Gaming device including a plurality of selectable positions and an outcome modifier

• US 7,785,188 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2005
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Cannon, Lee E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hotaling; John M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim; Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US11/115,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20060246977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,952 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20
• 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 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming device including a plurality of positions displayed to the player. The gaming device includes a modifier and a symbol display which displays at least one symbol at one or more of the positions. Each symbol includes at least one game element. In a play of the game, the gaming device determines at least one of the game elements to be a designated element and enables the player to pick one of the positions. The gaming device displays at least one of the symbols at one or more of the positions and determines an outcome based on any winning combination of the symbols displayed at the positions. The processor modifies any determined outcome by the modifier when the designated element is displayed at the selected position. The modified outcome is provided to the player in that play of the game.

Claims

1. A gaming device 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 each play of a game, to;

(a) enable a player to place a wager on a play of the game,

(b) thereafter, enable the player to select at least one of a plurality of positions,

(c) cause the at least one display device to display one of a plurality of symbols at each of the positions to form a combination of said symbols, each of said symbols including at least one game element,

(d) randomly determine at least one of the game elements to be a designated element, wherein the determination is independent of the player selections,

(e) cause the at least one display device to display the designated element,

(f) after the formed combination of said symbols is displayed, evaluate the formed combination of said symbols displayed at the positions to determine if the formed combination of said symbols is one of a plurality of winning combinations of said symbols,

(g) determine any award associated with any formed winning combination of the symbols displayed at the positions,

(h) determine if the designated element is displayed at the selected position,

(i) if the designated element is displayed at the selected position;

(i) determine a value of a modifier, wherein the value of the modifier is determined separate from the determination that the designated element is displayed at the selected position,

(ii) modify any determined awards by the determined modifier, and

(iii) provide any modified awards to the player, and

(j) if the designated element is not displayed at the selected position, provide any determined awards to the player.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to randomly determine a plurality of the game elements to each be one of a plurality of designated elements.

3. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the game is a poker game, and wherein the symbols are a plurality of playing cards, each of the playing cards including a plurality of game elements, said game elements including a suit, a value and a color.

4. The gaming device of claim 3, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to determine at least one of the suits, the values and the colors associated with the playing cards to be the designated element in the poker game.

5. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the game is a reel game having a plurality of reels, each of the reels displaying a plurality of the symbols, each of the symbols including a value.

6. A gaming device, said gaming device 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 each play of a game, to;

(a) enable a player to place a wager on a play of the game,

(b) thereafter, enable the player to select a plurality of positions, wherein which positions are selected are independent of the placed wager,

(c) cause the at least one display device to display one of a plurality of symbols at each of the positions to form a combination of said symbols, each of said symbols including at least one game element,

(d) randomly determine at least one of the game elements to be a designated element, wherein the determination is independent of the player selections,

(e) cause the at least one display device to display the designated element,

(f) after the formed combination of said symbols is displayed, evaluate the formed combination of said symbols displayed at the positions to determine if the formed combination of said symbols is one of a plurality of winning combinations of said symbols,

(g) determine any award associated with any formed winning combination of the symbols displayed at the positions,

(h) determine if any of the selected positions display the designated element,

(i) if any of the selected positions display the designated element;

(i) determine a modifier based on the number of the selected positions which display the designated element,

(ii) modify any determined awards by the determined modifier, and

(iii) provide any modified awards to the player, and

(j) if none of the selected positions display the designated element, provide any determined awards to the player.

7. The gaming device of claim 6, wherein the game is a poker game and wherein the symbols are a plurality of playing cards, each of the playing cards having a plurality of game elements, said game elements including a suit, a value and a color.

8. The gaming device of claim 7, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to determine at least one of the suits, the values and the colors associated with the playing cards to be the designated element in the poker game.

9. The gaming device of claim 6, wherein the modifier is incremented by a designated amount for each designated element displayed at a selected position.

10. The gaming device of claim 9, wherein the designated amount is determined based on at least one of:

a random determination by the processor, a pre-determination by the processor and a determination based on the wager made by the player.

11. The gaming device of claim 6, which includes at least one value associated with each of the symbols, wherein the value of the modifier includes the sum of the values of the symbols displayed at the selected positions if the symbols displayed at the selected positions include a game element determined to be the designated element.

12. The gaming device of claim 6, which includes at least one value associated with each of the symbols, wherein the value of the modifier includes the product of the values of the symbols displayed at the selected positions if the symbols displayed at the selected positions include a game element determined to be the designated element.

13. The gaming device of claim 6, wherein the game is a reel game including a plurality of reels, each of the reels having a plurality of the symbols, each of the symbols including a value.

14. The gaming device of claim 13, wherein the value of the modifier is the same as the value of the symbol displayed at the selected position when the symbol displayed at the selected position includes a game element determined to be the designated element.

15. A method for operating a gaming device, for each play of a game, said method comprising:

(a) enabling a player to place a wager on a play of the game;

(b) causing a display device to display a plurality of positions in the game;

(c) causing the display device to display a modifier to the player;

(d) randomly determining at least one game element selected from a plurality of game elements to be a designated element;

(e) causing the display device to display the designated element to the player;

(f) after the player places the wager, enabling the player to select at least one of the positions, wherein the at least one selection is independent of the determination of the designated game element;

(g) causing the display device to display one symbol at each of the positions to form a combination of said symbols, each of said symbols including at least one of the game elements;

(h) after the formed combination of said symbols is displayed, evaluating the formed combination of said symbols displayed at the positions to determine if the formed combination of said symbols is one of any winning combinations of said symbols;

(i) determining an award associated with any formed winning combination of the symbols displayed at the positions;

(j) determining if the selected position displays the designated element;

(k) if the selected position displays the designated element;

(i) determining a value of a modifier, wherein the value of the modifier is determined separate from the determination that the designated element is displayed at the selected position,

(ii) modifying any determined awards by the determined modifier, and

(iii) providing any modified awards to the player, and

(l) if the selected position does not display the designated element, providing any determined awards to the player.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein displaying a plurality of positions in the game includes displaying a plurality of positions in a poker game, and wherein the symbols are a plurality of playing cards, each of the playing cards including at least one of the game elements, said game elements including a suit, a value and a color.

17. The method of claim 16, which includes determining at least one of the suits, the values and the colors associated with the playing cards to be the designated element in the poker game.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein displaying a plurality of positions in the game includes displaying a plurality of positions in a reel game including a plurality of reels, each of the reels having a plurality of the symbols, each of the symbols including a value.

19. The method of claim 15, which includes randomly determining a plurality of the game elements to each be one of a plurality of designated elements.

20. The method of claim 15, which includes operating the gaming device through a data network.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the data network is an internet.

22. A method for operating a gaming device, for each play of a game, said method comprising:

(a) enabling a player to place a wager on a play of the game;

(b) causing a display device to display a plurality of positions to the player in the game;

(c) causing the display device to display a modifier to the player;

(d) randomly determining at least one game element selected from a plurality of game elements to be a designated element;

(e) after the player places the wager, enabling the player to select a plurality of the positions, wherein the selections are independent of the determination of the designated game element and which positions are selected are independent of the placed wager;

(f) causing the display device to display one of the symbols at each of the positions to form a combination of said symbols;

(g) after the formed combination of said symbols is displayed, evaluating the formed combination of said symbols displayed at the positions to determine if the formed combination of said symbols is one of any winning combinations of said symbols;

(h) determining any award associated with any formed winning combination of the symbols displayed at the positions;

(i) determining if any of the selected positions display the designated element;

(j) if any of the selected positions display the designated element;

(i) determining the modifier based on the number of the selected positions which display the designated element;

(ii) modifying any determined awards by the determined modifier; and

(iii) providing any modified awards to the player; and

(k) if none of the selected positions display the designated element, providing any determined awards to the player.

23. The method of claim 22, which includes associating values with the symbols, wherein the value of the modifier includes the sum of the values associated with any symbols displayed at the selected positions if the symbols displayed at the selected positions include a game element determined to be the designated element.

24. The method of claim 22, which includes associating values with the symbols, wherein the value of the modifier includes the product of the values associated with any symbols displayed at the selected positions if the symbols displayed at the selected positions include a game element determined to be the designated element.

25. The method of claim 22, which includes incrementing the modifier by a designated amount for each designated element displayed at the selected positions.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein incrementing the modifier by a designated amount includes at least one of:

incrementing the modifier by a randomly determined amount, incrementing the modifier by a pre-determined amount and incrementing the modifier by an amount based on the wager made by the player.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the game is a poker game, and wherein the symbols are playing cards, each of the playing cards including at least one of the game elements, said game elements including a suit, a value and a color.

28. The method of claim 27, which includes determining at least one of the suits, the values and the colors to be the designated element in the poker game.

29. The method of claim 22, which includes randomly determining a plurality of the game elements to each be one of a plurality of designated elements in the game.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the game is a reel game including a plurality of reels, each of the reels including a plurality of the symbols, each of the symbols including a value.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the processor determines one of the symbols to be the designated element, and wherein the value of the modifier is the same as the value of the symbol displayed at the selected position if the symbol displayed at the selected position is determined to be the designated element.

32. The method of claim 22, which includes operating the gaming device through a data network.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the data network is an internet.