System gaming

• US 8,998,727 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2013
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Kelly, Bryan M., Crowder, Robert W. Jr., Lockard, Dennis, Luciano, Robert A. Jr., Tallcott, Jeffrey C.
• Primary Examiner(s): RENWICK, REGINALD A
• Application Number:
  US13/971,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20130337898A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/17, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• 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 disclosed method provides for tournament gaming. The method comprises: allowing a wager on non-modified base game in normal mode and awarding pay table prize for a winning event on said base game; monitoring said base game wager and win data; processing a calculated normalized tournament score using said monitored data spanning multiple base game plays; and providing a tournament game and awarding a tournament prize to at least one tournament winner; wherein the tournament score calculation also uses the theoretical payout percentage for the base game in determining player ranking.

Claims

1. A gaming device-enabled method for tournament gaming, the gaming device-enabled method comprising:

providing one or more servers that are connected to a physical network including a tournament server and a player tracking server;

providing a plurality of gaming devices that are connected to the one or more servers via the physical network, each gaming device including a first display on which a base game is presented using a first processor and a secondary display on which a tournament game is presented using a second processor;

receiving a wager on the base game on a gaming device of the plurality of gaming devices and awarding a pay table prize, using the first processor, for a winning event on said base game on the first display of the gaming device;

monitoring, using the player tracking server, base game wager data of the plurality of gaming devices for bonus point accrual;

monitoring, using the tournament server, the base game wager and data for the winning event;

calculating, via the tournament server, a calculated normalized tournament score using said monitored data spanning multiple base game plays on the gaming device, wherein a tournament score calculation also uses a theoretical payout percentage for the base game in determining player ranking; and

using the tournament server, providing a tournament game and awarding a tournament prize to at least one tournament winner on a gaming device of the plurality of gaming devices.

2. The method in claim 1, wherein the tournament game is provided as a free bonus or is player funded.

3. The method in claim 1, wherein entry into the tournament is automatic or upon player selection.

4. The method in claim 1, wherein the tournament score is displayed on the player tracking user interface.

5. The method in claim 1, wherein a tournament leader board is displayed on the player tracking user interface.

6. The method in claim 1, wherein the tournament game requires expenditure of bonus game credits.

7. The method in claim 1, wherein the tournament game is displayed on a display different than the based game display.

8. The method in claim 1, wherein the tournament game is executed on a computing device different than the base game computing device.

9. The method in claim 1, wherein participants in tournament gaming play a plurality of different theme base games.

10. The method in claim 9, wherein one or more of each of the plurality of different theme base games have different payout percentages.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein one or more of each of the plurality of different theme base games have different available denominators.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein one or more of each of the plurality of different theme base games have different wager amounts.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein one or more of each of the plurality of different theme base games have different pay tables.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein one or more of each of the plurality of different theme base games have different volatilities.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein one or more of each of the plurality of different theme base games have different bonus rounds.

16. A gaming system for tournament gaming, the gaming system comprising:

providing one or more servers that are connected to a physical network including a tournament server and a player tracking server;

providing a plurality of gaming devices that are connected to the one or more servers via the physical network, each gaming device including a first display on which a base game is presented using a first processor and a secondary display on which a tournament game is presented using a second processor; and

a tournament controller connected to the physical network, wherein the tournament controller generates and pushes real-time tournament scores or rankings to at least one gaming machine;

wherein the player tracking server monitors base game wager data of the plurality of gaming devices for bonus point accrual;

wherein the gaming system enables wagering on the base game on a gaming device of the plurality of gaming devices, and awarding a pay table prize, using the first processor, for a winning event on said base game on the first display of the gaming device;

wherein the tournament server monitors said base game wager and data for the winning event, and wherein the tournament server processes, using a server processor, a calculated normalized tournament score using said monitored data spanning multiple base game plays on the gaming device, and wherein the gaming system provides, using the tournament server, a tournament game and awards a tournament prize to at least one tournament winner;

wherein a tournament score calculation also uses a theoretical payout percentage for the base game in determining player ranking.

17. A computer program product for providing tournament gaming using a network, wherein one or more servers and a plurality of gaming devices are connected to the one or more servers via the network, the one or more servers that are connected to the network including a tournament server and a player tracking server, each gaming device including a first display on which a base game is presented using a first processor and a secondary display on which a tournament game is presented using a second processor, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing software instructions that, when executed by one or more computer processors, perform the steps of:

receiving a wager on the base game on a gaming device of the plurality of gaming devices, and awarding a pay table prize, using the first processor, for a winning event on said base game on the first display of the gaming device;

monitoring, using the player tracking server, base game wager data of the plurality of gaming devices for bonus point accrual;

monitoring, using the tournament server, the base game wager and data for the winning event;

calculating, via the tournament server, a calculated normalized tournament score using said monitored data spanning multiple base game plays on the gaming device, wherein a tournament score calculation also uses a theoretical payout percentage for the base game in determining player ranking; and

providing, using the tournament server, a tournament game and awarding a tournament prize to at least one tournament winner on a gaming device of the plurality of gaming devices.