Gaming device having a bonus scheme with multiple selection groups

• US 6,439,995 B1
• Filed: 09/07/2000
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Glavich, Paulina, Baerlocher, Anthony J., Hughs-Baird, Andrea C., Webb, Bayard S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sager, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): ASHBURN, STEVEN L
• Application Number:
  US09/656,702
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 163/1, 163/2, 163/7, 163/9-13, 163/16-21, 163/25, 163/30, 163/31, 163/36-38, 273/138.1, 273/139, 273/236, 273/237, 273/242, 283/903
• 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 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games

Abstract

The apparatus and method of the present invention provides a gaming device having a bonus round with multiple selection groups. The bonus round does not end upon an “end-bonus” selection; rather, the bonus round ends upon the selection of a predetermined number of selections from the last or final selection group. In one embodiment of the present invention, the number of selections is determined from a selection group preceding the final selection group. Prior to determining the number of final selection group picks, the present invention provides the player with at least one selection group in which the player selects award indicators until selecting an indicator that advances the player to the next selection group. Player excitement and enjoyment is enhanced because the present invention provides the player with multiple opportunities to achieve game credits and because the player is guaranteed to have at least one opportunity to select from the final selection group. In one embodiment of the present invention, the final selection group has larger values than the previous selection groups.

Claims

1. A gaming device having a bonus round comprising:

a selection group having a plurality of selections wherein at least one selection is an award indicator and at least one selection is a picks indicator;

a final selection group having a plurality of selections wherein at least one selection is an award indicator; and

a display device adapted to display the selections to a player,

whereby the picks indicator determines the number of selections the player may choose in the final selection group.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the selections in said selection group include a plurality of award indicators.

3. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the selections in said selection group include a plurality of picks indicators.

4. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the selections in the final selection group include a plurality of award indicators.

5. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein all of the selections in the final selection group are award indicators.

6. The gaming device of claim 1, which includes a plurality of selection groups.

7. The gaming device of claim 6, wherein said plurality of selection groups each have a plurality of selections.

8. The gaming device of claim 6, wherein at least one of the selection groups includes selections with at least one award indicator and at least one advance indicator.

9. The gaming device of claim 8, wherein said at least one selection group includes selections with a plurality of award indicators.

10. The gaming device of claim 8, wherein the advance indicator upon being selected has an advance outcome and an award outcome.

11. The gaming device of claim 6, wherein said each of said plurality of selection groups have a plurality of selections with a plurality of award indicators and at least one advance indicator.

12. The gaming device of claim 6, wherein said selection groups and said final selection groups are displayed in a plurality of displays.

13. The gaming device of claim 6, wherein said selection groups include a plurality of pick indicators.

14. The gaming device of claim 6, wherein at least one of said selection groups includes at least one advance indicator and at least one picks indicator.

15. The gaming device of claim 6, wherein one of the selection groups that directly precedes the final selection group includes the picks indicator.

16. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein said selection group and said final selection group are displayed in a single display.

17. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein said selection group and said final selection group are displayed in separate displays.

18. The gaming device of claim 1, which further includes means for repeating the bonus round upon the occurrence of a predetermined event.

19. The gaming device of claim 18, wherein the predetermined event is the player'"'"'s accumulated award having a value below a predetermined value.

20. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein said award indicators represent gaming device credits.

21. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein said award indicators represent multipliers.

22. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein said picks indicator displays the number of selections the player may choose in the final selection group.

23. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the selection group includes an advance indicator.

24. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the picks indicator upon being selected terminates player selection from said selection group.

25. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the picks indicator upon being selected begins player selection from said final selection group.

26. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the picks indicator upon being selected yields an award to the player.

27. The gaming device of claim 1, which includes means for enabling the player to accept or reject an outcome of a selection from said final selection group.

28. A gaming device having a bonus round comprising:

a selection group having a plurality of selections wherein at least one selection is an advance indicator and one selection is an award indicator;

a final selection group having a plurality of selections wherein at least one selection is an award indicator;

a picks indicator associated with at least one selection in the selection group; and

a display device adapted to display the selections and the picks indicator to a player, wherein the picks indicator determines the number of selections the player may choose in the final selection group.

29. A method for playing a bonus round of a gaming device, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) triggering said bonus round;

(b) displaying a selection group having a plurality of selections wherein at least one selection is an award indicator and one selection is a picks indicator having a picks number;

(c) displaying a final selection group having a plurality of selections wherein at least one selection is an award indicator;

(d) enabling the player to choose selections from the selection group until the player obtains a picks indicator;

(e) displaying the selections chosen by the player;

(f) awarding the player the value for each award indicator chosen by the player prior to choosing the picks indicator;

(g) displaying the picks number of the picks indicator when the picks indicator is chosen by the player;

(h) enabling the player to choose a number of selections in the final selection group which is equal to the picks number of the chosen picks indicator; and

(i) displaying and awarding the player the value of each award indicator chosen by the player in the final selection group.

30. The method of claim 29, which includes the step of displaying a plurality of selection groups containing at least one award indicator and at least one advance indicator.

31. The method of Claim 30, which includes the step of enabling the player to choose selections in said selection groups having at least one advance indicator until said player selects said advance indicator.

32. The method of claim 31, which includes displaying and awarding the player the value of each award indicator chosen by the player.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein said selection groups include selections having at least one advance indicator with a picks number, wherein the player chooses selections until said player selects an advance indicator with the a picks number.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the selection groups and the final selection group are displayed in a single display.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein the selection groups and the final selection group are displayed on separate displays.

36. The method of claim 30, which includes awarding said player at least one chance to accept or reject said final selection group selection while said player chooses from one of the selection groups having an advance indicator.

37. The method of claim 29, wherein the selection group containing at least one picks indicator and the final selection group are displayed in a single display.

38. The method of claim 29, wherein the selection group containing at least one picks indicator and the final selection group are displayed in separate displays.

39. The method of claim 29, which includes repeating steps (b) through (i) upon the occurrence of a predetermined event.

40. The method of claim 39, which includes adding an award from a repeating round to said player'"'"'s previously accumulated award.

41. The method of claim 29, which includes repeating steps (h) through (i) upon the occurrence of a predetermined event.

42. The method of claim 29, which includes repeating the steps (b) through (i) if the player'"'"'s accumulated award has a value below a predetermined value.

43. The method of claim 42, which includes resetting said player'"'"'s accumulated award to zero before repeating.

44. The method of claim 29, which includes enabling said player to accept or reject at least one selection from the final selection group.

45. The method of claim 44, which includes prompting said player to accept or reject said selection after making said selection.

46. The method of claim 44, which includes randomly generating a number of selections that said player can accept or reject.

47. The method of claim 29, which is operated through a data network.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the data network is an internet.

49. A method for playing a bonus round of a gaming device, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) triggering said bonus round;

(b) displaying a selection group having a plurality of selections wherein at least one selection is an award indicator and at least one selection is a picks indicator;

(c) displaying a final selection group having a plurality of selections wherein at least one selection is an award indicator having a value;

(d) enabling the player to choose selections from the selection group until the player obtains a picks indicator;

(e) displaying the selections chosen by the player;

(f) awarding the player the value for each award indicator chosen by the player prior to choosing the picks indicator;

(g) randomly generating a number of picks before or at the time when the picks indicator is chosen by the player;

(h) enabling the player to choose a number of selections in the final selection group which is equal to the number of picks;

(i) displaying and awarding the player the value of each award indicator chosen by the player in the final selection group; and

(j) ending the bonus round.

50. A method of operating a gaming device, said method comprising:

(a) displaying a first selection group having a plurality of selections, wherein at least one selection is an award indicator and at least one selection is a picks indicator;

(b) enabling a player to choose selections from said first selection group until the player obtains the picks indicator, the picks indicator informing the player of a number of picks the player has in a second selection group; and

(c) enabling the player to choose said number of picks of selections from the second selection group.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the second selection group is a final selection group.

52. The method of claim 50, which includes enabling the player to choose selections from at least one intermediate selection group occurring between said first and second selection groups.

53. The method of claim 50, which includes enabling the player to choose selections from at least one preliminary selection group, before enabling selection from said first selection group.

54. The method of claim 50, which includes determining whether to let the player accept or reject at least one of the selections from the second selection group.

55. The method of claim 50, which includes enabling the player accept or reject a selection from the second selection group.

56. The method of claim 55, which includes enabling the player to choose an additional selection if the player rejects the selection.

57. The method of claim 50, which includes determining whether to let the player choose at least one additional selection after the player makes the number of selections from the second selection group.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein the at least one additional selection is from the second selection group.

59. The method of claim 50, which is operated through a data network.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein the data network is an internet.

61. A method of operating a gaming device, said method comprising:

(a) enabling a player to choose selections from a first group until the player selects an advance indicator;

(b) enabling the player to choose selections from a second group until selecting a picks indicator, the picks indicator indicating a number of picks the player has from a third selection group; and

(c) enabling the player to choose said number of picks of selections from the third selection group.

62. The method of claim 61, which includes enabling the player to choose from the second selection group before enabling selection from the first selection group.

63. The method of claim 61, which includes providing steps (a) to (c) on a server capable of being accessed by a plurality of player gaming stations.

64. The method of claim 61, which includes providing the player an award as a result of at least one of:

selections made in the first selection group before selecting the advance indicator;

selecting the advance indicator;

selections made in the second selection group before selecting the picks indicator;

selecting the picks indicator; and

selections made in the third selection group.

65. The method of claim 64, which is operated through a data network.

66. The method of claim 65, wherein the data network is an internet.

67. A gaming device having a game comprising:

a first selection group in the game having a plurality of selections and a picks indicator associated with one of the selections; and

a second selection group in the game having a plurality of selections, wherein a player can make a number of selections in the second selection group based on the number provided to the player by the player'"'"'s selection of the picks indicator.

68. The gaming device of claim 67, wherein the second selection group is a final selection group.

69. The gaming device of claim 67, wherein the selection associated with the picks indicator is player selectable.

70. The gaming device of claim 67, wherein the second selection group has a different number of selections than the first selection group.

71. The gaming device of claim 67, which includes a third selection group that has a different number of selections than the first selection group.

72. A gaming device comprising:

a plurality of first selection groups having award indicators and advance indicators;

at least one second selection group having award indicators and a picks indicator associated a choice by a player; and

a third selection group in which the player can choose a number of selections determined by the picks indicator.