Gaming system and method for normalizing average expected payouts to players

• US 8,632,396 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2012
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Cohen, Alexander Casey Naglestad, Wolf, Bryan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US13/669,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20130059652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 441 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463/20, 463/21
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

The gaming system disclosed herein accounts for game play over a gaming session in determining a bonus game attribute for a triggered bonus game. The gaming system maintains a plurality of different bonus game attributes. Each different bonus game attribute is associated with a different bonus game attribute modification event and an initial probability of that bonus game attribute being selected for a play of a bonus game. For each bonus game attribute modification event that occurs, the gaming system modifies the probability that the associated bonus game attribute will be selected for a play of a bonus game. Upon an occurrence of a bonus game triggering event, the gaming system randomly selects one of the maintained bonus game attributes. The gaming system then displays a bonus game and determines a bonus game award utilizing the selected bonus game attribute.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one input device;

at least one display device; 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 to;

(a) identify a player,

(b) for the identified player, maintain a distinct bonus game attribute database including a plurality of different bonus game attributes, each of the bonus game attributes having a probability of being selected for a play of a bonus game, wherein each of the bonus game attributes is associated with a different one of a plurality of wager levels, each wager level associated with a different one of a plurality of different wager amounts,

(c) enable the identified player to place one of the plurality of different wager amounts on a play a base game,

(d) modify the bonus game attribute database maintained for the identified player by modifying the probability of the bonus game attribute associated with the wager level associated with the placed wager amount,

(e) determine if a bonus game triggering event occurs, and

(f) if the bonus game triggering event does not occur, repeat (c) to (f) until the bonus game triggering event occurs.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor when the bonus game triggering event occurs, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to:

(i) randomly select one of the bonus game attributes, said random selection based on the current probabilities associated with each of the bonus game attributes,

(ii) randomly determine a bonus game award, said determined bonus game award based, at least in part, on the randomly selected bonus game attribute, and

(iii) display the determined bonus game award to the identified player.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor when the player places one of the plurality of different wager amounts, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to modify the bonus game attribute database maintained for the identified player by modifying the probability associated with at least one of the bonus game attributes not associated with the wager level associated with the placed wager amount.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein prier to any of the different wager amounts being placed, each bonus game attribute of the bonus game attribute database maintained for the identified player has the same probability of being selected.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor after displaying the determined bonus game award to the player, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to modify the bonus game attribute database maintained for the identified player by resetting any modified probabilities associated with the bonus game attributes to a designated probability.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein one of the bonus game attributes of the bonus game attribute database maintained for the identified player includes a play of a bonus game having an average expected payout.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein a first one of the bonus game attributes of the bonus game attribute database maintained for the identified player includes a play of a first bonus game having a first average expected payout and a second, different one of the bonus game attributes of the bonus game attribute database maintained for the identified player includes a play of a second bonus game having a second, different average expected payout.

8. A gaming system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one input device;

at least one display device; 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 to;

(a) enable a player to place one of a plurality of different wager amounts on a play a base game,

(b) if a bonus game attribute modification event occurs, modify at least one probability of being selected associated with at least one of a plurality of bonus game attributes, wherein the bonus game attribute modification event occurs distinct from any placement of any wager amount,

(c) determine if a bonus game triggering event occurs,

(d) if the bonus game triggering event does not occur, repeat (a) to (d) until the bonus game triggering event occurs, and

(e) when the bonus game triggering event occurs;

(i) randomly select one of the bonus game attributes, said random selection based on the probabilities associated with each of the bonus game attributes,

(ii) randomly determine a bonus game award, said determined bonus game award based, at least in part, on the randomly selected bonus game attribute, and

(iii) display the determined bonus game award to the player.

9. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein when executed by the at least one processor when the bonus game attribute modification event occurs, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to modify a plurality of the probabilities of a plurality of the bonus game attributes.

10. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein when executed by the at least one processor after displaying the determined bonus game award to the player, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to, for each of any modified probabilities of the maintained bonus game attributes, reset said modified probability to a designated probability.

11. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein one of the bonus game attributes includes a play of a bonus game having an average expected payout.

12. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein a first one of the bonus game attributes includes a play of a first bonus game having a first average expected payout and a second, different one of the bonus game attributes includes a play of a second bonus game having a second, different average expected payout.

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

(a) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to identify a player;

(b) for the identified player, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to maintain a distinct bonus game attribute database including a plurality of different bonus game attributes, each of the bonus game attributes having a probability of being selected for a play of a bonus game, wherein each of the bonus game attributes is associated with a different one of a plurality of wager levels, each wager level associated with a different one of a plurality of different wager amounts;

(c) enabling the identified player to place one of the plurality of different wager amounts on a play a base game;

(d) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to modify the bonus game attribute database maintained for the identified player by modifying the probability of the bonus game attribute associated with the wager level associated with the placed wager amount;

(e) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine if a bonus game triggering event occurs; and

(f) if the bonus game triggering event does not occur, repeating (c) to (f) until the bonus game triggering event occurs.

14. The method of claim 13, which includes, when the bonus game triggering event occurs:

(i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly select one of the bonus game attributes, said random selection based on the current probabilities associated with each of the bonus game attributes,

(ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly determine a bonus game award, said determined bonus game award based, at least in part, on the randomly selected bonus game attribute, and

(iii) causing at least one display device to display the determined bonus game award to the identified player.

15. The method of claim 13, which includes, when the player places one of the plurality of different wager amounts, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to modify the bonus game attribute database maintained for the identified player by modifying the probability associated with at least one of the bonus game attributes not associated with the wager level associated with the placed wager amount.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein prior to any of the different wager amounts being placed, each bonus game attribute of the bonus game attribute database maintained for the identified player has the same probability of being selected.

17. The method of claim 13, which includes, after displaying the determined bonus game award to the player, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to modify the bonus game attribute database maintained for the identified player by resetting any modified probabilities associated with the bonus game attributes to a designated probability.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein one of the bonus game attributes of the bonus game attribute database maintained for the identified player includes a play of a bonus game having an average expected payout.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein a first one of the bonus game attributes of the bonus game attribute database maintained for the identified player includes a play of a first bonus game having a first average expected payout and a second, different one of the bonus game attributes of the bonus game attribute database maintained for the identified player includes a play of a second bonus game having a second, different average expected payout.

20. The method of claim 13, which is executed through a data network.

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

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

(a) enabling a player to place one of a plurality of different wager amounts on a play a base game;

(b) if a bonus game attribute modification event occurs, causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to modify at least one probability of being selected associated with at least one of a plurality of bonus game attributes, wherein the bonus game attribute modification event occurs distinct from any placement of any wager amount;

(c) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine if a bonus game triggering event occurs;

(d) if the bonus game triggering event does not occur, repeating (a) to (d) until the bonus game triggering event occurs; and

(e) when the bonus game triggering event occurs;

(i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly select one of the bonus game attributes, said random selection based on the probabilities associated with each of the bonus game attributes,

(ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly determine a bonus game award, said determined bonus game award based, at least in part, on the randomly selected bonus game attribute, and

(iii) causing at least one display device to display the determined bonus game award to the player.

23. The method of claim 22, which includes, when the bonus game attribute modification event occurs, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to modify a plurality of the probabilities of a plurality of the bonus game attributes.

24. The method of claim 22, which includes, after displaying the determined bonus game award to the player, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to, for each of any modified probabilities of the maintained bonus game attributes, reset said modified probability to a designated probability.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein one of the bonus game attributes includes a play of a bonus game having an average expected payout.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein a first one of the bonus game attributes includes a play of a first bonus game having a first average expected payout and a second, different one of the bonus game attributes includes a play of a second bonus game having a second, different average expected payout.

27. The method of claim 22, which is executed through a data network.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the data network is an internet.