SLOT MACHINE BONUS ROUND WITH SKILL LEVEL CHOICE

• US 20080153570A1
• Filed: 10/17/2007
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ID Interactive, LLC
• Original Assignee: ID Interactive, LLC
• Inventors: Heymann, Jorge, Esses, Barbara
• Application Number:
  US11/873,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20080153570A1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3295 Games involving skill, e.g. dexterity, memory, thinking

Abstract

A slot machine method, apparatus, and computer readable storage to allow a player to select a skill level (e.g., easy, medium, hard) for a bonus round. The player is then presented with a task in the bonus round, and if the player successfully completes the task, then the player is awarded an award based on the skill level selected.

Claims

1. A method to play a bonus game, the method comprising:

receiving an initial wager from a player;

spinning reels on a slot machine to a stopped reel position and triggering a bonus round based on the stopped reel position;

allowing a player to choose a particular skill level for the bonus game;

presenting a player with a bonus game involving physical skill, with a difficulty of the bonus game being based on the particular skill level; and

determining if the player succeeded or failed on the bonus game,

wherein if the player is determined to succeed in the bonus game, then awarding the player a top award based on the particular skill level.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising, if the player failed in the bonus game, then the player does not win an award in the bonus game.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising, if the player failed in the bonus round, then the player wins a consolation award in the bonus game, the consolation award having a lower expected value than the top award.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the bonus game is a shell game.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the bonus game is a shooting game.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the award is determined based on predetermined awards for each possible skill level.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein there is an increasing relationship between each predetermined award and a difficulty of the predetermined award'"'"'s respective skill level.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the award is determined based on a formula, wherein each possible skill level has its own respective formula.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein there is an increasing relationship between an expected value of each skill level and a difficulty of each respective skill level.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the bonus game comprises:

indicating a winning container;

shuffling animatedly at least two containers which comprise the winning container, the shuffling performed at a speed based on the particular skill level;

allowing the player to select a selected container;

if the selected container matches the winning container, the player has succeeded on the bonus game, otherwise the player has not succeeded (failed) at the bonus game.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the bonus game requires the player to hit a predetermined number of targets in a finite amount of time in order for the player to succeed in the bonus game.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the bonus game requires the player to hit a predetermined number of targets with a fixed amount of shots in order for the player to succeed in the bonus game.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, further comprising, if the player failed in the bonus game, then the player does not win an award in the bonus game.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 2, further comprising, if the player failed in the bonus round, then the player wins a consolation award in the bonus game, the consolation award having a lower expected value than the top award.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the bonus game is a shell game.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the bonus game is a shooting game.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the award is determined based on predetermined awards for each possible skill level.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein there is an increasing relationship between each predetermined award and a difficulty of the predetermined award'"'"'s respective skill level.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the award is determined based on a formula, wherein each possible skill level has its own respective formula.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 wherein there is an increasing relationship between an expected value of each skill level and a difficulty of each respective skill level.

13. A slot machine apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a processing unit to perform;

receiving an initial wager from a player;

spinning reels on a slot machine to a stopped reel position and triggering a bonus round based on the stopped reel position;

allowing a player to choose a particular skill level for the bonus game;

presenting a player with a bonus game involving physical skill, a difficulty the bonus game being based on the skill level;

determining if the player succeeded or failed on the bonus game,

wherein if the player is determined to succeed in the bonus game, then awarding the player a top award based on the particular skill level; and

an output unit to display results of the processing unit.