Perrius poker and other bingo game variations

• US 20060025199A1
• Filed: 06/10/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Wolf, Bryan D., Harkins, Lisa G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,814,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/19
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 Type of games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and devices for providing a bingo game having aspects of a non-bingo game such as a Class III game, preferably on a network of gaming machines. Some implementations of the invention provide a bingo game having aspects of a card game, such as a poker game. Some such implementations include a bingo card display in which areas of a bingo card correspond with playing cards. Some implementations of the invention provide bingo cards having more than one bingo number associated with an area of the bingo card. Other implementations of the invention allow a winning pattern, such as an interim win pattern, to be formed from hits on more than one bingo card. For example, a winning pattern may be formed by hits along a corresponding line of multiple bingo cards being played by a single player. Alternatively, a winning pattern may be formed by hits on the same corresponding area of multiple bingo cards being played by a single player.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a bingo game involving a plurality of players, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of bingo cards by assigning a plurality of areas of each bingo card to corresponding playing card symbols;

mapping bingo numbers to areas of the bingo cards, wherein the mapping differs as to at least some areas of each bingo card;

providing at least some of the plurality of bingo cards to players;

randomly drawing the bingo numbers;

indicating hits on each bingo card when a randomly drawn bingo number corresponds with a bingo number on an area of the bingo card; and

determining when a player'"'"'s bingo card achieves a winning pattern of hits, the pattern corresponding to a hand of playing cards.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the playing card symbols are selected from more than one deck of playing cards.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a playing card symbol assigned to an area of a bingo card is revealed to a player only after there is a bingo number is drawn corresponding to the area of the bingo card.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping step comprises mapping more than one bingo number to a selected area of a bingo card.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the bingo cards are N×

N bingo cards.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the bingo cards are N×

M bingo cards.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pattern is an interim win pattern.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the selected area is selected by a player.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the selected area is selected by a gaming system.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the indicating step comprises indicating when there is a hit on one of the bingo numbers in the selected area.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining step comprises including the selected area in a pattern only when there is a hit on all of the bingo numbers in the selected area.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein the indicating step comprises displaying a corresponding playing card symbol in at least a portion of the selected area only after there is a hit on one of the bingo numbers in the selected area.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of requiring the player to select or discard the corresponding playing card symbol within a predetermined period of time after indicating when there is a hit on a first one of the bingo numbers in the selected area.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of displaying another corresponding playing card symbol in at least a portion of the selected area when there is a hit on another one of the bingo numbers in the selected area.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving an indication that the player has selected the corresponding playing card symbol within the predetermined period of time; and

including only the selected playing card symbol when determining whether a winning pattern can be formed, in part, from the selected area.

16. A method of providing a wagering game, the method comprising:

providing B bingo cards to each of a first plurality of players;

randomly selecting N bingo numbers;

indicating hits in areas of the bingo cards, the areas corresponding to at least one of the N bingo numbers; and

determining whether a winning pattern can be formed by combining hits in areas of more than one of the player'"'"'s bingo cards.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining step comprises determining whether a 3-dimensional pattern is formed by combining hits on a plurality of the bingo cards.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the indicating step comprises displaying a playing card in each area of the bingo cards where there is a hit.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of presenting the winning pattern when it is determined that the winning pattern can be formed by combining hits in areas of more than one of the player'"'"'s bingo cards.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the winning pattern is one of an interim win pattern and a game-winning pattern.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein at least one selected area of a bingo card corresponds with more than one bingo number.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of providing less than B bingo cards to each of a second plurality of players.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of randomly selecting additional numbers until the determining step determines that a game-winning pattern has been formed by combining hits from at least two of a player'"'"'s bingo cards.

24. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of randomly selecting additional numbers until a game-winning pattern is formed by combining hits from more than one of a player'"'"'s bingo cards.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the bingo cards are provided on a display of a gaming machine.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein the bingo cards are provided on a display of a gaming machine and wherein the indicating step comprises displaying the areas that form the winning pattern in a manner that is distinct from areas that do not form the winning pattern.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of determining whether a winning pattern can be formed comprises combining hits in a single corresponding area of more than one of the player'"'"'s bingo cards.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of determining whether a winning pattern can be formed comprises combining hits along a single corresponding line of more than one of the player'"'"'s bingo cards.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein the bingo cards are provided on a display of a gaming machine and wherein the presenting step comprises:

making a simulation of dealing playing cards corresponding to the areas that form the winning pattern; and

forming a playing card hand display from dealt playing cards.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein the determining step comprises including a selected area in a pattern only when there is a hit on all of the bingo numbers in the selected area.

31. The method of claim 22, further comprising receiving a first wager from each of the first plurality of players and a second wager from each of the second plurality of players, the first wager being greater than the second wager.

32. A method of providing a wagering game, the method comprising:

allowing each of a plurality of players to select a desired number of bingo cards;

displaying the selected bingo cards to each player;

providing each player with an option of combining hits in areas of more than one of the player'"'"'s selected bingo cards to form a winning pattern; and

determining whether each player has chosen the option.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

randomly selecting N bingo numbers;

indicating hits in areas of the bingo cards, the areas having numbers corresponding to any of the N bingo numbers; and

determining, when a player has selected the option, whether an interim win pattern can be formed by combining hits in areas of more than one of the player'"'"'s bingo cards.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the bingo cards are displayed on a gaming machine.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of presenting the interim win pattern when it is determined that the interim win pattern can be formed by combining hits in areas of more than one of the player'"'"'s bingo cards.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the indicating step comprises displaying a playing card in each area of the bingo cards where there is a hit.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of determining whether an interim win pattern can be formed comprises combining hits in a single corresponding area of more than one of the player'"'"'s bingo cards.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of determining whether an interim win pattern can be formed comprises combining hits along a single corresponding line of more than one of the player'"'"'s bingo cards.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the determining step comprises determining whether a 3-dimensional pattern is formed by combining hits on a plurality of the bingo cards.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein the presenting step comprises displaying the interim win pattern as a hand of playing cards.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein the presenting step comprises displaying the areas that form the interim win pattern in a manner that is distinct from areas that do not form the interim win pattern.

42. Computer software embodied in at least one machine-readable medium, the computer software including instructions for controlling devices in a gaming network to perform the following steps:

form a plurality of bingo cards by assigning a plurality of areas of each bingo card to corresponding playing card symbols;

map bingo numbers to areas of the bingo cards, wherein the mapping differs as to at least some areas of each bingo card;

provide at least some of the plurality of bingo cards to players;

randomly draw the bingo numbers;

indicate hits on each bingo card when a randomly drawn bingo number corresponds with a bingo number on an area of the bingo card; and

determine when a player'"'"'s bingo card achieves a winning pattern of hits, the pattern corresponding to a hand of playing cards.

43. A gaming network for conducting a bingo game involving a plurality of players, the gaming network comprising:

means for forming a plurality of bingo cards by assigning a plurality of areas of each bingo card to corresponding playing card symbols;

means for mapping bingo numbers to areas of the bingo cards, wherein the mapping differs as to at least some areas of each bingo card;

means for providing at least some of the plurality of bingo cards to players;

means for randomly drawing the bingo numbers;

means for indicating hits on each bingo card when a randomly drawn bingo number corresponds with a bingo number on an area of the bingo card; and

means for determining when a player'"'"'s bingo card achieves a winning pattern of hits, the pattern corresponding to a hand of playing cards.

44. A gaming network for conducting a bingo game involving a plurality of players, the gaming network comprising:

a game server, comprising;

at least one logic device configured to form a plurality of electronic representations of bingo cards (“

bingo cards”

) by assigning a plurality of areas of each bingo card to corresponding playing card symbols and to map bingo numbers to areas of the bingo cards, wherein the mapping differs as to at least some areas of each bingo card;

a random number generator for randomly drawing the bingo numbers;

at least one port for providing at least some of the plurality of bingo cards and randomly drawn bingo numbers to gaming machines; and

a plurality of gaming machines'"'"' each gaming machine configured to display the bingo cards, to indicate hits on each bingo card when a randomly drawn bingo number corresponds with a bingo number on an area of the bingo card, to determine when a player'"'"'s bingo card achieves a winning pattern of hits and to display the winning pattern as a hand of playing cards.

45. Computer software embodied in at least one machine-readable medium, the computer software including instructions for controlling devices in a gaming network to perform the following steps:

providing B bingo cards to each of a first plurality of players;

randomly selecting N bingo numbers;

indicating hits in areas of the bingo cards, the areas corresponding to at least one of the N bingo numbers; and

determining whether a winning pattern can be formed by combining hits in areas of more than one of the player'"'"'s bingo cards.

46. A gaming network for providing a wagering game, the gaming network comprising:

means for providing B bingo cards to each of a first plurality of players;

means for randomly selecting N bingo numbers;

means for indicating hits in areas of the bingo cards, the areas corresponding to at least one of the N bingo numbers; and

means for determining whether a winning pattern can be formed by combining hits in areas of more than one of the player'"'"'s bingo cards.

47. A gaming network for providing a wagering game, the gaming network comprising:

a game server, comprising;

at least one logic device configured to form electronic representations of a plurality of bingo cards (“

bingo cards”

) and to randomly select N bingo numbers; and

at least one port configured for communication with a plurality of gaming machines and for providing multiple bingo cards selected from the plurality of bingo cards to players of each of the plurality of gaming machines; and

a plurality of gaming machines configured to display the multiple bingo cards, to indicate hits in areas of the multiple bingo cards, the areas corresponding to at least one of the N bingo numbers, and to determine whether a winning pattern can be formed by combining hits in areas of more than one of the player'"'"'s multiple bingo cards.