US20090146376A1

US20090146376A1 - Trivia game

Info

Publication number: US20090146376A1
Application number: US11/952,566
Authority: US
Inventors: Dennis E. Green; Mary Lou Green
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-12-07
Filing date: 2007-12-07
Publication date: 2009-06-11

Abstract

A trivia game is played by first posing a trivia question having a numerical correct answer to all players. Each player records a numerical answer to the question. A number of rounds of wagering are conducted in which each player is allowed to wager whether that player's answer is the closest to the correct answer. An award is then made from the amounts wagered to the player remaining after the final round of wagering having the closest answer to the correct answer.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of trivia games. More specifically, the present invention discloses a trivial game using questions with numerical answers and wagering among the players.
2. Background of the Invention
The prior art in this field includes a variety of games that incorporate some of the elements of the present invention, such as trivia games and betting games. For example, the prior art includes a wide variety of well-known trivia games, such as Trivial Pursuit® (marketed by Horn Abbot Ltd. of Toronto, Canada) and Jeopardy® (marketed by Jeopardy Productions, Inc. of Culver City, Calif.). Typically in such games, points are awarded to players for correctly answering trivia questions. Each trivia question involves a fact answer that can either be answered correctly or incorrectly by the player. For example, if the question is: “Who was the sixteenth President of the United States?”, an answer of “Abraham Lincoln” would be correct. An answer of “James Buchanan” would be incorrect. The progress of such games is determined by the binary correct/incorrect nature of the players' answers.
“The Price Is Right” is a well-known television game show in which the contestants bids on prizes. After a predetermined number of bids, the player whose bid was closest to the correct value of the prize (without going over) wins it. At show's end, the player who has won the most (by dollar value) is declared the champion and returns to play again on the next episode.
Poker and other games that involve wagering by the players also have a long history. These games typically entail wagering on random events, such as the combinations of cards dealt to players, dice, or a rotating wheel, etc.
The prior art also includes knowledge-based betting games that combine elements of trivia games with wagering. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,474,647 (Zakhar) and 6,471,207 (Schlaifer), and U.S. Patent Application Publications 2001/0015527 (George) and 2006/0022406 (Stuart) disclose examples of board games that involve gambling on whether a player correctly answers a trivia question.
A number of casino games involve knowledge-based gaming. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,863,606 (Berg et al.) discloses an adaptation of the well-known “Family Feud” game as a casino video game machine. U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,073,793, 6,988,732 and 7,234,700 (Vancura) disclose an example of a casino game in which a knowledge-based game serves as a bonus game for an underlying game of chance, such as a slot machine. Other embodiments include a stand-alone knowledge-based casino game, and back-and-forth play between a knowledge-based game and a game of chance.
Thus, the present invention can be distinguished from the prior art in that the trivia questions in the present game require numerical answers, and the game incorporates wagering among the players as to which player's answer is closest to the correct answer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a trivia game that is played by first posing a trivia question having a numerical correct answer to all players, Each player records a numerical answer to the question. A number of rounds of wagering are conducted in which each player is allowed to wager whether that player's answer is the closest to the correct answer. An award is then made from the amounts wagered to the player remaining after the final round of wagering having the closest answer to the correct answer.
These and other advantages, features, and objects of the present invention will be more readily understood in view of the following detailed description and the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention can be more readily understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the game.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the components used in playing the game described in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the game.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating yet another embodiment of the game.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a question-and-answer game combining the skill and luck of poker with the intellectual challenge of trivia games. FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the game. FIG. 2 is a diagram of the game pieces used in the present game. This typically includes set of chips 42 for betting, a large number of question/answer cards 40, answer sheets 44 for recording the players' answers to questions, and a deck of “Governor” cards 46 for making random adjustments to the players' answers, as will be described below. The chips 42 are typically provided in a number of different colors, with each color having an assigned value for betting, similar to those used in poker. The chips 42 can be initially divided among the players at the beginning of the game. For example, all of the players can be given an equal number of chips. Each player also receives an answer sheet 44.
The questions used in the present game require a numerical answer such as a dimension, quantity, size, amount, capacity, height, depth, width, length, weight, volume, area, speed, age, cost, etc. The players do not have to guess the precise answer to win the hand. The winner merely needs to be closer to the correct answer than any other player. A sample question could be, “How many feet long is a regulation basketball court?” Another could be, “How far is it, in millions of miles, from the Earth to the Sun?” or, “What year was the Ford Mustang automobile first offered for sale in the USA?”
Like poker, the game is played in “hands” with each new question defining a new hand. Each hand includes up to four rounds of betting, with plenty of room for bluffing, raising, misdirection and second-guessing. The present game can also be played Texas Hold'em style with players going “all in.” Each player antes into the pot at the beginning of each new question round. The ante is an amount agreed upon by all the players.
The person who selects the question/answer card from the envelope is known as the “Questioneer.” The game proceeds in a clockwise direction around the table so with each new hand the next player takes a turn being the Questioneer. The Questioneer starts each hand by unsealing the envelope and removing a question/answer card. The Questioneer must be careful not to let any player (including Questioneer) see the answer on the back of the question card. In step 10 in FIG. 1, the Questioneer unseals an envelope, removes one of the cards, reads the question aloud and then places the card on the table with the question side facing up.
After hearing the question, each player writes his first answer in the designated box on his scorecard (step 12 in FIG. 1). Each player should be careful not to reveal his first answer to other players at this point.
In step 14 in FIG. 1, the players begin a first round of wagering. After all players have written their answers on their scorecards, the betting starts with the first player to the Questioneer's left. Each player can place a bet depending on how confident the player is that his first answer is the closest to the correct answer. The amounts wagered by the players are added to the pot. If a player is not sure he may “check” his bet to the next player, but to stay in the hand each player must equal the highest standing bet that follows. The conventional rules of poker can be used to govern wagering by the players, and are incorporated herein by reference.
In step 16, after all betting is finished in the first round of wagering, each player in turn reveals his first answer to the other players, beginning from the Questioneer's left. The Questioneer is the last to reveal his answer. Once the first answers are revealed to all of the players, each player may decide whether to keep his first answer or change it based on what the other players have written as their first answers.
In step 18 in FIG. 1, each player writes his “final answer” in the box below the first answer on his answer sheet, but conceals it from the other players. The second (and final) answer can be identical to the first answer, or it can be a different number. However, before writing a final answer, each player should consider his strategy. A player may think that another player knows more about the subject of a question, in which case it would make sense to copy the other player's first answer. On the other hand, a player may attempt to mislead the other players with his first answer, reserving his best guess for his final answer. On the other hand an opposing player's first answer could be the correct one because there is a reward for writing down the correct answer first and entering the same number for the final answer (as will be described below). If a player's first answer and final answer are the same and they turn out to be correct, (not considering the Governor card) each player must reward that player with a predetermined number of chips.
After the final answers have been written down on the answer sheets by each player, a second round of wagering begins in the same player order as the first round (step 20). Each player can place a bet depending on how confident the player is that his final answer will be the closest to the correct answer. Here again, betting can be conducted in accordance with the rules of poker and the amounts wagered are added to the pot.
In step 22, the Questioneer turns over the question card to reveal the correct answer to all of the players. However, at this point it is important for players to keep a poker face and not disclose their answers to the other players.
In step 24, a third round of betting begins in the same player order as previous rounds. At this point in the game, each player knows how close he is to the correct answer, but not how close the other players may be. If a player feels his final answer has no chance of winning that player may decide to fold (i.e., drop out of the third round of betting). Alternatively, a player may decide to stay in and bluff by placing a large bet to scare off the other players. On the other hand, if a player's answer is respectable and he feels good about his chances, the player may decide to stay in the hand and place a modest bet to keep other players in the game. The amounts wagered by the players go into the pot.
After the third round of betting is complete, the Governor cards 46 come into play. The Questioneer shuffles the deck of Governor cards 46. The player to his right then cuts the deck and the Questioneer deals one Governor card face down to each player in step 26. In one embodiment, Governor cards are numbered from 0 to 10 in both red and black. A red number is a minus and will be subtracted from the final answer on the player's answer sheet to give a total score (i.e., a final adjusted answer). A black number is a plus and will be added to the final answer on the player's answer sheet to arrive at a final adjusted answer.
Each player may look at his Governor card, but should not show it to the other players at this point. The Governor cards add an element of chance to the game, so as in poker, a player's best guess can be altered by the luck of the draw. That may feel frustrating if a player knows the correct answer, but all players are in the same boat. The Governor card keeps all players honest by preventing any player from gaining an unfair advantage resulting from prior play. In one embodiment, the deck contains six zeroes, which makes it more likely that a player will draw a zero than any other single number. This gives players with the correct answer a slight edge because a zero would not change their final answer.
The following example illustrates how each player's adjusted final answer is calculated. Consider the question, “How many million miles is it from the earth to the sun?” The answer is 93. If a player wrote 83 as his final answer and had a Governor card that is a black 7, his final answer of 83 would be incremented by 7 making a final adjusted answer of 90. At this time, each player may know how good his final answer is relative to the final answers of the other players, but does not know the other players' Governor cards. Let's say the final answer on another player's scorecard is 93. If his Governor card were a Black 2 his adjusted final answer would be 95, which is one closer to 93 than the first player's adjusted final answer of 90. If the second player's Governor card were a Red 4 he would have a final adjusted score of 89, so the first player's final adjusted score of 90 would be closer to the correct answer.
The final answers of all of the players are disclosed in step 28 in FIG. 1. After each player has seen his own Governor card, each player, in order, turns over his answer sheet so others can see his final answer. However, each player keeps his Governor card adjustment hidden at this point.
A fourth and final round of wagering is conducted in step 30. The first player to the left of the Questioneer begins. The final round can be played just like a final round in poker. Players may check their bet, raise or call other players, with the amount wagered going into the pot.
The players' Governor cards are revealed to the other players in step 32. When one player calls a bet and there are no more raises, all players still in the game turn over their Governor cards to see whose final adjusted score is closest to the correct answer. The player with the closest adjusted final answer is awarded some or all of the pot in step 34. If two or more players tie by having the same answer, or by being an equal distance above or below the correct answer, nobody wins and the pot is carried over to the next hand. Alternatively, the pot could be split among the players having the closest final adjusted answers.
Optionally, the game can include a reward for players whose answers exactly match the correct answer. One embodiment of the present invention entails a “smart reward” (step 36) that is awarded when any player's first and final answers are identical and match the correct answer. Each player is rewarded for superior knowledge by receiving a predetermined number of chips (e.g., three) from every other player. The winner of the hand is also eligible for this reward.
At the conclusion of each question round, the game moves on to the next hand as shown in FIG. 1, until the game is over. Players may agree on a number of different ways to end the game: (1) The game can be played in a Texas Hold'em style which continues until one player owns all the chips; (2) Play ends when a set of ten questions has been completed and the player with the most chips wins; or (3) A preset amount of time elapses and the player with the most chips wins. Typically, regardless of the reason for ending the game, the player with the most chips wins.
It should be noted that if players elect a Texas Hold'em style game, no player can go “all in” until after the Governor card has been dealt and the final round of betting begins. If a player goes “all in” and the hand results in a tie or the player choosing to go “all in” loses the hand, the player calling the bet wins all of the chips and they are not carried over to the next hand. In a Texas Hold'em game when a player loses all of his chips, he is out of the game. In any other style game players may buy chips from other players to stay in the game. The “Smart Reward” does not apply in the “all in” style scenario.
In one embodiment of the present game, the question/answer cards are packaged in groups of ten in sealed envelopes. The sealed envelopes guarantees “fresh use.” Even if someone has played the game elsewhere, experience shows that they are as likely to remember an incorrect answer as a correct one, which makes the game very playable regardless of the players' past experiences. The questions can be reshuffled and reused. Also new question series releases can be distributed via a web site. Even if a player knew all the answers that player would not be certain to win because the Governor cards add or subtract from the player's answer. The Governor card is similar to the River Card in Texas Hold'em, as described above.
It should be understood that use of the Governor cards is optional and that random adjustments to the players' final answers could be omitted. Alternatively, other types of random adjustments could be substituted for the Governor cards, such as rolling dice, spinning a wheel or dial, or an electronic random number generator. In addition, other types of betting or rules for betting could be readily substituted. For example, the number of rounds of wagering and the points at which they occur in the game can be changed. It should also be understood that questions could be presented to the players by means other than printed question/answer cards. For example, sets of questions and answers could be stored in an electronic device or distributed via the internet. Finally, the entire game can be implemented in any of a number of formats, such as an electronic game or an internet-based system.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a second embodiment of the game. This embodiment begins, as before, with each player receiving a stack of chips for betting. In FIG. 3, each player must initially ante an agreed amount to play each question round. A secure envelope containing question cards is unsealed and placed in the center of the table with a blank card placed on top of the stack covering the content of the cards below. After all players have anted into the pot, the Questioneer picks a card from the top of the stack and places it in the center of the table with the question facing up and the answer facing down.
In step 10 in FIG. 3, the Questioneer reads the question to the other players. An example question on the card might be: “In 2006, a poll was taken to determine what percentage of the American people claimed that football was their favorite sport to watch on television? What was that percentage?
In step 12, each player writes his first answer on an answer sheet, but at this time does not reveal the answer to other players. In a percentage question the player writes a specific number such as 37%.
After all players have written their answer the first round of betting begins in step 14. Beginning with the Questioneer, each player bets in turn whatever amount they choose. Players may check their bet or raise a previous player's bet. As in poker, each player stays in the hand by equaling the bet of the previous players. If one player raises the bet, the next player must bet an equal amount or drop out of the hand.
When all betting is finished each player reveals his first answer in step 16. Once the answer sheets are all revealed and each player sees what the others have guessed, each player decides to keep his answer or change it based on what he might have learned from the other players' answers. Each player then writes a second answer on the line under the first answer on the answer sheet in step 18. This second answer is kept hidden from the other players and now becomes their final answer.
In step 20, a second round of betting begins by the person who placed the original first bet. If he chooses not to bet he may check to the next player, and so forth until the second round of betting is done. Here again, player strategy should be considered. Because players may not know anything about a question and may think that another player knows more about the subject, they may copy the other player's first answer if they choose. However, a player may mislead other players with his first answer in order to throw them off. Then he may write down his best answer after the first answers are revealed but before the second round of betting begins.
After the second round of betting is closed, the question card in the center of the table is turned over to reveal the correct answer in step 22 to all of the players. Players should keep their poker faces on and not reveal their emotions regarding how close their answer may be to the correct answer.
In step 24, a third and final round of betting begins with the player who started the hand. Each player can now measure how close his final answer is to the correct answer, but he does not know the final answers of the other players. As in poker, a player may feel that his answer is the closest to being correct, or it may even be exact, and so he may place a large bet to increase the pot. Or he may see that his answer is not even close, but bluffs by placing a large bet to scare off the other players.
In step 28 in FIG. 3, after the third round of betting is complete, beginning with the player who started the hand, each player in turn reveals his answer by turning over his answer sheet. The winning answer will not be apparent until the last player's answer is revealed. As before, the pot is awarded to the player whose final answer is closest to the correct answer (step 34). If two or more players tie by having the same answer, or by being an equal distance above or below, the pot is carried over to the next question round. In other words, if the correct answer was 38% and one player wrote 34% as their final answer and another wrote 42% as their final answer they would both be closest to the correct answer, but as in a skins golf game the chips would carry over to the following hand. If someone had answered 35% they would be closest to 38% and therefore would be the sole winner. Optionally, a “smart reward” can be given to any player having a final answer that exactly matches the correct answer (step 36 in FIG. 3).
The game continues to the next question round as shown in FIG. 3 with each player placing a new ante in the new pot and a new question card drawn by the next player going clockwise from the player who started the game. The game ends when one person has won all of the money or when everyone decides it is time to cash in their chips.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of another embodiment of the present game that includes a “Pokernoggin” icon. The Questioneer is the temporary holder of the Pokernoggin, which comes into play at the end of each question round. With each new question, the Pokernoggin passes clockwise to the next Questioneer. The Pokernoggin is used exclusively by the Questioneer to steal an answer from one of the other players, as will be explained in step 29 below.
As before, each player initially buys or receives a stack of chips for placing wagers. The ante begins each new question round. The Questioneer starts each hand by unsealing an envelope, removing one of the question/answer cards and reading it to the other players (step 10). After hearing the question, each player writes a first answer on his answer sheet, without revealing it to the other players (step 12).
After all players have written their answers, the first round of betting starts with the first player to the Questioneer's left. Each player bets in turn that they will have the closest answer to the correct answer printed on the back of the card (step 14). Players may check their bet or raise a previous players bet, but they must equal the highest standing bet to stay in the hand.
When all betting is finished each player, in turn beginning from the left of the Questioneer, reveals his first answer to the other players (step 16). The Questioneer is the last to reveal.
Once the first answers are all revealed and each player sees what the others have guessed, each player decides whether to keep his answer or change it based on what he believes he may have learned from the other players first answers. Each player then writes a second, final answer in the box under the first answer, and conceals his answer from the other players (step 18). The second answer can be the same as the first or different.
A second round of wagering (step 20) begins in the same order as the first round. A player may check his bet to the next player, and so forth until the second round of betting is complete. After the second round of betting is closed, the Questioneer turns the card over to reveal the correct answer (step 22). A third and final betting round (step 24) begins with the first player to the left of the Questioneer making the first wager. At this point in the game each player knows how close he is to the correct answer, but doesn't know how close the other players may be.
Once the third round of betting is complete, each player in turn, beginning with the player to the Questioneer's left, turns over the answer on his answer sheet (step 28). The winning answer will not be apparent until the last player's answer is revealed.
At this point, this embodiment diverges from the previous embodiments in that the Questioneer may steal part of an answer from another player (step 29). The Questioneer holding the Pokernoggin icon now has the power to steal a fraction of any player's answer, including his own. When the first player to the Questioneer's left reveals his final answer, the Questioneer counts the difference between the player's answers and the correct answer, and may add or subtract that difference to his own answer. For example, assume the correct answer to the question is 9. The first player to the Questioneer's left answered 6, so the difference between his answer and the correct answer is 3. The Questioneer, who will be the last player to show his hand, has guessed 5 on his scorecard, so he can apply 3 to his answer making him closer to being correct. If the Questioneer wants to steal the 3, he shouts “Pokernoggin!” and places the icon beside the other player's answer, thereby adjusting his own answer from 5 to 8. While the correct answer of 9, his adjusted score is closer to being correct than his original guess of 5. If the Questioneer decides that 8 is not good enough to win the hand, he may wait and not play the Pokernoggin icon until he sees the next player's answer. It doesn't matter whether a player's answer is higher or lower than the correct answer. The Questioneer can steal the difference between the numbers. However, once he passes on a player he may not go back and play the Pokernoggin on a prior player.
The Questioneer may use the difference between the correct answer and his own answer to adjust his score. If he knows that using his own answer will get him very close or even exact, he might not play the Pokernoggin until after he sees the last answer. The Questioneer's big decision is when to play the Pokernoggin icon. Playing too soon might not get the exact answer, but playing it too late could be even worse. Knowing the answer on his own scorecard gives him a worst case adjusted score, if he waits until the end and plays the Pokernoggin icon on himself. He does not have to play the Pokernoggin icon if he chooses not to.
As in the previous embodiments, the player who guessed closest to the correct answer wins the hand and the chips in the pot (step 34). If two or more players tie by having the same answer, or by being an equal distance above or below, the pot is carried over to the next question hand. The game continues with each player placing a new ante in the new pot and a new question card drawn by a new Questioneer who will be the next player to the left of the prior Questioneer.
The above disclosure sets forth a number of embodiments of the present invention described in detail with respect to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in this art will appreciate that various changes, modifications, other structural arrangements, and other embodiments could be practiced under the teachings of the present invention without departing from the scope of this invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A game comprising a plurality of question rounds, each round including the steps of:

posing a trivia question having a numerical correct answer to all players;

each player recording a numerical answer to the question;

conducting at least one round of wagering in which each player is allowed to wager whether that player's answer is the closest to the correct answer; and

making an award from the amounts wagered to the player remaining after wagering having the closest answer to the correct answer.

2. The game of claim 1 wherein the wagering is conducted according to the rules of poker.

3. The game of claim 1 further comprising making an award to each player having an answer that equals the correct answer.

4. The game of claim 1 wherein any player not matching previous amounts wagered in any round of wagering is not allowed to participate in subsequent wagering for that question round.

5. The game of claim 1 further comprising an initial ante by all players at the start of each question round, and wherein the initial antes and the amounts wagered in all of the rounds of wagering for each question round create a pot that is awarded to the player having the closest answer to the correct answer.

6. The game of claim 1 further comprising the following steps after posing a trivia question to the players:

each player recording a numerical first answer to the question;

conducting at least one first round of wagering in which each player is allowed to wager whether that player's first answer will be the closest to the correct answer; and

disclosing each player's first answer to the other players.

7. A game comprising a plurality of question rounds, each round including the steps of:

posing a trivia question having a numerical correct answer to all players;

each player recording a numerical first answer to the question;

conducting at least one first round of wagering in which each player is allowed to wager whether that player's answer will be the closest to the correct answer;

disclosing each player's first answer to the other players;

each player recording a numerical final answer to the question;

conducting at least one second round of wagering in which each player is allowed to wager whether that player's final answer is the closest to the correct answer; and

making an award from the amounts wagered to the player remaining after the final round of wagering having the closest answer to the correct answer.

8. The game of claim 7 wherein the wagering is conducted according to the rules of poker.

9. The game of claim 7 wherein any player not matching previous amounts wagered in any round of wagering is not allowed to participate in subsequent wagering for that question round.

10. The game of claim 7 further comprising making an award to each player having a final answer that equals the correct answer.

11. The game of claim 7 further comprising an initial ante by all players at the start of each question round, and wherein the initial antes and the amounts wagered in all of the rounds of wagering for each question round create a pot that is awarded to the player having the closest answer to the correct answer.

12. A game comprising a plurality of question rounds, each round including the steps of:

posing a trivia question having a numerical correct answer to all players;

each player recording a numerical first answer to the question;

disclosing each player's first answer to the other players;

each player recording a numerical final answer to the question;

conducting at least one second round of wagering in which each player is allowed to wager whether that player's final answer is the closest to the correct answer;

disclosing the correct answer to the players;

conducting at least one third round of wagering in which each player is allowed to wager whether the player's final answer is the closest to the correct answer;

distributing a card to each player indicating a random adjustment to the player's final answer;

disclosing each player's final answer to the other players;

conducting at least one fourth round of wagering in which each player is allowed to wager whether the player's adjusted final answer is the closest to the correct answer;

disclosing each player's random adjustment to the other players; and

making an award from the amounts wagered to the player remaining after the final round of wagering having the closest adjusted final answer to the correct answer.

13. The game of claim 12 further comprising making an award to each player having a final answer that equals the correct answer.

14. The game of claim 12 wherein the wagering is conducted according to the rules of poker.

15. The game of claim 12 wherein any player not matching previous amounts wagered in any round of wagering is not allowed to participate in subsequent wagering for that question round.

16. The game of claim 12 further comprising an initial ante by all players at the start of each question round, and wherein the initial antes and the amounts wagered in all of the rounds of wagering for each question round create a pot that is awarded to the player having the closest answer to the correct answer.