Gaming device and method of operation thereof

• US 6,068,552 A
• Filed: 03/31/1998
• Issued: 05/30/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Jorasch, James A., Walker, Jay S., Mik, Magdalena
• Primary Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US09/052,291
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/11-13, 463/16-20, 463/21-22, 463/25, 463/26, 463/30, 463/36, 463/40, 463/42, 273/138.1, 273/138.2, 273/139, 273/292, 273/293, 273/143 R, 273/121 B
• US Class Current: 463/21
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A gaming device such as a video based slot machine provides a player the ability to modify at least one parameter of the slot machine. The slot machine then modifies other parameters to ensure a desired house advantage. Odds, payout schedules and wager amounts may be customized by a player, and the slot machine automatically determines changes in other parameters which were not customized to maintain a constant house advantage. Software running on the slot machine uses an equation that takes into account pertinent parameters or variables such as size of jackpot, amount wagered taken in at each pull, and probability of hitting the jackpot at each pull. Based on the equation, the software adjusts parameters other than the one(s) specified by the player so that the outcome (the house advantage) remains constant with each pull. A player interface provides an easy to use method of modifying selected parameters.

Claims

1. A gaming device comprising:

a player input module that receives a modification to a first game parameter from a player; and

a parameter modification module that modifies a second game parameter based on the modification to the first game parameter to maintain a desired house advantage.

2. The gaming device of claim 1 wherein the desired house advantage is a predetermined constant.

3. The gaming device of claim 1 wherein the modification module modifies a third game parameter in conjunction with modifying the second game parameter.

4. The gaming device of claim 1 wherein the first game parameter comprises a desired payout amount.

5. The gaming device of claim 4 wherein the second game parameter is selected from the group consisting of the probability of a given outcome occurring, wager required to play, and other payouts.

6. The gaming device of claim 1 wherein the first game parameter is selected from the group consisting of payout, odds of winning the payout, number of cards in a deck, removal of cards from a deck, substitution of cards in a deck, number of reels and wager required to play.

7. The gaming device of claim 1 wherein the player input module enables a player to modify a plurality of game parameters.

8. The gaming device of claim 1 wherein the parameter modification module modifies a plurality of parameters not modified by the player.

9. The gaming device of claim 8 wherein all parameters not modified by the player are modified by the parameter modification module.

10. A method of operating a gaming machine comprising the steps of:

receiving a player input representative of a desired modification to a game parameter; and

modifying another game parameter based on the desired modification and a desired house advantage.

11. The method of claim 10 and further comprising the step of displaying the modified game parameters to the player.

12. The method of claim 10 and further comprising the steps of:

executing a play of the gaming machine using the modified game parameters;

determining an outcome of the play; and

determining a payout amount based on the outcome.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the game parameters are selected from a group consisting of payout amount, wager amount, and odds of winning.

14. A machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a gaming machine to perform the steps comprising:

receiving a player input representative of a desired modification to a game parameter; and

modifying another game parameter based on the desired modification and a house advantage.

15. A method of operating a gaming machine comprising the steps of:

receiving from a player a selected value for a first game parameter;

retrieving a house advantage value; and

adjusting a second game parameter based on the selected value of the first game parameter and the retrieved house advantage value to ensure that the relationship between amounts wagered and payouts remains substantially constant over time.

16. A method of operating a gaming machine comprising the steps of:

receiving from a player a selected value for a first game parameter;

retrieving a house advantage value;

adjusting a second game parameter based on the selected value of the first game parameter and the retrieved house advantage value;

executing a play of the gaming device using the selected value of the first game parameter and the adjusted second game parameter;

determining an outcome of the play; and

determining a payout amount based on the outcome.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of adjusting the second game parameter is based on ensuring that the house advantage is approximately equal to a wager amount less a sum of all potential payouts multiplied by the probability of each such potential payout.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first parameter comprises a payout parameter of a selected outcome, and wherein the second parameter comprises a probability of the selected outcome.

19. The method of claim 18, and further comprising the step of modifying the probability of a further outcome.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the further outcome has no associated payout.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of adjusting the second game parameter comprises the step of retrieving a formula to be used in such adjusting step.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the formula retrieved is dependent on the type of parameter for which a value is received from the player.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the formula is selected from the group consisting of a compensating probability formula, a payout formula and a wager formula.

24. A video poker machine comprising:

a player input module that receives a modification to a deck of cards from which a hand is dealt;

a parameter modification module that maintains a desired house advantage by modifying a video poker parameter based on the modification to the deck of cards.

25. The video poker machine of claim 24 wherein the modification to the deck of cards is selected from the group consisting of the number of cards in the deck, removal of cards from the deck, and substitution of cards in the deck.