Gaming machine with buy feature games

• US 8,562,408 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2011
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia PTY Limited (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia PTY Limited (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Inventors: Bryant, Natalie, Bennett, Nicholas Luke, Walker, Peter Leslie
• Primary Examiner(s): Coburn, Corbett B
• Application Number:
  US13/021,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20120004024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• 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 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 Type of games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack
• 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 machine including a display, a game controller, and a selector. A player operates the selector to enable the player to place one of a plurality of possible wagers on a play of the game comprising at least a first wager consisting of a base wager, and second and third wagers each consisting of a base wager portion and an additional wager portion. There is no guarantee that the at least one added feature will eventuate in a specific play of the game as a result of the player having staked the additional wager portion.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising:

a display that under the control of a game controller displays a plurality of display positions for displaying combinations of symbols;

the game controller controlling operation of the gaming machine, and displaying selected images on the display; and

a selector operable by a player of the gaming machine to enable the player to place one of a plurality of predefined wagers to wager on a play of a base game comprising at least a first wager consisting of a base wager, and second and third wagers each consisting of a base wager portion in a predefined ratio to an additional wager portion,

wherein each of the plurality of predefined wagers is associated with a respective set of a plurality of predefined sets of rules, each of said sets of rules being applied based on the wager selected to be played;

wherein the third wager has a higher predefined ratio of the additional wager portion to the base wager portion than the second wager,

wherein any wager including an additional wager portion results in the player being made eligible to play at least one additional game, the additional game being selected by the player from a plurality of different additional games,

wherein there is no guarantee that the selected at least one additional game will eventuate in a specific play of the base game as a result of the player having staked the additional wager portion,

wherein when the selected at least one additional game eventuates, the selected at least one additional game provides an additional benefit to the player, and

wherein when an additional game associated with the third wager eventuates, it provides a greater benefit than when an additional game associated with the second wager eventuates.

2. A gaming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the game controller controls operation of the gaming machine based on game rules stored in a memory and the game controller adds each additional game by activating at least one additional game rule.

3. The gaming machine of claim 1 wherein the selector includes a plurality of selector parts operable by the player to select at least one of a plurality of different additional games to be added to the base game and requiring an additional wager portion.

4. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the base game is a spinning reel game and the additional game comprises providing the player with a plurality of spins of the reels each of which is evaluated for a winning outcome.

5. A method of gaming on a gaming machine comprising a display that under the control of a game controller displays a plurality of display positions for displaying combinations of symbols, the game controller controlling operation of the gaming machine, and displaying selected images on the display, and a selector operable by a player of the gaming machine to enable the player to place one of a plurality of predefined wagers to wager on a play of a base game comprising at least a first wager consisting of a base wager, and second and third wagers each consisting of a base wager portion in a predefined ratio to an additional wager portion, wherein each of the plurality of predefined wagers is associated with a respective set of a plurality of predefined sets of rules, each of said sets of rules being applied based on the wager selected to be played, wherein the third wager has a higher predefined ratio of the additional wager portion to the base wager portion than the second wager, the method comprising providing eligibility to play at least one additional game upon receiving a wager including an additional wager, and selecting by the player the additional game from a plurality of different additional games, the at least one added additional game being added without any guarantee that the at least one additional game will eventuate in a specific play of the base game as a result of the player having staked the additional wager portion,

upon the at least one additional game eventuating, the at least one additional game providing an additional benefit to the player, and upon the at least one additional game associated with the third wager eventuating, providing a greater benefit than when additional game associated with the second wager eventuates.

6. A game controller for a gaming machine, the gaming machine comprising a display that under the control of the game controller displays a plurality of display positions for displaying combinations of symbols, the game controller controlling operation of the gaming machine, and displaying selected images on the display in response to the placement of one of a plurality of predefined wagers to wager on a play of a base game comprising at least a first wager consisting of a base wager, and second and third wagers each consisting of a base wager portion in a predefined ratio to an additional wager portion,

wherein each of the plurality of predefined wagers is associated with a respective set of a plurality of predefined sets of rules, each of said sets of rules being applied based on the wager selected to be played;

wherein the third wager has a higher predefined ratio of the additional wager portion to the base wager portion than the second wager,

wherein any wager including an additional wager portion results in the player being made eligible to play at least one additional game, the additional game being selected by the player from a plurality of different additional games,

wherein there is no guarantee that the selected at least one additional game will eventuate in a specific play of the base game as a result of the player having staked the additional wager portion,

wherein when the selected at least one additional game eventuates, the selected at least one additional game provides an additional benefit to the player, and

wherein when an additional game associated with the third wager eventuates, it provides a greater benefit than when an additional game associated with the second wager eventuates.