US Patent 6874786 Blackjack game with side wager on displayed cards

An underlying game of Blackjack or a variant of Blackjack is played with an initial wager by a player on the underlying game and an optional wager on a side game can be made. The side wager is made before any cards are displayed. Specially marked cards with count values replace standard cards having the same count value and the side wager is paid on the appearance of the specially marked cards in the play of the game. The number of specially marked cards may vary over time.