Method for displaying an interactive game having a predetermined outcome

• US 7,785,187 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2008
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Millerschone, Norman H.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US12/142,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20080254847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements

Abstract

An interactive game having a pre-determined outcome (e.g., a game of finite poker) that displays an initial hand of cards, receives a player-specified designation as to which cards are to held and which are to be discarded, and then displays an intermediate hand generated in accordance with the player-specified designation. Then a final hand is shown, and in those cases where the player-specified designation (Hold/Discard) is inconsistent with a transition from the intermediate hand to the final hand, an entertaining display is shown, such as a sequence of alternative playing cards. In some cases, the initial hand is a winning hand according to a predetermined payout schedule, and the final hand is a winning hand with a higher payout than the initial hand according to the same payout schedule. The disclosed methods can be used with other games, including reel-type games.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

at least one display device,

at least one input device,

at least one processor, and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device, for a play of an interactive poker game, to;

(a) display a first plurality of playing cards to a player, said first plurality of playing cards corresponding to a first poker hand;

(b) enable the player to input at least one designation for the interactive poker game, wherein said designation is based on the displayed playing cards of the first poker hand;

(c) if the player'"'"'s designation for the play of the interactive poker game is consistent with a predetermined designation associated with a predetermined game outcome;

(i) display a second plurality of playing cards to the player, said second plurality of playing cards corresponding to a second poker hand which is associated with said predetermined game outcome, wherein said predetermined game outcome is either a winning game outcome or a losing game outcome, and

(ii) provide said predetermined game outcome to the player; and

(d) if the player'"'"'s designation for the play of the interactive poker game is inconsistent with the predetermined designation associated with said predetermined game outcome;

(i) display a modification of at least one of the displayed playing cards, wherein independent of the player'"'"'s designation, said modification causes the displayed playing cards to correspond to the predetermined game outcome, and

(ii) provide said predetermined game outcome to the player.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said predetermined game outcome is associated with at least one playing card from said first plurality of playing cards.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said predetermined game outcome is associated with at least one playing card from said second plurality of playing cards.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said predetermined game outcome is associated with at least one playing card from said first plurality of playing cards and at least one playing card from said second plurality of playing cards.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of playing cards has a different number of playing cards than the second plurality of playing cards.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said predetermined game outcome is obtained from a finite pool of game outcomes.

7. A gaming system comprising:

at least one display device,

at least one input device,

at least one processor, and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device, for a play of an interactive game, to;

(a) display a first plurality of playing symbols to a player;

(b) enable the player to input at least one designation for the interactive game, wherein said designation is based on the displayed first plurality of playing symbols;

(c) if the player'"'"'s designation is consistent with a predetermined designation associated with a predetermined game outcome;

(i) display a second plurality of playing symbols associated with the predetermined game outcome, wherein said predetermined game outcome is either a winning game outcome or a losing game outcome, and

(ii) provide said predetermined game outcome to the player; and

(d) if the player'"'"'s designation is inconsistent with the predetermined designation associated with said predetermined game outcome;

(i) display a modification of at least one of the displayed playing symbols, wherein independent of the player'"'"'s designation, said modification causes the playing symbols associated with said predetermined game outcome to be displayed, and

(ii) providing said predetermined game outcome to the player.

8. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein said predetermined game outcome is associated with at least one playing symbol from said first plurality of playing symbols.

9. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein said predetermined game outcome is associated with at least one playing symbol from said second plurality of playing symbols.

10. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein said predetermined game outcome is associated with at least one playing symbol from said first plurality of playing symbols and at least one playing symbol from said second plurality of playing symbols.

11. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein each of the playing symbols represents a respective playing card.

12. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein each of the playing symbols represents a respective reel symbol.

13. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the first plurality of playing symbols has a different number of playing symbols than the second plurality of playing symbols.

14. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein said predetermined game outcome is obtained from a finite pool of game outcomes.

15. A gaming system comprising:

at least one display device,

at least one input device,

at least one processor, and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device, for a play of an interactive game, to;

(a) display information to a player, said information prompting a player to make at least one input for the interactive game;

(b) enable the player to input a designation for the interactive game;

(c) if the player'"'"'s inputted designation is consistent with a predetermined designation associated with a predetermined game outcome, display and provide the predetermined game outcome to the player, wherein said predetermined game outcome is either a winning game outcome or a losing game outcome; and

(d) if the player'"'"'s inputted designation is inconsistent with the predetermined designation associated with said predetermined game outcome, display a modification of the displayed information, wherein independent of the player'"'"'s designation, the predetermined game outcome is displayed and provided to the player.

16. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein said predetermined game outcome is obtained from a finite pool of game outcomes.

17. The gaming system of claim 16, wherein said finite pool of game outcomes is stored in the at least one memory device.