Card game device, computer program, and computer-readable recording medium storing computer program

Abstract

This card game device progresses a card game in which: cards with patterns indicating card types displayed on the front side are distributed face-down; and when the distributed cards are to be faced up, a squeezing operation can be performed in which the card is turned over from an edge, and comprises a storage device, and a CPU connected to the storage device. The CPU executes: randomly specifying a card orientation indicating the orientation of the cards to be distributed among at least two orientations in the plane of the cards whose front sides cannot be determined from the back side of the cards; and generating and outputting a card display window in which the cards are displayed face-down in the specified card orientation, thereby enhancing a thrill when a user performs the squeezing operation on the cards.

Description

Card game device, computer program, and computer-readable recording medium storing the computer program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a card game device, a computer program, and a computer-readable recording medium storing the computer program.

[0002] In card games played in a casino, for example, in baccarat, after the cards are distributed face down so that the suit and score on the card surface are not visible, the game participants turn the cards face up and the outcome is determined based on the suit and score on the surface of their own cards and the opponent's cards. When turning over a card, the game participant slowly turns the card from the edge (a pinching operation) while thinking about winning, so that the suit and score on the card surface gradually become visible. By slowly turning over the card, the thrill due to the tension and excitement until the outcome is determined is enhanced, which is one of the pleasures of card games.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a card game device that can simulate and play such a card game on a screen instead of using real cards. In this card game device, a touch panel is provided as a display screen, and the user can perform a pinching operation on the displayed card by sliding a finger on the touch panel.

[0004] International Publication No. 2016 / 185548

[0005] Even in the card game device described in Patent Document 1, if the thrill when performing the pinching operation can be enhanced, the user can enjoy the game with a feeling closer to that of a game using real cards.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to enhance the thrill when a user performs a pinching operation on a card in a card game device for advancing a card game such as baccarat.

[0007] This disclosure relates to a card game device for playing a card game in which cards, each having a pattern indicating the type of card on its surface, are dealt face down, and when the dealt cards are turned face up, a twisting operation is performed by flipping the cards from the edge, the device comprising a storage device and a CPU connected to the storage device, the CPU performing the following actions: randomly determining a card orientation for the cards, which is one of at least two directions on the surface of the cards that cannot be determined from the back of the cards, and generating and outputting a card display screen in which the cards are displayed face down in the determined card orientation.

[0008] With this configuration, the orientation of the cards on the display screen, where they are shown face down, is determined randomly, and the user does not know the orientation of the cards when they are displayed face down. Therefore, when the user performs the squeezing action, the timing at which they can determine the type of card from the pattern on the surface that is revealed can be delayed. This enhances the thrill of flipping over cards and seeing the pattern on the surface during the squeezing action.

[0009] In the card game device of this disclosure, the CPU may generate the card display screen in which a portion of the card is flipped over to the front side to the extent that the pattern on the surface is not visible from the front side. The card squeezing operation is performed from a predetermined part of the distributed card, but by displaying the card with a portion flipped over, the part to be squeezed can be shown to the user, and the user can be prompted to squeeze the card.

[0010] Furthermore, in the card game device of this disclosure, the CPU may perform the action of rotating the card displayed on the card display screen within the surface of the card in response to a card rotation instruction from the user, the storage device may store the rotation direction of the rotated card, and the CPU may perform the action of generating the card display screen in which the card is displayed in the stored rotation direction. The position and direction in which the user performs the squeezing action may vary from user to user. The position and direction in which the squeezing action is performed on a card is determined by the rotation direction in which the card is displayed. Therefore, by storing the rotation direction of the card rotated in response to the user's instruction and displaying the card in that stored rotation direction, the user can perform the squeezing action in the same position and direction as in the previous play, that is, in their preferred position and direction, eliminating the need to set the rotation direction of the card each time they play.

[0011] Further issues disclosed in this application, and methods for solving them, will be made clear in the section on embodiments for carrying out the invention and in the drawings.

[0012] According to this disclosure, a card game device that runs a card game can enhance the thrill a user experiences when performing a squeezing action on a card.

[0013] This is an external perspective view of a card game device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a block diagram showing the internal hardware configuration of the card game device according to this embodiment. This is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the card game device according to this embodiment. This is a diagram showing the configuration of card display position data. This is a diagram showing the configuration of card image data. This is a diagram showing the configuration of card shape data. This is a diagram showing the configuration of bet data. This is a diagram showing the configuration of distributed card data. This is an overall flowchart showing the overview of the processing flow executed in the card game device according to this embodiment from the start to the end of one baccarat game. This is a diagram showing how the card moves from the banker area of ​​the dealer display device to the user display device and is displayed. This is a diagram showing the state in which the card displayed on the user display device is rotated according to the user's instructions. This is a flowchart of the processing executed by the CPU in the user distributed card display processing. This is a flowchart of the processing executed by the CPU in the card squeezing processing. This is a diagram (1) to explain how the surface of a card looks when it is squeezed diagonally from the bottom corner. This is a diagram (2) to explain how the surface of a card looks when it is squeezed diagonally from the bottom corner. This is a diagram (1) to explain how the surface of a card looks when it is squeezed vertically from the bottom short side. This is a diagram (2) to explain how the surface of a card looks when it is squeezed vertically from the bottom short side.

[0014] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below. The following embodiments and modifications are illustrative examples for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments only. Furthermore, the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from its essence. Those skilled in the art will also be able to adopt embodiments in which each of the elements described below is replaced with equivalent components, and such embodiments are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0015] First, let me explain the terms used in this application. "Baccarat": This is a card game exemplified in this embodiment, in which users bet on the winner of a card game between the Banker (house player) and the Player (customer). The dealer deals two or three playing cards to both the Banker and the Player according to the rules of the game, and the player whose total sum is closest to "9" wins. "Bet": This refers to betting on whether the Banker or the Player will win, and placing a bet corresponding to this prediction.

[0016] "Suit": Refers to the mark recorded on the surface of the card. For example, in the playing cards described in this embodiment, there are four suits: spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. "Score": Refers to the numerical value represented by the number of suits or the face displayed on the surface of the card. The number of suits represents scores A (=1), 2 to 10, and the type of face represents scores "J" (=11), "Q" (=12), and "K" (=13). "Card type": Since the type of card is identified by the "suit" and "score" displayed on the surface of the card, such as "Ace of Spades" or "Seven of Hearts," in this specification, the combination of "suit" and "score" is referred to as the "card type."

[0017] "Squeezing action": This refers to the action of flipping over the edge of a card, starting with the card face down so that the back is visible, while concealing the numbers at the edges of the card (in the actual game, the user covers them with their fingers, and in this embodiment, the image is generated so that the numbers are not displayed), and then bending the card to flip over the edges until a portion of the score on the front is visible. If the card is rectangular, there are "diagonal squeezing" where the card is flipped over from the corner, "vertical squeezing" where the card is flipped over from the short side, and "horizontal squeezing" where the card is flipped over from the long side. "Turning over action": This refers to the action of quickly flipping over the card so that the entire score on the front is visible, without performing a squeezing action. Even if the "squeezing action" is performed partway through, and then the card is quickly flipped over, this is also called a "turning over action".

[0018] Card "Orientation": In this embodiment, it is assumed that rectangular playing cards are used, and one direction determined by the pattern on the surface (the arrangement of the displayed suits and images) is defined as "up," and the direction obtained by rotating 180° within the card surface from "up" is defined as "down." When viewing the card from the back, it is not possible to determine whether the "orientation" is up or down. Note that depending on the type of card, the surface may also be symmetrical vertically and horizontally, making it impossible to determine the orientation, but in that case either direction is also defined as "up." Card "Rotation Direction": In this embodiment, it is possible to rotate the displayed card vertically, diagonally, and horizontally in stages within the card surface, and the orientation of the card determined by this rotation is called the "Rotation Direction."

[0019] <Configuration of the card game device> <<External configuration of the card game device>> Figure 1 is an external perspective view of a card game device 100 in one embodiment of the present invention. The card game device 100 illustrated in Figure 1 is a game device installed in casinos, amusement facilities, etc., that plays baccarat, which is an example of a card game. Users can play baccarat using the card game device 100.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, the card game device 100 includes a dealer display device 101 that displays the dealer's cards (the banker or player cards that the user did not bet on), a user display device 102 that displays the user's cards (the banker or player cards that the user bet on), an operation button 103, a card reader 104, a banknote insertion device 105, and a ticket dispensing device 106.

[0021] The dealer display device 101 is positioned at the back of the card game device 100 (upper right side in Figure 1) and facing towards the front (lower left side in Figure 1), while the user display device 102 is positioned at the front, tilted slightly forward from an upward angle. The user plays the game while sitting (or standing) on ​​a chair placed in front of the card game device 100. Both the dealer display device 101 and the user display device 102 are composed of touch panels, allowing the user to input instructions to the card game device 100 by touching or swiping on the screen. By separating the display devices into the dealer display device 101 and the user display device 102, and placing the user display device 102 in front of the card game device 100, the user can view the cards displayed on the user display device 102 in front of them and perform actions such as squeezing, described later, through the touch panel of the user display device 102, thus allowing the user to play the game with a feeling close to that of playing baccarat with real cards.

[0022] The operation button 103 is a physical button for inputting user instructions to the card game device 100. In this embodiment, the operation button 103 is used to flip the cards over and is provided on both the left and right sides of the user display device 102 to accommodate right-handed and left-handed users.

[0023] The card reader 104 is a card reader that reads information from cards owned by the user. The banknote insertion device 105 is a device that reads inserted banknotes and tickets. The ticket dispensing device 106 is a device that dispenses tickets and banknotes to the user. These devices 104 to 106 are used for paying bets and distributing winnings when a game is won, and are not related to the progress of the game, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0024] <<Internal Hardware Configuration of the Card Game Device>> Figure 2 is a diagram of the internal hardware configuration of the card game device 100 in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the card game device 100 consists of a computer 200 as its main hardware, which includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 202, memory 203, storage device 204, image processing unit 206, and peripheral device interface 208.

[0025] The storage device 204 is composed of recording media such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), SSD (Solid State Drive), and hard disk. The storage device 204 stores computer programs and data necessary for the card game device 100 to function, and the CPU 202 executes the computer programs stored in the storage device 204 while writing and reading data to and from the storage device 204 to realize the functions of the card game device 100. If the storage device 204 is an SSD or hard disk, the computer programs necessary for the card game device 100 to function may be installed on the storage device 204 from a DVD or flash memory, or the storage device 204 may include a drive device capable of reading data from a DVD or flash memory and execute the computer programs read from the DVD or flash memory.

[0026] The image processing unit 206 generates graphic images to be displayed on the dealer display device 101 and the user display device 102 under the control of the CPU 202. The peripheral device interface 208 enables the CPU 202 to communicate with peripheral devices such as the operation buttons 103, card reader 104, banknote insertion device 105, and ticket dispensing device 106.

[0027] <<Functional Configuration of the Card Game Device>> Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the main functional configuration of the card game device 100 in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the card game device 100 includes a betting processing unit 300, a card distribution unit 301, a direction determination unit 302, a card rotation unit 303, a generation output unit 304, a narrowing processing unit 305, and a win / loss processing unit 306, as well as a data storage unit 310.

[0028] The betting processing unit 300 receives the user's bet destination (whether to bet on the player or the banker) and the bet amount, and stores the bet details in the data storage unit 310. The card distribution unit 301 determines the type of cards to deal to the player and the banker, respectively, and stores the determined card types in the data storage unit 310. The orientation determination unit 302 randomly determines the up and down orientation of the cards when displaying the user's cards, and stores the determined up and down orientation in the data storage unit 310.

[0029] The card rotation unit 303 rotates the card within its surface in response to user instructions and stores the direction of rotation in the data storage unit 310. The generation output unit 304 generates a card display screen showing the bet target card received by the betting processing unit 300, with the card facing down according to the up / down orientation determined by the orientation determination unit 302 and the direction of rotation by the card rotation unit 303, and outputs it to the user display device 102 for display.

[0030] The squeezing processing unit 305 updates the card image on the card display screen generated by the generation output unit 304 in response to squeezing and flipping operations on the user display device 102 screen. It also updates the card screen displayed on the dealer display device 101 in response to the dealer's card flipping operations. The win / loss processing unit 306 determines the winner between the player and the banker according to the rules of baccarat once all cards have been turned face up, and if the side the user bet on wins, it processes the payout of the winnings.

[0031] The data storage unit 310 is located in the storage device 204 and is referenced by the CPU 202 when it performs processing to realize each of the above-mentioned functional units, or when data is written to or updated in the data storage unit 310. The data storage unit 310 stores display position data 311, card image data 312, card shape data 313, bet data 314, and distributed card data 315. Of these, the display position data 311, card image data 312, and card shape data 313 are fixed data that is set in advance, while the bet data 314 and distributed card data 315 are variable data that changes as the game progresses.

[0032] <<Data Structure>> Figure 4 shows the structure of the display position data 311. As shown in Figure 4, the display position data 311 contains the display position coordinates within the display screen for each of the three cards dealt to the player (hereinafter referred to as cards P1 to P3) and the three cards dealt to the banker (hereinafter referred to as cards B1 to B3), which are pre-stored in the storage device 204. The display position coordinates can be any coordinates that can identify the card display position, such as the center of gravity coordinates of the card or the position coordinates of a specific corner, but if the center of gravity coordinates, which do not change position even when the card rotates, are used, a common card display position can be set for multiple rotation directions of the card. In addition, each card is displayed in either the player area 101a and banker area 101b of the dealer display device 101, or the display area of ​​the user display device 102, but if the display position coordinates in the card display position data 311 indicate the relative position coordinates from a specific position in each area, a common position coordinate can be set for these multiple areas.

[0033] Figure 5 shows the structure of the card image data 312. As shown in Figure 5, the card image data 312 has pre-set addresses (or filenames) for image data representing the front patterns and back patterns of a total of 52 card types, which are combinations of 4 suits and 13 scores. The back patterns of the cards are symmetrical in all directions, so the orientation of the card cannot be determined from the back. The card image data itself is pre-stored in the storage device 204.

[0034] Figure 6 shows the configuration of the card shape data 313. As shown in Figure 6, the card shape data 313 contains data (e.g., composed of polygon data) representing the outer shape of the card in a compressed state for each value of the degree of compression of the card (as described later, in this embodiment, this value is 0 to 100). The reason why shape data corresponding to the degree of compression is stored for each rotation direction of the card is that, as described later, the card display can be rotated vertically, horizontally, diagonally upward to the right, and diagonally upward to the left, and the part and orientation in which the card is compressed differs depending on the direction of rotation.

[0035] Figure 7 shows the structure of the bet data 314. As shown in Figure 7, the bet data 314 includes the bet destination (player or banker) and the bet amount.

[0036] Figure 8 shows the structure of the distributed card data 315. As shown in Figure 8, the distributed card data 315 includes the following items for each of the cards P1 to P3 dealt to the players and the cards B1 to B3 dealt to the banker. Note that cards P3 and B3 correspond to the case where a third card is dealt according to the rules of baccarat, and at the start of the game, the items for cards P3 and B3 are not set (blank).

[0037] - "Card Type": A combination of suit (spade, club, diamond, heart) and score (A, 2-10, J, Q, K). The initial value is left blank. - "Orientation": Indicates whether the card is displayed face up or face down. The initial value is "Up" (face up). - "Face-up / Face-down": Indicates whether the card is displayed face up or face down. The initial value is "Face-down" (face down). - "Rotation Direction": The card displayed on the user display device 102 can be rotated in stages on the screen according to the user's instructions, for example, vertically, horizontally, diagonally upward to the right, or diagonally upward to the left. "Rotation Direction" indicates the rotation direction in which the card will be displayed. In this embodiment, the rotation direction is shown in six stages from D1 to D6, with the initial value being D1. - "Aperture Degree": The user can swipe the card displayed on the user display device 102 to perform an aperture action. "Aperture Degree" indicates the degree of aperture, for example, as a numerical value from 0 to 100. A value of "0" for "aperture level" indicates that no aperture operation is being performed, and a value of "100" indicates that the aperture is stopped down to its maximum extent. If further aperture operation is performed from the state of "100", the "front / back state" of the card will become "front". The initial value of "aperture level" is set to "0". Note that the aperture level steps 0 to 100 are merely examples, and the number of steps should be set to a fineness that makes the changes in the card image accompanying the aperture operation appear continuous. "Aperture operation area": ​​For each card displayed on the user display device 102, data that identifies the area in which aperture operation can be performed is stored. In this embodiment, the value of the "aperture operation area" is set according to the "rotation direction" value of the card, so that it is possible to handle cases where the area in which aperture operation is performed differs depending on the orientation of the displayed card.

[0038] <Overall Overview of Processing> Figure 9 is an overall flowchart showing an overview of the processing flow performed in the card game device 100 from the start to the end of one play of a baccarat game.

[0039] <<Bet Processing>> As shown in Figure 9, first, in step 400, bet processing is performed in which the user places a bet. Specifically, the CPU 202 reads the bet screen data that has been pre-stored in the storage device 204 and displays the bet screen on the user display device 102. On this bet screen, the user can select whether to bet on the banker or the player, and also set the bet amount. When the user places a bet on the bet screen, the CPU 202 stores the details of the user's bet (the banker or player bet and the bet amount) as bet data 314 in the data storage unit 310. The bet processing unit 300 shown in Figure 3 corresponds to the CPU 202 performing the bet processing in step 400.

[0040] <<Card Distribution Process>> Next, in step 402, a card distribution process is performed in which the cards to be distributed to the banker and the players are determined and displayed in the player area 101a and banker area 101b of the dealer display device 101.

[0041] Specifically, the CPU 202 randomly determines the types of two cards P1 and P2 to be dealt to the players and two cards B1 and B2 to be dealt to the banker, ensuring that there are no duplicates. More specifically, for example, first, the CPU randomly determines the card type 1 of card P1 from a total of 52 types of cards. Next, it randomly determines the card type 2 of card P2 from the remaining 51 types of cards excluding the determined card type 1. Similarly, it then randomly determines the card type 3 of card B1 and the card type 4 of card B2 from the remaining card types excluding the determined card types. The determined card types 1 to 4 of cards P1, P2, B1, and B2 are then stored in the data storage unit 310 as the "card type" value for cards P1, P2, B1, and B2, respectively. The CPU 202 then displays the two cards face down in the player area 101a and the banker area 101b of the dealer display device 101. The card distribution unit 301 shown in Figure 3 corresponds to the CPU 202 performing the card distribution process in step 402.

[0042] <<User-dealt card display process>> Next, in step 404, a user-dealt card display process is performed in which the cards of the banker or player on which the user has bet are moved from the dealer display device 101 to the user display device 102 while being face-down and displayed.

[0043] Figure 10 is a diagram showing a state in which a player bets on the banker side and the cards are moved from the banker area 101b of the dealer display device 101 to the user display device 102 and displayed by the user-dealt card display process in step 404. As shown in Figure 10, a player area 101a and a banker area 101b are provided on the display screen of the dealer display device 101. In Figure 10, as the cards on which the user has bet, the card display in the banker area 101b on the banker side is erased, and on the user display device 102, two banker cards B1 and B2 are displayed face-down with only the ends (the corners at the lower end in the figure in Figure 10) turned face-up. In Figure 10, the cards B1 and B2 are displayed on the user display device 102 in a rotation direction slanting upward to the upper right, but how the rotation direction of the cards is determined will be described later.

[0044] As shown in Figure 10, card rotation icons 112 and 114 corresponding to the two cards B1 and B2 are displayed on the user display device 102. When the card rotation icons 112 and 114 are touched, the corresponding cards rotate in the vertical, horizontal, diagonally upward to the upper left, and diagonally upward to the upper right directions. Figures 11(a) and (b) show a state in which the card B2 is rotated according to the user's instruction.

[0045] As shown in Figures 10 and 11(a) and (b), the folding position of the card ends displayed on the user display device 102 changes depending on the rotation direction of the cards to the corner part (cards B1 and B2 in Figure 10), the long side (card B2 in Figure 11(a)), and the short side (card B2 in Figure 11(b)), and is always displayed in a state where the lower part of the card on the screen is turned up.

[0046] As described later, the squeezing operation on the card is performed by swiping near the folded part at the bottom of the card. Therefore, when the card is distributed to the user display device 102, the bottom of the card is turned up and displayed, which not only indicates the position for the user to perform the squeezing operation but also has the effect of prompting the user to perform the squeezing operation.

[0047] <<Details of User Distributed Card Display Processing>> FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing in more detail the processing executed by the CPU 202 in the user distributed card display processing in step 404. First, in step 500, the CPU 202 displays the card rotation icons 112, 114, the reverse icon 116, and other appropriate decorative patterns at a predetermined position on the user display device 102.

[0048] Next, in step 502, the CPU 202 refers to the bet data 314 shown in FIG. 7 to determine whether the user bet on the player or the banker. In the following description, it is assumed that the user bet on the banker.

[0049] Next, in step 504, for each of the banker's cards B1 and B2 on which the user bet, the orientation (either "up" or "down") is determined by a random number and recorded as the value of the item "orientation" in the distributed card data 315 shown in FIG. 8. Note that the card orientation determination unit 302 in FIG. 3 corresponds to the CPU 202 performing the processing in step 504.

[0050] Next, in step 506, for the banker's cards B1 and B2 on which the bet was placed, the values of the items "card type", "orientation", and "rotation orientation" are read by referring to the distributed card data 315 shown in FIG. 8. Note that, as described later, the rotation orientation of the first squeezing operation in the previous play is stored in the item "rotation orientation".

[0051] Next, in step 508, the card image data 312 shown in Figure 5 is referenced to read image data A corresponding to the value of the item "card type" and image data B corresponding to "back side" read from the distributed card data 315. Furthermore, the card shape data 313 shown in Figure 6 is referenced to read shape data corresponding to the value "0" for "aperture degree" of "rotation direction" read from the distributed card data 315. Here, as mentioned above, the value "0" for "aperture degree" indicates a state where no aperture operation is performed, and specifically, as shown in cards B1 and B2 displayed on the user display device 102 in Figures 10 and 11(a) and (b), the edge of the card is slightly flipped back to the extent that the suit and score patterns on the card surface are not visible.

[0052] Next, in step 510, image data A is rotated according to the "rotation direction" value, and if the "up / down direction" value is "down", the up / down direction is reversed. Then, in step 512, image data A and image data B are pasted onto the front and back surfaces of the card shape data read in step 504 to generate a card model.

[0053] Next, in step 514, a display screen is generated showing the generated card model with the back of the card visible, and this screen is output to the user display device 102. As mentioned above, in step 504, the orientation of the card is determined randomly, but in step 514, the card is displayed face down, so at this stage, the user does not know the orientation of the card. The significance of randomly determining the orientation of the card displayed on the user display device 102 will be explained later. Note that the card display screen generation output unit 304 in Figure 3 corresponds to the CPU 202 performing the user-distributed card display processing in step 404.

[0054] <<Card Rotation Processing>> After the user-distributed card display processing in step 404 of Figure 9 is performed, the next step in step 406 is the card rotation processing. As described above, the display screen of the user display device 102 displays card rotation icons 112 and 114 corresponding to the two cards B1 and B2. When the card rotation icons 112 and 114 are touched, the corresponding card B1 or B2 rotates in the following directions: vertical, horizontal, diagonally upward left, or diagonally upward right. That is, as shown in Figure 10, when the cards are in a diagonally upward right position, touching the right card rotation icon 114 will cause the right card B2 to rotate clockwise to a horizontal position, as shown in Figure 11(a). Touching the card rotation icon 114 from this position will cause the card to rotate diagonally upward left, and touching the card rotation icon 114 again from this position will cause card B2 to rotate vertically, as shown in Figure 11(b).

[0055] In the card rotation process, each time a card rotation icon 112 or 114 is touched, the CPU 202 updates the value of the "rotation direction" item in the distributed card data 315 for the corresponding card B1 or B2 from the current value to the value of the next rotation direction (for example, if the current value is D1, it is updated to D2). Then, it erases the displayed card and, in the same manner as the process in step 512 of the user distributed card display process (Figure 12), generates a card model corresponding to the updated rotation direction and displays it on the user display device 102. Note that the card rotation unit 303 in Figure 3 corresponds to the CPU 202 performing the card rotation process in step 406.

[0056] Furthermore, the user can rotate either of the two cards B1 or B2 until the squeezing operation described later is initiated. The rotation direction of the card that was first squeezed (the rotation direction at the time the squeezing operation was performed) is stored in the "Up / Down" item of all cards P1-P3 and B1-B3 in the distributed card data 315. As a result, when playing the next game, the rotation direction of the cards displayed on the user display device 102 will be the same as the rotation direction of the card that was first squeezed in the current game, regardless of whether the player or the banker is bet on.

[0057] The part of the card from which the squeezing action begins varies depending on the card's orientation, ranging from the corner to the long side or the short side. Experienced players often have a preference for which part of the card to start squeezing. In such cases, if the card is not dealt in a orientation that allows the user to start squeezing from their preferred part during their first game, they need to rotate the card to their preferred orientation. In contrast, this embodiment allows the user to deal cards in the same orientation as the orientation set by the user in the current game, thus matching the user's preference. This eliminates the need for the user to rotate the card each time they play.

[0058] <<Card squeezing process>> After the card rotation process in step 406 is performed, the card squeezing process is then performed in step 408. In the card squeezing process, the user display device 102 displays the situation in which the card is gradually being turned over in response to the squeezing action performed by the user (i.e., a squeezing display). If a squeezing action is detected on a card without the card rotation icons 112 and 114 being touched, the card squeezing process in step 408 is performed on that card without the rotation process in step 406 being performed.

[0059] <<Card Flip Processing>> In the card squeezing process in step 408, a flipping process is also performed to immediately turn the cards face up without squeezing them. First, let's explain the flipping process. In the flipping process, each time the user presses the operation button 103, the card displayed on the dealer display device 101 is flipped over one by one. Also, if the flipping icon 116 is touched, the card displayed on the user display screen is flipped over, and this process can be performed even in the middle of the card squeezing operation.

[0060] Specifically, when the CPU 202 detects that the operation button 103 has been pressed, it displays the cards shown in the player area 101a of the dealer display device 101 one by one face up, referring to the "card type" and card image data 312 in the distributed card data 315. Also, when it detects that the face-down icon 116 has been touched, it displays the cards shown on the user display device 102 face up. For cards that have been displayed face up, the "face-down state" in the distributed card data 315 is updated to "face up". Furthermore, the process of the cards being turned from face up to face up may be displayed with animation, as if a squeegee operation is taking place, to enhance the sense of realism, making it closer to a game using real cards.

[0061] <<Details of the Card Squeezing Process>> Next, we will explain the details of the card squeezing process. Figure 13 is a flowchart showing the details of the process executed by the CPU 202 in the card squeezing process. First, the CPU 202 determines whether or not a squeezing operation has been performed by the user on either card B1 or B2. Specifically, the touch panel that constitutes the user display device 102 is configured to supply coordinate information of the touch position to the CPU 202 when it detects a touch operation on the screen, and in step 600, the CPU 202 determines whether or not a touch operation has been performed based on whether or not coordinate information of the touch position has been supplied from the touch panel.

[0062] If it is determined in step 600 that a touch operation has occurred, the coordinate information of the touch position is obtained in step 602. On the other hand, if it is determined that no touch operation has occurred, the process in step 600 is repeated.

[0063] Next, in step 604, it is determined whether the touch position has changed continuously for a certain period of time. If it is determined that it has changed continuously, in step 606, the distributed card data 315 is referenced to determine whether the position where the touch started (touch start position) is included in the "aperture operation area" of either card B1 or B2. If it is included in the "aperture operation area," it is determined that an aperture operation has been performed on card B1 or B2. However, if the "front / back state" of card B1 or B2 is face up, it means that a face-up card was swiped, so the aperture operation is invalid. If a negative determination is made in step 604 or 606, or if it is determined that the aperture operation is invalid, the process returns to step 600.

[0064] In step 606, if it is determined that an aperture operation has been performed on any card (hereinafter, the card on which the aperture operation has been performed will be referred to as "the card"), then in step 508, the value of the item "aperture degree" in the distributed card data 315 corresponding to the card is increased or decreased according to the difference between the initial touch position and the current touch position supplied from the touch panel. Specifically, if the touch position changes upward (aperture direction), it is increased by "1", and if it changes downward (aperture return direction), it is decreased by "1". As a result, when the card is swiped upward, the aperture degree increases as the aperture operation progresses, and when swiped downward, the aperture degree decreases as the aperture operation regresses. The amount of increase or decrease in "aperture degree" may be increased as the speed of the aperture operation (swipe speed) increases, with faster speeds being larger.

[0065] Then, in step 610, the currently displayed card is erased, and a card model corresponding to the updated "aperture," "card rotation direction," and "card orientation" is generated in the same manner as in step 510 (Figure 12) of the user-distributed card display process, and displayed on the user display device 102. As a result, the display of the card is updated according to the aperture operation, and the situation similar to that of actual card aperture can be graphically reproduced, giving the user the same sense of realism as playing with real cards.

[0066] Furthermore, during the card filtering process, when displaying the cards, the indices (suit and rank) drawn near the corners of the card surface are hidden, as shown in Figures 14 to 17 (b) described later. This prevents the card type from being revealed immediately after starting the filtering operation.

[0067] Furthermore, if the "aperture level" value reaches its maximum value (100 in this embodiment) in step 610, the card is displayed face up, and the value of the "face up / face down" item in the distributed card data 315 is updated to face up. This completes the aperture operation for that card.

[0068] In step 612, following step 610, the "front / back state" of the distributed card data for the user's cards B1 and B2 is determined. If, as a result, one or both of the user's cards B1 and B2 are "back," the process returns to step 600 and continues the card filtering process. On the other hand, if both cards are "face up" in step 612, step 614 determines whether the dealer's cards P1 and P2 are both "face up." If one or both are "back," step 616 displays the cards face up and updates the "front / back state" of the distributed card data 315 to "face up," ending the card filtering process. Also, if both cards P1 and P2 are "face up" in step 614, the card filtering process ends there. Note that the filtering processing unit 305 shown in Figure 3 corresponds to the CPU 202 performing the card filtering process shown in Figure 13.

[0069] Once the card-squeezing process shown in Figure 13 is complete, the process proceeds to step 410 in Figure 9. In step 410, based on the scores of the face-up dealer's cards P1 and P2 and the user's cards B1 and B2, a decision is made, according to the rules of baccarat, whether to deal a third card to the banker and the player. If it is determined that a third card should be dealt, the card to be dealt is determined and displayed face down, and the card-squeezing process is performed, similar to steps 402 to 408.

[0070] Next, in step 412, the winner is determined according to the rules of baccarat based on the scores of the two or three cards dealt to the banker and the player, respectively, and turned face up. Finally, in step 414, if the side the user bet on wins, the payout is calculated by multiplying the bet amount by a predetermined multiplier, and the game ends.

[0071] <Significance and Effects of Randomly Determining the Up / Down Orientation of Distributed Cards> As described above, in the card game device 100 of this embodiment, in the card distribution display process in step 404 of Figure 9, when the card on the side the user bet on is displayed on the user display device 102, the up / down orientation of the card surface is randomly determined. The significance and effects of this will now be explained.

[0072] Figures 14 and 15 illustrate how the surface of a card appears when it is tapered diagonally from the bottom corner. Figures 14(a) and 15(a) show the entire surface of cards 6, 7, and 8, respectively, while Figures 14(b) and 15(b) show the cards from their reverse side to the position of the solid line S1 shown in each figure (a), with a portion of the surface pattern visible.

[0073] As shown in Figure 14(a), the Diamond 6 card has two rows of three diamond marks arranged vertically in the longer side, the Diamond 7 card has one additional diamond mark on either the top or bottom side of the central column, and the Diamond 8 card has two diamond marks arranged symmetrically in the central column. Figure 7(a) shows the case where the cards are dealt with the diamond mark in the central column of Diamond 7 facing upwards.

[0074] In the diagonally narrowed state shown in Figure 14(b), two of the three diamond marks in one column are visible for any of the Diamond 6, 7, or 8 cards. However, with Diamond 8, the diamond mark in the center column also begins to become visible. Therefore, if we know that the cards were dealt in the orientation shown in Figure 14(a), we can determine at this stage that it is Diamond 8. However, if the diamond mark in the center column is not visible, we cannot determine whether it is Diamond 6 or Diamond 7.

[0075] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 15(a), if Diamond 7 is dealt upside down compared to Figure 14(a), then as shown in Figure 15(b), the marks in the center column become visible in Diamond 7, just like in Diamond 8. Therefore, in this state, it is impossible to determine whether it is Diamond 7 or Diamond 8. Consequently, if the orientation of the dealt cards is determined randomly, the user does not know whether the cards were dealt in the orientation of Figure 14(a) or Figure 15(a). Therefore, at the stage where the possibilities are narrowed down to the solid line S1, it is impossible to determine whether it is Diamond 6, Diamond 7, or Diamond 8. Only after narrowing down to the position of the dashed line S1' in Figure 14(a) and being able to determine whether there is a second mark in the center column can it be determined whether it is Diamond 6, Diamond 7, or Diamond 8.

[0076] Figures 16 and 17 illustrate how the cards appear when they are vertically tapered from the short side at the bottom. Figures 16(a) and 17(a) show the cards being dealt in the same vertical orientation as in Figures 14 and 15, respectively, while Figures 16(b) and 17(b) show the state after vertical tapering to the solid line S2 in each figure. If the card is oriented as shown in Figure 16(a), then as shown in Figure 16(b), the diamond mark on the lower part of the center column becomes visible in Diamond 8. Therefore, if it is known that the card was dealt in the orientation shown in Figure 16(a), it can be determined at this stage that it is Diamond 8. However, if the diamond mark on the center column is not visible, it is not possible to determine whether it is Diamond 6 or Diamond 7.

[0077] However, as shown in Figure 17(a), if Diamond 7 is upside down compared to Figure 16(a), then as shown in Figure 16(b), the marks in the center column become visible in Diamond 7, just like in Diamond 8. Therefore, in this state, it is impossible to determine whether it is Diamond 7 or Diamond 8. Consequently, if the orientation of the dealt cards is determined randomly, the user does not know whether the card was dealt in the orientation of Figure 16(a) or Figure 17(a). Therefore, at the stage where the possibilities are narrowed down to the solid line S2, it is impossible to determine whether it is Diamond 6, Diamond 7, or Diamond 8. Only after narrowing down to the position of the dashed line S2' in Figure 16(a) and being able to determine whether there is a second mark in the center column can it be determined whether it is Diamond 6, Diamond 7, or Diamond 8.

[0078] Thus, in this embodiment, the orientation of the distributed cards is determined randomly, preventing the user from knowing the orientation. This delays the timing at which the card type can be determined by the squeezing action. As a result, the uncertainty of the recognizable card type increases during the user's squeezing action, enhancing the thrill of flipping over cards and determining the card type. This further increases the enjoyment of the squeezing action in card games.

[0079] <Other Effects of This Embodiment> (1) There are diagonal, vertical, and horizontal scrubbing operations for the card displayed on the user display device 102, but in any case the starting position of the scrubbing operation is the bottom of the card. In this embodiment, when the distributed card is displayed on the user display device 102, the bottom of the card on the screen is displayed in a state where it is slightly peeled back so that the pattern on the surface of the card is not visible. That is, the part where the scrubbing operation should start is displayed in a peeled-back state, so that the user is shown the position to perform the scrubbing operation and is prompted to perform the scrubbing operation. If the starting position of the scrubbing operation is not the bottom of the card due to the type of card game or customs, the same effect as in this embodiment can be obtained by displaying a part of the card that corresponds to that starting position peeled back to the front.

[0080] (2) Users may prefer to squeeze the cards diagonally, vertically, or horizontally, and which squeezing method is possible depends on the rotation direction of the dealt card. In this embodiment, the card rotation direction when the user first performs the squeezing action is memorized, and in the next play, the card is displayed on the user display device 102 with the memorized rotation direction. Therefore, if a user plays multiple games consecutively, if they select a direction that allows for their preferred squeezing method in the first play, from the next play onwards, the cards will be dealt with a rotation direction that matches the user's preferred squeezing method. As a result, the user can perform the squeezing action with their preferred method without having to rotate the card each time they play, allowing them to concentrate on the squeezing action, which is the essence of the game.

[0081] <Modifications> (1) In the above embodiment, the case in which the card game device 100 is a device for playing baccarat using playing cards was described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to card games in which the winner is determined according to the score or other patterns on the surface of the cards, with a squeezing action that involves gradually turning over cards that have been dealt face down so that the backs are visible from the edge. Furthermore, the cards used are not limited to playing cards, and the invention can be applied to card games that use other types of cards.

[0082] (2) In the above embodiment, assuming the use of rectangular playing cards, the orientation of the card in this invention was randomly determined as up or down when the cards were dealt. However, for example, in the case of a game using square cards, the orientation of the card could be randomly determined as one of the four directions: up, down, left, or right. For example, if hexagonal cards are used, the orientation could be randomly determined as one of the six directions. If circular cards are used, the orientation could be randomly determined as any direction. In short, when there are multiple directions that cannot be determined by simply looking at the back of the card, the orientation of the card should be randomly determined to determine which direction to deal it in.

[0083] (3) In the above embodiment, the display device of the card game device 100 is provided separately as a dealer display device 101 and a user display device 102. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the display device may be common to both the dealer side and the user side, with a display area for the dealer side and a display area for the user side provided on the screen of the display device.

[0084] (4) In the above embodiment, the card game device 100 was described as a standalone device equipped with processing functions necessary for the game and display devices 101 and 102 (touch panels that also serve as input devices). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the card game device may be configured as a server connected to a network such as the Internet, a user accessing the server from a computer terminal, the server receiving various operations from the user terminal via the network, and a display screen for the user being sent from the server to the user terminal via the network.

[0085] Examples of combinations of the disclosed technical features are described below. (1) A card game device for playing a card game in which cards, each having a pattern indicating the type of card on its surface, are dealt face down, and when the dealt cards are turned face up, a twisting motion is performed by flipping the cards from the edge, comprising: a storage device; and a CPU connected to the storage device, wherein the CPU randomly determines a card orientation indicating which of at least two directions on the surface of the card, which cannot be determined from the back of the card, the card should be dealt in; and generates and outputs a card display screen in which the card is displayed face down in the determined card orientation.

[0086] (2) The card game device according to (1), wherein the storage device stores the determined card orientation, and the CPU reads the card orientation stored in the storage device and generates the card display screen in which the card is displayed face down with the read card orientation.

[0087] (3) The card game device according to (1) or (2), wherein the CPU generates the card display screen in which a portion of the card is displayed with the pattern on the surface turned over to the front to the extent that it is not visible from the front.

[0088] (4) The card game device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the CPU rotates the card displayed on the card display screen within the surface of the card in response to a card rotation instruction from the user, the storage device stores the rotation direction of the rotated card, and the CPU generates the card display screen in which the card is displayed in the stored rotation direction.

[0089] (5) The card game device according to (3), wherein the CPU rotates the card displayed on the card display screen within the surface of the card in response to a card rotation instruction from the user, the storage device stores the rotation direction of the rotated card, and the CPU generates the card display screen in which the card is displayed with the stored rotation direction and the part corresponding to the stored rotation direction turned over to the front.

[0090] (6) A card game device according to any one of (1) to (5), comprising a user instruction input unit, wherein the CPU receives the card rotation instruction through the user instruction input unit, the storage device stores the rotation direction, and the CPU reads the rotation direction stored in the storage device and generates the card display screen in which the card is displayed with the read rotation direction.

[0091] (7) The card game device according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the shape of the card is rectangular, and the at least two orientations are an orientation along the long side of the card and an orientation along the short side of the card.

[0092] (8) The card game device according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the card game is baccarat and the cards are playing cards.

[0093] 100 Card game device 101 Dealer display device 101a Player area 101b Banker area 102 User display device 112, 114 Card rotation icon 116 Flip icon 200 Computer 202 CPU 203 Memory 204 Storage device 206 Image processing unit 208 Peripheral device interface 300 Betting processing unit 301 Card distribution unit 302 Orientation determination unit 303 Card rotation unit 304 Generation output unit 305 Filtering processing unit 306 Win / loss processing unit 310 Data storage unit 311 Display position data 312 Card image data 313 Card shape data 314 Betting data 315 Distributed card data

Claims

1. A card game device for playing a card game in which cards, each having a pattern indicating the type of card on its surface, are dealt face down, and when the dealt cards are turned face up, a twisting motion is performed by flipping the cards from the edge, the device comprising: a storage device; and a CPU connected to the storage device, the CPU performing the following actions: randomly determining a card orientation for the cards, which is determined to be one of at least two directions on the surface of the cards that cannot be determined from the back of the cards; and generating and outputting a card display screen in which the cards are displayed face down in the determined card orientation.

2. A card game device according to claim 1, wherein the storage device stores the determined card orientation, and the CPU reads the card orientation stored in the storage device and generates the card display screen in which the card is displayed face down with the read card orientation.

3. A card game device according to claim 1, wherein the CPU generates a card display screen in which a portion of the card is flipped over to the front side to the extent that the pattern on the surface is not visible from the front side.

4. A card game device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the CPU performs the function of rotating a card displayed on the card display screen within the surface of the card in response to a card rotation instruction from the user, the storage device stores the rotation direction of the rotated card, and the CPU performs the function of generating the card display screen in which the card is displayed in the stored rotation direction.

5. A card game device according to claim 3, wherein the CPU rotates a card displayed on the card display screen within the surface of the card in response to a card rotation instruction from the user; the storage device stores the rotation direction of the rotated card; and the CPU generates the card display screen in which the card is displayed with the stored rotation direction and the portion corresponding to the stored rotation direction turned over to the front side.

6. A card game device according to claim 4, comprising a user instruction input unit, wherein the CPU receives the card rotation instruction through the user instruction input unit, the storage device stores the rotation direction, and the CPU reads the rotation direction stored in the storage device and generates the card display screen in which the card is displayed with the read rotation direction.

7. A card game device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the shape of the card is rectangular, and the at least two orientations are an orientation along the long side of the card and an orientation along the short side of the card.

8. A card game device according to claim 7, wherein the card game is baccarat and the cards are playing cards.

9. A computer program for running a card game in which cards, each having a pattern indicating the type of card on its surface, are dealt face down, and when the dealt cards are turned face up, a twisting motion is performed by gradually flipping the cards from the edge, the program causing the computer to perform the following steps: randomly determine a card orientation indicating which of at least two directions on the surface of the card, which cannot be determined from the back of the card, the card to be displayed in; and output a card display screen in which the card is displayed face down in the determined card orientation.

10. A computer-readable recording medium on which the computer program described in claim 9 is recorded.

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