Draw bingo

• US 8,057,292 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2004
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Hollibaugh, Larry, Wolf, Bryan, Gail, Ted
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): LARSEN, CARL
• Application Number:
  US10/925,710
• Publication Number:
  US 20050059469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,639 Days
• Field of Search: 463/13, 463/16, 463/19, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/19
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and devices for providing a bingo game having aspects of a poker game on a network of gaming machines. Some implementations include a bingo card display in which areas of a bingo card correspond with playing cards. Some such implementations provide first phase of a bingo game that is concluded when a player daubs a game-ending pattern of a bingo card and a second phase wherein players may establish interim wins by daubing other patterns that correspond to poker hands. In some implementations, only the highest-ranking interim win results in a payout. Preferred implementations provide games with easily recognizable bingo play and payout probabilities similar to existing bingo games.

Claims

1. Computer software embodied in a non-transitory, machine-readable medium, the computer software including instructions for controlling devices in a gaming network to:

select a number of balls for an electronic simulation of a ball drop;

select a type of bingo card, the type including a number of areas and a game-winning pattern;

assign ball numbers of the ball drop to areas of bingo cards;

map areas of the bingo card to corresponding playing cards;

display to players a bingo card, a ball drop display, a playing card display and means for daubing;

display a first ball drop session to players, the first ball drop session including hits that complete a game-winning pattern on at least one player'"'"'s bingo card;

provide the players a predetermined first time to daub hits on their bingo card;

display a second ball drop session to players, the second ball drop session including hits that complete all players'"'"' bingo cards;

provide the players a predetermined second time to daub hits on their bingo card;

display a first hand of playing cards in the playing card display corresponding to some, but not all, hits on the bingo card;

allow players to select cards from their first hand to hold;

allow players who did not select all cards in their first hand the opportunity to draw one or more additional cards;

display a second hand of playing cards in the playing card display corresponding to selected cards and the drawn cards;

determine a winning hand of cards; and

indicate the winning hand of cards.

2. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the mapping is established between playing cards of a 52-card deck and 52-area bingo cards.

3. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the mapping is established between playing cards of a 52-card deck and 25-area bingo cards.

4. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the bingo cards are initially displayed without numbers.

5. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the mapping includes making a correspondence between at least one joker and at least one area of the bingo cards.

6. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the bingo cards are displayed with card suits and values corresponding to areas of the bingo cards.

7. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer software further comprises instructions for controlling the devices in the gaming network to:

determine a progressive pattern for the bingo cards; and

display the progressive pattern in association with the bingo cards.

8. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer software further comprises instructions for controlling the devices in the gaming network to display more than one bingo card to each of the players.

9. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the mapping is different for each of the bingo cards.

10. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the display of the first hand of playing cards comprises displaying M playing cards corresponding to the first M hits, to M randomly-selected hits, or to a predetermined sequence of M hits.

11. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first ball drop session comprises a first sequence of randomly-chosen numbers.

12. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the second hand includes playing cards corresponding to hits from the second ball drop.

13. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer software further comprises instructions for controlling the devices in the gaming network to determine a game-winning bingo player before the winning hand of cards is determined, after the winning hand of cards is determined, before the first hand of playing cards is displayed, or after the first hand of playing cards is displayed.

14. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the second hand can include the same playing cards as the first hand.

15. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the winning hand of cards is determined without reference to any other hand of cards.

16. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer software further comprises instructions for controlling the devices in the gaming network to select a winning card player associated with the winning hand of cards.

17. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the display of the bingo card comprises displaying a playing card symbol in each area of the bingo card.

18. The computer software embodied in the machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer software further comprises instructions for controlling the devices in the gaming network to allow players to accept or reject a displayed bingo card prior to the first ball drop session.

19. A computer-implemented method comprising:

selecting a number of balls for an electronic simulation of a ball drop;

selecting a type of bingo card, the type including a number of areas and a game-winning pattern;

assigning ball numbers of the ball drop to areas of bingo cards;

mapping areas of the bingo card to corresponding playing cards;

displaying to each player in a plurality of players, via a device in a gaming network associated with that player, a bingo card via the devices in the gaming network;

a ball drop display, a playing card display and means for daubing;

displaying, via the devices in the gaming network, a first ball drop session to players, the first ball drop session including hits that complete a game-winning pattern on at least one player'"'"'s bingo card via the devices in the gaming network;

providing the players a predetermined first time to daub hits on their bingo card via the devices in the gaming network;

displaying, via the devices in the gaming network, a second ball drop session to players, the second ball drop session including hits that complete all players'"'"' bingo cards;

providing the players a predetermined second time to daub hits on their bingo card via the devices in the gaming network;

displaying a first hand of playing cards in the playing card display corresponding to some, but not all, hits on the bingo card;

allowing players to select cards from their first hand to hold via the devices in the gaming network;

allowing players who did not select all cards in their first hand the opportunity to draw one or more additional cards;

displaying, via the devices in the gaming network, a second hand of playing cards in the playing card display corresponding to selected cards and the drawn cards;

determining a winning hand of cards; and

indicating the winning hand of cards.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the mapping is established between playing cards of a 52-card deck and 52-area bingo cards.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the mapping is established between playing cards of a 52-card deck and 25-area bingo cards.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the bingo card is initially displayed without numbers.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the mapping includes making a correspondence between at least one joker and at least one area of the bingo cards.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the bingo card is displayed with card suits and values corresponding to areas of the bingo cards.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining a progressive pattern for the bingo cards; and

displaying the progressive pattern in association with the bingo cards.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising controlling the devices in the gaming network to display more than one bingo card to each of the players.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the mapping is different for each of the bingo cards.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein displaying the first hand of playing cards comprises displaying M playing cards corresponding to the first M hits, to M randomly-selected hits, or to a predetermined sequence of M hits.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the first ball drop session comprises a first sequence of randomly-chosen numbers.

30. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the second hand includes playing cards corresponding to hits from the second ball drop.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising controlling the devices in the gaming network to determine a game-winning bingo player before the winning hand of cards is determined, after the winning hand of cards is determined, before the first hand of playing cards is displayed, or after the first hand of playing cards is displayed.

32. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the second hand can include the same playing cards as the first hand.

33. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the winning hand of cards is determined without reference to any other hand of cards.

34. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising controlling the devices in the gaming network to select a winning card player associated with the winning hand of cards.

35. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein displaying the bingo card comprises displaying a playing card symbol in each area of the bingo card.

36. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising controlling the devices in the gaming network to allow players to accept or reject a displayed bingo card prior to the first ball drop session.

37. A casino gaming system comprising:

a gaming network;

a gaming server, wherein the gaming server is connected to the gaming network and is configured to select a number of balls for an electronic simulation of a ball drop; and

a plurality of gaming devices connected to the gaming server via the gaming network, the gaming devices each configured to;

select a type of bingo card, the type including a number of areas and a game-winning pattern;

assign ball numbers of the ball drop to areas of bingo cards;

map areas of the bingo card to corresponding playing cards;

display to players a bingo card, a ball drop display, a playing card display and means for daubing;

display a first ball drop session to players, the first ball drop session including hits that complete a game-winning pattern on at least one player'"'"'s bingo card;

provide the players a predetermined first time to daub hits on their bingo card;

display a second ball drop session to players, the second ball drop session including hits that complete all players'"'"' bingo cards;

provide the players a predetermined second time to daub hits on their bingo card;

display a first hand of playing cards in the playing card display corresponding to some, but not all, hits on the bingo card;

allow players to select cards from their first hand to hold;

allow players who did not select all cards in their first hand the opportunity to draw one or more additional cards;

display a second hand of playing cards in the playing card display corresponding to selected cards and the drawn cards;

determine a winning hand of cards; and

indicate the winning hand of cards.

38. The casino gaming system of claim 37, wherein the mapping is established between playing cards of a 52-card deck and 52-area bingo cards.

39. The casino gaming system of claim 37, wherein the mapping is established between playing cards of a 52-card deck and 25-area bingo cards.

40. The casino gaming system of claim 37, wherein the gaming devices are further configured to display the bingo card without numbers initially.

41. The casino gaming system of claim 37, wherein the mapping includes making a correspondence between at least one joker and at least one area of the bingo cards.

42. The casino gaming system of claim 37, wherein the bingo cards are displayed with card suits and values corresponding to areas of the bingo cards.

43. The casino gaming system of claim 37, wherein the gaming devices are further configured to:

determine a progressive pattern for the bingo cards; and

display the progressive pattern in association with the bingo cards.

44. The casino gaming system of claim 37, wherein the gaming devices are further configured to display more than one bingo card to each of the players.

45. The casino gaming system of claim 37, wherein display of the first hand of playing cards comprises displaying M playing cards corresponding to the first M hits, to M randomly-selected hits, or to a predetermined sequence of M hits.

46. The casino gaming system of claim 37, the gaming devices are further configured to determine a game-winning bingo player before the winning hand of cards is determined, after the winning hand of cards is determined, before the first hand of playing cards is displayed, or after the first hand of playing cards is displayed.

47. The casino gaming system of claim 37, wherein the display of the bingo card comprises displaying a playing card symbol in each area of the bingo card.