Tournament gaming systems and methods

• US 9,033,786 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2013
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• 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., Patel, Pravinkumar, Green, Anthony E., Link, John E., Soliterman, Gennady, Allen, Jeffrey L., Lockard, Dennis, Tallcott, Jeffrey C., Larsen, Joshua D., Scott, Thomas, Barton, Christopher D., Vemuri, Sudheer, Reddy, Mettu R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Deodhar, Omkar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Allen
• Application Number:
  US13/937,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20130337914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/25, 463/29
• US Class Current: 463/16
• 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 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament

Abstract

Various embodiments are directed to gaming systems, gaming devices, and methods for presenting tournament games. Accordingly, one method includes: incrementing tournament entry points based on a predetermined percentage of a player'"'"'s wager for base game play; presenting the player with two or more tournament games for play, wherein the player selects multiple tournament games from the two or more tournament games for immediate initiation of tournament game play on demand, and wherein the tournament games are separate from the base game; and initiating the tournament games, using a processor, selected by the player on a secondary display of the gaming device, the secondary display using an embedded processor that is separate and distinct from a main processor of the gaming device.

Claims

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

providing a tournament server that is connected to a physical game network;

providing a plurality of gaming devices that are connected to the tournament server via the physical game 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;

incrementing, using the tournament server, tournament entry points based on a predetermined percentage of a player'"'"'s wager for base game play on the first display of each gaming device;

determining, using the tournament server, locations of active and eligible players for an on-demand tournament game;

on an eligible gaming device of the plurality of gaining devices at which an active and eligible player is playing, presenting, using the tournament server, the player with two or more tournament games for play, wherein the player selects multiple tournament games from the two or more tournament games for immediate initiation of tournament game play on demand on the second display of the eligible gaming device, and wherein the tournament games are separate from the base game on the first display of the eligible gaming device;

initiating the tournament games, using the second processor on the eligible gaming device, selected by the player on the secondary display of the eligible gaming device, the secondary display using the second processor that is separate and distinct from the first processor of the eligible gaming device; and

receiving player input on the eligible gaming device to automatically play the tournament games on the secondary display of the eligible gaming device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically finishing play of the tournament games after play of the base game has ended or after removal of a player tracking card.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a final score of the tournament games to the tournament server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting a final score of the tournament games on a tournament display.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving player input to establish a player alias after receiving a player tracking card at the gaming device.

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

providing a tournament server that is connected to a physical game network;

providing a plurality of gaming devices that are connected to the tournament server via the physical game 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;

incrementing, using the tournament server, tournament entry points based on a predetermined percentage of a player'"'"'s wager for base game play on the first display of each gaming device;

determining, using the tournament server, locations of active and eligible players for an on-demand tournament game;

on an eligible gaming device of the plurality of gaming devices at which an active and eligible player is playing, presenting, using the tournament server, the player with two or more tournament games for play, wherein the player selects multiple tournament games from the two or more tournament games for immediate initiation of tournament game play on demand on the second display of the eligible gaming device, and wherein the tournament games are separate from the base game on the first display of the eligible gaming device;

initiating the tournament games using the second processor on the eligible gaming device in response to player input; and

receiving player input on the eligible gaming device continuing play of base game play on the first display of the eligible gaming device, using the first processor, while the tournament games are concurrently played on the secondary display of the eligible gaming device, the secondary display using the second processor that is separate and distinct from the first processor of the eligible gaming device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving player input to establish one or more additional player aliases, thereby creating multiple aliases for the player; and

receiving player input selecting a player alias from multiple player aliases to be used with a gaming session.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting a final score of the tournament games to the tournament server.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

presenting a final score of the tournament games on the gaming device; and

displaying the final score of the tournament games and a player alias on a leader board that is presented on a tournament display, wherein the tournament display is separate and distinct from the gaming device.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising presenting an award corresponding to each winning position on the leader board.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving player input to automatically play the tournament games.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising automatically finishing play of the tournament games after play of the base game has ended or after removal of the player tracking card.

13. A gaming device-enabled method of presenting a tournament game, the gaming device-enabled method comprising:

providing a tournament server that is connected to a physical game network;

providing a plurality of gaming devices that are connected to the tournament server via the physical game 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;

initiating play of a base game, using the first processor, on the first display of at least one of the plurality of the gaming devices;

determining, using the tournament server, locations of active and eligible players for an on-demand tournament game;

on an eligible gaming device of the plurality of gaming devices at which an active and eligible player is playing, prompting, using the second processor, a player to select multiple tournament games for play from two or more available tournament games on the second display of the eligible gaming device, wherein the player selects multiple tournament games from the two or more tournament games for immediate initiation of tournament game play on demand on the second display of the eligible gaming device, and wherein the tournament games are separate from the base game on the first display eligible gaming device; and

on the eligible gaming device, presenting, using the second processor, the tournament games on a secondary display of the eligible gaming device in response to player input, wherein the tournament games are playable simultaneously on the second display of the gaming device while the base game is played on the first display of the gaming device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting a player'"'"'s score for the tournament games to the tournament server.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

distributing the player'"'"'s score from the tournament server to one or more tournament displays; and

displaying the player'"'"'s score on one or more tournament displays.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising presenting an award corresponding to each winning position of the tournament games.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein player eligibility is based on player account information received from the player.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein a player velocity is calculated based upon game play of the player, and wherein the determined player velocity is shown to the player on a velocity meter.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the player velocity is calculated based upon games per unit of time, money per unit of time, maximum bets per unit of time, or combinations thereof.