JP6871226B6 - Card shooter device and table game system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a card shooter device and a table game system having a fraud prevention function in a card game such as baccarat that uses a playing card (hereinafter, simply referred to as a card).

In various playing games such as poker, baccarat, bridge, or blackjack, the dealer sets one or more decks of playing cards in a card shooter, etc., and pays out one by one to the game participants. Distribute. At this time, in order to ensure the fairness of the game, it is necessary to randomly deal those cards, so the game organizer shuffles the playing cards sufficiently randomly before setting them in the card shooter. Must be placed in different arrangements.

A conventional card shuffling device for shuffling cards is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

International Publication WO2009 / 069708 Gazette

Shuffled playing cards used in various playing games such as poker, baccarat, bridge, or blackjack usually consist of 416 cards for eight decks, but for some reason shuffled playing. There is a non-zero chance that the cards will be arranged in a specific order (for example, 10 ace cards in a row) rather than randomly. If such a card set that is not randomly shuffled is set in a card shooter or the like and used in a game, there arises a problem that the game is not played fairly. In a card game, the arrangement of cards appearing in the game is important, and cards appear according to this arrangement, and the outcome of the card game is also determined by the arrangement.

The present invention has been made under the above background, and an object of the present invention is to detect a situation in which shuffled playing cards used in a card game are not randomly arranged at the time of distribution of cards to a table by a card shooter. It is to provide a card shooter and table game system and methods to prevent unfair games from being played and to prevent a particular set of cards that should not be dealt from being dealt to the game table.

In order to solve the above problems, the table game system of the present invention includes a shuffle playing card in which a predetermined number of cards in which information indicating the rank of the card is normally invisible as a code are shuffled in advance.
A table game system equipped with a card shooter device for storing the shuffle playing cards on a game table and manually distributing the stored cards to the game table one by one.
The card shooter device is
A card storage unit for storing the shuffle playing card and
An opening for taking out cards one by one from the card storage unit,
A card reading unit that reads the code attached to the card drawn from the card storage unit onto the game table, and a card reading unit.
A control unit that stores the rules of the card game and determines the outcome of the card game according to the rules of the card game based on the information of the card read by the card reading unit.
A display unit that outputs the winning / losing result determined by the control unit, and
Have,
The control unit stores the information of the cards read by the card reading unit for a predetermined number of cards, and the shuffle playing stored in the card storage unit based on the information of the cards read by the card reading unit. It has a shuffle check function that detects abnormalities in the arrangement of cards and outputs an abnormal alarm.
The abnormality in the arrangement of the shuffle playing cards is
(1) Cases (1, 2, 3, 4 to K) in which the rank increases (decreases) by 1 in order for a predetermined number of sheets.
(2) Cases in which the same rank continues for a predetermined number (A, A, A, A ~),
(3) Cases in which the cards repeat the same sequence a predetermined number of times (A, Q, 10, A, Q, 10),
(4) Cases in which the same suit continues for more than the specified number (hearts, hearts, 13 hearts, etc.),
(5) Cases where the arrangement of pre-registered cards matches the specified number of cards,
(6) A case in which a card that appears and a card that appeared 52 cards ago have the same suit and rank for multiple cards in succession.
(7) Cases that correspond to cases in which abnormal cases are specified and registered in advance,
It has a structure that is at least one of.

According to the present invention, a situation in which shuffled playing cards used in a card game are not randomly arranged is detected at the time of distribution of cards by a card shooter to a table, and a situation in which a fair game is not played is prevented. A table game system can be provided that prevents a particular set of cards that should not be dealt from being dealt to the game table in a predetermined number of anomalies.

The perspective view which shows the whole outline of the table game system of this embodiment. The perspective view of the shuffle playing card used for the table game system of this embodiment. Top view of the card according to the embodiment of the present invention. Overall configuration diagram of the card shooter device. (A) A plan view showing an example of an arrangement abnormality of cards detected by the card shooter device, and (b) a plan view showing another example of the card abnormality. An enlarged plan view of a main part in a state where the card guide of the card shooter device is partially broken. The figure which shows the relationship between the output waveform of a sensor and a mark in the card shooter device.

An embodiment of the table game system of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall outline of the table game system of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shuffle playing card used in the table game system of the present embodiment. The shuffle playing card 1s used in the table game system of the present embodiment is provided in a state in which the cards 1 constituting a predetermined number of decks (usually 6, 8 or 10 decks) are shuffled in a random arrangement. Will be done. On the game table, the shuffle playing cards 1s are stored in the card shooter device 2 in a state of being bundled by a binding band (B), and after being stored, the band (B) is released to remove the band (B) and shuffle. Make the playing card 1s ready to deal card 1 one by one. During the game, the card 1 is dealt by the dealer from the card shooter device 2 to the game table.

A cut card 1c is inserted into the shuffle playing card 1s before being set in the card shooter device 2. The cut card 1c is inserted into the latter half of the shuffle playing card 1s (the rest is about one-fourth or one-fifth) when the shuffle playing card 1s is used in the game. In the cut card 1c, the rank of each card 1 distributed during the game is counted by the player or the like, and about 20 to 40 cards 1 are placed in the card shooter device 2 in order to prevent the rank of the remaining few cards from being predicted. Used to end the game at that game table, leaving it behind. FIG. 3 shows cards 1 constituting the shuffle playing card. On the card 1 used for a table game such as baccarat, numbers are coded and printed with UV ink or the like which is normally invisible. In FIG. 3, the code 3 composed of the mark M is provided point-symmetrically on the upper side and the lower side of the card 1.

In FIG. 4, the card shooter device 2 for implementing the table game system of the present invention has a card guide unit 7 for guiding cards 1 drawn out one by one from the card storage unit 5 toward the game table 6, and a card storage unit. It has a code reading unit 8 that reads a code 3 representing a number (number, rank) of the card 1 from the card 1 when the card 1 is withdrawn from the card 1. Further, the rules of the card game for determining the victory or defeat of the card game (the baccarat game in the present embodiment) are memorized, and the victory or defeat of the card game is based on the number (rank) of the cards 1 read by the code reading unit 8. A control unit 12 for determining the above is provided. The control unit 12 stores the rules of the card game in advance in the memory 13 described later, and determines the victory or defeat between the player and the bunker from the total number of hands (ranks) consisting of several cards 1 dealt. .. This determination result is displayed by the output means 11 (consisting of a plurality of lamps).

The control unit 12 has a memory 13 that stores information on the cards 1 read by the card reading unit 8 for a predetermined number of cards, stores the arrangement of the shuffle playing cards 1s, and if there is an abnormality described later, It has a function to detect this abnormality. When an abnormality in the arrangement of the shuffle playing cards 1s stored in the card storage unit 5 is detected, a card arrangement abnormality alarm is notified to the casino management department or the pit via the external output means 100. Further, the arrangement abnormality lamp 101 of the card 1 and the liquid crystal display unit 102 display an abnormality and notify the dealer or the like. As a means for outputting an abnormality alarm, a wired or wireless communication means is used.

The output of the abnormality alarm is a two-stage warning system, and the first stage is a dealer that displays a warning on the liquid crystal display 102, which is the side display of the card shooter device 2, and distributes the cards when an abnormality is detected. Only allows this to be known. Next, in the second stage, the final abnormality display is output after the end of the game in which the abnormality has occurred. In this case, the casino management department or the pit is notified of the card arrangement abnormality alarm via the external output means 100, and the card 1 arrangement abnormality lamp 101 is further lit.

Next, the card arrangement abnormality will be described. A typical example of card misalignment is shown in FIG. FIG. 5A shows an example in which, as a result of withdrawing the card 1 from the card accommodating portion 5, the card 1 has the same suit (club) and the numbers (number, rank) start from the ace and gradually increase one by one. FIG. 5B shows an example in which nine cards of the same rank (3) are arranged in succession as a result of the card 1 being pulled out from the card storage unit 5. The shuffle playing card 1s is originally shuffled by a random number generator or the like so as to have a random arrangement, and the above arrangement indicates that the shuffle playing card 1s is not normally shuffled, and is determined to be abnormal. Will be done. Examples of possible abnormalities, including the above abnormalities, are summarized below.
(1) Cases in which the ranks increase (decrease) by 1 in order for a predetermined number of sheets (1, 2, 3, 4 to K (FIG. 5 (a))).
(2) Cases in which the same rank continues for a predetermined number of sheets (A, A, A, A to) FIG. 5 (b),
(3) Cases in which the cards repeat the same sequence a predetermined number of times (A, Q, 10, A, Q, 10),
(4) Cases in which the same suit continues for more than the specified number (hearts, hearts, 13 hearts, etc.),
(5) A case in which the arrangement of pre-registered cards matches a predetermined number of cards (a case in which the arrangement of individual cards in the manufacturing process appears, and this can also be determined to be an abnormality that has not been shuffled.
These abnormal patterns are stored in the memory 13 in advance, and when the information of the card 1 read by the control unit 12 by the card reading unit 8 is compared with the information of the card 1, the predetermined number of cards 1 matches the abnormal pattern. It is a mechanism to judge this as abnormal.

As an abnormality in the arrangement of shuffle playing cards (5) In the case where the arrangement of pre-registered cards matches a predetermined number of cards, the appearance card and the card appearing 53 cards before are in the same suit and rank. It is conceivable that multiple cards will occur in succession. This makes it possible to detect an abnormal case in which cards appear in the same pattern arrangement in units of 52 cards without being shuffled for some reason when shuffling multiple decks. As another abnormal case, it is conceivable to define the arrangement of cards peculiar to the manufacturing process that occurs in the card manufacturing stage as an abnormality and store it in advance.

An abnormality in the arrangement of shuffle playing cards is a case where an abnormal state occurs continuously for a predetermined number of cards, but as a stage before the predetermined number of abnormalities continue, if an abnormality notice is output several cards before the predetermined number of cards, it is further increased. good. The content indicates a notice different from the final warning, and is output by, for example, characters or colors, or different lamps. In addition, since it is only a notice, the warning notice will be canceled if the appearing cards do not continue for a predetermined number and return to a random state.

Next, the details of the code reading unit 8 that reads the code 3 from the card 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view of a main part of the card shooter device 2. In the figure, there is a partially enlarged part for explanation, so there is an error in the relative dimensions. The code reading unit 8 is provided in the card guide unit 7 that guides the cards 1 taken out one by one from the opening 13 in front of the card storage unit 5 onto the game table 6. The card guide portion 7 has an inclined surface, and card guides 14 that also serve as sensor covers are attached to the edges on both sides. Further, each of the two card guides 14 can be attached and detached with screws or the like (not shown). When the card guide 14 is removed, the sensor group 15 of the code reading unit 8 is exposed. The sensor group 15 is composed of four sensors, two ultraviolet reaction sensors (UV sensors) 20, 21 and an object detection sensor 22, 23.

The object detection sensors 22 and 23 are optical fiber type sensors that detect the presence or absence of the card 1. The object detection sensor 22 is located on the upstream side of the card guide unit 7 along the flow direction of the card 1, and the other object detection sensor 23 is located on the downstream side. As shown in the figure, both object detection sensors 22 and 23 are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side with the UV sensors 20 and 21 interposed therebetween. The UV sensors 20 and 21 include an LED (ultraviolet LED) that emits ultraviolet rays and a detector. The code M is printed on the card 1 with ultraviolet light emitting ink that develops color when exposed to ultraviolet rays, the card 1 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays (black light), and the reflected light of the mark M of the code 3 of the card 1 is detected. Detected by the vessel. The UV sensors 20 and 21 are connected to the control unit 12 of the code reading unit 8 via a cable. In the code reading unit 8, the combination of the marks M is determined from the output signals of the detectors of the UV sensors 20 and 21, and the number (rank) corresponding to each code 3 is determined.

The code reading unit 8 is controlled by the control unit 12 to start and stop reading the UV sensors 20 and 21 based on the detection signals of the object detection sensors 22 and 23. Further, the control unit 12 also determines whether or not the card 1 has normally passed through the card guide unit 7 based on the detection signals of the object detection sensors 22 and 23. As shown in FIG. 3, square marks M representing the rank (number) and suit (heart, spade, etc.) of the card are arranged in two columns and four rows on the edge of the card 1. When the UV sensors 20 and 21 detect the mark M, they output an on signal. The code reading unit 8 determines the relative relationship between the two signals input from the two UV sensors 20 and 21. As a result, the code reading unit 8 identifies the code based on the relative difference between the two marks M detected by the two UV sensors 20 and 21, and the number (rank) and type (suit) of the corresponding card 1. To identify.

The relationship between the code 3 and the output of the on signal of the two UV sensors 20 and 21 is shown in FIG. A predetermined combination of marks M can be specified based on the comparison result of the relative change of the output of the on signal of the UV sensors 20 and 21. As a result, four types of marks M in the upper and lower two rows are combined, and when this is printed in four rows, 256 types of codes can be configured by the fourth power of the four types. 52 types of playing cards are assigned to each of the 256 types of codes, and this is stored in a memory or a program as a comparison table, and the code reading unit 8 identifies each code 3 to determine in advance. The number (rank) and type (suit) of card 1 are specified from the comparison table (not shown). In addition, 256 types of codes can be associated with 52 types of cards in any combination and stored in a comparison table, so that the combination can be complicated, and 256 types of codes and 52 types of cards can be stored depending on the time and place. You can change the combination. It is desirable that the code is printed with a paint that is visualized by receiving ultraviolet light, and is printed at a position that does not overlap with the card type notation or index 102.

Next, the configuration of the control unit 12 will be described in more detail. The control unit 12 and the like are computer devices, and for example, a processing function (in the control unit 12) that automatically determines the outcome of a game is realized by incorporating a program for determining the outcome into a computer. Is executed on the computer's processor. The code reading unit 8 uses the UV sensors 20 and 21 to acquire the number of cards sequentially taken out to the game table 6, and the number of the acquired cards is sequentially stored in the memory 13. At this time, information on the order in which each card 1 is distributed and distributed to the player is also stored. The number of cards and how the suits appear in sequence are remembered. The shuffle playing card 1s is originally shuffled in advance so as to have a random arrangement by a random number generator or the like, but if the above-mentioned abnormal pattern appears, the shuffle playing card 1s may not be shuffled normally. Indicates that there is. The arrangement of cards to be determined as an abnormal pattern is stored or programmed in the memory 13 in advance, and the cards are compared with the arrangement information actually distributed of the card 1 read by the control unit 12 by the card reading unit 8. When a predetermined number of sheets of 1 appear in an abnormal pattern, this is determined to be abnormal.

As an application example of the above embodiment, it can be applied to a shuffle playing card reader on a game table. In this case, the arrangement of the shuffle playing cards is inspected based on the card reading unit that reads the information of the cards attached to the cards placed on the game table from the cards and the information of the cards read by the card reading unit. The invention is composed of a control unit and a control unit. The reader is located above the game table at the casino venue and can be configured to read cards.

Claims (4)

A shuffle playing card consisting of a predetermined number of pre-shuffled decks,
A card shooter that stores the shuffle playing cards on the game table and is used by dealers to manually distribute the stored cards to the game table one by one, memorizing the rules of the card game and determining the outcome of the card game. Equipment and
It is a table game system equipped with
The card shooter device is
A card storage unit for storing the shuffle playing card and
An opening for taking out cards one by one from the card storage unit,
A card reading unit that reads information from the card when the card is withdrawn from the card storage unit,
An output unit that outputs the win / loss judgment result,
Have,
The table game system, by detecting the special arrangement of the resulting abnormal win-loss result of the shuffle playing cards, look at including a computer for detecting whether or not said there is an abnormality in the card game of win or lose result,
The special arrangement of the shuffle playing cards is
(1) A case in which a predetermined number of ranks continue to rise or fall in order,
(2) Cases where the same rank continues for a predetermined number of sheets,
(3) Cases in which the same suit continues for a predetermined number of times,
(4) A case where the cards repeat the same sequence a predetermined number of times,
(5) A case in which the arrangement of cards matches the arrangement of cards registered in the memory before the shuffle playing card is stored in the card storage unit.
A table game system that is at least one of. As means for outputting an alarm, using wired or wireless communication means, the table game system according to claim 1. Special arrangement of the shuffled playing card is a case where a sequence of shuffled playing cards is generated special condition continuously a predetermined number, and outputs the preliminary alarm before the special arrangement is detected, according to claim 1 Or the table game system according to 2. The output of the alarm has a two-stage alarm system, the first stage displays an alarm on the side display of the card shooter device when a special arrangement is detected, and the second stage ends the game in which the special arrangement occurs. The table game system according to claim 2 , which sometimes outputs a special sequence of alarms to an abnormal lamp.

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