Sorting games of chance

• US 10,102,707 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2014
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Lutnick, Howard W., Alderucci, Dean P., Gelman, Geoffrey M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US14/477,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20160071351A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,503 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3269 Timing aspects of game play, e.g. blocking/halting the operation of a gaming machine
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

In various embodiments a display may allow a secondary player to select a game of an appropriate primary player.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, from a secondary player at least one criterion for selecting a game, in which the secondary player includes a player that does not play in the game;

in response to receiving the at least one criterion, determining, by the computing device at a first point in time, a first game that matches the at least one criterion, in which a first primary player is to play in the first game;

determining, by the computing device, odds for wagers that a first event will occur in the first game;

presenting, by the computing device, the odds to the secondary player;

receiving, by the computing device, a first bet from the secondary player, in which the first bet includes a bet that the first event will occur during the first game and is based at least in part on the odds;

determining, by the computing device, that the first event occurs during the first game;

in response to determining that the first event occurs during the first game, determining, by the computing device, a first payout based on the first bet and the first event;

adding, by the computing device, credits to an account associated with the secondary player based on the first payout;

determining, by the computing device, at a second point in time after the first point in time, that a second game in which the first primary player is to play does not match the at least one criterion; and

in response to determining that the second game does not match the at least one criterion, transmitting, by the computing device, to the secondary player an indication that the second game does not match the at least one criterion.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the at least one criterion is that the game is to be played by a primary player who has the highest net winnings of any primary player over a particular period of time.

3. The method of claim 2, in which determining that the first game matches the at least one criterion includes determining that the first primary player has the highest net winnings and in which the method includes determining that a second primary player has the highest net winnings at the second point in time.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the at least one criterion is that the game is to be played at a gaming table at which the most money has been won of any gaming table over a particular period of time.

5. The method of claim 4, in which determining that the first game matches the at least one criterion includes determining that the first game is to be played at a gaming table at which more money has been won than another gaming table and in which the method includes determining that more money has been won at the other gaming table than the gaming table at the second point in time.

6. The method of claim 1, in which the at least one criterion is that the game is to be played by a primary player who has won the last five games that he has played.

7. The method of claim 6, in which determining that the first game matches the at least one criterion includes determining that the first primary player has won the last five games he has played and in which the method includes determining that the first primary player lost the first game and that a second primary player has won the last five games he has played at the second point in time.

8. The method of claim 1, including:

receiving from the secondary player a second bet for a third game played by the first primary player, the third game played after the first game and before the second game;

determining a second outcome of the third game;

determining a second payout based on the second bet and the second outcome; and

adding credits to the account associated with the secondary player based on the second payout.

9. The method of claim 1, including:

receiving, after transmitting the indication, instructions from the secondary player to find another game that matches the at least one criterion;

determining a third game that matches the at least one criterion;

receiving from the secondary player a second bet;

determining a second outcome of the third game;

determining a second payout based on the second bet and the second outcome; and

adding credits to the account associated with the secondary player based on the second payout.

10. The method of claim 9, in which the third game is not played by the first primary player.

11. The method of claim 1, including:

determining a third game that matches the at least one criterion, in which the third game is not played by the first primary player;

receiving from the secondary player a second bet;

determining a second outcome of the third game;

determining a second payout based on the second bet and the second outcome; and

adding credits to the account associated with the secondary player based on the second payout.

12. The method of claim 11, in which the method includes:

in response to determining that the first game matches the at least one criterion, transmitting to the secondary player, an indication that the first game matches the at least one criterion.

13. The method of claim 11, in which the method includes:

determining, after the first point in time, that a third game in which a second primary player is to play matches the at least one criterion; and

in which transmitting the indication that the second game does not match includes transmitting an indication that the third game matches the at least one criterion.

14. The method of claim 13, in which the indication that the first game matches the at least one criterion includes an interface through which the secondary may place the bet;

and in which the indication that the second game does not match the at least one criteria includes an interface through which the secondary player may place a second bet related to the third game.

15. The method of claim 13, in which the first and second games are played through a first gaming device and the third game is played through a second gaming device that is different than the first gaming device.

16. The method of claim 15, in which the first bet is received from a third gaming device that is different than the first and second gaming devices and in which the method includes presenting an image which includes visual representations of the first, second, and third gaming devices, the image further including a first arrow pointing from the third gaming device to the second gaming device and a second arrow pointing from the first gaming device to the second gaming device.

17. The method of claim 16, in which presenting the image includes presenting a visual representation of a casino floor to the secondary player.

18. The method of claim 16, including generating, based on the first, second and third gaming devices, a prediction of a fourth gaming device that will meet the at least one criterion, in which an indication of the fourth gaming device is included in the image.

19. The method of claim 18, in which the first game is played through a first gaming device.

20. The method of claim 1, in which the at least one criterion can be met by only a single game at any one time.

21. The method of claim 20, in which the at least one criterion includes that a game must be played on a gaming device that made the highest payout of any gaming device in a casino in the last hour.

22. The method of claim 20, in which the at least one criterion includes that a game must be played on a gaming device that provided the longest streak of consecutive outcomes that were winning for a primary player playing games on the gaming device of any gaming device in a casino in the last hour.

23. An apparatus comprising:

a computing device; and

a non-transitory medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by the computing device cause the apparatus to;

receive from a secondary player at least one criterion for selecting a game, in which the secondary player includes a player that does not play in the game;

in response to receiving the at least one criterion, determine at a first point in time a first game that matches the at least one criterion, in which the first game is to be played at a first gaming table by a first primary player;

determine odds for wagers that a first event will occur in the first game;

present the odds to the secondary player;

receive a first bet from the secondary player, in which the first bet includes a bet that the first event will occur during the first game and is based at least in part on the odds;

determine that the first event occurs during the first game;

in response to determining that the first event occurs during the first game, determine a first payout based on the first bet and the first event;

add credits to an account associated with the secondary player based on the first payout;

determine, at a second point in time after the first point in time, that a second game to be played at the first gaming table does not match the at least one criterion; and

in response to determining that the second game does not match the at least one criterion, transmit to the secondary player an indication that the second game does not match the at least one criterion.