Method of playing a poker game

Abstract

A method of playing an improved version of Texas Hold'em poker is disclosed which includes providing any player the opportunity prior to the exposure of the fifth community or river card to declare that such player is ahead in the hand (has the best poker hand) among the other players still in the hand at the time of declaration and guaranteeing any player who correctly makes such a declaration a portion of the pot regardless of whether the player has the best poker hand at the conclusion of the hand. This improved method allows players to protect themselves against and reduce the magnitude and frequency of bad beats inflicted by the extremely large number of inexperienced players that dominate Texas Hold'em poker.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION[0001]This invention relates generally to poker games and methods, and more particularly to a method for playing a poker game that is an improvement and variation to the “Texas Hold'em” poker game.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Numerous poker games currently exist. Each poker game has different rules and variations thereof and numerous patents have been granted in the field of methods for playing poker games. Some examples of poker games include: Texas Hold'em poker, five card draw poker, five card stud poker, seven card stud poker, Caribbean stud poker and Omaha poker. Poker games can differ in many ways, including whether a player plays against other players or against a dealer, whether community cards are available for all players to use, whether some of a player's cards are exposed to the player's opponents, the number of cards given to each player, whether a player may exchange received cards for new cards and when and how betting occurs. Although there are ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0029]The present invention is further directed to an improved version of Texas Hold'em poker that allows players to protect themselves and reduce their exposure to inexperienced or poor play and bad luck, thereby reducing the magnitude and frequency of bad beats inflicted by the large number of inexperienced players that dominate Texas Hold'em poker, by providing players the option, prior to the exposure of the river card, of declaring that their hand is “ahead” (is the best poker hand (or, in the alternative, is the hand that has the best chance to become the best poker hand at the conclusion of the hand)) among the hands of other players remaining in the hand at the exact time of declaration (or, in the alternative, among the hands of the other players remaining in the hand at the end of the betting round in which a declaration was made) and by guaranteeing any player who correctly makes such a declaration a predetermined portion of the pot regardless of whether the player has the best poker hand at the conclusion of the hand.

Problems solved by technology

While there have been many positive effects of Texas Hold'em's increased popularity, notably greater coverage of the game in both print and televison and increased opportunities to play, there have been negative effects as well.

Their presence and resulting poor play have led to countless frustrations and “bad beats” among more experienced and sophisticated players, fundamentally altering the nature of the game for the worse.

The problem is particulary acute online where the faceless nature of playing on the internet has reduced the normal reputational costs of poor play and immature behavior present in live play.

Experienced players usually do not call large bets (especially large bets into small pots) to chase cards because the odds (often called the pot odds) of being successful do not warrant the play.

Similarly, inexperienced players often chase cards to make a straight.2. Playing Too Many Hands.

Inexperienced players like to play too many hands.

That is, inexperienced players call or raise pre-flop with weak or “garbage” hole cards.

Inexperienced players like to bluff (calling or raising large amounts with poor hands) too many times, often going “all-in” in doing so.

While strategic bluffing is undoubtedly part of Texas Hold'em, experienced players do not bluff or move all-in excessively because it diminishes the power of their future bluffs and “all-in” moves and increases the likelihood that their opponents will call on future hands.

The fundamental problem with these and other poor Texas Hold'em plays is that poor play is rewarded too frequently in Texas Hold'em.

That is, while the odds of a poor move paying off are low, they are not low enough to discourage the ubiquitous inexperienced player from making them.

In the long run over hundreds of hands against hundreds of different opponents, such poor and inexperienced play is not profitable.

However, in the short run on any particular hand against any particular opponent such poor play does in fact pay off 2.2%, 19.6% and 12.4% of the time in the examples above.

In such cases, the player beaten by a poor play is said to have had a “bad beat” or have been unlucky.

Such bad beats are particularly problematic in No-Limit Texas Hold'em because a player's entire chip stack or money can and often is at risk, and many experienced players have lost all of their chips or money because of such “bad beats.” Thus while poor play is not profitable for the inexperienced player over the long run to the benefit of the entire field of players, it can and does result in disaster to individual players who receive bad beats.

The plight of individual players subjected to bad beats has resulted in the creation of several colorful and derogatory names for their inexperienced but lucky opponents: “fish,”“donkey,” and “suckout.” Although occasional bad beats have historically been part of the game, the domination of the game by the inexperienced, making poor play after poor play, has altered the nature of the game: bad beats are too common and some players fearing bad beats elect not to follow usually optimal strategies.

The only attempts at reducing the negative effects of the large number of inexperienced players on Texas Hold'em and poor play have related to the size of the stakes.

In fact, serious debate is taking place as to whether to increase the buy-in amount for the Main Event at the World Series of Poker, Texas Hold'em's most prestigious event, because of the effects of too many inexperienced players in the event.

This is not a solution for players that do not want to play for high amounts.