Poker Table Assignment via Intermediary Server
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Solution Overview
Problem
Online poker games face challenges in efficiently allocating players to available tables, leading to frustration due to full tables and potential illegal chip transactions, as existing systems do not effectively manage server selection and table availability.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that allow players to select desired table parameters, calculate distances to available tables based on similarity, and randomly select a suitable table from candidate tables, while decoupling server and table selection to reduce illegal transactions by obscuring server locations from players.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If players are allowed to freely select poker tables based on visible availability, then player autonomy and satisfaction are improved, but the system becomes vulnerable to illegal chip transactions and table allocation inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a master control server as an intermediary between players and poker tables. This server receives player requests, calculates distances to available tables based on desired parameters, and assigns tables without revealing server locations. The intermediary maintains player autonomy while preventing illegal transactions by controlling information flow and table assignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the server location information from the table selection process. Players can select tables based on parameters without knowing which server hosts the table. This separation removes the harmful element (knowledge of server location for illegal transactions) while preserving the useful function (table selection).
2Productivity
If the system provides automatic table selection to expedite player seating, then seating speed is improved, but table availability accuracy deteriorates due to simultaneous player arrivals
Solution Approach 1:
The master control server performs preliminary calculations of distances to available tables based on player-desired parameters before players arrive. By pre-computing suitable table assignments and monitoring table status, the system ensures accurate availability information when players are seated, resolving the conflict between speed and reliability.
3Productivity
If multiple players are assigned to the same server based on table availability, then server utilization is improved, but the risk of illegal transactions between players on the same server increases
Solution Approach 1:
The master control server acts as an intermediary that controls table assignment without revealing server location information to players. Players are assigned to tables on different servers based on calculated distances to available tables, maintaining server utilization while preventing illegal transactions by obscuring server identities.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for selecting game servers and assigning seats to players in poker tables. One method includes an operation for receiving table parameters from a user in a poker game. The table parameters identify the characteristics of a desired table for playing poker by the user. A distance from the desired table to the available poker tables is calculated, where the distance based on the similarity between the desired table and each of the available poker tables. Each of the available poker tables is served by one of a plurality of servers. Additionally, the method includes operations for selecting candidate tables from the available poker tables based on the calculated distances, and for selecting a playing table from the candidate tables at random. The user is then connected to a server that serves the selected playing table.