Gaming system and method providing a gaming tournament with a dynamic equalizer feature

• US 10,424,162 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2016
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Heenan, Robin, Luciano, Cyrus
• Primary Examiner(s): Liddle, Jay Trent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rada, II, Alex F. R. P.
• Application Number:
  US15/274,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20180089952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a gaming system and method providing a gaming tournament with a dynamic equalizer feature. In various embodiments, responsive to the dynamic equalizer feature being triggered, the gaming system may select a player who is not performing well in the tournament and provide that player enough tournament points to bring that player back into contention in the tournament. The dynamic equalizer feature provides a way to compensate for the inherent variability of tournament play—i.e., some players by chance accumulating more tournament points than others during the same time period—so players with low tournament point balances always feel like they have a chance to win the tournament regardless of their bad luck during tournament game play. This ensures that at all players remain engaged and entertained throughout the duration of the tournament.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gaming system, the method comprising:

for each of multiple gaming machines participating in a gaming tournament, enabling a player of that gaming machine to play a tournament game, each gaming machine including;

a housing;

a display device supported by the housing; and

a plurality of input devices supported by the housing and including an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value to facilitate establishing a credit balance, a wager button actuatable to place a wager on a play of a primary game, and a cashout button actuatable to cause an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance;

for each of the gaming machines, for each play of the tournament game on that gaming machine;

determining, by at least one processor, and causing, by the at least one processor, at least one display device of that gaming machine to display an outcome;

determining, by the at least one processor, and causing, by the at least one processor, the at least one display device of that gaming machine to display any tournament points associated with the outcome; and

adding, by the at least one processor, any tournament points associated with the outcome to a tournament point balance of the player of that gaming machine;

responsive to an occurrence of a promotion event;

selecting, by the at least one processor, and based on the tournament point balances of the players, a first set of one or more of the players;

determining, by the at least one processor, whether to promote any of the players in the first set of the players by;

for each player in the first set of the players, determining, by the at least one processor, a probability of being promoted, wherein the probability of being promoted of the player having the highest tournament point balance among the players in the first set of the players is lower than the probability of being promoted of the player having the lowest tournament point balance among the players in the first set of the players;

assigning, by the at least one processor, the determined probability of being promoted to that player; and

randomly determining, by the at least one processor, whether to promote any of the players in the first set of the players based on the assigned probabilities of being promoted; and

for each of any players selected for promotion, determining, by the at least one processor, a target tournament point balance and increasing, by the at least one processor, the tournament point balance of that player to the determined target tournament point balance; and

responsive to an occurrence of a tournament termination event;

ending, by the at least one processor, the tournament;

determining, by the at least one processor, a tournament winner based on the tournament point balances of the players; and

providing a tournament award to the tournament winner.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the probability of being promoted of a first player in the first set of the players is greater than the probability of being promoted of each player in the first set of the players who has a tournament point balance greater than the tournament point balance of the first player.

3. The method of claim 1, which includes determining, by the at least one processor and for a player selected for promotion, the target tournament point balance by:

(1) determining, by the at least one processor, a set of multiple potential target tournament point balances;

(2) assigning, by the at least one processor, a second probability of being selected to each potential target tournament point balance of the set of potential target tournament point balances; and

(3) selecting, by the at least one processor and based on the assigned second probabilities of being selected to each potential target tournament point balance, one of the potential target point balances of the set of potential target tournament point balances.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first set of the players includes the players whose tournament point balances are below a first threshold tournament point balance.

5. The method of claim 4, which includes selecting, by the at least one processor, a second set of the players including the players whose tournament point balances are above a second threshold tournament point balance, the second threshold being greater than the first threshold, and determining, by the at least one processor, the set of multiple potential target tournament point balances based on the tournament point balances of the players of the second set of the players.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of potential target tournament point balances includes a minimum potential target tournament point balance that at least equals the smallest tournament point balance among the players in the second set of the players.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor communicates with the gaming machines via a network interface.

8. A tournament server comprising:

a network interface that enables communication with multiple gaming machines participating in a gaming tournament, wherein each gaming machine includes;

a housing;

a display device supported by the housing; and

a plurality of input devices supported by the housing and including an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value to facilitate establishing a credit balance, a wager button actuatable to place a wager on a play of a primary game, and a cashout button actuatable to cause an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device that stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the network interface to;

for each the gaming machines participating in the gaming tournament, enable a player of that gaming machine to play a tournament game;

for each of the gaming machines, for each play of the tournament game on that gaming machine;

determine and cause at least one display device of that gaming machine to display an outcome;

determine and cause the at least one display device of that gaming machine to display any tournament points associated with the outcome; and

add any tournament points associated with the outcome to a tournament point balance of the player of that gaming machine;

responsive to an occurrence of a promotion event;

select, based on the tournament point balances of the players, a first set of one or more of the players;

determine whether to promote any of the players in the first set of the players by;

for each player in the first set of the players, determining a probability of being promoted, wherein the probability of being promoted of a first player in the first set of the players is greater than the probability of being promoted of each player in the first set of the players who has a tournament point balance greater than the tournament point balance of the first player;

assigning the determined probability of being promoted to that player; and

randomly determining whether to promote any of the players in the first set of the players based on the assigned probabilities of being promoted;

for each of any players selected for promotion, determine a target tournament point balance and increase the tournament point balance of that player to the determined target tournament point balance; and

responsive to an occurrence of a tournament termination event;

end the tournament;

determine a tournament winner based on the tournament point balances of the players; and

provide a tournament award to the tournament winner.

9. The tournament server of claim 8, wherein the probability of being promoted of the player having the highest tournament point balance among the players in the first set of the players is lower than the probability of being promoted of the player having the lowest tournament point balance among the players in the first set of the players.

10. The tournament server of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to determine, for a player selected for promotion, the target tournament point balance by:

(1) determining a set of multiple potential target tournament point balances;

(2) assigning a second probability of being selected to each potential target tournament point balance of the set of potential target tournament point balances; and

(3) selecting, based on the assigned second probabilities of being selected to each potential target tournament point balance, one of the potential target point balances of the set of potential target tournament point balances.

11. The tournament server of claim 10, wherein the first set of the players includes the players whose tournament point balances are below a first threshold tournament point balance.

12. The tournament server of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to select a second set of the players including the players whose tournament point balances are above a second threshold tournament point balance, the second threshold being greater than the first threshold, and determine the set of multiple potential target tournament point balances based on the tournament point balances of the players of the second set of the players.

13. The tournament server of claim 12, wherein the set of potential target tournament point balances includes a minimum potential target tournament point balance that at least equals the smallest tournament point balance among the players in the second set of the players.

14. The tournament server of claim 8, wherein the network interface is a wireless network interface.