Gaming device including outcome pools for providing game outcomes

• US 20040063489A1
• Filed: 10/01/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Crumby, Hardy L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,563,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A gaming device which includes one or more outcome pools for providing outcomes to players. After a predetermined event occurs, the gaming device processor draws one or more outcomes from one or more pools. The gaming device provides the drawn outcomes to a player and prevents the drawn outcomes from being provided to any player again until the processor has provided players with all of the outcomes remaining in the pools of the drawn outcomes.

Claims

1. A gaming device having a game enabling a player to make a wager, said gaming device comprising:

a data storage device;

a plurality of pools of outcomes stored in the data storage device; and

a processor electronically connected to the data storage device, which upon initiation of play of said game;

(a) selects at least one of the pools;

(b) draws one of the outcomes from the selected pool; and

(c) provides the drawn outcome to a player, wherein said processor prevents each drawn outcome from being provided again to any player until all of the outcomes in the pools have been drawn and provided to players.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the outcomes include at least one value.

3. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the outcomes are values.

4. The gaming device of claim 3, wherein each of the pools includes a plurality of value levels.

5. The gaming device of claim 4, which includes a zero credit value level.

6. The gaming device of claim 4, which includes a predetermined credit value level.

7. The gaming device of claim 4, which includes a predetermined quantity of values at each value level.

8. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the outcomes include at least one opportunity to obtain a value.

9. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the outcomes include at least one decrease in an opportunity to obtain a value.

10. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the outcomes include at least one value of zero credits.

11. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the outcomes include at least one value loss.

12. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the processor randomly selects one of the pools to draw from.

13. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the processor selects the pool in a predetermined order.

15. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the processor draws the outcome in a predetermined order.

16. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein at least two of the pools are identical.

14. The gaming device of 1, wherein the processor randomly draws the outcome from the selected pool.

17. A gaming device having a game enabling a player to make a wager, said gaming device comprising:

a data storage device;

a plurality of pools of outcomes stored in the data storage device; and

a processor electronically connected to the data storage device which following at least one predetermined event;

(a) selects pools;

(b) draws outcomes from the selected pools; and

(c) provides the drawn outcomes to players, wherein the processor prevents each drawn outcome from being provided again to any player until all of the outcomes in the selected pools have been drawn and provided to players.

18. The gaming device of claim 17, wherein at least two of the pools are identical.

19. A gaming device having a game enabling a player to make a wager, said gaming device comprising:

at least one memory device;

a display device;

a processor electronically connected to the memory device and the display device;

a plurality of pools of outcomes stored in the memory device; and

at least one program stored in the memory device which instructs the processor to provide a player with an outcome, without performing a probability calculation, by;

(a) selecting at least one of the pools;

(b) drawing at least one of the outcomes from the selected pool; and

(c) preventing the drawn outcome from being provided again to any player until all of the outcomes in the selected pool have been provided to players.

20. The gaming device of claim 19, wherein at least two of the pools are identical.

21. A gaming device comprising:

a data storage device;

a plurality of pools stored in the data storage device;

a plurality of values included in each of the pools;

a predetermined credit amount included in each of the values;

at least one game symbol associated with each of the values;

a display device which displays the game symbols;

at least one play activator which enables a player to initiate a wager;

a processor electronically connected to the data storage device, the display device and the play activator, which;

(a) initiates the game following a predetermined event;

(b) receives a signal from the play activator;

(c) initiates a wager;

(d) selects at least one of the pools;

(e) draws at least one of the values from the selected pool;

(f) causes the display device to display the game symbol associated with the drawn value;

(g) provides the drawn value to the player;

(h) prevents the drawn outcome from being provided again to any player until all of the values in the selected pool have been provided to players; and

(i) terminates the game following a predetermined event.

22. The gaming device of claim 21, wherein the processor randomly selects one of the pools.

23. The gaming device of claim 21, wherein the processor selects one of the pools in a predetermined sequence.

24. The gaming device of claim 21, wherein the processor prevents the drawn outcome from being provided again to any player until all of the values in a plurality of the pools have been provided to players.

25. The gaming device of claim 21, wherein the processor prevents the drawn value from being provided again to any player until all of the values in all of the pools have been provided to players.

26. The gaming device of claim 21, wherein each of the pools includes a plurality of value levels.

27. The gaming device of claim 26, which includes a predetermined quantity of values at each value level.

28. The gaming device of claim 26, which includes a zero credit value level.

29. The gaming device of claim 26, which includes a predetermined credit value level.

30. The gaming device of claim 21, wherein at least two of the pools are identical.

31. A gaming device having a game enabling a player to make a wager, said gaming device comprising:

a data storage device;

a plurality of pools of awards stored in the data storage device;

different award types included in each of the pools;

predetermined quantities of the awards associated with each award type; and

a processor electronically connected to the data storage device, which upon initiation of said game;

(a) selects at least one of the pools;

(b) draws at least one of the awards from the selected pool; and

(c) provides the drawn award to a player, wherein said processor prevents the drawn award from being provided again to any player until all of the awards in all of the pools have been provided to players.

32. The gaming device of claim 31, wherein at least two of the pools are identical.

33. A gaming device having a game enabling a player to make a wager, said gaming device comprising:

a data storage device;

a plurality of pools of outcomes stored in the data storage device;

a plurality of instructions stored in the data storage device, said instructions executable by a processor to;

(a) select one of the pools after a predetermined event occurs;

(b) draw an outcome from the selected pool;

(c) provide the drawn outcome to a player;

(d) prevent the drawn outcome from said pool from being drawn again until all of the outcomes in the selected pool have been drawn; and

(e) repeat steps (a) through (d) until all of the outcomes in all of the pools have been drawn.

34. The gaming device of claim 33, wherein at least two of the pools are identical.

35. A gaming device having a game enabling a player to make a wager, said gaming device comprising:

at least one data storage device;

a plurality of pools of outcomes stored in the data storage device;

at least one rare outcome and a plurality of other outcomes included within each of the pools;

a plurality of instructions stored in the data storage device, said instructions executable by a processor to;

(a) select a first pool after a predetermined event occurs;

(b) draw an outcome from the first pool;

(c) provide the outcome to a player;

(d) prevent the outcome from being drawn again;

(e) repeat steps (a) through (d) until a rare outcome in the first pool is drawn or until all of the outcomes in the first pool have been drawn;

(f) select a different pool;

(g) draw an outcome from the different pool;

(h) provide the outcome to the player;

(i) prevent the outcome from being drawn again; and

(j) repeat steps (f) through (i) until a rare outcome in the different pool is drawn or until all of the outcomes in the different pool have been drawn.

36. The gaming device of claim 35, wherein at least two of the pools are identical.

37. A gaming device having a game enabling a player to make a wager, said gaming device comprising:

a data storage device;

at least one pool of outcomes stored in the data storage device; and

a processor electronically connected to the data storage device, which upon initiation of the game;

(a) draws one of the outcomes from the pool; and

(b) provides the drawn outcome to a player;

wherein said processor prevents the drawn outcome from being provided again to any player until all of the outcomes in the pool have been drawn and provided to players.

38. The gaming device of claim 37, wherein the outcomes include at least one award value.

39. The gaming device of claim 37, wherein the outcomes include at least one bonus value.

40. The gaming device of claim 37, wherein at least two of the pools are identical.

41. A gaming device having a game enabling a player to make a wager, said gaming device comprising:

at least one memory device;

a display device;

a processor electronically connected to the memory device and the display device;

a plurality of identical pools of outcomes stored in the memory device; and

at least one program stored in the memory device which instructs the processor to provide a player with an outcome upon initiation of said game by drawing the outcome from one of the pools without performing a probability calculation.

42. A gaming device having a game enabling a player to make a wager, said gaming device comprising:

a data storage device;

a predetermined number of outcomes stored in each of a plurality of pools in the data storage device;

an odds of a player obtaining one of the outcomes; and

a processor electronically connected to the data storage device, which upon initiation of said game;

(a) draws one of the outcomes from one of the pools; and

(b) provides the drawn outcome to a player, wherein said processor prevents the drawn outcome from being provided again to any player until all of the outcomes in the pool have been provided to player and increases said odds upon each draw.

43. The gaming device of claim 42, wherein the outcomes of at least two of the pools are identical.

44. A gaming device having a game enabling a player to make a wager, said gaming device comprising:

a data storage device;

at least one pool of outcomes stored in the data storage device;

at least one termination outcome included in the outcomes;

a plurality of continuation outcomes included in the outcomes; and

a processor electronically connected to the data storage device, which upon initiation of the game;

(a) draws a termination outcome or continuation outcome from the pool; and

(b) provides the drawn outcome to a player, wherein said processor prevents the drawn outcome from being provided again to any player until all of the outcomes in the pool have been drawn and provided to players.

45. The gaming device of claim 44, wherein at least one of the continuation outcomes includes a predetermined value.

46. A gaming device having a game enabling a player to make a wager, said gaming device comprising:

a data storage device;

at least one pool of outcomes stored in the data storage device;

at least one termination outcome included in the outcomes;

a plurality of values included in the outcomes;

a plurality of symbols;

a display device which displays the symbols to a player;

an input device which enables a player to select the symbols; and

a processor electronically connected to the data storage device, the display device and the input device, which;

(a) receives a signal following a player'"'"'s selection of a symbol;

(b) draws a termination outcome or a value from the pool; and

(c) provides the drawn termination outcome or value to the player, wherein said processor prevents the drawn termination outcome or value from being provided again to any player until all of the outcomes in the pool have been drawn and provided to players.

47. A gaming device having a game enabling a player to make a wager, said gaming device comprising:

a processor;

at least one data storage device accessible by the processor; and

a computer program stored in the data storage device, said computer program including instructions which cause the processor to;

(a) generate a plurality of pools of outcomes;

(b) store the pools in the data storage device;

(c) select at least one of the pools;

(d) draw one of the outcomes from the selected pool;

(e) provide the drawn outcome to a player; and

(f) prevent each drawn outcome from being provided again to any player until all of the Outcomes in the pools have been drawn and provided to players.

48. A gaming device having a game enabling a player to make a wager, said gaming device comprising:

a processor;

at least one data storage device accessible by the processor; and

a computer program stored in the data storage device, said computer program including instructions which cause the processor to;

(a) generate a first pool of outcomes;

(b) store the first pool in the data storage device;

(c) draw one of the outcomes from the first pool;

(d) provide the drawn outcome to a player;

(e) generate a second pool of outcomes following a predetermined event;

(f) store the second pool in the data storage device;

(g) draw one of the outcomes from the first pool or the second pool; and

(h) prevent each drawn outcome from being provided again to any player until the processor has drawn all of the outcomes from the pool which included the drawn outcome.

49. The gaming device of claim 48, wherein the predetermined event is the processor drawing a predetermined outcome.

50. The gaming device of claim 48, wherein the instructions of the computer program direct the processor to prevent each drawn outcome from being provided again to any player until the processor has drawn all of the outcomes from the first pool and the second pool.

51. The gaming device of claim 48, wherein a plurality of the outcomes are values.

52. The gaming device of claim 51, wherein the predetermined event is the processor drawing a predetermined value.

53. A gaming device having a game enabling a player to make a wager, said gaming device comprising:

a processor;

at least one data storage device accessible by the processor; and

a computer program stored in the data storage device, said computer program including instructions which cause the processor to;

(a) generate a plurality of pools of outcomes, one at a time, while the gaming device is in service;

(b) after each pool is generated, store each generated pool in the data storage device;

(c) draw an outcome from one of the stored pools;

(d) provide the drawn outcome to a player; and

(e) prevent each drawn outcome from being provided again to any player until the processor has drawn all of the outcomes from the stored pool which included the drawn outcome.

54. A method for providing outcomes in a gaming device, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing at least one pool;

(b) providing different types of outcomes in the pool;

(c) providing a player with an opportunity to obtain at least one of the outcomes;

(d) drawing one of the outcomes from the pool;

(f) providing the drawn outcome to the player; and

(g) preventing the drawn outcome from being provided to a player until all of the outcomes in the pool have been provided to players.