ranked by numerical value and suit. 
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 said winner is awarded a main pot from said main pot location; and   said winner is awarded a bonus pot from said bonus pot location if said winner displayed a predetermined highest ranking card of numerical value and suit in any of said flows.   
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 14  further comprising:
 allowing an unawarded one of said bonus pots to remain in said bonus pot location for award in a subsequent one of said card table games. 
 
     
     
         16 . A method according to  claim 1  further comprising:
 requiring one of said at least two players to withdraw from playing said flow if said main pot raise of said player is not equal to or greater than a prior one of said main pot raises. 
 
     
     
         17 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said predetermined quantity of said cards ranges from three to thirteen. 
     
     
         18 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said initial pattern and said higher ranking pattern includes a quantity of said plurality of cards ranging from one to said predetermined quantity of said plurality of cards. 
     
     
         19 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said initial pattern and said higher ranking pattern is selected from a predetermined list of patterns. 
     
     
         20 . A method according to  claim 2 , wherein said predetermined winning pattern is four pairs of said plurality of cards.