Wagering Game With Tournament-Play Features

• US 20090011827A1
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gagner, Mark B., Englman, Allon G., Smolucha, Walter E., Gomez, Benjamin T.
• Application Number:
  US12/161,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20090011827A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/27
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A method is presented for offering a wagering game tournament to a plurality of players on a plurality of gaming machines, which are located on a gaming network. The method includes increasing a prize pool based on a group achievement of the plurality of players, and distributing the prize pool to at least some of the plurality of players.

Claims

1. A method of offering a wagering game tournament to a plurality of players on a plurality of gaming machines located on a gaming network, the method comprising:

increasing a prize pool based on a group achievement of the plurality of players; and

distributing the prize pool to at least some of the plurality of players.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising distributing the prize pool uniformly to at least some of the plurality of players.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising distributing the prize pool to at least some of the plurality of players based on at least one distribution criterion.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said distribution criterion is selected from a group consisting of player-accumulated credits, player-accumulated points, player ranking, and player-associated outcome.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting a time limit for playing said wagering game tournament.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting an individual spin limit for each of said plurality of players, wherein the wagering game tournament is a slots tournament.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting a total spin limit for the plurality of players.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the group achievement is selected from a group consisting of accumulated credits, accumulated points, a predetermined game outcome, and a tournament terminating outcome.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an entry fee from each of the plurality of players.

10. A computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions for directing a gaming device to perform the method of claim 1.

11. A gaming network for offering a wagering game tournament to a plurality of players on a plurality of gaming machines, each gaming machine comprising:

a display for displaying the wagering game tournament in response to receiving a wager input from a player; and

a controller coupled to the display and programmed to

allow a player of the plurality of players to participate in the wagering game tournament;

increase a prize pool based on a group achievement of the plurality of players; and

distribute the prize pool to at least some of the plurality of players.

12. The gaming network of claim 11, wherein the controller is further programmed to distribute the prize pool uniformly to at least some of the plurality of players.

13. The gaming network of claim 11, wherein the controller is further programmed to distribute the prize pool to at least some of the plurality of players based on at least one distribution criterion.

14. The gaming network of claim 13, wherein said distribution criterion is selected from a group consisting of player-accumulated credits, player-accumulated points, player ranking, and player-associated outcome.

15. The gaming network of claim 11, wherein the group achievement is selected from a group consisting of group accumulated credits, group accumulated points, a game outcome, and a tournament terminating outcome.

16. The gaming network of claim 11, wherein said controller is located within said gaming machine.

17. A method of conducting a wagering tournament on a gaming network, the method comprising:

accepting a group of players for participation in the wagering tournament, each player of the group of players playing on a corresponding gaming machine of the gaming network;

achieving a group-based tournament threshold;

increasing a tournament prize based on the achieving step; and

distributing the tournament prize to the group of players.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the group-based tournament threshold is selected from a group consisting of accumulated points, accumulated credits, and a game outcome.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the distributing step further comprises distributing the tournament prize based on player rank, player-accumulated points, player-accumulated credits, and player-associated outcome.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising setting a time limit for achieving the group-based tournament threshold.

21-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A method of offering a wagering game tournament to a plurality of players on a plurality of gaming machines located on a gaming network, the method comprising increasing a prize pool based on at least one of the plurality of players achieving a tournament milestone.

27. A method of offering a wagering game tournament to a plurality of players on a plurality of gaming machines located on a gaming network, the method comprising:

receiving a side wager from a first player of the plurality of players for wagering on a second player of the plurality of players; and

awarding an award to the first player if the second player is a tournament winner.

28-29. -29. (canceled)