Gaming system and method for selectively providing an elimination tournament that funds an award through expected values of unplayed tournament games of eliminated players

• US 9,361,754 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2013
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Decasa, Rogelio S. Jr., Pawloski, Jason P., Cuddy, Ryan W., Kendall, Karen M., Grace, Kelsy J., Fuller, Benjamin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper, Traar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US13/849,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20130217480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• 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 system including a central server operable to communicate a plurality of different commands to a plurality of gaming devices to provide non-tournament game play and provide an elimination tournament. The gaming system contributes an average expected payout value of tournament games that were determined to be subsequently played by tournament players but were then not played because the players were eliminated before the end of the tournament to a tournament award. The tournament award is provided to a winner of the tournament.

Claims

1. A tournament gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming machines each including;

a housing;

a display device supported by the housing;

a plurality of input devices supported by the housing and including an acceptor configured to receive a physical item associated with a monetary value to facilitate establishment of a credit balance;

a processor; and

a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to operate with the display device and the plurality of input devices; and

a controller configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines to;

provide a first tournament and a second tournament, wherein values of tournament awards for the first tournament and the second tournament are different;

wherein each of said first tournament and said second tournament include;

(a) for each of the plurality of gaming machines, causing said gaming machine to;

(i) determine a designated quantity of tournament games available to be subsequently played by a player of said gaming machine in said tournament, and

(ii) for each of said tournament games played, randomly generate and display a tournament game outcome;

(b) tracking tournament game play of each player;

(c) when a player elimination triggering event occurs, eliminating a designated number of players from the tournament, said designated number being at least one and less than all of the players in said tournament;

(d) after said player elimination triggering event occurs, for each eliminated player, determining any unplayed tournament games said eliminated player has remaining when eliminated;

(e) determining a tournament winner from the plurality of players based on the tracked tournament game play;

(f) determining a value of the tournament award based, at least in part, on an average expected payout value of each of said determined unplayed tournament games; and

(g) notifying said tournament winner that said tournament winner wins the tournament award.

2. The tournament gaming system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines to base at least one element of at least one player'"'"'s tournament on an amount wagered in a qualifying base game.

3. The tournament gaming system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines for each of said first tournament and said second tournament to determine an advantage from a plurality of different advantages for each of a plurality of the players and provide said determined advantage in said play of said tournament, the average expected payout value of each said determined remaining unplayed tournament game being modified by any advantage of the eliminated player provided said unplayed tournament game.

4. The tournament gaming system of claim 3, the controller is configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines for each of said players to apply said advantage to each tournament game played by said player.

5. A tournament gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming machines each including;

a housing;

a display device supported by the housing;

a plurality of input devices supported by the housing and including an acceptor configured to receive a physical item associated with a monetary value to facilitate establishment of a credit balance;

a processor; and

a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to operate with the display device and the plurality of input devices; and

a controller configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines to;

(a) for each of the plurality of gaming machines, causing said gaming machine to;

(i) determine a designated quantity of tournament games available to be subsequently played by a player of said gaming machine in a tournament, and

(ii) for each of said tournament games played, randomly generate and display a tournament game outcome;

(b) track tournament game play of each player;

(c) when a player elimination triggering event occurs, eliminate a designated number of players from the tournament, said designated number being at least one and less than all of the players in said tournament;

(d) after said player elimination triggering event occurs, determine any unplayed tournament games each eliminated player has remaining when eliminated;

(e) determine a tournament winner from the plurality of players based on the tracked tournament game play;

(f) determine a value of the tournament award based, at least in part, on an average expected payout value of each said determined remaining unplayed tournament games; and

(g) notify said at least one tournament winner that said at least one tournament winner wins the tournament award.

6. The tournament gaming system of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to operate with a plurality of gaming machines to select the player elimination triggering event from the group consisting of:

a passage of a designated amount of time, a generation of a designated tournament game outcome, a designated number of tournament games played, a designated operator input, a generation of a plurality of designated tournament game outcomes, and a designated amount won by one of the player'"'"'s during the tournament.

7. The tournament gaming system of claim 5, the controller is configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines to provide each of the tournament games of a same type of game.

8. The tournament gaming system of claim 5, the controller is configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines to provide each of the plays of the tournament games without requiring any wagers.

9. The tournament gaming system of claim 5, the controller is configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines to, for each of a plurality of the gaming machines, cause said gaming machine to determine a different designated quantity of tournament games available to be subsequently played by the player of said gaming machine in the tournament.

10. The tournament gaming system of claim 5, the controller is configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines to allocate a percentage of wagers placed on non-tournament games to a pool, wherein the pool at least in part funds the tournament award.

11. The tournament gaming system of claim 5, the controller is configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines to allocate a percentage of side wagers placed with wagers on non-tournament games to a pool, and wherein the pool at least in part funds the tournament award.

12. The tournament gaming system of claim 5, the controller is configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines to determine an advantage from a plurality of different advantages for each of a plurality of the players and provide said determined advantage in said play of the tournament and the average expected payout value of each said determined remaining unplayed tournament game is modified by any advantage of the eliminated player provided said unplayed tournament game.

13. The tournament gaming system of claim 12, the controller is configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines to, for each said player, apply said advantage to each tournament game played by said player.

14. The tournament gaming system of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines to:

select the advantage for each of a plurality of said players from the group consisting of;

a modifier, a different designated quantity of provided tournament games to be subsequently played by the player, and a different paytable.

15. The tournament gaming system of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines to provide the advantage to each player based, at least in part, on at least one wager made by the player of at least one qualifying non-tournament game.

16. The tournament gaming system of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines to provide the advantage to each player based, at least in part, on at least one event associated with a play of a qualifying non-tournament game.