Card Game

The present disclosure relates generally to a card game. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a card game that employs a novel card deck and method of play.

Card games are extremely popular in both home and casino settings. Generally, the dual goals in a successful game are accessibility to a wide audience, and that the game remain challenging and entertaining for even expert players.

Have the game be accessible to a wide audience requires that the game be easy to learn. This is especially important in a casino setting, where it is highly undesirable for the complexity of a game to prevent a new player from participating.

Having the game remain challenging and entertaining requires an opportunity to apply strategy and a significant range of possible directions a game might take. The easier it is for an expert player to predict what may come next, and how likely it is to occur, the less entertaining it will be in the long run. For example, putting aside card counting, being a reasonably successful blackjack player just requires memorization of different scenarios and outcomes, where the odds of different outcomes are well known in that scenario, and the next action the player would take is almost certain and required.

While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present disclosure as disclosed hereafter.

In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which the present disclosure is concerned.

While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.

An aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure is to provide a card game that is interesting to play. Accordingly, the present disclosure employs a card deck with a unique composition of card values and quantities.

It is another aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure to provide a game that contains elements of the popular games of blackjack and poker. Accordingly, while the object of the game is similar to blackjack with regards to achieving a total of twenty-one without going over, cards may be strategically discarded, substituted, and utilized from an initial hand-similar to poker.

It is a further aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure to provide a game that provides options that add strategic concerns and opportunities. Accordingly, during game play, when a player chooses to discard a card, the player must consider that it might later be utilized by another player in their hand.

Accordingly, the present disclosure describes a card game for play by two individuals, one of which is designated as player one and the other is designated as player two, using a card deck having cards with numbered indicia from one to ten. Initially three cards are dealt to each player to form their player hand. Player one and then player two have an opportunity to discard one card into a pond region where it is displayed and available to the players. Then in a nesting stage, player one and then player two can add additional cards from the deck in an attempt to reach twenty one without going over, can add a card from the pond region into their hand once at least one card has been taken from the deck into their player hand, and can split their hand into multiple nests when duplicate cards are present in their player hand.

The present disclosure addresses at least one of the foregoing disadvantages. However, it is contemplated that the present disclosure may prove useful in addressing other problems and deficiencies in a number of technical areas. Therefore, the claims should not necessarily be construed as limited to addressing any of the particular problems or deficiencies discussed hereinabove. To the accomplishment of the above, this disclosure may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the disclosure.

The present disclosure now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show various example embodiments. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure is thorough, complete and fully conveys the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

illustrates a card deck, in accordance with the principles of the disclosure. The card deckhaving a plurality of cards, each having a value sideA and a blind sideB (seen in). The value sideA has numeric indicia, that displays a card value for said card. The blind sideB (seen in), however, are a consistent and identical design between all cards so that they cannot be discerned from other cards within the deck. Accordingly, on the value sideA, the cardsinclude “one cards”having a card value of one, “two cards”having a card value of two, “three cards”having a card value of three, “four cards”having a card value of four, “five cards”having a card value of five, “six cards”having a card value of six, “seven cards”having a card value of seven, “eight cards”having a card value of eight, “nine cards”having a card value of nine, and “ten cards”having a card value of ten.

As illustrated in, the card deckhas a total of eighty (80) cards, with cards in the following quantities: twenty (20) ten cards; eight (8) each of the five cards, four cards, three cards, two cards, and one cards; and five (5) each of the nine cards, eight cards, seven cards, and six cards. The unexpected composition of cards with unexpected quantities (when compared to a standard deck), makes it difficult for even experienced cards players to calculate odds and outcomes, except with one familiar expectation—that a ten cardis the most probable card to be drawn at any phase of gameplay. The second most likely possibility, however, is that a low value card will be drawn, which varies significantly from a standard fifty-two (52) playing card deck. Note that in certain embodiments, the composition of the deck and total number of cards within the deck may vary.

Referring now to, a card game has been initiated, using the card deck, with two individuals, that may be designated as player oneand player two. Note that during different rounds of the game, which individual is considered player onewill vary. In certain embodiments, player oneis the individual who won the previous round of play. And of course, prior to game play, one of the individuals is chosen to be player one, which can occur by any of a variety of means, including by flipping a coin. Once player oneis ascertained, a player tokenis positioned by that individual, and indicates to the players which is currently selected as player one. The player designated as player one may rotate and may be designated in a variety of ways, including designating the player who won the last round as player one, “punting” the dealer to the other player when a player choses to retain all three cards, etc. In addition, it should be noted that one of the individuals may be computerized, an AI system, or designated as “the house”. The game is best understood by following the numerous examples provided below. However, as an overview for following these examples, a round of game play includes an initial deal, an opening phase, a nesting phase, a reveal, and a winner chosen. In sum, during the opening phase, one card may be discarded by each player. In the nesting phase, each player may take additional cards to try to reach a total card value of twenty-one (21) without going over. When satisfied with their total, the players “stand” to conclude the nesting phase. Then the players reveal their cards and a winner is determined. The winner is generally the payer with the highest card value, without exceeding twenty-one (21). A variety of different schemes for wagering or scoring the game may be employed, especially when splits occur, as will be described in further detail hereinbelow.

In the examples that follow, these principles are reiterated, and other options and nuances of game play are revealed as numerous rounds of play are illustrated and described in association with the accompanying drawings. Note that the cards are shown in the drawing figures as if open to the other player. In embodiments of the game, however, the cards may be blind (not visible) to the other player, until the reveal phase, at the conclusion of the nesting phase, when both players have either decided to stand/stay or have busted. A blind bar (labeled asinandand then simply present as a solid bar in other drawing figures), symbolically indicates that at the moment illustrated, the cards are actually not visible to the opposite player.

During the initial deal, three (3) cards are dealt from the card deckto player one, creating a player one hand, and three cards are dealt from the card deckto player two, creating a player two hand.

Referring to, the players,can view their cards to determine the card value in their hand,, and the total value thereof. While the cards in the hands,are shown inas open for illustrative purposes, they would typically be maintained as blind to the opposite player during this stage of game play, as symbolically indicated by the blind bar.

During this opening phase of game play, each player has the option to discard “one or none”. When the card values in the player's hand exceed twenty-one (21), however, the player must discard one card-unless there are triples which the player intends to split. Since player onehas cards with card values that total twenty-five (25), now referring to, player one has discarded the six cardfrom the player one hand, which is then placed in a pond regionbetween player oneand player two. When one of the cards is placed in the pondit is positioned with the value sideA facing upwards, so that its numeric indiciaand thus its card value, can be seen by both players. As will be seen hereinbelow in other examples of a round of gameplay, one or both cards in the pond regioncan be taken (if available) and added to the player hand,(or nest as will be described hereinbelow) after at least one card has been taken from the card deckand added to the player hand,(or nest). When a player opts to discard “none”, the lowest card is turned upwards and may be stolen by the other player.

Note in, player twoalso has cards in the player hand with card values that total twenty-five (25). Thus, in, now that it is player two'sturn to discard “one or none”, player two has discarded the five cardand placed it in the pond region.

Next is the nesting phase, where each player,, seeks to have the value of their hand be twenty-one (21) without going over. The players,may take/draw one or more cardsfrom the deckuntil they are satisfied with the total of card values and thus “stand”, or exceed twenty-one (21) in which case they “bust”. At this point in the game, the player hand may be referred to as a nest. The player may have multiple nests following a split, as described further hereinbelow. Note, after one of the players has taken at least one card from the deck, that player may pick one or both of the cards from the pondto add to the hand or one of the nests, as will be seen in later examples. Taking one or more cards from the pond ends the nesting phase for the player

presents a very simple scenario for the nesting phase, wherein the value of the cards in the player one handis nineteen (19), and the value of the cards in the player two handis twenty (20). Both hands,are still blind to the opposite player,. And so, both players,are satisfied with their hands,, and do not wish to take additional cards. Accordingly, referring to, player one, makes the decision and communicates the intention to “stand” (or “stay”). Then player twocommunicates the decision to stand.

In the reveal phase, shown in, player onefirst reveals the player one handwith a total card value of nineteen (19), and then player tworeveals the player two handwith a total card value of twenty (20). Since the total value of the player two handis greater than the total value of the player one hand, player two is declared the winner of this round of play.

shows the initial deal of another round of game play, providing another example of the card game described herein. Note the designation of player onehas shifted to the position of the individualthat was the previous winner, by moving the player tokenadjacent to said individual. The value of the cards in the player one handtotals twenty-one (21). Referring to, player onedoes not discard any cards. Player two, however, discards the three cardfrom the player two handand places it in the pond position. Then, in the nesting phase, player onedecides to stand. Referring to, player twodraws a five cardfrom the deck, bringing the total value of the player two handto sixteen (16). Referring to, player twodecides to draw another card from the deck, which turns out to be a ten card, bringing the total of the player two handto twenty-six (26). Thus, player twobusts and player oneis declared the winner of the round.

shows the initial deal of another round of game play. In this example, a non-blind variation is illustrated, where all cards are on the table—to further understand how blind/non-blind variations will affect game play. Note the tokenhas remained in place as the designation of player onehas remained with the same individual, who won the previous round. Referring to, player onehas discarded the two cardfrom the player one handand placed it in the pond. Referring to, player twohas discarded the five cardfrom the player two handand placed it in the pond.

Referring to, now in the nesting phase, player onedraws a six cardfrom the deck, bringing the total value in the player one handto sixteen (16). Now referring to, since player onehas already drawn a card from the deck, player oneexercises the option to use the five cardfrom the pond, bringing the total value in the player one handto twenty-one (21). Player onestands. Referring to, the nesting phase continues as the turn switches to player two. Player twodraws a ten cardfrom the deck, bringing the total value of the player two handto twenty (20). Since this is a non-blind example, in, player twodecides to draw again, this time drawing a four cardfrom the deck, and busts. Player oneis declared the winner. Had the player one handbeen blind to player two, player twowould have been satisfied with a total card value of twenty (20), and would not have drawn a card. In this non-blind example, however, player twohas already lost unless a one card is drawn. Note that the remaining examples will be shown without the symbolic blind bar, as the game may be played in blind and non-blind variations. In addition, the remaining examples are not necessarily sequential and thus the location of the tokenwill not always be in sync with the preceding example.

shows the initial deal of yet another round of game play, wherein the player one handhas a total card value of twenty-five (25). Accordingly in, where an accelerated illustration of normally sequential events in game play is shown simultaneously, player oneplaces the five cardfrom the player one handinto the pond. Player twodoes not discard any cards. In the nesting phase, player onestands, with a total value in the player one handof twenty (20). Then player twostands with a total value in the player two handof twenty (20). During the reveal (if applicable), it is clear that both players have a card value of twenty (20), thus a push (tie) is declared. In a push, there is no winner, and therefore no exchange of points, or wagers, or bets paid. Also, the tokenremains in place, as does the designation of player one.

shows another accelerated illustration of game play. After the initial deal, a four cardand five cardare placed in the pondby the players,. During the nesting phase, player onestands without drawing any cards from the deck. Referring to, since player twohas a pair of ten cards, player twoexercises the option to split the ten cardsin the player two handinto two nestsA,B. Each nestA,B has its own total card value, which in this case is initially ten (10). Accordingly, player twodraws a card on each of the nestsA,B, drawing a six cardon one of the nestsA, and a five cardon the other of the nestsB. Then, referring to, player twochooses to take the four cardfrom the pond(), to place on one of the nestsA, and takes the five cardfrom the pond(), to place on the other of the nestsB-brining both nestsA,B to a total card value of twenty (20), making player twothe winner on both nestsA,B over the total card value of nineteen (19) in the player one hand.

Note that in variations of game plays, different rules may be applied with regard to wagering and points, in situations where one of the players plays multiple nests and wins (or loses) and the other player plays a single nest. Referring to, another example of game play is illustrated. In this variation of the game, there is a tiebreaker rule, such that when the other player splits, and the player obtains and equal total card value as the greater of the other player's splits, rather than a push, the player is declared the winner.

In the example of game play shown in, following the initial deal, player oneand player twoplace a seven cardand a two cardin the pond, leaving player onewith a pair of nine cards. Referring to, player onesplits the nine cardsinto two nestsA,B, and draws a ten cardfrom the deckfor one of the nestsA, and takes the two cardfrom the pond(see), bringing the total card value of that nestA to twenty-one (21). With the other nestB having a total card value of nineteen (19), then referring to, player onestands. As the turn reverts to player two, player twodraws a five cardfrom the deck, bringing the total card value for player twoto twenty-one (21). Referring to, with the tiebreaker rule applied, player twohas matched the higher of the two nestsA,B of player one, and is therefore the winner.

Another variation of rules and procedures regarding splits is shown in the game play example of. When points or wagers are being employed with game play, beating both splits of another player will earn the player two points (or twice the wager, etc.). Player oneachieved a total card value of nineteen (19) in the player one hand. Player two split a pair of ten cardsinto two nestsA,B, but then busted on both. Having beaten both nestsA,B, player oneis the winner, and is awarded two points, or the equivalent, for whatever scoring or wagering scheme is in place.

Now referring to an example of game play with a triple split, inplayer onehas triple ten cardswhich player oneintends to split, and thus does not discard any cards. Player oneis only permitted to keep all three ten cardsbecause they are triples. Player twomoves a nine cardto the pond. In, player onehas split the ten cardsinto three nestsA,B, andC. Referring to, player onedraws a two cardinto one of the nestsA, bringing the total card value of that nestA to twenty-one (21). With the other two nestsB,C having total card values of nineteen (19) and twenty (20), player onestands. Referring to, player twosplits a pair of three cardsinto two nestsA,B. After drawing cards from the deck, one of the nestsA reaches a total card value of twenty (20), and the other reaches twenty-eight (28) and therefore busts. Player onewins with a highest nest score of twenty-one (21) over the highest nest score of twenty (20) of player two.

illustrates a possible variation of game play. In this variation, if during the opening phase one of the players decides to keep all three cards, the lowest card may be stolen by the other player during the nesting round. If the game is being played blind, the player keeping all three cards must turn the lowest card over. Accordingly, following the initial deal, player onehas a total card value in the player one handof six (6), and player twohas a total card value in the player two handof twenty-one (21).

Referring to, player onehas chosen to put the three cardinto the pond. Player twohas chosen to keep all three cards. Thus, the five cardis placed face up and is available to be stolen from player two.

Game play continues into the nesting phase in, wherein player onehas drawn a ten cardfrom the deck, has taken the three cardfrom the pond(see), and has stolen the five cardfrom player twoto bring the total card value of the player one handto twenty-one (21). Thus, player onestands. Referring to, player twodraws a two card, another two card, and a one cardfrom the deck, bringing the total card count of the player two handalso to twenty-one (21). The result of this round of play is a push.

It is understood that the present card game and card deck may be implemented physically, and may also computer implemented, virtually. Accordingly, the representation of the card deck and game play on a display, smartphone screen, watch, or other computing device is within the scope of this application and potential patent issuing thereon.

It is understood that when an element is referred hereinabove as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present.

Moreover, any components or materials can be formed from a same, structurally continuous piece or separately fabricated and connected.

It is further understood that, although ordinal terms, such as, “first,” “second,” “third,” are used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, “a first element,” “component,” “region,” “layer” or “section” discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings herein.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, are used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It is understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device can be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. The term “substantially” is defined as at least 95% of the term being described and/or within a tolerance level known in the art and/or within 5% thereof.

Example embodiments are described herein with reference to cross section illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, example embodiments described herein should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions as illustrated herein, but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. For example, a region illustrated or described as flat may, typically, have rough and/or nonlinear features. Moreover, sharp angles that are illustrated may be rounded. Thus, the regions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region and are not intended to limit the scope of the present claims.

In conclusion, herein is presented a card game that involves an initial deal of three cards, an initial round where a player may discard a card, and the nesting play where a player may draw cards from the deck, split the player hand into multiple nests, and use one of the discarded cards in an attempt to reach twenty-one without going over. The disclosure is illustrated by example in the drawing figures, and throughout the written description. It should be understood that numerous variations are possible, while adhering to the inventive concept. Such variations are contemplated as being a part of the present disclosure.