US20080268935A1 - Gaming device and method utilizing at least two rng outcomes - Google Patents
Gaming device and method utilizing at least two rng outcomes Download PDFInfo
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- US20080268935A1 US20080268935A1 US12/112,324 US11232408A US2008268935A1 US 20080268935 A1 US20080268935 A1 US 20080268935A1 US 11232408 A US11232408 A US 11232408A US 2008268935 A1 US2008268935 A1 US 2008268935A1
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- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
- G07F17/32—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements
- G07F17/3202—Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
- G07F17/3204—Player-machine interfaces
- G07F17/3211—Display means
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- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
- G07F17/32—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements
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- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
- G07F17/32—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements
- G07F17/3202—Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
- G07F17/3204—Player-machine interfaces
- G07F17/3211—Display means
- G07F17/3213—Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
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- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
- G07F17/32—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements
- G07F17/3225—Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
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- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
- G07F17/32—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements
- G07F17/3244—Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
- G07F17/3246—Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes involving coins and/or banknotes
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- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
- G07F17/32—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements
- G07F17/34—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines
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- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
- G07F17/42—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for ticket printing or like apparatus, e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards
Definitions
- This disclosure relates generally to electronic gaming devices, and more particularly to electronic gaming devices utilizing at least two randomly generated outcomes along with methods of implementing the multiple randomly generated outcomes during game play.
- a random number generator is typically implemented with the processor or remote computer to determine the outcomes of the games. More specifically, the RNG is utilized to randomly choose an outcome from the game's paytable. Since jackpot wins typically award far more money than was wagered, the game's paytable is typically weighted such that large value awards do not occur often. By weighting outcomes on the paytable or using virtual reels with a large number of reel stops, game designers can manipulate the payback percentage while maintaining the random nature of the game.
- FIG. 1A is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.
- FIG. 1B is an isometric view of the gaming device illustrated in FIG. 1A .
- FIGS. 2A , 2 B, and 2 C are detail diagrams of exemplary types of gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.
- FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.
- FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.
- FIGS. 5A and 5B are detail diagrams of exemplary gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.
- FIG. 6 is a detail diagram of another exemplary gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.
- FIG. 7 is a detail diagram of yet another exemplary gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.
- FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method of operating a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.
- FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of another method of operating a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.
- FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of yet another method of operating a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.
- FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate example gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.
- a gaming device 10 is an electronic gaming machine. Although an electronic gaming machine or “slot” machine is illustrated, various other types of devices may be used to wager monetarily based credits on a game of chance in accordance with principles of the invention.
- the term “electronic gaming device” is meant to include various devices such as electromechanical spinning-reel type slot machines, video slot machines, and video poker machines, for instance.
- Other gaming devices may include computer-based gaming machines, wireless gaming devices, multi-player gaming stations, modified personal electronic gaming devices (such as cell phones), personal computers, server-based gaming terminals, and other similar devices. Although embodiments of the invention will work with all of the gaming types mentioned, for ease of illustration the present embodiments will be described in reference to the electronic gaming machine 10 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B .
- the gaming device 10 includes a cabinet 15 housing components to operate the gaming device 10 .
- the cabinet 15 may include a gaming display 20 , a base portion 13 , a top box 18 , and a player interface panel 30 .
- the gaming display 20 may include mechanical spinning reels ( FIG. 2A ), a video display ( FIGS. 2B and 2C ), or a combination of both spinning reels and a video display (not shown).
- the gaming cabinet 15 may also include a credit meter 27 and a coin-in or bet meter 28 .
- the credit meter 27 may indicate the total number of credits remaining on the gaming device 10 that are eligible to be wagered. In some embodiments, the credit meter 27 may reflect a monetary unit, such as dollars.
- the credit meter 27 reflect a number of ‘credits,’ rather than a monetary unit, so that the player partially disassociates credit losses with particular amounts of money loss.
- the bet meter 28 may indicate the amount of credits to be wagered on a particular game. Thus, for each game, the player transfers the amount that he or she wants to wager from the credit meter 27 to the bet meter 28 .
- various other meters may be present, such as meters reflecting amounts won, amounts paid, or the like.
- the gaming display 20 is a video monitor
- the information indicated on the credit meters may be shown on the gaming display itself 20 ( FIG. 2B ).
- the base portion 13 may include a lighted panel 14 , a coin return (not shown), and a gaming handle 12 operable on a partially rotating pivot joint 11 .
- the game handle 12 is traditionally included on mechanical spinning-reel games, where the handle may be pulled toward a player to initiate the spinning of reels 22 after placement of a wager.
- the top box 18 may include a lighted panel 17 , a video display (such as an LCD monitor), a mechanical bonus device (not shown), and a candle light indicator 19 .
- the player interface panel 30 may include various devices so that a player can interact with the gaming device 10 .
- the player interface panel 30 may include one or more game buttons 32 that can be actuated by the player to cause the gaming device 10 to perform a specific action. For example, some of the game buttons 32 may cause the gaming device 10 to bet a credit to be wagered during the next game, change the number of lines being played on a multi-line game, cash out the credits remaining on the gaming device (as indicated on the credit meter 27 ), or request assistance from casino personnel, such as by lighting the candle 19 .
- the player interface panel 30 may include one or more game actuating buttons 33 . The game actuating buttons 33 may initiate a game with a pre-specified amount of credits.
- a “Max Bet” game actuating button 33 may be included that places the maximum credit wager on a game and initiates the game.
- the player interface panel 30 may further include a bill acceptor 37 and a ticket printer 38 .
- the bill acceptor 37 may accept and validate paper money or previously printed tickets with a credit balance.
- the ticket printer 38 may print out tickets reflecting the balance of the credits that remain on the gaming device 10 when a player cashes out by pressing one of the game buttons 32 programmed to cause a ‘cashout.’ These tickets may be inserted into other gaming machines or redeemed at a cashier station or kiosk for cash.
- the gaming device 10 may also include one or more speakers 26 to transmit auditory information or sounds to the player.
- the auditory information may include specific sounds associated with particular events that occur during game play on the gaming device 10 . For example, a particularly festive sound may be played during a large win or when a bonus is triggered.
- the speakers 26 may also transmit “attract” sounds to entice nearby players when the game is not currently being played.
- the gaming device 10 may further include a secondary display 25 .
- This secondary display 25 may be a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), a plasma screen, or the like.
- the secondary display 25 may show ancillary information to the player.
- the secondary display 25 may show player tracking information, secondary bonus information, advertisements, or player selectable game options.
- the gaming device 10 includes a microprocessor 40 that controls operation of the gaming device 10 .
- the microprocessor 40 may control virtually all of the operations of the gaming devices and attached equipment, such as operating game logic stored in memory (not shown) as firmware, controlling the display 20 to represent the outcome of a game, communicate with the other peripheral devices (such as the bill acceptor 37 ), and orchestrating the lighting and sound emanating from the gaming device 10 .
- the microprocessor 40 may have different tasks depending on the setup and function of the gaming device. For example, the microprocessor 40 may be responsible for running the base game of the gaming device and executing instructions received over the network 50 from a bonus server or player tracking server. In a server-based gaming setup, the microprocessor 40 may act as a terminal to execute instructions from a remote server that is running game play on the gaming device.
- the microprocessor 40 may be coupled to a machine communication interface (MCI) 42 that connects the gaming device 10 to a gaming network 50 .
- MCI machine communication interface
- the MCI 42 may be coupled to the microprocessor 40 through a serial connection, a parallel connection, an optical connection, or in some cases a wireless connection.
- the gaming device 10 may include memory 41 (MEM), such as a random access memory (RAM), coupled to the microprocessor 40 and which can be used to store gaming information, such as storing total coin-in statistics about a present or past gaming session, which can be communicated to a remote server or database through the MCI 42 .
- MCI 42 may also facilitate communication between the network 50 and the secondary display 25 or a player tracking unit 45 housed in the gaming cabinet 15 .
- the player tracking unit 45 may include an identification device 46 and one or more buttons 47 associated with the player tracking unit 45 .
- the identification device 46 serves to identify a player, by, for example, reading a player-tracking device, such as a player tracking card that is issued by the casino to individual players who choose to have such a card.
- the identification device 46 may instead, or additionally, identify players through other methods.
- Player tracking systems using player tracking cards and card readers 46 are known in the art. Briefly summarizing such a system, a player registers with the casino prior to commencing gaming. The casino issues a unique player-tracking card to the player and opens a corresponding player account that is stored on a server or host computer, described below with reference to FIG. 3 .
- the player account may include the player's name and mailing address and other information of interest to the casino in connection with marketing efforts.
- the player Prior to playing one of the gaming devices in the casino, the player inserts the player tracking card into the identification device 46 thus permitting the casino to track player activity, such as amounts wagered, credits won, and rate of play.
- the casino may award each player points proportional to the money or credits wagered by the player.
- Players typically accrue points at a rate related to the amount wagered, although other factors may cause the casino to award the player various amounts.
- the points may be displayed on the secondary display 25 or using other methods.
- the player may take his or her card to a special desk in the casino where a casino employee scans the card to determine how many accrued points are in the player's account.
- the player may redeem points for selected merchandise, meals in casino restaurants, or the like, which each have assigned point values.
- the player may use the secondary display 25 to access their player tracking account, such as to check a total number of points, redeem points for various services, make changes to their account, or download promotional credits to the gaming device 10 .
- the identification device 46 may read other identifying cards (such as driver licenses, credit cards, etc.) to identify a player and match them to a corresponding player tracking account.
- FIG. 1A shows the player tracking unit 45 with a card reader as the identification device 46
- other embodiments may include a player tracking unit 45 with a biometric scanner, PIN code acceptor, or other methods of identifying a player to pair the player with their player tracking account.
- a player plays a game by placing a wager and then initiating a gaming session.
- the player may initially insert monetary bills or previously printed tickets with a credit value into the bill acceptor 37 .
- the player may also put coins into a coin acceptor (not shown) or a credit card into a card reader/authorizer (not shown).
- the credit meter 27 displays the numeric credit value of the money inserted dependent on the denomination of the gaming device 10 . That is, if the gaming device 10 is a nickel slot machine and a $20 bill inserted into the bill acceptor 37 , the credit meter will reflect 400 credits or one credit for each nickel of the inserted twenty dollars. For gaming devices 10 that support multiple denominations, the credit meter 27 will reflect the amount of credits relative to the denomination selected. Thus, in the above example, if a penny denomination is selected after the $20 is inserted the credit meter will change from 400 credits to 2000 credits.
- a wager may be placed by pushing one or more of the game buttons 32 , which may be reflected on the bet meter 28 . That is, the player can generally depress a “bet one” button (one of the buttons on the player interface panel 30 , such as 32 ), which transfers one credit from the credit meter 27 to the bet meter 28 . Each time the button 32 is depressed an additional single credit transfers to the bet meter 28 up to a maximum bet that can be placed on a single play of the electronic gaming device 10 . The gaming session may be initiated by pulling the gaming handle 12 or depressing the spin button 33 . On some gaming devices 10 , a “max bet” button (another one of the buttons 32 on the player interface panel 30 ) may be depressed to wager the maximum number of credits supported by the gaming device 10 and initiate a gaming session.
- the process of placing a wager may be repeated by the player.
- the player may cash out any remaining credits on the credit meter 27 by depressing the “cash-out” button (another button 32 on the player interface panel 30 ), which causes the credits on the credit meter 27 to be paid out in the form of a ticket through the ticket printer 38 , or may be paid out in the form of returning coins from a coin hopper (not shown) to a coin return tray.
- the award corresponding to the winning combination is immediately applied to the credit meter 27 .
- the gaming device 10 is a slot machine, a winning combination of symbols 23 may land on a played payline on reels 22 . If any bonus games are initiated, the gaming device 10 may enter into a bonus mode or simply award the player with a bonus amount of credits that are applied to the credit meter 27 .
- FIGS. 2A to 2C illustrate exemplary types of gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.
- FIG. 2A illustrates an example spinning-reel gaming machine 10 A
- FIG. 2B illustrates an example video slot machine 10 B
- FIG. 2C illustrates an example video poker machine 10 C.
- a spinning-reel gaming machine 10 A includes a gaming display 20 A having a plurality of mechanical spinning reels 22 A.
- spinning-reel gaming machines 10 A have three to five spinning reels 22 A.
- Each of the spinning reels 22 A has multiple symbols 23 A that may be separated by blank areas on the spinning reels 22 A, although the presence of blank areas typically depends on the number of reels 22 A present in the gaming device 10 A and the number of different symbols 23 A that may appear on the spinning reels 22 A.
- Each of the symbols 22 A or blank areas makes up a “stop” on the spinning reel 22 A where the reel 22 A comes to rest after a spin.
- the spinning reels 22 A of various games 10 A may have various numbers of stops, many conventional spinning-reel gaming devices 10 A have reels 22 A with twenty two stops.
- the spinning reels 22 A may be controlled by stepper motors (not shown) under the direction of the microprocessor 40 ( FIG. 1A ).
- the spinning-reel gaming device 10 A has mechanical based spinning reels 22 A, the movement of the reels themselves is electronically controlled to spin and stop.
- This electronic control is advantageous because it allows a virtual reel strip to be stored in the memory 41 of the gaming device 10 A, where various “virtual stops” are mapped to each physical stop on the physical reel 22 A. This mapping allows the gaming device 10 A to establish greater awards and bonuses available to the player because of the increased number of possible combinations afforded by the virtual reel strips.
- a gaming session on a spinning reel slot machine 10 A typically includes the player pressing the “bet-one” button (one of the game buttons 32 A) to wager a desired number of credits followed by pulling the gaming handle 12 ( FIGS. 1A , 1 B) or pressing the spin button 33 A to spin the reels 22 A.
- the player may simply press the “max-bet” button (another one of the game buttons 32 A) to both wager the maximum number of credits permitted and initiate the spinning of the reels 22 A.
- the spinning reels 22 A may all stop at the same time or may individually stop one after another (typically from left to right) to build player anticipation. Because the display 20 A usually cannot be physically modified, some spinning reel slot machines 10 A include an electronic display screen in the top box 18 (FIG. 1 B), a mechanical bonus mechanism in the top box 18 , or a secondary display 25 ( FIG. 1A ) to execute a bonus.
- a video gaming machine 10 B may include a video display 20 B to display virtual spinning reels 22 B and various other gaming information 21 B.
- the video display 20 B may be a CRT, LCD, plasma screen, or the like. It is usually preferable that the video display 20 B be a touchscreen to accept player input.
- a number of symbols 23 A appear on each of the virtual spinning reels 22 B.
- FIG. 2B shows five virtual spinning reels 22 B, the flexibility of the video display 20 B allows for various reel 22 B and game configurations. For example, some video slot games 10 B spin reels for each individual symbol position (or stop) that appears on the video display 20 B. That is, each symbol position on the screen is independent of every other position during the gaming sessions.
- the virtual spinning reels 22 B by virtue of being computer implemented, can have almost any number of stops on a reel strip, it is much easier to have a greater variety of displayed outcomes as compared to spinning-reel slot machines 10 A ( FIG. 2A ) that have a fixed number of physical stops on each spinning reel 22 A.
- video gaming devices 10 B often have multiple paylines 24 that may be played. By having more paylines 24 available to play, the player may be more likely to have a winning combination when the reels 22 B stop and the gaming session ends. However, since the player typically must wager at least a minimum number of credits to enable each payline 24 to be eligible for winning, the overall odds of winning are not much different, if at all, than if the player is wagering only on a single payline. For example, in a five line game, the player may bet one credit per payline 24 and be eligible for winning symbol combinations that appear on any of the five played paylines 24 . This gives a total of five credits wagered and five possible winning paylines 24 . If, on the other hand, the player only wagers one credit on one payline 24 , but plays five gaming sessions, the odds of winning would be identical as above: five credits wagered and five possible winning paylines 24 .
- bonuses such as second screen bonuses are relatively easy to award on the video slot game 10 B. That is, if a bonus is triggered during game play, the video display 20 B may simply store the resulting screen shot in memory and display a bonus sequence on the video display 20 B. After the bonus sequence is completed, the video display 20 B may then retrieve the previous screen shot and information from memory, and re-display that image.
- the video display 20 B may allow various other game information 21 B to be displayed.
- banner information may be displayed above the spinning reels 22 B to inform the player, perhaps, which symbol combination is needed to trigger a bonus.
- banner information may be displayed above the spinning reels 22 B to inform the player, perhaps, which symbol combination is needed to trigger a bonus.
- “soft buttons” 29 B such as a “spin” button or “help/see pays” button may be built using the touch screen video display 20 B. Such customization and ease of changing the image shown on the display 20 B adds to the flexibility of the game 10 B.
- buttons 32 B and 33 B are usually provided on video slot machines 10 B. These buttons may include game buttons 32 B that allow a player to choose the number of paylines 24 he or she would like to play and the number of credits wagered on each payline 24 .
- a max bet button (one of the game buttons 32 B) allows a player to place a maximum credit wager on the maximum number of available paylines 24 and initiate a gaming session.
- a repeat bet or spin button 33 B may also be used to initiate each gaming session when the max bet button is not used.
- a video poker gaming device 10 C may include a video display 20 C that is physically similar to the video display 20 B shown in FIG. 2B .
- the video display 20 C may show a poker hand of five cards 23 C and various other player information 21 C including a paytable for various winning hands, as well as a plurality of player selectable soft buttons 29 C.
- the video display 20 C may present a poker hand of five cards 23 C and various other player information 21 C including a number of player selectable soft (touch-screen) buttons 29 C and a paytable for various winning hands.
- FIG. 3C shows only one hand of poker on the video display 20 C, various other video poker machines 10 C may show several poker hands (multi-hand poker).
- video poker machines 10 C play “draw” poker in which a player is dealt a hand of five cards, has the opportunity to hold any combination of those five cards, and then draws new cards to replace the discarded ones. All pays are usually given for winning combinations resulting from the final hand, although some video poker games 10 C may give bonus credits for certain combinations received on the first hand before the draw.
- a player has been dealt two aces, a three, a six, and a nine.
- the video poker game 10 C may provide a bonus or payout for the player having been dealt the pair of aces, even before the player decides what to discard in the draw. Since pairs, three of a kind, etc.
- the video poker game 10 C typically awards any credits won to the credit meter.
- the player selectable soft buttons 29 C appearing on the screen respectively correspond to each card on the video display 20 C. These soft buttons 29 C allow players to select specific cards on the video display 20 C such that the card corresponding to the selected soft button is “held” before the draw.
- video poker machines 10 C also include physical game buttons 32 C that correspond to the cards in the hand and may be selected to hold a corresponding card.
- a deal/draw button 33 C may also be included to initiate a gaming session after credits have been wagered (with a bet button 32 C, for example) and to draw any cards not held after the first hand is displayed.
- FIGS. 2A-2C Although examples of a spinning reel slot machine 10 A, a video slot machine 10 B, and a video poker machine 10 C have been illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2C , gaming machines various other types of gaming devices known in the art are contemplated and are within the scope of the invention.
- FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.
- multiple electronic gaming devices (EGMs) 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , and 75 may be coupled to one another and coupled to a remote server 80 through a network 50 .
- gaming devices or EGMs 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , and 75 are generically referred to as EGMs 70 - 75 .
- the term EGMs 70 - 75 may refer to any combination of one or more of EGMs 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , and 75 .
- the gaming server 80 may be coupled to one or more gaming databases 90 . These gaming network 50 connections may allow multiple gaming devices 70 - 75 to remain in communication with one another during particular gaming modes such as tournament play or remote head-to-head play. Although some of the gaming devices 70 - 75 coupled on the gaming network 50 may resemble the gaming devices 10 , 10 A, 10 B, and 10 C shown in FIGS. 1A-1B and 2 A- 2 C, other coupled gaming devices 70 - 75 may include differently configured gaming devices.
- the gaming devices 70 - 75 may include traditional slot machines 75 directly coupled to the network 50 , banks of gaming devices 70 coupled to the network 50 , banks of gaming devices 70 coupled to the network through a bank controller 60 , wireless handheld gaming machines 72 and cell phones 73 coupled to the gaming network 50 through one or more wireless routers or antennas 61 , personal computers 74 coupled to the network 50 through the internet 62 , and banks of gaming devices 71 coupled to the network through one or more optical connection lines 64 .
- some of the traditional gaming devices 70 , 71 , and 75 may include electronic gaming tables, multi-station gaming devices, or electronic components operating in conjunction with non-gaming components, such as automatic card readers, chip readers, and chip counters, for example.
- Gaming devices 71 coupled over an optical line 64 may be remote gaming devices in a different location or casino.
- the optical line 64 may be coupled to the gaming network 50 through an electronic to optical signal converter 63 and may be coupled to the gaming devices 71 through an optical to electronic signal converter 65 .
- the banks of gaming devices 70 coupled to the network 50 may be coupled through a bank controller 60 for compatibility purposes, for local organization and control, or for signal buffering purposes.
- the network 50 may include serial or parallel signal transmission lines and carry data in accordance with data transfer protocols such as Ethernet transmission lines, firewire lines, USB lines, or other communication protocols.
- substantially the entire network 50 may be made of optical lines 64 or may be a wireless network.
- each gaming device 70 - 75 may have an individual processor 40 ( FIG. 1A ) and memory 41 to run and control game play on the gaming device 70 - 75 , or some of the gaming devices 70 - 75 may be terminals that are run by a remote server 80 in a server based gaming environment.
- Server based gaming environments may be advantageous to casinos by allowing fast downloading of particular game types or themes based on casino preference or player selection.
- tournament based games, linked games, and certain game types, such as BINGO or keno may benefit from at least some server 80 based control.
- the network 50 , server 80 , and database 90 may be dedicated to communications regarding specific game or tournament play. In other embodiments, however, the network 50 , server 80 , and database 90 may be part of a player tracking network.
- the player tracking unit 45 sends player identification information obtained on the card reader 46 through the MCI 42 over the network 50 to the player tracking server 80 , where the player identification information is compared to player information records on in the player database 90 to provide the player with information regarding their player accounts or other features at the gaming device 10 where the player is wagering.
- multiple databases 90 and/or servers 80 may be present and coupled to one or more networks 50 to provide a variety of gaming services, such as both game/tournament data and player tracking data.
- the various systems described with reference to FIGS. 1-3 can be used in a number of ways.
- the systems can be used to track data about various players.
- the tracked data can be used by the casino to provide additional benefits to players, such as extra bonuses or extra benefits such as bonus games and other benefits as described above. These added benefits further entice the players to play at the casino that provides the benefits.
- FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.
- a gaming device 100 includes a gaming cabinet 115 having a top box 118 , a game output display 120 , a player interface panel 130 , a secondary display 125 , a processor 140 , and a player identifying unit 145 .
- the gaming device 100 may include speakers 126 , credit meters 127 / 128 , a gaming handle 112 , a memory 141 connected to the processor 140 , and an MCI 142 connected to a network 147 .
- the processor 140 may include only a first random number generator (RNG) 155 A, or may include a first RNG 155 A and a second RNG 155 B.
- the player interface panel 130 may include a first game initiating button 133 A and a second game initiating button 133 B.
- the first and second game initiating buttons 133 A, 133 B may each function in a similar manner to the game initiating button 33 described with reference to FIG. 1 . That is, each of the first and second game initiating buttons 133 A, 133 B may initiate a gaming event or gaming session on the gaming device 100 where a wager placed by a player on a gaming device is risked in connection with the gaming event initiated by the game initiating buttons 133 A, 133 B.
- each of the first and second game initiating buttons 133 A, 133 B may be a “SPIN” button, a “REPEAT BET” button, or a “DEAL/DRAW” button. Although only two game initiating buttons are shown in FIG.
- any number of game initiating buttons may be implemented in other embodiments of the present invention, where a separate random outcome is associated with each of the game initiating buttons.
- the multiple game initiating buttons 133 A, 133 B may be used in bonus events. That is, different random outcomes in bonus events, such as second screen bonuses, top box bonuses, networked bonuses, mystery bonuses, etc. may be associated with each of the game initiating buttons 233 A, 233 B such that the bonus events have different outcomes depending on which of the buttons is selected by a player.
- the first game initiating button 133 A may be associated with a first random outcome and the second game initiating button 133 B may be associated with a second random outcome.
- the first and second random outcome may be generated by a single RNG 155 A, or may be respectively generated by a first RNG 155 A and a second RNG 155 B.
- random number generators are typically computer controlled pseudo-random number generators operated from a seed value. These random number generators generally are generating random numbers at a relatively fast rate, often in the order of thousands of numbers per second.
- the present invention may, however, be realized using any type of random number generating system from these computerized random number generators to more elaborate random number generating systems utilizing physical phenomena, such as thermal noise in Zener diodes or even nuclear decay.
- a first random outcome may be generated by the single RNG 155 A a short time before a second random outcome is generated by the RNG 155 A. These outcomes may be generated nearly simultaneously because of the generating speed of the RNG 155 A.
- the first and second random outcomes may be generated substantially simultaneously. Since it is preferable to have the first random outcome be different than the second random outcome as a general matter, the first and second RNGs 155 A and 155 B may be preferably seeded differently or initialized at different times so that identical output results are not generated.
- FIGS. 5 , 6 , and 7 The operation of the gaming devices will be discussed in further detail with reference to the exemplary gaming devices shown in FIGS. 5 , 6 , and 7 , as well as in the operational flow charts shown in FIGS. 8 , 9 , and 10 .
- FIGS. 8 , 9 , and 10 the exemplary gaming devices
- FIGS. 5 , 6 , and 7 are video based spinning reel games
- the concepts of this invention may be implemented on any type of gaming device, such as a spinning reel slot, video poker machine, computerized table game, etc.
- FIGS. 5A and 5B are detail diagrams of exemplary gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.
- a gaming device 200 includes a gaming display 220 and a player interface panel having one or more game buttons 232 , a first game initiating button 233 A, and a second game initiating button 233 B.
- the gaming display 220 may include a portion to show a game output 222 such as video reels, a banner area 221 to display game information, one or more soft buttons 229 to access See Pays or Help screens, a first outcome portion 250 A, and a second outcome portion 250 B.
- the first outcome portion 250 A may be on the same side of the gaming display 220 as the corresponding first game initiating button 233 A is on the gaming device 200 for ease of playability and player understanding.
- the first outcome portion 250 A may include a soft button for initiating a game and a first outcome indicator 255 A.
- the second outcome portion 250 B may include a soft button for initiating a game and a second outcome indicator 255 B.
- the results of the first and second outcome may be displayed on the secondary display 125 ( FIG. 4 ), on meters similar to credit meters 127 / 128 , on a top box display 118 , or on other display devices.
- first game initiating button 233 A (or corresponding soft button in the first outcome potion 250 A) or the second game initiating button 233 B (or corresponding soft button in the second outcome portion 250 B).
- first random outcome is generated for the first outcome portion 250 A and may be shown at the first outcome indicator 255 A.
- a second random outcome is also generated for the second outcome portion 250 B and may be shown at the second outcome indicator 255 B.
- the outcome for the first outcome portion (the RED side) is 5 credits while the outcome for the second outcome portion (the BLUE side) is 85 credits.
- the player had selected the first game initiating button 233 A he or she would have won 5 credits.
- the player had selected the second game initiating button 233 B he or she would have won 85 credits.
- the gaming device 200 may make a player feel “lucky” for making the right choice, or “close” to winning a larger prize. In other embodiments, however, the player may be awarded the sum of the two outcomes or may be able to select another outcome that has not yet been revealed. For example, in an embodiment utilizing four game initiating buttons that each have a separate random outcome associated with the button, a player may only be shown the outcome for the button he or she selected. However, the player may be given the choice to give up his or her present outcome for a chance to pick one of the other buttons that does not have its associated outcome yet revealed. This switching chance may require an additional wager in some embodiments, or may be part of a player club promotion or bonus event in other embodiments.
- the game result shown on the game output portion 222 may reflect the random outcome associated with the selected one of the game initiating buttons 233 A, 233 B.
- the video reels 222 may still stop in a left to right fashion before the first and second random outcomes are respectively displayed at the first and second outcome indicator 255 A, 255 B.
- the outcome indicator 255 A, 255 B associated with the selected game initiating button 233 A, 233 B may be highlighted to emphasize the amount won by the player.
- the larger of the amounts shown on the outcome indicators 255 A, 255 B may be highlighted.
- the other player information 221 such as the player banner or credit meter may also reflect the results of the random outcomes. For example, the player banner may announce which “side” had the better result or may display how much the player won with the selection they made.
- the gaming device 200 may include a top box 218 having a bonus indicator 299 and a plurality of bonus initiating buttons 231 .
- a bonus indicator 299 may be implemented in other embodiments.
- any style of bonus indicator may be implemented in other embodiments.
- a plurality of bonus initiating buttons 231 are shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5B
- game buttons 232 or game initiating buttons 233 A, 233 B may be used to initiate a bonus.
- each of the bonus initiating buttons 231 may generate a separate random outcome associated with a position on the bonus indicator 299 . That is, once a bonus has been triggered, a player may select among the plurality of bonus initiating buttons 231 where each of the bonus initiating buttons 231 generate individual random outcomes associated with the bonus indicator 299 .
- a single RNG 155 A ( FIG. 4 ) or multiple RNGs 155 A, 155 B, etc. may be used to generate these separate random outcomes associated with each of the bonus initiating buttons 231 .
- the outcome of each bonus initiating button 231 may be shown on the gaming display 220 .
- each bonus initiating button 231 may include a small display capable of showing the outcome associated with that button. However, these outcomes may not be displayed until the bonus indicator is activated (in this case spun) such that the outcome appears on the bonus indicator 299 .
- the a player may choose the GREEN SPIN button and the rotating bonus indicator 299 may spin until a 50 credit award is shown as won on the rotating bonus indicator 299 .
- the random outcomes of the other bonus initiating buttons 231 may be displayed so that the player sees how lucky he is she was in picking a bonus initiating button 231 .
- a player may be able to select more than one of the bonus initiating buttons 231 are receive the sum of random outcomes associated with each of the bonus initiating buttons 231 .
- a player may only see the outcome associated with the bonus initiating button 231 he or she selected, and may be given the opportunity to keep that outcome or trade that pick for one of the still-yet-to-be-revealed outcomes associated with one of the other non-selected buttons.
- Various other bonus arrangements may be used in conjunction with the bonus initiating buttons 231 and bonus indicator 299 .
- FIG. 6 is a detail diagram of another exemplary gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.
- a gaming device 300 includes a gaming display 320 and a player interface panel having one or more game buttons 332 , a first game initiating button 333 A, and a second game initiating button 333 B.
- the gaming display 320 may include a portion to show a game output 322 such as video reels, a banner area 321 to display game information, a first outcome portion 350 A, a second outcome portion 350 B, a first outcome history portion 370 A, and a second outcome history portion 370 B.
- the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 may be similar in operation to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5A except that the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 includes a first outcome history portion 370 A of the display 320 and a second outcome history portion 370 B of the display 320 .
- the first and second outcome history portions 370 A, 370 B may display a list of recent random results for each game initiating button 333 A, 333 B.
- each outcome history portions 370 A, 370 B shows the past ten outcomes for each “side.” With this feature, a player may look over the recent outcome history to determine if one side is “hot” or is “due” for a big win.
- Outcomes that were larger for one side may be highlighted to distinguish them over the awards from the other side.
- the “BLUE” side has had a larger outcome in six of the last 10 games
- the “RED” side has had a larger outcome in three of the last 10 games
- neither side had a better award in one of the last 10 games.
- a player may decide to initiate the next gaming event using the second game initiating button 333 B corresponding to the “BLUE” side because the “BLUE” side appears to be doing better.
- another player may decide to initiate the next gaming event using the first game initiating button 333 A corresponding to the “RED” side because the “RED” side appears to be due for a better outcome.
- the outcomes may move to the top (or bottom) of the lists shown in the outcome history portions 370 A, 370 B. As more recent outcomes are added to the first and second outcome portions 350 A, 350 B, the more distant outcomes may be removed from the respective lists. Although ten outcomes for each of the first and second outcome portions 350 A, 350 B are shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6 , more or fewer outcomes may be listed. Additionally, in other embodiments, all of the outcomes of a gaming session may be downloaded to a player club account and reviewed by a player at a later time. The first and second outcome portions 350 A, 350 B may also be hidden during the actual game event to maximize the space on the game display 320 .
- the gaming device 300 may make a visual or auditory indication when one of the “sides” has hit a particularly good streak of outcomes. For example, if one of the “sides” receives five straight outcomes that return more credits than were wagered, an auditory or visual indicator may draw attention to that “side” of the gaming device 300 or to the gaming device itself 300 .
- FIG. 7 is a detail diagram of yet another exemplary gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.
- a gaming device 400 includes a gaming display 420 and a player interface panel having one or more game buttons 432 , a first game initiating button 433 A, a second game initiating button 433 B, and a side bet button 434 .
- the gaming display 420 may include a portion to show a game output 422 such as video reels, a banner area 421 to display game information, a first outcome portion 450 A, a second outcome portion 450 B, a first multiple outcome portion 480 A, and a second multiple outcome portion 480 B.
- the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 may be similar in operation to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5A except that the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 includes a first multiple outcome portion 480 A and a second multiple outcome portion 480 B.
- Multiple outcome portions are thoroughly discussed in copending application Ser. No. 12/_______ entitled MULTIPLE OUTCOME DISPLAY FOR GAMING DEVICE, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.
- a received outcome window 490 A, 490 B may be present in each of the multiple outcome portions 480 A, 480 B to indicate received outcomes.
- the outcome values reflected in these received outcome windows 490 A, 490 B may also be displayed at the outcome indicators 455 A, 455 B.
- the multiple outcome portions 480 A, 480 B may be advantageous in showing a player how close they were to a large prize. To further emphasize this point, higher value outcomes may be highlighted to draw the player's attention to them. In addition, a player may see a large value appear on the multiple outcome portions 480 A, 480 B and try to stop the scrolling outcomes such that they receive that value. In some embodiments, the player cannot stop the scrolling outcomes to reach a specific value as this may take away some of the randomness of the gamine device 400 .
- the side bet button 434 may allow a player to place an additional wager such that they receive the higher of the two random outcomes displayed on the outcome indicators 455 A, 455 B. That is, the player may be able to place an additional wager such that the selection of the first game initiating button 433 A or the second game initiating button 433 B does not affect the ultimate outcome awarded to the player. In some instances, this feature may be beneficial to the player because they may have selected a “side” with a lower value. In other instances, the player may have selected the “side” with the larger award; rendering the additional wager unnecessary.
- the ability of the player to get the better of the two outcomes may be tied to a bonus or player criterion without an additional wager.
- a casino may wish to reward a player playing high stakes gaming devices 400 , or a casino may wish to tie the best spin feature to a player tracking benchmark.
- the best spin feature may only be enabled for a predetermined number of gaming events or a predetermined amount of time. This limited duration may give the player a favorable perk while not affecting the long term payback of the gaming device 400 .
- FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method of operating a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.
- the method of operating the gaming device includes receiving a wager 505 from a player playing the gaming device.
- a first game initiating button and a second game initiating button are activated 510 such that the player may press either button to initiate a gaming event on the gaming device.
- the first and second game initiating buttons may be activated if a there are credits on the gaming device that are available for wagering.
- each of the first or second game initiating buttons may be activated with a predetermined amount to be wagered if pressed by the player without an alteration of the wager prior to pressing either of the buttons.
- the gaming device determines if either of the first or second game initiating buttons have been pressed 515 . In other embodiments utilizing other game initiating means (such as a game handle), the gaming device would determine if a game initiating device had been manipulated in order to initiate a gaming event. If neither game initiating button has been pressed, the gaming device may periodically check to see if either of the game initiating buttons is pressed or the gaming device may simply wait for a signal indicative of one of the game initiating buttons being pressed.
- other game initiating means such as a game handle
- the gaming device determines a first random outcome and a second random outcome 520 .
- the first and second random outcomes may be generated by a single RNG or may be respectively generated by a first RNG and a second RNG.
- the first random outcome is then associated with the first game initiating button and the second random outcome is associated with the second game initiating button 525 .
- the gaming device may then display the appropriate outcome associated with the game initiating button selected by the player 530 and may display the outcome associated with the non-selected game initiating button 535 . As discussed above, the game device may highlight the outcome associated with the game initiating button selected by the player. Credits or other prizes from the outcome associated with the game initiating button selected by the player may then be awarded to the player on the gaming device 550 .
- FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of another method of operating a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.
- the method shown in FIG. 9 includes some processes that are similar to the processes discussed above with respect to FIG. 8 .
- the method of operating the gaming device shown in FIG. 9 may include receiving a wager from a player playing the gaming device 605 , activating first and second game initiating buttons 610 , and determining if the either of the game initiating buttons is pressed by the player 615 .
- the method shown in FIG. 9 may include determining first and second random outcomes 620 , respectively associating the first and second random outcomes with the first and second game initiating buttons 625 , and displaying each of the random outcomes 630 , 635 .
- the gaming device may determine if an outcome guaranteeing side bet (or buy-a-pay) was made by the player 640 to secure the higher valued outcome regardless of which game initiating button was selected. As discussed above, this side bet may ensure that the player receives the higher valued outcome of the first and second random outcomes. In some embodiments, the side bet may require an additional wager be made by the player prior to either game activating button being pressed. In other embodiments, the side bet may be automatically made for the player based on a bonus or a player criterion, as discussed above.
- the method may proceed to awarding prizes from the outcome associated with the selected game initiating button 650 as described above with reference to FIG. 8 .
- the gaming device may determine if the random outcome associated with the selected game initiating button is less than the random outcome associated with the non-selected game initiating button 645 .
- the gaming device may determine if the random outcome associated with the selected game initiating button is greater than or equal to the random outcome associated with the non-selected game initiating button.
- the game device may simply award any prizes from the outcome associated with the selected game initiating button 650 as described above.
- the random outcome associated with the non-selected game initiating button is larger than the random outcome associated with the selected game initiating button, the gaming device may award prizes from the outcome associated with the non-selected game initiating button.
- FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of yet another method of operating a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.
- the method shown in FIG. 10 includes some processes that are similar to the processes discussed above with respect to FIG. 8 .
- the method of operating the gaming device shown in FIG. 10 may include receiving a wager from a player playing the gaming device 705 , activating first and second game initiating buttons 710 , and determining if the either of the game initiating buttons is pressed by the player 715 .
- the method shown in FIG. 10 includes locking in the button selection for a predetermined number of games or for a predetermined time period 717 .
- the method shown in FIG. 10 may then include similar processes as the embodiments shown in FIG.
- the method may include determining if a side bet has been made and the processes associated with awarding a higher one of the selected or non-selected outcomes as described above with reference to FIG. 8 .
- the gaming device may determine if the button selection is still locked in 770 . As mentioned above, the button selection may be locked in for a predetermined number of games or for a predetermined amount of time. If the button selection lock has ended, the gaming device may wait for additional wagers from the player 780 or prompt the player to place additional wagers. If the button selection lock has not ended, the gaming device may again determine first and second random outcomes 720 and continue through the processes of displaying the random outcomes 730 , 735 and awarding prizes 750 .
- the initial wager received in process 705 may include a sufficient amount to cover multiple gaming events.
- the game may automatically transition from one gaming event to another gaming event without the need for additional player input. This may resemble a conventional free-spin format. Because the selection of the game initiating button is “locked,” the player receives any awards during the multiple game events associated with the game initiating button that was initially selected.
- additional wagers may be required by the player to play additional games.
- the gaming device may wait for additional wagers or the player may be prompted to place additional wagers 785 .
- the player may be given the option to “break” the button selection lock with a newly placed wager.
- Providing a selection button lock may be advantageous in speeding up game play, giving players a larger sampling of outcomes to compare against outcomes associated with a non-selected game initiating button, and enabling bonus features such as free-spins.
Abstract
Description
- This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/926,870 filed Apr. 30, 2007, entitled “IMPROVEMENTS ON GAMBLING MACHINES,” the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. In addition, commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/______, to John Acres, is filed concurrently herewith, for MULTIPLE OUTCOME DISPLAY FOR GAMING DEVICE (Attorney Docket No. 1351-0053), the disclosure of which is also incorporated by reference.
- This disclosure relates generally to electronic gaming devices, and more particularly to electronic gaming devices utilizing at least two randomly generated outcomes along with methods of implementing the multiple randomly generated outcomes during game play.
- Most modern gaming devices are electronically controlled by a computer or processer rather than by mechanical or other means. Even on slot machines that have physical reels that spin upon a pull of a gaming handle (“arm”) or pressing of a game initiation (“spin”) button, the outcome of the game is electronically controlled by processor circuitry within the gaming device or a remote computer connected to the gaming device over a network. Typically, an outcome for the game is determined almost immediately after the arm has been pulled or the spin button has been pressed. However, to build player anticipation, the reels each remain spinning for certain periods of time, where they are generally stopped from left to right to slowly show the outcome of the game. Generally, the reels are controlled by stepper motors or other mechanical motors controlled by the processor of the gaming device. As such, these motors are controlled to stop the reel at particular locations such that the “reel stop” or symbol corresponding to the determined outcome is shown on a payline.
- To ensure that the outcomes of the games cannot be predicted, a random number generator (RNG) is typically implemented with the processor or remote computer to determine the outcomes of the games. More specifically, the RNG is utilized to randomly choose an outcome from the game's paytable. Since jackpot wins typically award far more money than was wagered, the game's paytable is typically weighted such that large value awards do not occur often. By weighting outcomes on the paytable or using virtual reels with a large number of reel stops, game designers can manipulate the payback percentage while maintaining the random nature of the game.
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FIG. 1A is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. -
FIG. 1B is an isometric view of the gaming device illustrated inFIG. 1A . -
FIGS. 2A , 2B, and 2C are detail diagrams of exemplary types of gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. -
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. -
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. -
FIGS. 5A and 5B are detail diagrams of exemplary gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. -
FIG. 6 is a detail diagram of another exemplary gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. -
FIG. 7 is a detail diagram of yet another exemplary gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. -
FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method of operating a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. -
FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of another method of operating a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. -
FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of yet another method of operating a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. -
FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate example gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. - Referring to
FIGS. 1A and 1B , agaming device 10 is an electronic gaming machine. Although an electronic gaming machine or “slot” machine is illustrated, various other types of devices may be used to wager monetarily based credits on a game of chance in accordance with principles of the invention. The term “electronic gaming device” is meant to include various devices such as electromechanical spinning-reel type slot machines, video slot machines, and video poker machines, for instance. Other gaming devices may include computer-based gaming machines, wireless gaming devices, multi-player gaming stations, modified personal electronic gaming devices (such as cell phones), personal computers, server-based gaming terminals, and other similar devices. Although embodiments of the invention will work with all of the gaming types mentioned, for ease of illustration the present embodiments will be described in reference to theelectronic gaming machine 10 shown inFIGS. 1A and 1B . - The
gaming device 10 includes acabinet 15 housing components to operate thegaming device 10. Thecabinet 15 may include agaming display 20, abase portion 13, atop box 18, and aplayer interface panel 30. Thegaming display 20 may include mechanical spinning reels (FIG. 2A ), a video display (FIGS. 2B and 2C ), or a combination of both spinning reels and a video display (not shown). Thegaming cabinet 15 may also include acredit meter 27 and a coin-in orbet meter 28. Thecredit meter 27 may indicate the total number of credits remaining on thegaming device 10 that are eligible to be wagered. In some embodiments, thecredit meter 27 may reflect a monetary unit, such as dollars. However, it is often preferable to have thecredit meter 27 reflect a number of ‘credits,’ rather than a monetary unit, so that the player partially disassociates credit losses with particular amounts of money loss. Thebet meter 28 may indicate the amount of credits to be wagered on a particular game. Thus, for each game, the player transfers the amount that he or she wants to wager from thecredit meter 27 to thebet meter 28. In some embodiments, various other meters may be present, such as meters reflecting amounts won, amounts paid, or the like. In embodiments where thegaming display 20 is a video monitor, the information indicated on the credit meters may be shown on the gaming display itself 20 (FIG. 2B ). - The
base portion 13 may include alighted panel 14, a coin return (not shown), and agaming handle 12 operable on a partially rotatingpivot joint 11. Thegame handle 12 is traditionally included on mechanical spinning-reel games, where the handle may be pulled toward a player to initiate the spinning ofreels 22 after placement of a wager. Thetop box 18 may include alighted panel 17, a video display (such as an LCD monitor), a mechanical bonus device (not shown), and acandle light indicator 19. Theplayer interface panel 30 may include various devices so that a player can interact with thegaming device 10. - The
player interface panel 30 may include one ormore game buttons 32 that can be actuated by the player to cause thegaming device 10 to perform a specific action. For example, some of thegame buttons 32 may cause thegaming device 10 to bet a credit to be wagered during the next game, change the number of lines being played on a multi-line game, cash out the credits remaining on the gaming device (as indicated on the credit meter 27), or request assistance from casino personnel, such as by lighting thecandle 19. In addition, theplayer interface panel 30 may include one or more game actuatingbuttons 33. Thegame actuating buttons 33 may initiate a game with a pre-specified amount of credits. On some gaming devices 10 a “Max Bet”game actuating button 33 may be included that places the maximum credit wager on a game and initiates the game. Theplayer interface panel 30 may further include abill acceptor 37 and aticket printer 38. Thebill acceptor 37 may accept and validate paper money or previously printed tickets with a credit balance. Theticket printer 38 may print out tickets reflecting the balance of the credits that remain on thegaming device 10 when a player cashes out by pressing one of thegame buttons 32 programmed to cause a ‘cashout.’ These tickets may be inserted into other gaming machines or redeemed at a cashier station or kiosk for cash. - The
gaming device 10 may also include one ormore speakers 26 to transmit auditory information or sounds to the player. The auditory information may include specific sounds associated with particular events that occur during game play on thegaming device 10. For example, a particularly festive sound may be played during a large win or when a bonus is triggered. Thespeakers 26 may also transmit “attract” sounds to entice nearby players when the game is not currently being played. - The
gaming device 10 may further include asecondary display 25. Thissecondary display 25 may be a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), a plasma screen, or the like. Thesecondary display 25 may show ancillary information to the player. For example, thesecondary display 25 may show player tracking information, secondary bonus information, advertisements, or player selectable game options. 5 Thegaming device 10 includes amicroprocessor 40 that controls operation of thegaming device 10. If thegaming device 10 is a standalone gaming device, themicroprocessor 40 may control virtually all of the operations of the gaming devices and attached equipment, such as operating game logic stored in memory (not shown) as firmware, controlling thedisplay 20 to represent the outcome of a game, communicate with the other peripheral devices (such as the bill acceptor 37), and orchestrating the lighting and sound emanating from thegaming device 10. In other embodiments where thegaming device 10 is coupled to anetwork 50, as described below, themicroprocessor 40 may have different tasks depending on the setup and function of the gaming device. For example, themicroprocessor 40 may be responsible for running the base game of the gaming device and executing instructions received over thenetwork 50 from a bonus server or player tracking server. In a server-based gaming setup, themicroprocessor 40 may act as a terminal to execute instructions from a remote server that is running game play on the gaming device. - The
microprocessor 40 may be coupled to a machine communication interface (MCI) 42 that connects thegaming device 10 to agaming network 50. TheMCI 42 may be coupled to themicroprocessor 40 through a serial connection, a parallel connection, an optical connection, or in some cases a wireless connection. Thegaming device 10 may include memory 41 (MEM), such as a random access memory (RAM), coupled to themicroprocessor 40 and which can be used to store gaming information, such as storing total coin-in statistics about a present or past gaming session, which can be communicated to a remote server or database through theMCI 42. TheMCI 42 may also facilitate communication between thenetwork 50 and thesecondary display 25 or aplayer tracking unit 45 housed in thegaming cabinet 15. - The
player tracking unit 45 may include anidentification device 46 and one ormore buttons 47 associated with theplayer tracking unit 45. Theidentification device 46 serves to identify a player, by, for example, reading a player-tracking device, such as a player tracking card that is issued by the casino to individual players who choose to have such a card. Theidentification device 46 may instead, or additionally, identify players through other methods. Player tracking systems using player tracking cards andcard readers 46 are known in the art. Briefly summarizing such a system, a player registers with the casino prior to commencing gaming. The casino issues a unique player-tracking card to the player and opens a corresponding player account that is stored on a server or host computer, described below with reference toFIG. 3 . The player account may include the player's name and mailing address and other information of interest to the casino in connection with marketing efforts. Prior to playing one of the gaming devices in the casino, the player inserts the player tracking card into theidentification device 46 thus permitting the casino to track player activity, such as amounts wagered, credits won, and rate of play. - To induce the player to use the card and be an identified player, the casino may award each player points proportional to the money or credits wagered by the player. Players typically accrue points at a rate related to the amount wagered, although other factors may cause the casino to award the player various amounts. The points may be displayed on the
secondary display 25 or using other methods. In conventional player tracking systems, the player may take his or her card to a special desk in the casino where a casino employee scans the card to determine how many accrued points are in the player's account. The player may redeem points for selected merchandise, meals in casino restaurants, or the like, which each have assigned point values. In some player tracking systems, the player may use thesecondary display 25 to access their player tracking account, such as to check a total number of points, redeem points for various services, make changes to their account, or download promotional credits to thegaming device 10. In other embodiments, theidentification device 46 may read other identifying cards (such as driver licenses, credit cards, etc.) to identify a player and match them to a corresponding player tracking account. AlthoughFIG. 1A shows theplayer tracking unit 45 with a card reader as theidentification device 46, other embodiments may include aplayer tracking unit 45 with a biometric scanner, PIN code acceptor, or other methods of identifying a player to pair the player with their player tracking account. - During typical play on a
gaming device 10, a player plays a game by placing a wager and then initiating a gaming session. The player may initially insert monetary bills or previously printed tickets with a credit value into thebill acceptor 37. The player may also put coins into a coin acceptor (not shown) or a credit card into a card reader/authorizer (not shown). Thecredit meter 27 displays the numeric credit value of the money inserted dependent on the denomination of thegaming device 10. That is, if thegaming device 10 is a nickel slot machine and a $20 bill inserted into thebill acceptor 37, the credit meter will reflect 400 credits or one credit for each nickel of the inserted twenty dollars. Forgaming devices 10 that support multiple denominations, thecredit meter 27 will reflect the amount of credits relative to the denomination selected. Thus, in the above example, if a penny denomination is selected after the $20 is inserted the credit meter will change from 400 credits to 2000 credits. - A wager may be placed by pushing one or more of the
game buttons 32, which may be reflected on thebet meter 28. That is, the player can generally depress a “bet one” button (one of the buttons on theplayer interface panel 30, such as 32), which transfers one credit from thecredit meter 27 to thebet meter 28. Each time thebutton 32 is depressed an additional single credit transfers to thebet meter 28 up to a maximum bet that can be placed on a single play of theelectronic gaming device 10. The gaming session may be initiated by pulling the gaming handle 12 or depressing thespin button 33. On somegaming devices 10, a “max bet” button (another one of thebuttons 32 on the player interface panel 30) may be depressed to wager the maximum number of credits supported by thegaming device 10 and initiate a gaming session. - If the gaming session does not result in any winning combination, the process of placing a wager may be repeated by the player. Alternatively, the player may cash out any remaining credits on the
credit meter 27 by depressing the “cash-out” button (anotherbutton 32 on the player interface panel 30), which causes the credits on thecredit meter 27 to be paid out in the form of a ticket through theticket printer 38, or may be paid out in the form of returning coins from a coin hopper (not shown) to a coin return tray. - If instead a winning combination (win) appears on the
display 20, the award corresponding to the winning combination is immediately applied to thecredit meter 27. For example, if thegaming device 10 is a slot machine, a winning combination ofsymbols 23 may land on a played payline onreels 22. If any bonus games are initiated, thegaming device 10 may enter into a bonus mode or simply award the player with a bonus amount of credits that are applied to thecredit meter 27. -
FIGS. 2A to 2C illustrate exemplary types of gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.FIG. 2A illustrates an example spinning-reel gaming machine 10A,FIG. 2B illustrates an examplevideo slot machine 10B, andFIG. 2C illustrates an examplevideo poker machine 10C. - Referring to
FIG. 2A , a spinning-reel gaming machine 10A includes agaming display 20A having a plurality ofmechanical spinning reels 22A. Typically, spinning-reel gaming machines 10A have three to fivespinning reels 22A. Each of the spinningreels 22A hasmultiple symbols 23A that may be separated by blank areas on the spinningreels 22A, although the presence of blank areas typically depends on the number ofreels 22A present in thegaming device 10A and the number ofdifferent symbols 23A that may appear on the spinningreels 22A. Each of thesymbols 22A or blank areas makes up a “stop” on thespinning reel 22A where thereel 22A comes to rest after a spin. Although the spinningreels 22A ofvarious games 10A may have various numbers of stops, many conventional spinning-reel gaming devices 10A havereels 22A with twenty two stops. - During game play, the spinning
reels 22A may be controlled by stepper motors (not shown) under the direction of the microprocessor 40 (FIG. 1A ). Thus, although the spinning-reel gaming device 10A has mechanical based spinningreels 22A, the movement of the reels themselves is electronically controlled to spin and stop. This electronic control is advantageous because it allows a virtual reel strip to be stored in thememory 41 of thegaming device 10A, where various “virtual stops” are mapped to each physical stop on thephysical reel 22A. This mapping allows thegaming device 10A to establish greater awards and bonuses available to the player because of the increased number of possible combinations afforded by the virtual reel strips. - A gaming session on a spinning
reel slot machine 10A typically includes the player pressing the “bet-one” button (one of thegame buttons 32A) to wager a desired number of credits followed by pulling the gaming handle 12 (FIGS. 1A , 1B) or pressing thespin button 33A to spin thereels 22A. Alternatively, the player may simply press the “max-bet” button (another one of thegame buttons 32A) to both wager the maximum number of credits permitted and initiate the spinning of thereels 22A. The spinningreels 22A may all stop at the same time or may individually stop one after another (typically from left to right) to build player anticipation. Because thedisplay 20A usually cannot be physically modified, some spinningreel slot machines 10A include an electronic display screen in the top box 18 (FIG. 1B), a mechanical bonus mechanism in thetop box 18, or a secondary display 25 (FIG. 1A ) to execute a bonus. - Referring to
FIG. 2B , avideo gaming machine 10B may include avideo display 20B to displayvirtual spinning reels 22B and variousother gaming information 21B. Thevideo display 20B may be a CRT, LCD, plasma screen, or the like. It is usually preferable that thevideo display 20B be a touchscreen to accept player input. A number ofsymbols 23A appear on each of thevirtual spinning reels 22B. AlthoughFIG. 2B shows fivevirtual spinning reels 22B, the flexibility of thevideo display 20B allows forvarious reel 22B and game configurations. For example, somevideo slot games 10B spin reels for each individual symbol position (or stop) that appears on thevideo display 20B. That is, each symbol position on the screen is independent of every other position during the gaming sessions. In these types of games, very large numbers of pay lines or multiple super scatter pays can be utilized since similar symbols could appear at every symbol position on thevideo display 20B. On the other hand, othervideo slot games 10B more closely resemble the mechanical spinning reel games where symbols that are vertically adjacent to each other are part of the same continuousvirtual spinning reel 22B. - Because the
virtual spinning reels 22B, by virtue of being computer implemented, can have almost any number of stops on a reel strip, it is much easier to have a greater variety of displayed outcomes as compared to spinning-reel slot machines 10A (FIG. 2A ) that have a fixed number of physical stops on each spinningreel 22A. - With the possible increases in
reel 22B numbers and configurations over themechanical gaming device 10A,video gaming devices 10B often havemultiple paylines 24 that may be played. By havingmore paylines 24 available to play, the player may be more likely to have a winning combination when thereels 22B stop and the gaming session ends. However, since the player typically must wager at least a minimum number of credits to enable eachpayline 24 to be eligible for winning, the overall odds of winning are not much different, if at all, than if the player is wagering only on a single payline. For example, in a five line game, the player may bet one credit perpayline 24 and be eligible for winning symbol combinations that appear on any of the five playedpaylines 24. This gives a total of five credits wagered and five possible winningpaylines 24. If, on the other hand, the player only wagers one credit on onepayline 24, but plays five gaming sessions, the odds of winning would be identical as above: five credits wagered and five possible winningpaylines 24. - Because the
video display 20B can easily modify the image output by thevideo display 20B, bonuses, such as second screen bonuses are relatively easy to award on thevideo slot game 10B. That is, if a bonus is triggered during game play, thevideo display 20B may simply store the resulting screen shot in memory and display a bonus sequence on thevideo display 20B. After the bonus sequence is completed, thevideo display 20B may then retrieve the previous screen shot and information from memory, and re-display that image. - Also, as mentioned above, the
video display 20B may allow variousother game information 21B to be displayed. For example, as shown inFIG. 2B , banner information may be displayed above the spinningreels 22B to inform the player, perhaps, which symbol combination is needed to trigger a bonus. Also, instead of providing a separate credit meter 27 (FIG. 1A ) andbet meter 28, the same information can instead be displayed on thevideo display 20B. In addition, “soft buttons” 29B such as a “spin” button or “help/see pays” button may be built using the touchscreen video display 20B. Such customization and ease of changing the image shown on thedisplay 20B adds to the flexibility of thegame 10B. - Even with the improved flexibility afforded by the
video display 20B, severalphysical buttons video slot machines 10B. These buttons may includegame buttons 32B that allow a player to choose the number ofpaylines 24 he or she would like to play and the number of credits wagered on eachpayline 24. In addition, a max bet button (one of thegame buttons 32B) allows a player to place a maximum credit wager on the maximum number ofavailable paylines 24 and initiate a gaming session. A repeat bet orspin button 33B may also be used to initiate each gaming session when the max bet button is not used. - Referring to
FIG. 2C , a videopoker gaming device 10C may include avideo display 20C that is physically similar to thevideo display 20B shown inFIG. 2B . Thevideo display 20C may show a poker hand of fivecards 23C and variousother player information 21C including a paytable for various winning hands, as well as a plurality of player selectablesoft buttons 29C. Thevideo display 20C may present a poker hand of fivecards 23C and variousother player information 21C including a number of player selectable soft (touch-screen)buttons 29C and a paytable for various winning hands. Although the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 3C shows only one hand of poker on thevideo display 20C, various othervideo poker machines 10C may show several poker hands (multi-hand poker). Typically,video poker machines 10C play “draw” poker in which a player is dealt a hand of five cards, has the opportunity to hold any combination of those five cards, and then draws new cards to replace the discarded ones. All pays are usually given for winning combinations resulting from the final hand, although somevideo poker games 10C may give bonus credits for certain combinations received on the first hand before the draw. In the example shown inFIG. 2C a player has been dealt two aces, a three, a six, and a nine. Thevideo poker game 10C may provide a bonus or payout for the player having been dealt the pair of aces, even before the player decides what to discard in the draw. Since pairs, three of a kind, etc. are typically needed for wins, a player would likely hold the two aces that have been dealt and draw three cards to replace the three, six, and nine in the hope of receiving additional aces or other cards leading to a winning combination with a higher award amount. After the draw and revealing of the final hand, thevideo poker game 10C typically awards any credits won to the credit meter. - The player selectable
soft buttons 29C appearing on the screen respectively correspond to each card on thevideo display 20C. Thesesoft buttons 29C allow players to select specific cards on thevideo display 20C such that the card corresponding to the selected soft button is “held” before the draw. Typically,video poker machines 10C also includephysical game buttons 32C that correspond to the cards in the hand and may be selected to hold a corresponding card. A deal/draw button 33C may also be included to initiate a gaming session after credits have been wagered (with abet button 32C, for example) and to draw any cards not held after the first hand is displayed. - Although examples of a spinning
reel slot machine 10A, avideo slot machine 10B, and avideo poker machine 10C have been illustrated inFIGS. 2A-2C , gaming machines various other types of gaming devices known in the art are contemplated and are within the scope of the invention. -
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. Referring toFIG. 3 , multiple electronic gaming devices (EGMs) 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75 may be coupled to one another and coupled to aremote server 80 through anetwork 50. For ease of understanding, gaming devices orEGMs EGMs gaming server 80 may be coupled to one ormore gaming databases 90. Thesegaming network 50 connections may allow multiple gaming devices 70-75 to remain in communication with one another during particular gaming modes such as tournament play or remote head-to-head play. Although some of the gaming devices 70-75 coupled on thegaming network 50 may resemble thegaming devices FIGS. 1A-1B and 2A-2C, other coupled gaming devices 70-75 may include differently configured gaming devices. For example, the gaming devices 70-75 may includetraditional slot machines 75 directly coupled to thenetwork 50, banks ofgaming devices 70 coupled to thenetwork 50, banks ofgaming devices 70 coupled to the network through abank controller 60, wirelesshandheld gaming machines 72 andcell phones 73 coupled to thegaming network 50 through one or more wireless routers orantennas 61,personal computers 74 coupled to thenetwork 50 through theinternet 62, and banks ofgaming devices 71 coupled to the network through one or more optical connection lines 64. Additionally, some of thetraditional gaming devices -
Gaming devices 71 coupled over anoptical line 64 may be remote gaming devices in a different location or casino. Theoptical line 64 may be coupled to thegaming network 50 through an electronic tooptical signal converter 63 and may be coupled to thegaming devices 71 through an optical toelectronic signal converter 65. The banks ofgaming devices 70 coupled to thenetwork 50 may be coupled through abank controller 60 for compatibility purposes, for local organization and control, or for signal buffering purposes. Thenetwork 50 may include serial or parallel signal transmission lines and carry data in accordance with data transfer protocols such as Ethernet transmission lines, firewire lines, USB lines, or other communication protocols. Although not shown inFIG. 3 , substantially theentire network 50 may be made ofoptical lines 64 or may be a wireless network. - As mentioned above, each gaming device 70-75 may have an individual processor 40 (
FIG. 1A ) andmemory 41 to run and control game play on the gaming device 70-75, or some of the gaming devices 70-75 may be terminals that are run by aremote server 80 in a server based gaming environment. Server based gaming environments may be advantageous to casinos by allowing fast downloading of particular game types or themes based on casino preference or player selection. Additionally, tournament based games, linked games, and certain game types, such as BINGO or keno may benefit from at least someserver 80 based control. - Thus, in some embodiments, the
network 50,server 80, anddatabase 90 may be dedicated to communications regarding specific game or tournament play. In other embodiments, however, thenetwork 50,server 80, anddatabase 90 may be part of a player tracking network. For player tracking capabilities, when a player inserts a player tracking card in the card reader 46 (FIG. 1A ), theplayer tracking unit 45 sends player identification information obtained on thecard reader 46 through theMCI 42 over thenetwork 50 to theplayer tracking server 80, where the player identification information is compared to player information records on in theplayer database 90 to provide the player with information regarding their player accounts or other features at thegaming device 10 where the player is wagering. Additionally,multiple databases 90 and/orservers 80 may be present and coupled to one ormore networks 50 to provide a variety of gaming services, such as both game/tournament data and player tracking data. - The various systems described with reference to
FIGS. 1-3 can be used in a number of ways. For instance, the systems can be used to track data about various players. The tracked data can be used by the casino to provide additional benefits to players, such as extra bonuses or extra benefits such as bonus games and other benefits as described above. These added benefits further entice the players to play at the casino that provides the benefits. -
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. - Referring to
FIG. 4 , agaming device 100 includes agaming cabinet 115 having atop box 118, agame output display 120, aplayer interface panel 130, asecondary display 125, aprocessor 140, and aplayer identifying unit 145. Similar to thegaming device 10 shown inFIG. 1 , thegaming device 100 may includespeakers 126,credit meters 127/128, agaming handle 112, amemory 141 connected to theprocessor 140, and anMCI 142 connected to anetwork 147. However, theprocessor 140 may include only a first random number generator (RNG) 155A, or may include afirst RNG 155A and asecond RNG 155B. In addition, theplayer interface panel 130 may include a firstgame initiating button 133A and a secondgame initiating button 133B. - The first and second
game initiating buttons game initiating button 33 described with reference toFIG. 1 . That is, each of the first and secondgame initiating buttons gaming device 100 where a wager placed by a player on a gaming device is risked in connection with the gaming event initiated by thegame initiating buttons game initiating buttons FIG. 4 , any number of game initiating buttons may be implemented in other embodiments of the present invention, where a separate random outcome is associated with each of the game initiating buttons. Additionally, the multiplegame initiating buttons game initiating buttons - The first
game initiating button 133A may be associated with a first random outcome and the secondgame initiating button 133B may be associated with a second random outcome. In some embodiments, the first and second random outcome may be generated by asingle RNG 155A, or may be respectively generated by afirst RNG 155A and asecond RNG 155B. In gaming devices, random number generators are typically computer controlled pseudo-random number generators operated from a seed value. These random number generators generally are generating random numbers at a relatively fast rate, often in the order of thousands of numbers per second. The present invention may, however, be realized using any type of random number generating system from these computerized random number generators to more elaborate random number generating systems utilizing physical phenomena, such as thermal noise in Zener diodes or even nuclear decay. - In embodiments utilizing only a
single RNG 155A, a first random outcome may be generated by thesingle RNG 155A a short time before a second random outcome is generated by theRNG 155A. These outcomes may be generated nearly simultaneously because of the generating speed of theRNG 155A. On the other hand, in embodiments utilizing multiple RNGs, such as afirst RNG 155A and asecond RNG 155B, the first and second random outcomes may be generated substantially simultaneously. Since it is preferable to have the first random outcome be different than the second random outcome as a general matter, the first andsecond RNGs - The operation of the gaming devices will be discussed in further detail with reference to the exemplary gaming devices shown in
FIGS. 5 , 6, and 7, as well as in the operational flow charts shown inFIGS. 8 , 9, and 10. However, it should be noted that while the following exemplary gaming devices (shown inFIGS. 5 , 6, and 7) are video based spinning reel games, the concepts of this invention may be implemented on any type of gaming device, such as a spinning reel slot, video poker machine, computerized table game, etc. -
FIGS. 5A and 5B are detail diagrams of exemplary gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. - Referring to
FIG. 5A , agaming device 200 includes agaming display 220 and a player interface panel having one ormore game buttons 232, a firstgame initiating button 233A, and a secondgame initiating button 233B. Thegaming display 220 may include a portion to show agame output 222 such as video reels, abanner area 221 to display game information, one or moresoft buttons 229 to access See Pays or Help screens, afirst outcome portion 250A, and asecond outcome portion 250B. Thefirst outcome portion 250A may be on the same side of thegaming display 220 as the corresponding firstgame initiating button 233A is on thegaming device 200 for ease of playability and player understanding. - The
first outcome portion 250A may include a soft button for initiating a game and afirst outcome indicator 255A. Thesecond outcome portion 250B may include a soft button for initiating a game and asecond outcome indicator 255B. In embodiments where a video monitor is not used in displaying a game result (such as with a physical spinning reel slot machine), the results of the first and second outcome may be displayed on the secondary display 125 (FIG. 4 ), on meters similar tocredit meters 127/128, on atop box display 118, or on other display devices. - In operation, after the player has placed a wager or added credits to the
game device 200, the player may choose to initiate the gaming event with either firstgame initiating button 233A (or corresponding soft button in thefirst outcome potion 250A) or the secondgame initiating button 233B (or corresponding soft button in thesecond outcome portion 250B). Regardless of whichgame initiating button first outcome portion 250A and may be shown at thefirst outcome indicator 255A. A second random outcome is also generated for thesecond outcome portion 250B and may be shown at thesecond outcome indicator 255B. In the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 5A , the outcome for the first outcome portion (the RED side) is 5 credits while the outcome for the second outcome portion (the BLUE side) is 85 credits. Thus, if the player had selected the firstgame initiating button 233A, he or she would have won 5 credits. On the other hand, if the player had selected the secondgame initiating button 233B, he or she would have won 85 credits. - By showing the player what they could have won had they chosen the other game initiating button, the
gaming device 200 may make a player feel “lucky” for making the right choice, or “close” to winning a larger prize. In other embodiments, however, the player may be awarded the sum of the two outcomes or may be able to select another outcome that has not yet been revealed. For example, in an embodiment utilizing four game initiating buttons that each have a separate random outcome associated with the button, a player may only be shown the outcome for the button he or she selected. However, the player may be given the choice to give up his or her present outcome for a chance to pick one of the other buttons that does not have its associated outcome yet revealed. This switching chance may require an additional wager in some embodiments, or may be part of a player club promotion or bonus event in other embodiments. - The game result shown on the
game output portion 222 may reflect the random outcome associated with the selected one of thegame initiating buttons video reels 222 may still stop in a left to right fashion before the first and second random outcomes are respectively displayed at the first andsecond outcome indicator outcome indicator game initiating button outcome indicators other player information 221 such as the player banner or credit meter may also reflect the results of the random outcomes. For example, the player banner may announce which “side” had the better result or may display how much the player won with the selection they made. - Referring to
FIG. 5B , thegaming device 200 may include atop box 218 having abonus indicator 299 and a plurality ofbonus initiating buttons 231. Although the embodiment shown inFIG. 5B shows a rotating type ofbonus indicator 299, any style of bonus indicator may be implemented in other embodiments. Additionally, although a plurality ofbonus initiating buttons 231 are shown in the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 5B ,game buttons 232 orgame initiating buttons - In the embodiment shown in
FIG. 5B , each of thebonus initiating buttons 231 may generate a separate random outcome associated with a position on thebonus indicator 299. That is, once a bonus has been triggered, a player may select among the plurality ofbonus initiating buttons 231 where each of thebonus initiating buttons 231 generate individual random outcomes associated with thebonus indicator 299. Asingle RNG 155A (FIG. 4 ) ormultiple RNGs bonus initiating buttons 231. In some embodiments, the outcome of eachbonus initiating button 231 may be shown on thegaming display 220. In other embodiments, eachbonus initiating button 231 may include a small display capable of showing the outcome associated with that button. However, these outcomes may not be displayed until the bonus indicator is activated (in this case spun) such that the outcome appears on thebonus indicator 299. For example, the a player may choose the GREEN SPIN button and therotating bonus indicator 299 may spin until a 50 credit award is shown as won on therotating bonus indicator 299. Afterwards, the random outcomes of the otherbonus initiating buttons 231 may be displayed so that the player sees how lucky he is she was in picking abonus initiating button 231. - In various bonus events, a player may be able to select more than one of the
bonus initiating buttons 231 are receive the sum of random outcomes associated with each of thebonus initiating buttons 231. In other bonus events, a player may only see the outcome associated with thebonus initiating button 231 he or she selected, and may be given the opportunity to keep that outcome or trade that pick for one of the still-yet-to-be-revealed outcomes associated with one of the other non-selected buttons. Various other bonus arrangements may be used in conjunction with thebonus initiating buttons 231 andbonus indicator 299. -
FIG. 6 is a detail diagram of another exemplary gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. - Referring to
FIG. 6 , agaming device 300 includes agaming display 320 and a player interface panel having one ormore game buttons 332, a firstgame initiating button 333A, and a secondgame initiating button 333B. Thegaming display 320 may include a portion to show agame output 322 such as video reels, abanner area 321 to display game information, afirst outcome portion 350A, asecond outcome portion 350B, a firstoutcome history portion 370A, and a secondoutcome history portion 370B. - The embodiment shown in
FIG. 6 may be similar in operation to the embodiment shown inFIG. 5A except that the embodiment shown inFIG. 6 includes a firstoutcome history portion 370A of thedisplay 320 and a secondoutcome history portion 370B of thedisplay 320. The first and secondoutcome history portions game initiating button FIG. 6 , eachoutcome history portions FIG. 6 , the “BLUE” side has had a larger outcome in six of the last 10 games, the “RED” side has had a larger outcome in three of the last 10 games, and neither side had a better award in one of the last 10 games. Hence, a player may decide to initiate the next gaming event using the secondgame initiating button 333B corresponding to the “BLUE” side because the “BLUE” side appears to be doing better. However, another player may decide to initiate the next gaming event using the firstgame initiating button 333A corresponding to the “RED” side because the “RED” side appears to be due for a better outcome. - After a gaming outcome has been displayed on the first and
second outcome indicators second outcome portions outcome history portions second outcome portions second outcome portions FIG. 6 , more or fewer outcomes may be listed. Additionally, in other embodiments, all of the outcomes of a gaming session may be downloaded to a player club account and reviewed by a player at a later time. The first andsecond outcome portions game display 320. - Although not shown, the
gaming device 300 may make a visual or auditory indication when one of the “sides” has hit a particularly good streak of outcomes. For example, if one of the “sides” receives five straight outcomes that return more credits than were wagered, an auditory or visual indicator may draw attention to that “side” of thegaming device 300 or to the gaming device itself 300. -
FIG. 7 is a detail diagram of yet another exemplary gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. - Referring to
FIG. 7 , agaming device 400 includes agaming display 420 and a player interface panel having one ormore game buttons 432, a firstgame initiating button 433A, a secondgame initiating button 433B, and aside bet button 434. Thegaming display 420 may include a portion to show agame output 422 such as video reels, abanner area 421 to display game information, afirst outcome portion 450A, asecond outcome portion 450B, a firstmultiple outcome portion 480A, and a secondmultiple outcome portion 480B. - The embodiment shown in
FIG. 6 may be similar in operation to the embodiment shown inFIG. 5A except that the embodiment shown inFIG. 6 includes a firstmultiple outcome portion 480A and a secondmultiple outcome portion 480B. Multiple outcome portions are thoroughly discussed in copending application Ser. No. 12/______ entitled MULTIPLE OUTCOME DISPLAY FOR GAMING DEVICE, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. The quickly reiterate one of the functions of themultiple outcome portions multiple outcome portions outcome window multiple outcome portions outcome windows outcome indicators multiple outcome portions multiple outcome portions gamine device 400. - The
side bet button 434 may allow a player to place an additional wager such that they receive the higher of the two random outcomes displayed on theoutcome indicators game initiating button 433A or the secondgame initiating button 433B does not affect the ultimate outcome awarded to the player. In some instances, this feature may be beneficial to the player because they may have selected a “side” with a lower value. In other instances, the player may have selected the “side” with the larger award; rendering the additional wager unnecessary. - In other embodiments, the ability of the player to get the better of the two outcomes may be tied to a bonus or player criterion without an additional wager. For example, a casino may wish to reward a player playing high
stakes gaming devices 400, or a casino may wish to tie the best spin feature to a player tracking benchmark. In bonus scenarios, the best spin feature may only be enabled for a predetermined number of gaming events or a predetermined amount of time. This limited duration may give the player a favorable perk while not affecting the long term payback of thegaming device 400. -
FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method of operating a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. - Referring to
FIG. 8 , the method of operating the gaming device includes receiving awager 505 from a player playing the gaming device. After a wager is received, a first game initiating button and a second game initiating button are activated 510 such that the player may press either button to initiate a gaming event on the gaming device. In some embodiments, the first and second game initiating buttons may be activated if a there are credits on the gaming device that are available for wagering. For example, each of the first or second game initiating buttons may be activated with a predetermined amount to be wagered if pressed by the player without an alteration of the wager prior to pressing either of the buttons. - Once the first and second game initiating buttons have been activated, the gaming device determines if either of the first or second game initiating buttons have been pressed 515. In other embodiments utilizing other game initiating means (such as a game handle), the gaming device would determine if a game initiating device had been manipulated in order to initiate a gaming event. If neither game initiating button has been pressed, the gaming device may periodically check to see if either of the game initiating buttons is pressed or the gaming device may simply wait for a signal indicative of one of the game initiating buttons being pressed.
- When either of the first or second game initiating buttons has been pressed, the gaming device determines a first random outcome and a second
random outcome 520. As described above with reference toFIG. 4 , the first and second random outcomes may be generated by a single RNG or may be respectively generated by a first RNG and a second RNG. The first random outcome is then associated with the first game initiating button and the second random outcome is associated with the secondgame initiating button 525. - The gaming device may then display the appropriate outcome associated with the game initiating button selected by the
player 530 and may display the outcome associated with the non-selectedgame initiating button 535. As discussed above, the game device may highlight the outcome associated with the game initiating button selected by the player. Credits or other prizes from the outcome associated with the game initiating button selected by the player may then be awarded to the player on the gaming device 550. -
FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of another method of operating a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. - Referring to
FIG. 9 , the method shown inFIG. 9 includes some processes that are similar to the processes discussed above with respect toFIG. 8 . For example, the method of operating the gaming device shown inFIG. 9 may include receiving a wager from a player playing thegaming device 605, activating first and secondgame initiating buttons 610, and determining if the either of the game initiating buttons is pressed by theplayer 615. In addition, the method shown inFIG. 9 may include determining first and secondrandom outcomes 620, respectively associating the first and second random outcomes with the first and secondgame initiating buttons 625, and displaying each of therandom outcomes - Thereafter, the gaming device may determine if an outcome guaranteeing side bet (or buy-a-pay) was made by the
player 640 to secure the higher valued outcome regardless of which game initiating button was selected. As discussed above, this side bet may ensure that the player receives the higher valued outcome of the first and second random outcomes. In some embodiments, the side bet may require an additional wager be made by the player prior to either game activating button being pressed. In other embodiments, the side bet may be automatically made for the player based on a bonus or a player criterion, as discussed above. - If a side bet has not been made, the method may proceed to awarding prizes from the outcome associated with the selected
game initiating button 650 as described above with reference toFIG. 8 . However, if a side bet has been made, the gaming device may determine if the random outcome associated with the selected game initiating button is less than the random outcome associated with the non-selectedgame initiating button 645. Alternatively, the gaming device may determine if the random outcome associated with the selected game initiating button is greater than or equal to the random outcome associated with the non-selected game initiating button. In either case, if the random outcome associated with the selected game initiating button is at least as large as the random outcome associated with the non-selected game initiating button, the game device may simply award any prizes from the outcome associated with the selectedgame initiating button 650 as described above. On the other hand, if the random outcome associated with the non-selected game initiating button is larger than the random outcome associated with the selected game initiating button, the gaming device may award prizes from the outcome associated with the non-selected game initiating button. -
FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of yet another method of operating a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. - Referring to
FIG. 10 , the method shown inFIG. 10 includes some processes that are similar to the processes discussed above with respect toFIG. 8 . For example, the method of operating the gaming device shown inFIG. 10 may include receiving a wager from a player playing thegaming device 705, activating first and secondgame initiating buttons 710, and determining if the either of the game initiating buttons is pressed by theplayer 715. When it is determined that one of the game initiating buttons has been pressed, however, the method shown inFIG. 10 includes locking in the button selection for a predetermined number of games or for apredetermined time period 717. The method shown inFIG. 10 may then include similar processes as the embodiments shown inFIG. 8 in determining first and secondrandom outcomes 720, respectively associating the first and second random outcomes with the first and secondgame initiating buttons 725, displaying each of therandom outcomes game initiating button 750. In other embodiments, the method may include determining if a side bet has been made and the processes associated with awarding a higher one of the selected or non-selected outcomes as described above with reference toFIG. 8 . - After any prizes have been awarded, the gaming device may determine if the button selection is still locked in 770. As mentioned above, the button selection may be locked in for a predetermined number of games or for a predetermined amount of time. If the button selection lock has ended, the gaming device may wait for additional wagers from the
player 780 or prompt the player to place additional wagers. If the button selection lock has not ended, the gaming device may again determine first and secondrandom outcomes 720 and continue through the processes of displaying therandom outcomes prizes 750. - In some embodiments, the initial wager received in
process 705 may include a sufficient amount to cover multiple gaming events. In these embodiments, the game may automatically transition from one gaming event to another gaming event without the need for additional player input. This may resemble a conventional free-spin format. Because the selection of the game initiating button is “locked,” the player receives any awards during the multiple game events associated with the game initiating button that was initially selected. - In other embodiments, however, additional wagers may be required by the player to play additional games. In these embodiments, when it is determined that the game button selection lock has not ended, the gaming device may wait for additional wagers or the player may be prompted to place
additional wagers 785. In some of these embodiments, the player may be given the option to “break” the button selection lock with a newly placed wager. - Providing a selection button lock may be advantageous in speeding up game play, giving players a larger sampling of outcomes to compare against outcomes associated with a non-selected game initiating button, and enabling bonus features such as free-spins.
- Some embodiments of the invention have been described above, and in addition, some specific details are shown for purposes of illustrating the inventive principles. However, numerous other arrangements may be devised in accordance with the inventive principles of this patent disclosure. Further, well known processes have not been described in detail in order not to obscure the invention. Thus, while the invention is described in conjunction with the specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings, it is not limited to these embodiments or drawings. Rather, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that come within the scope and spirit of the inventive principles set out in the appended claims.
Claims (42)
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20080268953A1 (en) | 2008-10-30 |
US20200265670A1 (en) | 2020-08-20 |
US20170270741A1 (en) | 2017-09-21 |
AU2008245479A1 (en) | 2008-11-06 |
AU2008245444B9 (en) | 2013-11-14 |
US10037648B2 (en) | 2018-07-31 |
US8632400B2 (en) | 2014-01-21 |
WO2008134676A1 (en) | 2008-11-06 |
US11482068B2 (en) | 2022-10-25 |
AU2008245444A1 (en) | 2008-11-06 |
US20160335840A1 (en) | 2016-11-17 |
US20230186715A1 (en) | 2023-06-15 |
US20180308309A1 (en) | 2018-10-25 |
US20140135125A1 (en) | 2014-05-15 |
WO2008134711A1 (en) | 2008-11-06 |
US9697677B2 (en) | 2017-07-04 |
US10657758B2 (en) | 2020-05-19 |
AU2008245444B2 (en) | 2013-06-20 |
US9430898B2 (en) | 2016-08-30 |
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