Gaming machine and control method that accumulatively adds a fractional value

• US 7,976,383 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Inventors: Fujimoto, Jun, Inamura, Yukinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUFFY, DAVID W
• Application Number:
  US11/929,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20080254857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463/23, 463/25
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A gaming machine switchable between an insurance mode and a non-insurance mode and which activates insurance compensation irrespective of a result of a game when a predetermined condition is established and a playing method thereof are disclosed. In accordance therewith, when a bet value or a payout value to be paid out includes a value less than one credit, that value is accumulatively stored as a fractional value, and the mode is switched from an insurance mode to a non-insurance mode when the accumulatively added fractional values reach a predetermined value or the number of unit games in which the fractional value is accumulatively added reaches a predetermined number.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising:

a controller programmed to conduct processing of;

(A) determining, when game media in number corresponding to a natural-number multiple of a predetermined minimum BET unit are BET on a plurality of BET objects of which game results are determined independently of each other, a value of BETTING on each of said BET objects based on the amount of game media BET and the number of said BET objects, and said game results of said respective BET objects, determining an amount of a payout for each of the BET objects on the basis of said value of BETTING and said game result thereof, and determining an amount of an expected payout for a single unit game by summing up the amounts of the payouts;

(B) determining a fractional value obtained by division of the amount of the expected payout for the single unit game determined in said processing (A) by said predetermined minimum BET unit;

(C) paying out, to a player, an amount determined by subtraction of the fractional value determined in said processing (B) from the amount of the expected payout for the single unit game determined in said processing (A), as an amount of a payout for the single unit game;

(D) accumulatively adding the fractional value determined in said processing (B);

(E) shifting a mode to an insurance mode from a non-insurance mode, on condition that the fractional value accumulatively added in said processing (D) or the number of unit games in which the fractional value is accumulatively added in said processing (D) has reached a predetermined value; and

(F) executing a bonus game which is relatively advantageous for the player, when a predetermined trigger condition is established in said insurance mode.

2. The gaming machine according to claim 1,

wherein

said controller is further programmed to conduct processing of (G) counting, in said insurance mode, the number of unit games executed after shifting the mode to said insurance mode, and

said processing (F) is processing for executing said bonus game, when the number of unit games counted in said processing (G) reaches a specific number.

3. The gaming machine according to claim 1,

wherein

said controller is further programmed to conduct processing of (G) counting, in said insurance mode, the number of unit games played with BETs by game media in number equal to a maximum number of BETs, after shifting the mode to said insurance mode, and

said processing (F) is processing for executing said bonus game, when the number of unit games counted in said processing (G) reaches the specific number.

4. The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

wherein

said controller is further programmed to conduct processing of paying out, to the player, game media in number corresponding to the fractional value accumulatively added in said processing (D), during said bonus game.

5. A game control method executed by one or more processors, the method comprising the steps of:

with the one or more processors;

(A) determining, when game media in number corresponding to a natural-number multiple of a predetermined minimum BET unit are BET on a plurality of BET objects of which game results are determined independently of each other, a value of BETTING on each of said BET objects based on the amount of game media BET and the number of said BET objects, and said game results of said respective BET objects, determining an amount of a payout for each of the BET objects on the basis of said value of BETTING and said game result thereof, and determining an amount of an expected payout for a single unit game by summing up the amounts of the payouts;

(B) determining a fractional value obtained by division of the amount of the expected payout for the single unit game determined in said step (A) by said predetermined minimum BET unit;

(C) paying out, to a player, an amount determined by subtraction of the fractional value determined in said step (B) from the amount of the expected payout for the single unit game determined in said step (A), as an amount of a payout for the single unit game;

(D) accumulatively adding the fractional value determined in said step (B);

(E) shifting a mode to an insurance mode from a non-insurance mode, on condition that the fractional value accumulatively added in said step (D) or the number of unit games in which the fractional value is accumulatively added in said step (D) has reached a predetermined value; and

(F) executing a bonus game which is relatively advantageous for the player, when a predetermined trigger condition is established in said insurance mode.