Game, apparatus and method

Abstract

 A board game which simulates the playing of the player of poker. The game is comprised of a gridded game board (11) having a starting area (16) and certain card-designated quares, a number oftiles (13) representing two decks of cards, and holders (12) for each players' "hand". The game is placed by placing tiles onto the board (11) in a pattern which establishes poker hands and scoring points for the individual player.

Description

[0001] Various types of board games have been proposed and enjoy a fair degree of commercial acceptance. One problem with providing a game which may have world-wide acceptance is the difficulty in adapting a given game to the variety of languages used throughout the world. It is the object of. this invention to provide a game that will have world-wide appeal by simulating, by means of a board game, the playing of a world-wide known game. In accordance with this invention, a board game is provided for simulating the playing of poker, thus offering such wide appeal.

[0002] Many types of games, including board games, employ printed tiles. Such tiles must be imprinted with different legends and packaged for inclusion in the game. The disadvantage of such a construction is that considerable handling is required, there is the possibility of error in providing the necessary tiles for each game, and the cost attendant with such different handling steps.

[0003] It is, therefore, a further object of this invention to provide a method for printing and assembling the game tiles for a board game.

[0004] A first feature of this invention is adapted to be embodied in a game that comprises a game. board having spaces thereon adapted to receive tiles in aligned rows, a plurality of tiles each representing a respective playing card, and holders for each player. The holders are adapted to hold a number of tiles at least equal to those in a poker hand so as a poker game may be simulated on the board through the successive play of the participants.

[0005] Another feature of this invention is adopted to be embodied in a method of playing a game having the components noted in the preceding paragraph. In connection with this method, the game is played by each successive player from a poker hand on the board starting with a play area and building on a hand played by the preceding player.

[0006] Still another feature of this invention is adapted to be embodied in a method of printing and assembling tiles for a game. In conjunction with this method, a number of tiles to be printed are assembled in juxtaposed relationship on an adhesive tape. The thus assembled tile group is then imprinted by a suitable pressing operation.

[0007] The invention will be better understood be reference to the following description of one specific embodiment thereof as shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:-

Figure 1 is a top plan view illustrating a game board and its associated playing components embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the tile holders used in conjunction with the game.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a group of tiles used in conjunction with this game.

Figure 5 is a rear perspective view of the tile assemblage shown in Figure 4 illustrating the manner in which the tiles are retained together.

[0008] The game which forms the subject matter of this invention is a board game in which the players simulate the playing of a poker hand on the board. The game is scored by assigning specific values to each of the possible poker hands and being provided criteria by which individual hand scores may be doubled and trebled. The game is completed when the pool of cards has been completed and no further ." hands may be "played". The winner is the player who has accumulated the highest total score, once correction is made for the remaining "cards" in the players' hands. Referring now specifically to the drawings, the game parts include a game board, indicated generally by the reference numeral 11, a plurality of tile holders indicated generally by the reference numeral 12, and a number of tiles, each indicated by the reference numeral 13.

[0009] The game board 11 is divided into a grid forming a number of individual spaces 14, which are of approximately the. same size as the tiles 13. In the center of the board 11 there are two squares 15 that are separated by five squares and which squares 15 are marked in a suitable manner so-as to designate a starting area. "The center square of this group is also provided with the legend "STARTING ZONE". In the illustrated embodiment each of the squares 15 is marked with the legend of the four suits of a conventional deck of playing cards to further identify the starting zone.

[0010] Certain of the squares, including some lying between the starting area are marked, as at 16, with the legend of a card of the deck of cards. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the board 11 is marked so that squares 16 conform to each of the 52 cards of a conventional playing deck are marked. This marking may be done in any defined pattern and, as will be noted, the marked squares are used to obtain a double hand score.

[0011] The tile holders 12, as may be more apparent from an inspection of Figures 2 and 3, are formed from any suitable material such as a molded or extruded plastic. The tile holders 12, in a specific example, consist of interconnected legs 17 and 18 which form an inverted "V". A short leg 19 extends upwardly from the lower terminus of leg 18 so as to define an area for supporting one or more of the tiles 13, as shown in the phantom line of Figure 3. Preferably, the holders 12 are sufficiently long enough so as to hold at least five tiles 13 in a side-by-side relationship. Thus, each tile holder 12 is capable of holding the poker hand of each player.

[0012] The game is provided with a number of tiles 13 which conform to two complete decks of cards, plus four jokers; that is, 108 cards in total. The tiles 13 may be conveniently formed from plastic and each has the impression of its respective playing card printed or embossed on its face.

[0013] In order to facilitate the printing of the tiles and the packaging of them, a group of 27 tiles is placed in an assemblage of rows of three by nine and is affixed to an adhesive tear-off backing strip 21 (see figure 4 and 5). Thus, these 27 tiles will be arranged in a closely knit group. Four such groups comprise the total number of tiles in a game. Two groups may be imprinted with black printing ink and two groups may be printed with red printing ink by means of suitable press plates (not shown) which have the configuration of each of the playing cards and one joker of the two sets of a given color. In this way, two complete decks of cards and four jokers may be rapidly impressed and quickly packaged.

[0014] Referring again to Figure 1, the game board 11 may also be imprinted with a legend, indicated generally by the reference numeral 22, outside of the grid 14 and which indicates the value assigned to each of the well-known poker hands.

[0015] The game is played by separating the tiles 13 from the adhesive strip 21, which need only be done the first time the game is played and upon which the adhesive strip 21 may be discarded. The tiles 13 are then placed on a board or a suitable container with their legend facing downwardly so that they cannot be viewed. The tiles are then mixed randomly ("shuffled").

[0016] Each player, in turn, selects one or more tiles (cards) until a full five card poker hand has been established. Each hand is then placed in the respective player's holder 12 so that it may be viewed only by that player. Each player then declares his poker hand from the five tiles which he has before him and the player having the highest hand will play first. Remaining plays may be made in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction around the playing area, in the same manner as a poker hand is played and declared.

[0017] In the event no player has a poker hand, each player may discard one or more of his tiles to the pool and replenish them with new ones until one or more players have a hand with which the game may be commenced.

[0018] The starting player must make a poker hand on the board in the starting area between the identified squares 15. This poker hand may be made by placing from two to five of the initiating player's tiles. The initial hand laid on the board must cover the center square in the starting zone unless the hand comprises more than one or two pairs and must be horizontal across the board between these two squares 15. Any hand played in the starting area receives a score as indicated by the legend 22 and/or associating rules and will automatically be doubled as being within the starting zone. If the starting player also plays one card in the starting zone which corresponds to that which has been designated by a marked square 16, in the example a Jack of Diamonds, the hand also is a double hand. With a double, double as the illustrated embodiment, the hand scores three times its original score. If both Jack of Diamonds had been played at the starting area, the score would be accorded three doubles, and in accordance with the games rules would be scored at four times the original score.

[0019] In playing the initial hand and all subsequent hands, the hands cannot be intermixed. That is, the cards of a straight must be placed in their numeral progression and those of pairs or three of a kind must be placed next to each other.

[0020] Once the first player has played his hand, he immediately replenishes his hand from the pool by taking a like number of tiles to those which he has played.

[0021] The first player or any subsequent player may play the joker as a card in his hand, as with the normal game of poker. If he does so, he must declare the card by number and suit which the joker represents. Any subsequent player having this actual card may, when his turn is reached, substitute the actual card from his hand for he joker on the board. Thus, this player will substitute the joker into his hand so that he can subsequently play it.

[0022] The turn now passes to the next player. The next player may use his tiles (cards) in conjunction with those which have already been played upon the board to arrive at a new hand. For instance, if a pair has been played on the board 11, and the next player has a card of that same pair, he may play this and thus obtain a three-of-a-kind hand. In a like manner, two pairs may be upgraded to a full house, or three of a kind may be upgraded to four of a kind. Alternately, the second player need not extend the existing hand horizontally but may form a hand with it in a vertical direction. No diagonal hands are, however, permitted.

[0023] The second player may place one of his hands over the starting squares 15. He cannot play, however, to make a hand which exceeds five cards in a row. In addition to making a hand in conjunction with a hand already on the board, the second player may exchange a joker which he holds for a designated card on the board. He also has the option of passing and missing his turn or replacing one or more of his cards with those in the pool by returning his held cards to the pool and substituting other ones for them. No play other than making of a hand on the board 11 will, however, result in any score.

[0024] Each succeeding player may play according to any one of the four options and may build his hand with any hand which does appear on the board. Any new hand may use more than one existing hand on the board but a proper poker hand must result on the board horizontally or a vertical direction. Also the resulting hand may not exceed five cards.

[0025] The game continues until all cards have been taken from the pool and any one player has used all of his cards or no player can make further moves. At the completion, the winner is decided by adding up the scores of the hands placed by the individual players. Each player's score-is reduced by the number of cards remaining in his hand. For this purpose the unplayed joker counts as five points. If one player has used all of his cards, the total points of all unplayed cards of the remaining players shall be added to his score. The winner is, of course, the player with the highest score.

[0026] It is apparent that the game described may be readily played independently of the language spoken by the individual players since the rules of poker and the scoring of hands are well known throughout the world. A specific board layout has been described and a specific playing sequence has also been described. It is to be understood, however, that variations in board layout and rules may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A game comprising a game board having spaces thereon adapted to receiving tiles in aligned rows, a plurality of tiles each representing a respective playing card, and holders for each player adopted to hold a number of tiles at least equal to the number of cards in a poker hand.

2. A game as set forth in Claim 1 wherein the spaces of the game board provide vertical and.horizontal rows.

3. A game as set forth in Claim 1 wherein a legend is formed on a selection of the spaces of the game board -for defining a starting zone comprising five horizontally aligned spaces.

4. A game as set forth in Claim 1 wherein certain of the spaces are provided with legend identifying a respective playing card of a deck of cards.

5. A game as set forth in Claim 4 wherein a legend is formed on a selection of the spaces -of the game board for defining a starting zone comprising five horizontally aligned spaces.

6. A game as set forth in Claim 5 wherein the spaces of the game board provide vertical and horizontal rows.

7. A game as set forth in Claim 1 wherein a number of tiles are provided corresponding to two complete decks of cards and four jokers.

8. A method of playing a game consisting of a game board having spaces thereon adapted to receive tiles in aligned rows and a plurality of tiles each representing a respective playing card comprising the steps 'of each player selecting at random five of said tiles, the players in succession placing tiles from those selected by them on the board in the form of poker hands with each player being required to build upon the hand played by the preceding player, and according a score to each hand in proportion to its rank as a poker hand.

9. A method of playing a game as set forth in Claim 8 wherein certain of the spaces on the board are formed with legend indentifying particular cards in a deck of cards and doubling the score of the hand placed upon such squares if the player places the appropriate card on the square.

10. A method of playing a game as set forth in Claim 9 wherein the- board is also formed with legend identifying a' starting area comprised of five spaces horizontally aligned, the first player being required to play his hand in the designated starting area.

11. A method of playing a game as set forth in Claim 8 wherein the first player to start is determined by comparing the poker hands of the tiles selected by the respective players.

12. A method of playing a game as set forth in Claim 11 wherein each player replenishes his tiles from a pool after playing his hand.

13. The method of printing a plurality of tiles comprising the steps of forming a plurality of tiles, assembling the tiles on an adhesive strip, and subsequently printing legend on the tiles.

Drawing