Multiplay poker wagering game with payout differentiating display of probabilities

• US 8,083,578 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Jackson, Kathleen Nylund
• Primary Examiner(s): Coburn, Corbett B
• Application Number:
  US11/516,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20070054721A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,937 Days
• Field of Search: 463/13
• US Class Current: 463/13
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• 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 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A method of playing a poker event wagering game includes: a player placing an underlying wager of X credits in the wagering game where Z partial hands are provided in a display step in the wagering game; displaying Z partial hands in the display step; the player wagering Y credits on one of the Z partial hands as a wager that the one of the Z partial hands will be a best hand from among all Z hands at the conclusion of the poker wagering game when the final hands will comprise N cards, wherein Y<X; and X−Y credits being wagered against a paytable for ranks attained against the paytable for each distinct numbers of cards in the Z hands selected from the group consisting of partial hands, intermediate hands and final hands of N cards.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) causing a processor to operate with a display device and an input device for a play of a poker game to;

(i) receive an initial wager of a quantity of credits from a player to play a quantity of at least two poker hands, wherein the quantity of credits of the initial wager is greater than the quantity of poker hands and the initial wager is placed prior to displaying any cards of any of the poker hands;

(ii) for each of the quantity of poker hands, display face-up a partial poker hand;

(iii) automatically apply a first amount of at least one credit from the initial wager of credits to each of the displayed partial poker hands, wherein the sum of all the first amounts of credits is less than the quantity of credits of the initial wager;

(iv) display individual probabilities for each of the displayed partial poker hands winning in a final hand game against all of the other quantity of partial poker hands;

(v) display distinct payout rates for each of the displayed individual probabilities;

(vi) display enhanced payout rates for each of the displayed individual probabilities;

(vii) after displaying;

(1) the partial poker hands face-up, (2) the individual probabilities for each of the displayed partial poker hands, (3) the distinct payout rates for each of the displayed individual probabilities, and (4) the enhanced payout rates for each of the displayed probabilities, enable the player to select one of the displayed partial poker hands;

(viii) automatically apply a second amount of at least one credit from the initial wager of credits on the player selected partial poker hand, wherein the second amount of credits is equal to the initial wager of credits minus the sum of each of the first amounts of credits;

(ix) for each of the poker hands, determine and display a result and any associated award;

(x) if the result of the player selected poker hand outranks the results of each of the remaining poker hands, determine an enhanced payout award according to the enhanced payout rate associated with the player selected poker hand; and

(b) causing the processor to operate with the display device and the input device to provide any awards associated with said displayed results for the play of the poker game.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein for each of the quantity of partial poker hands, automatically applying the first amount of credits on each of the quantity of partial poker hands includes applying a portion of each first credit amount on each of the quantity of partial poker hands, an intermediate hand and a final hand.

3. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the processor to operate with the display device and the input device to display individual probabilities of winning for each of the quantity of partial poker hands before the player is enabled to select one of the displayed partial poker hands.

4. The method of claim 3, which includes causing the processor to operate with the display device and the input device to display payout rates for each of the quantity of partial poker hands.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the quantity of poker hands is 5.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the quantity of partial poker hands includes two cards.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first amount of credits is equal to (the initial wager of credits minus the second amount of credits) divided by the quantity of poker hands.

8. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the processor to operate with the display device and the input device to display a rank of at least one of the partial poker hands before the results of each of the quantity of poker hands are determined and displayed.

9. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the processor to operate with the display device and the input device to display a potential final rank of at least one of the partial poker hands before the results of each of the quantity of poker hands are determined and displayed.

10. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) causing a processor to operate with a display device and an input device for a play of a poker game to;

(i) receive an initial wager of a quantity of credits from a player to play a quantity of at least two poker hands, wherein the quantity of credits of the initial wager is greater than the quantity of poker hands and the initial wager is placed prior to displaying any cards in the poker hands

(ii) for each of the quantity of poker hands, display face-up a partial poker hand;

(iii) display individual probabilities for each of the displayed face-up partial poker hands winning in a final hand game against all of the other quantity of partial poker hands;

(iv) display distinct payout rates for each of the displayed individual probabilities;

(v) display enhanced payout rates for each of the displayed individual probabilities;

(vi) after displaying;

(1) each of the face-up partial poker hands, (2) the individual probabilities for each of the displayed face-up partial poker hands, (3) the distinct payout rates for each of the displayed individual probabilities, and (4) the enhanced payout rates for each of the displayed individual probabilities, enable the player to select one of the displayed face-up partial poker hands;

(vii) apply a first amount of at least one credit from the initial wager of credits to the selected partial poker hand, wherein the first amount of credits is equal to the quantity of credits of the initial wager minus the quantity of poker hands times a second amount of credits, the second amount of credits being at least one;

(viii) automatically apply the second amount of at least one credit from the initial wager of credits to each of the displayed partial poker hands;

(ix) for each of the poker hands, determine and display a result and any associated award; and

(x) if the result of the player selected poker hand outranks the results of each of the remaining poker hands, determine an enhanced payout award according to the enhanced payout rate associated with the player selected poker hand; and

(b) causing the processor to operate with the display device and the input device to provide any awards associated with said displayed results for the play of the poker game.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein for each of the quantity of partial poker hands, automatically applying the second amount of credits on each of the quantity of partial poker hands includes applying a portion of each second amount of credits to each of the quantity of partial poker hands, an intermediate hand and a final hand.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the quantity of poker hands is 5.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the quantity of partial poker hands includes two cards.

14. The method of claim 10, which includes causing the processor to operate with the display device and the input device to display individual probabilities for each of the quantity of partial poker hands winning in a final hand game against all of the other quantity of partial poker hands.

15. The method of claim 14, which includes causing the processor to operate with the display device and the input device to display distinct payout rates for each of the displayed individual probabilities.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the second amount of credits is equal to the quantity of credits of the initial wager minus the first amount of credits divided by the quantity of poker hands.

17. The method of claim 10, which includes causing the processor to operate with the display device and the input device to display a rank of at least one of the partial poker hands before the result of each of the quantity of poker hands is determined and displayed.

18. The method of claim 10, which includes causing the processor to operate with the display device and the input device to display a potential final rank of at least one of the partial poker hands before the result of each of the quantity of poker hands is determined and displayed.