Wagering game with community event poker game

• US 9,361,766 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2015
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Englman, Allon G., Gomez, Benjamin T., Palermo, James V.
• Primary Examiner(s): GALKA, LAWRENCE STEFAN
• Application Number:
  US14/604,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20150141129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 463/37, 463/16, 463/42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• 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 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• 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 for conducting a wagering game includes a display for displaying a base game of the wagering game in response to receiving a wager input from a player and a controller coupled to the display. The controller is programmed to randomly increment during game play a bonus-time eligibility counter for a community bonus game, decrement the bonus-time eligibility counter as real time progresses, and render a player eligible to play the community bonus game if the bonus-time eligibility counter is greater than zero when a community bonus game is triggered.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a first wagering game machine primarily dedicated to playing at least one first casino wagering game, the first wagering game machine including a first housing, a first electronic display device, and one or more first electronic input devices, the first housing constructed to house components associated with the first casino wagering game, the first electronic display device and the one or more first electronic input devices being coupled to the first housing, the one or more first electronic input devices configured to detect a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a credit balance and to receive a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance, the credit balance changing based on play of the first casino wagering game; and

one or more controllers configured to;

initiate the first casino wagering game in response to a wager input, the wager input decreasing the credit balance,

randomly increment, after receipt of the wager input and during game play of the first casino wagering game at the first wagering game machine, a first bonus-time eligibility counter to yield an incremented first bonus-time eligibility counter,

decrement the incremented first bonus-time eligibility counter in real time,

render a first player at the first wagering game machine eligible for a bonus event if the incremented first bonus-time eligibility counter is non-zero when the bonus event is triggered,

randomly determine a first outcome of the first casino wagering game,

direct the first electronic display device to display the outcome, and

award an award in response to the outcome meeting a first predetermined award criterion.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second wagering game machine primarily dedicated to playing at least one second casino wagering game, the second casino wagering game machine including a second housing, a second electronic display device, and one or more second electronic input devices, the second housing constructed to house components associated with the second casino wagering game, the second electronic display device and the one or more second electronic input devices being coupled to the second housing, the one or more second input devices configured to detect a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a second credit balance and to receive a cashout input that initiates a payout from the second credit balance, the second credit balance changing based on play of the second casino wagering game; and

the one or more controllers further configured to;

initiate a second casino wagering game in response to a second wager input, the second wager input decreasing the second credit balance, the first casino wagering game having a first EV and the second casino wagering game having a second EV;

randomly increment, after receipt of the wager input and during game play of the second casino wagering game at the second wagering game machine, a second bonus-time eligibility counter to yield an incremented second bonus-time eligibility counter;

decrement the incremented second bonus-time eligibility counter in real time;

render the second player at the second wagering game machine eligible for the bonus event if the incremented second bonus-time eligibility counter is non-zero when the bonus event is triggered,

randomly determine a second outcome of the second casino wagering game,

direct the second electronic display device to display the second outcome, and

award an award in response to the second outcome meeting a predetermined award criterion.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the first EV and the second EV are substantially equal, and wherein the randomly incrementing is at least substantially equally applied to each of the first casino wagering game and the second casino wagering game.

4. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the first EV and the second EV are different, and wherein the randomly incrementing is at least substantially equally applied to each of the first casino wagering game and the second casino wagering game.

5. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the first EV is higher than the second EV, and wherein the randomly incrementing for the second casino wagering game is executed at a higher frequency than the randomly incrementing for the first casino wagering game.

6. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the first EV is higher than the second EV, and wherein the randomly incrementing for the second casino wagering game is configured to award, on average, higher incremental values for the incremented second bonus-time eligibility counter.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the randomly incrementing comprises incrementing the first bonus-time eligibility counter responsive to a randomly determined outcome achieved during game play of the first casino wagering game at the first wagering game machine.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers are further configured to:

increment the first bonus-time eligibility counter responsive to receipt of the electronic data signal from the first electronic input device.

9. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the incrementing of the first bonus-time eligibility counter for the bonus event responsive to the receipt of the electronic data signal from the first electronic input device is proportional to an input wager, with larger wagers providing greater increments to the first bonus-time eligibility counter than smaller wagers.

10. A method of operating a gaming system, the gaming system including a first wagering game machine and one or more controllers, the first wagering game machine primarily dedicated to playing at least one first casino wagering game, the first wagering game machine including a first housing, a first electronic display device, and one or more first electronic input devices, the first electronic display device and the one or more first electronic input devices being coupled to the first housing, the method comprising:

detecting, via at least one of the one or more first electronic input devices, a physical item associated with a monetary value, the monetary value establishing a credit balance that changes based on play of the casino wagering game;

receiving, via at least one of the one or more first electronic input devices, a wager input to initiate the first casino wagering game, the wager input decreasing the credit balance;

randomly incrementing, after receiving the wager input and during game play of the first casino wagering game at the first wagering game machine, a first bonus-time eligibility counter using the one or more controllers to yield an incremented first bonus-time eligibility counter;

decrementing, by the one or more controllers, the incremented first bonus-time eligibility counter in real time;

rendering, by the one or more controllers, a player at the first wagering game machine eligible for a bonus event if the incremented first bonus-time eligibility counter is non-zero when the bonus event is triggered;

randomly determining, by the one or more controllers, a first outcome of the first casino wagering game;

displaying the first outcome on the first electronic display device; and

awarding, by the one or more controllers, an award in response to the outcome meeting a first predetermined award criterion.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the gaming system further includes a second wagering game machine, the second wagering game machine primarily dedicated to playing at least one second casino wagering game, the gaming machine including a housing, a second electronic display device, and one or more second electronic input devices, the second electronic display device and the second electronic input device being coupled to the second wagering game machine, the method further comprising:

detecting, via at least one of the one or more second electronic input devices, a physical item associated with a monetary value, the monetary value establishing a second credit balance that changes based on play of the second casino wagering game;

receiving, via at least one of the one or more second electronic input devices, a second wager input to initiate the second casino wagering game, the wager input decreasing the second credit balance, the first casino wagering game having a first EV, and the second casino wagering game having a second EV;

randomly incrementing, after receiving the second wager input and during game play of the second casino wagering game at the second wagering game machine, a second bonus-time eligibility counter using the one or more controllers to yield an incremented second bonus-time eligibility counter;

decrementing, by the one or more controllers, the incremented second bonus-time eligibility counter in real time;

rendering, by the one or more controllers, a player at the second wagering game machine eligible for the bonus event if the incremented second bonus-time eligibility counter is non-zero when the bonus event is triggered;

randomly determining, by the one or more controllers, a second outcome of the second casino wagering game;

displaying the outcome on the second electronic display device; and

awarding, by the one or more controllers, an award in response to the outcome meeting a predetermined award criterion.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first EV is higher than the second EV, and wherein the randomly incrementing for the second casino wagering game is executed at a higher frequency than the randomly incrementing for the first casino wagering game.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first EV is higher than the second EV, and wherein the randomly incrementing for the second casino wagering game is configured to award, on average, higher incremental values for the incremented second bonus-time eligibility counter.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

incrementing, during game play of the first casino wagering game at the first wagering game machine, a first bonus multiplier; and

incrementing, during game play of the second casino wagering game at the second wagering game machine, a second bonus multiplier,

wherein the one or more controllers are configured to award, on average, higher bonus multipliers for the second casino wagering game than for the first casino wagering game.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the randomly incrementing comprises randomly incrementing the incremented first bonus-time eligibility counter responsive to one or more randomly determined outcomes achieved during game play of the first casino wagering game at the first wagering game machine.

16. A gaming system, comprising:

a wagering game machine primarily dedicated to playing at least one casino wagering game, the wagering game machine including a housing, an electronic display device, and one or more electronic input devices, the housing constructed to house components associated with the casino wagering game, the electronic display device and the one or more electronic input devices being coupled to the housing, the one or more electronic input devices configured to detect a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a credit balance and to receive a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance, the credit balance changing based on play of the first casino wagering game; and

one or more controllers configured to;

initiate the casino wagering game in response to a wager input, the wager input decreasing the credit balance,

increment, in response to the wager input, a bonus-time eligibility counter using the one or more controllers to yield an incremented bonus-time eligibility counter,

randomly increment, after receipt of the wager input and during game play of the casino wagering game at the wagering game machine, the incremented bonus-time eligibility counter,

decrement the incremented bonus-time eligibility counter in real time,

render a player at the wagering game machine eligible for a bonus event if the incremented bonus-time eligibility counter is non-zero when the bonus event is triggered,

randomly determine an outcome of the casino wagering game,

direct the electronic display device to display the outcome, and

award an award in response to the outcome meeting a predetermined award criterion.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein incremental value awarded during the incrementing in response to the wager input is random.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the randomly incrementing comprises incrementing the incremented bonus-time eligibility counter independent of any predetermined pay table wagering game outcome or player input.