Multi-level lottery-type gaming method and apparatus

• US 6,220,961 B1
• Filed: 04/22/1999
• Issued: 04/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Everi Games Inc. (Everi Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Multimedia Games Incorporated
• Inventors: Lind, Clifton E., Graves, Gordon Thomas, Keane, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Sager, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hotaling, John M
• Application Number:
  US09/296,909
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 463/13-20, 463/25.12, 379/93.13
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/00 Card games aspects of games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions showing representations related to the game A63F13/00; card games played on a gaming machine G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/081 electric

Abstract

A lottery-type game is played with a first level game and at least one second level or additional level game. The first level game includes a plurality of first level game records, each having an associated outcome. At least one outcome is a negotiable outcome. The second level game is related to the negotiable outcome of the first level game and includes a plurality of second level game records. According to the present gaming method, a player is enabled to view a first level game representation associated with a particular one of the first level game records. This first level game representation indicates the outcome associated with the particular first level game record. When this first level outcome is the negotiable outcome, the player may choose to view a second level game representation which indicates the outcome of a particular one of the second level game records.

Claims

1. A gaming method comprising the steps of:

(a) developing a plurality of first level game records for a first level game, each first level game record including a predetermined first level game outcome;

(b) developing a plurality of second level game records for a second level game, each second level game record including a predetermined second level game outcome, the second level game being related to a first level negotiable outcome which comprises the first level outcome of at least one game record of the first level game;

(c) enabling a game player to view a first level game representation associated with a particular one of the first level game records; and

(d) where the first level game outcome of the particular one of the first level game records comprises the first level negotiable outcome, enabling the player to view a second level game representation associated with a particular one of the second level game records, the second level game representation indicating the predetermined second level game outcome of the particular one of the second level game records and being related to the first game level representation by a common representation portion.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

(a) developing a plurality of game records for a plurality of additional level games, each game record for each additional level game including a predetermined additional level game outcome indicated by an additional level game representation, each additional level game representation being related to a negotiable outcome available in an immediately preceding level game.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

(a) developing a plurality of additional second level game records for each of a plurality of additional second level games, each additional second level game record including a predetermined additional second level game outcome indicated by an additional second level name representation, and each additional second level game representation being related to an additional first level negotiable outcome available in at least one game record of the first level game.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

(a) the steps of developing a plurality of first level game records and developing a plurality of second level game records are performed at a game manufacturing processor;

(b) the step of enabling the game player to view the first level game representation comprises displaying the first level game representation at a player terminal in response to a first level play request; and

(c) the step of enabling the game player to view the second level game representation comprises displaying the second level game representation at the player terminal in response to a second level play request.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of:

(a) transferring the first level game representation from a game record storage to the player terminal in response to the first level play request, and

(b) transferring the second level game representation from the game record storage to the player terminal in response to the second level play request.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of:

(a) generating the first level game representation in response to the first level play request, the generation of the first level game representation being dictated by the first level outcome of the particular one of the first level game records.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of:

(a) generating the second level game representation in response to the second level play request, the generation of the second level game representation being dictated by the second level outcome of the particular one of the second level game records.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of:

(a) where the first level game outcome of the particular one of the first level game records enables the player to view a modified game representation in response to a player input, the modified game representation being dictated by the first level game outcome of the particular one of the first level game records.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein:

(a) each first level game record is associated with an expected value and with a game category representing an optimum player response to the first level game record, the expected value comprising a value based on the optimum player response to the first level game record.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

(a) developing a plurality of bonus level game records for a bonus level game, each bonus level game record including a bonus level game outcome, and

(b) where the player chooses a suboptimal game record response, enabling the player to participate in the bonus level game.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of:

(a) providing a credit comprising the difference between the expected value associated with the particular one of the first level game records and a value associated with a suboptimal game record response.

12. The method of claim 2 wherein each game record of at least one additional level game is associated with an expected value and with a game category representing an optimum player response to said additional level game record, the expected value comprising a value based on an optimum player response to said additional level game record.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the first level game representation is a representation of a casino-type game.

14. A gaming apparatus comprising:

(a) a game record storage device for (i) storing a plurality of first level game records for a first level game, each first level game record including a first level game outcome, and for (ii) storing a plurality of second level game records for a second level game, each second level game record including a second level game outcome, the second level game being related to a first level negotiable outcome which comprises the first level game outcome of at least one game record of the first level game;

(b) a player terminal having a player input arrangement;

(c) a communication arrangement for facilitating communications between the game record storage device and the player terminal; and

(d) a play control arrangement for (i) causing the player terminal to display a first level game representation associated with a particular one of the first level game records, the first level game representation being displayed in response to a first level play request initiated at the player terminal, and (ii) where the game outcome of the particular one of the first level game records comprises the first level negotiable outcome, for causing the player terminal to respond to a second level play request initiated at the player terminal, the player terminal responding by displaying a second level game representation associated with a particular second level game record, the second level game representation being related to the first level game representation by a common representation portion.

15. The gaming apparatus of claim 14 wherein the play control arrangement includes:

(a) a game retrieval arrangement for (i) retrieving the first level game representation from the game record storage device, and for (ii) retrieving the second level game representation from the game record storage device.

16. The gaming apparatus of claim 14 wherein the play control arrangement includes:

(a) a game representation generation arrangement for (i) generating the first level game representation based upon the first level game outcome associated with the particular one of the first level game records, and for (ii) generating the second level game representation based upon a second level game outcome associated with the particular second level game record.

17. The gaming apparatus of claim 14 wherein the play control arrangement includes:

(a) a game representation modification arrangement for causing the player terminal to display a modified game representation in response to a player input when the first level game outcome comprises an after draw winning outcome.

18. A program product adapted to be executed by a processor associated with a game player terminal, the program product being stored on a computer readable medium and comprising:

(a) first game level program code for responding to a first level play request by causing the player terminal to display a first level game representation associated with a particular one of a plurality of first level game records for a first level game, each one of the plurality of first level game records including a first level game outcome; and

(b) second game level program code for responding to a second level play request when the first level game outcome associated with the particular one of the plurality of first level game records comprises a first level negotiable outcome, the second game level program code responding by causing the player terminal to display a second level game representation associated with a particular one of a plurality of second level game records for a second level game and related to the first level game representation by a common representation portion, each one of the plurality of second level game records including a second level game outcome.

19. The program product of claim 18 wherein:

(a) the first game level program code includes first game level retrieval code for retrieving the first level game representation from a game record storage device; and

(b) the second game level program code includes second game level retrieval code for retrieving the second level game representation from the game record storage device.

20. The program product of claim 18 wherein:

(a) the first game level program code includes first level game representation program code for generating the first level game representation, and

(b) the second game level program code includes second level game representation program code for generating the second level game representation.

21. The program product of claim 18 further comprising:

(a) game modification program code for causing the player terminal to display a modified game representation in response to a player input when the first level game outcome of the particular one of the first level game records comprises after draw winning outcome, the modified game representation being related to the after draw winning outcome.

22. The program product of claim 18:

(a) wherein each first level game record is associated with an expected value and with a game category representing an optimum player response to the first level game record, the expected value comprising a value based on (he optimum player response to the first level game record; and

(b) further comprising foregone winnings program code for providing a credit comprising the difference between the expected value associated with the particular one of the first level game records and a value associated with a suboptimal game record response.

23. A gaming method comprising the steps of:

(a) enabling a game player to view a first level game representation associated with a particular one of a plurality of first level game records, the first level game representation indicating a predetermined first level game outcome of the particular one of the first level game records; and

(b) where the first level game outcome of the particular one of the first level game records comprises a first level negotiable outcome, enabling the player to view a second level game representation associated with a particular one of a plurality of second level game records, the second level game representation indicating a predetermined second level game outcome of the particular one of the second level game records and being related to the first game level representation by a common representation portion.

24. The method of claim 23 including the step of:

(a) where the second level game outcome of the particular one of the second level game records comprises a second level negotiable outcome, enabling the player to view an additional level game representation associated with a particular one of a plurality of additional level game records, the additional level game representation indicating a predetermined additional level game outcome of the particular one of the additional level game records and being related to the first game level representation by a common representation portion.