Gaming device having odds of winning which increase as a player's wager increases

• US 7,029,395 B1
• Filed: 10/13/2000
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Baerlocher, Anthony J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): COBURN, CORBETT B
• Application Number:
  US09/687,691
• Time in Patent Office: 2,013 Days
• Field of Search: 463/17, 463/20, 463/16, 273/138.1, 273/138.2, 273/142.A, 273/143.R
• 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 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots

Abstract

The present invention provides a gaming device, wherein the game requires the same average investment from a player to win an award, including a jackpot award, regardless of the amount that the player bets at any one time. The award can be unchanging, e.g., $10,000, each time a player plays the gaming device. The award can also vary such as with a progressive jackpot, i.e., the jackpot builds until a player “hits” the jackpot. The game enables the average investment necessary to win the jackpot to be uniform by varying the odds of winning the jackpot as the player'"'"'s bet varies. That is, a player betting less money needs to play the game more times, on average, to win the jackpot. Likewise, a player betting more money needs to play the game less times, on average, to win the jackpot. The average overall bet or investment thus remains constant despite the player'"'"'s betting habits or betting ability.

Claims

1. A gaming device comprising:

a controller that includes means for determining an amount of a player'"'"'s wager;

a plurality of awards;

the wager including a plurality of different types of wagerable components;

a display device connected to said controller;

a game adapted to be displayed to a player by said display device, the controller requiring the player to select an amount for each of the wagerable components to operate the game; and

said game having odds of said player winning a designated one of the awards by obtaining a particular winning symbol combination on a designated payline, said odds of winning changing linearly due at least in part to a variation of odds in the game of obtaining said particular winning symbol combination on the designated payline when either one or both of the different types of wagerable components of said wager changes.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the types of wagerable components includes a number of paylines wagered.

3. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the types of wagerable components includes the amount of the player'"'"'s wager.

4. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein said odds of winning said designated award increase linearly when any component of said wager increases.

5. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the game includes a plurality of reels and a payline, and wherein said odds of winning said designated award increase when said player increases an amount wagered on said payline.

6. The gaming device of claim 5 wherein said game includes a number of attempts at randomly producing said award, said number of attempts being dependent upon the amount wagered on said payline.

7. The gaming device of claim 5, wherein said game includes a number of attempts at randomly producing said award, said number of attempts being dependent upon the amount wagered on said payline and upon at least one odds constant.

8. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the game includes a plurality of reels and a plurality of paylines, and wherein said odds of winning said designated award increase as said number of wagered paylines increases.

9. The gaming device of claim 8, wherein said game includes a bonus round in which said player can win said award, said bonus round being enabled when said game generates a bonus round triggering condition on one of said paylines.

10. The gaming device of claim 8, wherein said game includes a number of attempts at randomly producing said award, said number of attempts being dependent upon the number of paylines wagered.

11. The gaming device of claim 8, wherein said game includes a number of attempts at randomly producing said award, said number of attempts being dependent upon the number of paylines wagered and upon at least one odds constant.

12. The gaming device of claim 8, wherein said game includes a number of attempts at randomly producing said award, said number of attempts being dependent upon the number of paylines wagered and the amount wagered per payline.

13. The gaming device of claim 8, wherein said game includes a number of attempts at randomly producing said award, said number of attempts being dependent upon the number of paylines wagered, the amount wagered per payline, and upon at least one odds constant.

14. A slot machine comprising a plurality of reels, a plurality of paylines associated with the reels, a smallest machine allowable wager on each payline, a largest machine allowable wager on each payline, and a jackpot award associated with a particular winning combination of symbols on a designated payline, wherein a player selected wager amount per payline and a player selected number of paylines wagered form an overall wager, the overall wager required to initiate a player interactive event, wherein said event enables a player wagering the smallest machine allowable wager on one of said paylines to have a chance to obtain the particular winning combination, wherein a ratio of the amount wagered versus odds of obtaining the particular winning combination on the designated payline is substantially constant regardless of the number of paylines wagered and an amount wagered per payline.

15. The slot machine of claim 14, which includes a plurality of awards, one of which is the jackpot award, and wherein a payout ratio for each of the plurality of awards is constant.

16. The slot machine of claim 14, wherein odds of winning the jackpot award increase as the player'"'"'s wager increases.

17. A slot machine comprising a plurality of reels, a plurality of paylines associated with the reels, a jackpot award associated with a particular winning combination of symbols on a designated payline and odds of obtaining the particular winning combination of symbols on the designated payline that increase linearly when either an amount wagered per payline increases or a number of paylines wagered increases wherein the number of paylines wagered by the player and the bet per payline made by the player form an overall wager amount, the overall wager required to initiate a player interactive event.

18. The slot machine of claim 17, wherein a payout ratio for the jackpot award is constant regardless of the number of paylines wagered and the amount wagered per payline.

19. The slot machine of claim 17, wherein said jackpot award is progressive.

20. A slot machine comprising a plurality of reels and a plurality of paylines, wherein at least one award is associated with a particular winning combination of symbols on a designated payline and odds of obtaining the particular winning combination of symbols on the designated payline vary proportionally based on a number of the paylines played and also vary proportionally based on a number of credits wagered per payline, and wherein the number of paylines played by the player and the credits wagered by the player per payline form an overall wager required to initiate a spinning of the reels and to potentially win the award.

21. The slot machine of claim 20, which includes a number of attempts at randomly producing said award, said number of attempts being dependent upon the number of credits wagered per payline.

22. The slot machine of claim 20, which includes a number of attempts at randomly producing said award, said number of attempts being dependent upon the amount wagered per payline and upon at least one odds constant.

23. The slot machine of claim 20, which includes a production of a plurality of symbols on said reels, said award being dependent upon a production of a predetermined symbol or symbol combination on a payline, said symbol or combination being dependent upon the number of credits wagered per payline.

24. The slot machine of claim 20, which includes a production of a plurality of symbols on said reels, said award being dependent upon a production of a predetermined symbol or symbol combination on a payline, said symbol or combination being dependent upon the number of wagered paylines.

25. The slot machine of claim 20, which includes a bonus round of said slot machine.

26. A slot machine having a base game comprising a plurality of reels and a plurality of paylines, whereby a player selects a wager per payline and a number of paylines upon which to place the wager, wherein the wager per payline and the number of paylines wagered are each wagered on and required to play a same random generation of the reels, the slot machine including a particular symbol associated with entering a bonus game from the base game, and wherein odds of obtaining the particular symbol associated with entering the bonus game from the base game increase as the player'"'"'s wager per payline in the base game increases and a number of opportunities to achieve an award in the bonus game increases as a number of paylines wagered in the base game increases.

27. The slot machine of claim 26, wherein odds of entering the bonus game change as a result of different reel symbol combinations having different probabilities based on the wager per payline.

28. The slot machine of claim 26, wherein odds of entering the bonus game change proportionally based on the wager per payline.

29. The slot machine of claim 26, wherein each of the paylines passes through a single paystop on one of the reels.

30. The slot machine of claim 29, wherein at least one odds constant also affects the odds of winning said award once said bonus round has been triggered.

31. The slot machine of claim 26, wherein the bonus game includes multiple levels, a first level having odds depending on the number of paylines wagered and a second level having constant odds.

32. The slot machine of claim 31, wherein at least one odds constant also affects the odds of the first level.

33. The slot machine of claim 31, wherein the first and second levels each include a random generation device selected from the group consisting of:

a spinning wheel and a spinning reel.

34. The slot machine of claim 33, wherein the bonus game award has a payout ratio that is constant regardless of the number of paylines wagered and the wager per payline.

35. A gaming device comprising:

a plurality of reels;

a plurality of symbols on the reels;

a plurality of paylines associated with the reels;

a bonus game having a designated bonus award, wherein the bonus game is initiated by a designated symbol or combination of symbols on one of the paylines,

odds of generating said designated symbol or combination of symbols that vary based on one of (a) a number of the paylines wagered and (b) a wager per payline;

odds of generating said designated bonus award in the bonus game that vary based on the other of (a) the number of the paylines wagered and (b) the wager per payline; and

wherein the designated bonus award has a constant payout for all combinations of the paylines wagered and for all the wagers per payline.

36. The gaming device of claim 35, wherein at least one of the odds of generating the combination of symbols and the odds of generating the bonus award vary linearly based on the number of paylines wagered and the wager per payline, respectively.

37. The gaming device of claim 36, wherein at least one of the odds of generating the combination of symbols and the odds of generating the bonus award vary proportionately with the number of paylines wagered and the wager per payline, respectively.