Wagering game with enhanced payline-ordering feature

• US 20060160605A1
• Filed: 01/13/2006
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jaffe, Joel R., Hornik, Jeremy M., Englman, Allon G., Aoki, Dion K., Poole, James J.
• Application Number:
  US11/331,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20060160605A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a gaming terminal and a method of playing a wagering game. The wagering game includes a plurality of symbols arranged along one or more paylines that indicate a randomly selected outcome of the wagering game in response to a wager input. A winning combination of symbols along the paylines may be arranged in either a left-to-right order or a right-to-left order. In one embodiment, a player makes a first wager input that is associated with one or more paylines corresponding to a left-to-right arrangement of symbols. A player is then allowed to make a second wager input that is associated with one or more paylines corresponding to a right-to-left arrangement of symbols. The second wager input associated with right-to-left paylines is not equal to, and may be less than, the first wager input associated with left-to-right paylines.

Claims

1. A method of playing a wagering game at a gaming terminal, said wagering game having a plurality of reels composed of a plurality of symbols that indicate a randomly selected outcome of said wagering game that has been selected from a plurality of outcomes, comprising:

receiving a first wager input that is associated with a first group of paylines that indicate said randomly selected outcome from left-to-right;

providing an option for inputting a second wager input, said second wager input associated with a second group of paylines that indicate said randomly selected outcome from right-to-left, said second wager input is not equal to said first wager input;

conducting said wagering game;

awarding an award for at least one winning combination of said plurality of symbols along said first group of paylines that indicate said randomly selected outcome from left-to-right; and

awarding an award for at least one winning combination of said plurality of symbols along said second group of paylines that indicate said randomly selected outcome from right-to-left if said option has been chosen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first group of paylines is the same as said second group of paylines.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said second wager input associated with said second group of paylines is less than said first wager input associated with said first group of paylines.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said second wager input associated with said second group of paylines is greater than said first wager input associated with said first group of paylines.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of paylines in said first group of paylines is greater than the number of paylines in said second group of paylines.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of paylines in said first group of paylines is less than the number of paylines in said second group of paylines.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said option for inputting said second wager input is only selectable in response to a player inputting said first wager input that is equal to a maximum value for a payline within said first group of paylines.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said option is only selectable in response to said player selecting all of said paylines within said first group of paylines and said first wager input is equal to a maximum value for all paylines in said first group of paylines.

9. A gaming terminal for playing a wagering game, comprising:

a display for displaying a plurality of symbols that indicate a randomly selected outcome of said wagering game, said display displaying at least one payline;

a controller coupled to said display and operative to receive a first wager input and a second wager input, said first wager input allowing a player to achieve winning combinations arranged left-to-right on said payline and said second wager input allowing a player to achieve winning combinations arranged right-to-left on said payline; and

wherein said second wager input is less than said first wager input.

10. The gaming terminal of claim 9, further comprising a player-selectable input device coupled to said controller for inputting said second wager input.

11. The gaming terminal of claim 10, wherein said player-selectable input device for inputting said second wager input is only actuatable in response to a player inputting said first wager input that is equal to a maximum value for said payline.

12. The gaming terminal of claim 9, wherein said winning combinations arranged right-to-left or left-to-right on said payline include at least three symbols arranged in consecutive order.

13. The gaming terminal of claim 9, wherein one of said winning combinations includes symbols arranged in consecutive order on each reel along said payline such that said left-to-right arrangement and said right-to-left arrangement are winning combinations.

14. The gaming terminal of claim 13, wherein a player is awarded a first award based on said left-to-right arrangement of symbols and a second award based on said right-to-left arrangement of symbols.

15. The gaming terminal of claim 13, wherein a player is awarded a first award based on said left-to-right arrangement of symbols and a chance for a bonus award based on said right-to-left arrangement of symbols.

16. A method for conducting a wagering game, comprising:

providing said wagering game at a gaming terminal, said wagering game capable of receiving a first wager input and a second wager input;

receiving said first wager input and said second wager input wherein said second wager input is less than said first wager input;

displaying a combination of symbols, said combination of symbols capable of being read from left-to-right and right-to-left along at least one payline; and

wherein said first wager input is associated with symbols read from left-to-right and said second wager input is associated with symbols read from right-to-left.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said second wager input can only be received if said first wager input is equal to a maximum value.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising awarding a first award based on said symbols being read from left-to-right.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising awarding a second award based on said symbols being read from right-to-left.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising awarding a first award based on said symbols being read from left-to-right and awarding a second award based on said symbols being read from right-to-left, said second award being a chance to win a bonus award.