Gaming device having apparent and final awards

• US 20050143170A1
• Filed: 02/24/2005
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Cuddy, Ryan W., Baerlocher, Anthony J., Maya, Darren, Mierau, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 7,722,463 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/26
• 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 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played

Abstract

A gaming device having a plurality of start values. The player selects one of the start values, as part of a game sequence. During the game sequence, the gaming device increments the start value to an apparent award. The gaming device in one embodiment enables the player to keep the apparent award or trade it for another apparent award. The other apparent award in one embodiment is derived from one of the other start values. After one or more keep or trade sequences, the player achieves one of the apparent awards. The gaming device then performs a sequence in which the apparent award changes into an actual award. The gaming device provides the actual award to the player.

Claims

1. A gaming device operated under control of a processor, said gaming device comprising:

a game controlled by the processor;

a plurality of apparent awards in said game, wherein at least one of said apparent awards cannot be provided to a player;

a plurality of actual awards in said game, wherein; and

a display device adapted to display said game;

wherein the processor is operable with said display device to control a play of said game by;

(a) displaying one of said apparent awards;

(b) enabling a player to accept or reject said displayed apparent award;

(c) if the player rejects said displayed apparent award;

(i) displaying another one of said apparent awards, and

(ii) repeating (b) to (c) until the player accepts said displayed apparent award or said displayed apparent award is a final one of the apparent awards; and

(d) if the player accepts one of said displayed apparent awards or said displayed apparent award is the final apparent award,

(i) selecting and displaying one of said actual awards, and

(ii) providing the displayed actual award to the player.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, which includes a plurality of incremental values, wherein the processor is operable to control the play of the game by incrementing one of the displayed apparent awards by one of the incremental values prior to enabling the player to accept or reject said displayed apparent award.

3. The gaming device of claim 2, wherein one of the displayed apparent awards is incremented if the incremented displayed apparent award is below a threshold value.

4. The gaming device of claim 3, wherein the threshold value equals the smallest of the actual awards less an offset value.

5. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein said displayed actual award is unrelated to the accepted apparent award.

6. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of said apparent awards each has a value greater than zero.

7. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of said actual awards each has a value greater than zero.

8. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein at least one of said actual awards has a value greater than a value of at least one of said apparent awards.

9. A gaming device operated under control of a processor, said gaming device comprising:

a game controlled by the processor;

a plurality of apparent awards in the game, wherein at least one of said apparent awards cannot be provided to a player;

a predetermined actual award in the game; and

a display device adapted to display the game;

wherein the processor is operable with said display device to control a play of the game by;

(a) displaying one of said apparent awards;

(b) enabling a player to keep the displayed apparent award or trade the displayed apparent award for a second one of the apparent awards;

(c) replacing the kept displayed apparent award or the traded for second apparent award with the predetermined actual award; and

(d) providing the predetermined actual award to the player.

10. The gaming device of claim 9, which includes a plurality of incremental values, wherein the processor is operable to control the play of the game by incrementing the displayed apparent award by one of the incremental values prior to enabling the player to keep the displayed apparent award or trade the displayed apparent award for the second one of the apparent awards.

11. The gaming device of claim 10, wherein the displayed apparent award is incremented if the incremented displayed apparent award is below a threshold value.

12. The gaming device of claim 11, wherein the threshold value equals the predetermined actual award less an offset value.

13. The gaming device of claim 9, wherein said predetermined actual award is unrelated to the selected apparent award.

14. The gaming device of claim 9, wherein a plurality of said apparent awards each has a value greater than zero.

15. The gaming device of claim 9, wherein said predetermined actual award has a value greater than zero.

16. The gaming device of claim 9, wherein said predetermined actual award has a value greater than a value of at least one of said apparent awards.

17. A gaming device operated under control of a processor, said gaming device comprising:

a display device controlled by said processor;

a plurality of actual awards, wherein each of said plurality of actual awards has a value which is greater than zero and one of the actual awards is provided to a player;

an interactive game sequence displayed by the display device, wherein in the interactive game sequence the player appears to achieve an apparent award which has a value less than at least one of said actual awards, wherein said apparent award cannot be provided to the player; and

an adjustment sequence displayed by the display device, wherein in the adjustment sequence said apparent award is revealed to the player and then replaced by the actual award provided to the player.

18. The gaming device of claim 17, wherein at least one selection by the player in the interactive game sequence determines the apparent award achieved by the player.

19. The gaming device of claim 17, wherein at least one keep or trade option in the interactive game sequence determines the actual award achieved by the player.

20. A gaming device operable under control of a processor, said gaming device comprising:

a game controlled by the processor;

a plurality of values in said game, wherein each of the values is greater than zero and none of the values can be provided to a player; and

a display device controlled by the processor and operable to display said game;

wherein the processor is operable with the display device to control a play of the game by;

(a) providing a first of the values to the player;

(b) performing at least one keep or trade sequence that enables the player to keep the first value or trade the first value for at least another one of said values; and

(c) providing an award to the player in place of the first value or the other value, whichever is kept by the player wherein the award is determined independently from the values and said award has a value greater than said each of said values.

21. The gaming device of claim 20, wherein the processor is operable to control the play of the game by modifying the first value prior to the keep or trade sequence.

22. The gaming device of claim 21, wherein the processor is operable to control the play of the game by modifying the first value using a mathematical equation.

23. The gaming device of claim 21, wherein the processor is operable to control the play of the game by modifying the other value prior to enabling the player to keep or trade the first value.

24. A gaming device operable under control of a processor, said gaming device comprising:

a game controlled by the processor;

a plurality of initial values in the game, wherein a plurality of said initial values are each greater than zero;

a plurality of awards in the game wherein a plurality of said awards each has a value greater than zero;

a plurality of selections in the game, wherein each of said selections is associated with one of said initial values and one of said awards;

a threshold value in the game; and

a display device controlled by the processor and operable to display the game;

wherein the processor and the display device are operable to control a play of the game by;

(a) displaying the plurality of selections;

(b) enabling a player to pick one of the selections;

(c) revealing the initial value associated with the player picked selection;

(d) incrementing the revealed initial value until the threshold value is reached or until a determination not to increment the revealed initial value is made, wherein said determination is based on a probability;

(e) enabling the player to keep the incremented initial value or trade it for another one of the values associated with another one of the selections, wherein the incremented value or the traded for other value form a kept value which cannot be provided to the player;

(f) selecting the award associated with the same selection as the kept value and upgrading the kept value to the selected award, wherein the award is greater than said kept value; and

(g) providing the selected award to the player.

25. The gaming device of claim 24, which includes determining the threshold value using an offset value.

26. A method of operating a gaming device, said method comprising:

(a) displaying one of a plurality of apparent awards to a player, wherein at least one of said apparent awards cannot be provided to the player;

(b) enabling the player to accept or reject said displayed apparent award;

(c) if the player rejects said displayed apparent award;

(i) displaying another one of said apparent awards, and

(ii) repeating (b) to (c) until the player accepts said displayed apparent award or said displayed apparent award is a final one of the apparent awards; and

(d) if the player accepts one of said displayed apparent awards or said displayed apparent award is the final apparent award,

(i) selecting and displaying one of a plurality of actual awards, and

(ii) providing the displayed actual award to the player.

27. The method of claim 26, which includes incrementing one of the displayed apparent awards by one of a plurality of incremental values prior to enabling the player to accept or reject said displayed apparent award.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein one of the displayed apparent awards is incremented if the incremented displayed apparent award is below a threshold value.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the threshold value equals the smallest of the actual awards less an offset value.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein said displayed actual award is unrelated to the accepted apparent award.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein a plurality of said apparent awards each has a value greater than zero.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein a plurality of said actual awards each has a value greater than zero.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of said actual awards has a value greater than a value of at least one of said apparent awards.

34. The method of claim 26, which is provided through a data network.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the data network is an internet.

36. A method of operating a gaming device, said method comprising:

(a) displaying one of a plurality of apparent awards to a player, wherein at least one of the apparent awards cannot be provided to the player;

(b) enabling the player to keep the displayed apparent award or trade the displayed apparent award for a second one of the apparent awards;

(c) replacing the kept displayed apparent award or the traded for second apparent award with a predetermined actual award; and

(d) providing the predetermined actual award to the player.

37. The method of claim 36, which includes a plurality of incremental values, wherein the processor is operable to control the play of the game by incrementing the displayed apparent award by one of the incremental values prior to enabling the player to keep the displayed apparent award or trade the displayed apparent award for the second one of the apparent awards.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the displayed apparent award is incremented if the incremented displayed apparent award is below a threshold value.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the threshold value equals the predetermined actual award less an offset value.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein said predetermined actual award is unrelated to the selected apparent award.

41. The method of claim 36, wherein a plurality of said apparent awards each has a value greater than zero.

42. The method of claim 36, wherein said predetermined actual award has a value greater than zero.

43. The method of claim 36, wherein said predetermined actual award has a value greater than a value of at least one of said apparent awards.

44. The method of claim 36, which is provided through a data network.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the data network is an internet.

46. A method of operating a gaming device, said method comprising:

(a) displaying an interactive game sequence in which an apparent award appears to be achieved, said apparent award having a value less than at least one of a plurality of actual awards, wherein each of said plurality of actual awards has a value which is greater than zero and said apparent award cannot be provided to a player; and

(b) displaying an adjustment sequence in which said apparent award is displayed and then replaced by the actual awards; and

(c) displaying and providing said actual award to the player.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein at least one selection by the player in the interactive game sequence determines the apparent award achieved by the player.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein at least one keep or trade option in the interactive game sequence determines the actual award achieved by the player.

49. The method of claim 46, which is provided through a data network.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the data network is an internet.

51. A method of operating a gaming device, said method comprising:

(a) displaying an interactive game sequence in which a player achieves one of a plurality of apparent awards, wherein a plurality of said apparent awards each has a value greater than zero and none of said apparent awards can be provided to the player;

(b) displaying an adjustment sequence, wherein upon a selection by the player, said achieved apparent award is replaced by one of a plurality of actual awards, wherein a plurality of said actual awards each has a value greater than zero and at least one of said actual awards has a value greater than at least one of said apparent awards; and

(c) providing to the player the actual award which replaced the apparent award.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein the actual award provided to the player is unrelated to the apparent award achieved by the player.

53. The method of claim 51, which includes revealing to the player, but not providing to the player, at least another one of the apparent awards.

54. The method of claim 51, which includes enabling the player the option to keep or trade the achieved apparent award in the interactive game sequence, wherein said option determines the actual award provided to the player.

55. The method of claim 51, which is provided through a data network.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein the data network is an internet.

57. A method of operating a gaming device, said method comprising:

(a) displaying a plurality of start values to a player;

(b) displaying a game sequence which includes displaying a plurality of apparent awards, wherein each apparent award is derived from one of the start values, a plurality of said apparent awards each has a value greater than zero and none of said apparent awards can be provided to the player;

(c) selecting an actual award from a plurality of actual awards which are unrelated to the displayed apparent awards, wherein a plurality of said actual awards each has a value greater than zero and at least one of said actual awards has a value greater than at least one of said displayed apparent awards;

(d) displaying the selected actual award replacing one of the displayed apparent awards; and

(e) providing the selected actual award to the player.

58. The method of claim 57, which includes a plurality of incremental values, wherein at least one of the incremental values increments one of the start values to one of the apparent awards.

59. The method of claim 57, which is provided through a data network.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein the data network is an internet.

61. A method of operating a gaming device, said method comprising:

(a) displaying a first value and a second value to a player, wherein said first value and said second value are each greater than zero;

(b) enabling the player to keep the first value or trade the first value for the second value;

(c) displaying the selected first or second value as an apparent award, wherein the apparent award cannot be provided to the player; and

(d) providing an actual award to the player in place of the apparent award, wherein said actual award is unrelated to the first and second values and said actual award has a value greater than at least one of said first value or said second value.

62. The method of claim 61, wherein the first value is modified prior to enabling the player to keep the first value or trade the first value for the second value.

63. The method of claim 61, wherein at least one of the first and second values is modified via a sequence of operations using at least one mathematical equation.

64. The method of claim 61, which is provided through a data network.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein the data network is an internet.

66. A method of operating a gaming device, said method comprising:

(a) providing one of a plurality of actual awards to a player, wherein a plurality of said actual awards each has a value greater than zero;

(b) providing and displaying an interactive game sequence in which the player appears to achieve one of a plurality of apparent awards, wherein a plurality of said apparent awards each has a value greater than zero, at least one of said apparent awards has a value less than at least one of said actual awards and each of said apparent awards cannot be provided to the player;

(c) providing and displaying a keep or trade sequence in which the player keeps the apparent award or trades the apparent award for at least another one of the apparent awards; and

(d) providing and displaying an adjustment sequence in which the selected apparent award is replaced by one of said actual awards which is unrelated to the selected apparent award.

67. The method of claim 66, which is provided through a data network.

68. The method of claim 67, wherein the data network is an internet.