Secondary game

• US 9,997,022 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2016
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Lutnick, Howard W., Alderucci, Dean, Gelman, Geoffrey M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pandya, Sunit
• Application Number:
  US15/076,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20160371931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

In various embodiments, a secondary player may make a bet that pays based on aggregate data from multiple games of primary players.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a computing device after a first player generates an electronic signal to makes a first virtual bet in a first virtual game and the first virtual bet has been resolved, that the first virtual game should be used as a basis for a second virtual game;

determining, by the computing device, data representing a first virtual state of the first virtual game at a first point in the first virtual game and a second virtual state of the first virtual game at a second point in the first virtual game, in which a determination of data representing a first payment to be transmitted to the remote computing device of the first player in the first virtual game is based on the second state;

presenting, by the computing device at least five minutes after the determination of the first payment to the first player in the first virtual game is made, data representing a first indication of the first state to a remote computing device of a second player as part of the second virtual game, receiving, by the computing device after presenting the first indication of the first state of the first virtual game to the remote computing device of the second player, data representing a second virtual bet from the remote computing device of the second player in the second virtual game;

presenting, by the computing device after receiving data representing the second virtual bet, data representing a second indication of the second state to the remote computing device of the second player;

determining, by the computing device, whether to generate an electronic signal to provide data representing a second payment to be transmitted to the remote computing device of the second player from play of the second virtual game based on data representing the second virtual bet and the second state; and

pooling by the computing device, at least part of money wagered in the second game by the second player with money wagered by other players to form a prize pool related to the second game.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the first game includes a sporting event.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the first game includes a casino game.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the first game includes an electronic game.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the second player is likely to lack knowledge of the first and second states, and in which the first game is determined to be the basis of the second game in response to determining that the second player is likely to lack knowledge of the first and second states.

6. The method of claim 5, in which determining that the second player is likely to lack knowledge of the first and second states includes:

determining that the second player was not present at a venue hosting the first game at either the time of the first state or the time of the second state occurring.

7. The method of claim 5, in which determining that the second player is likely to lack knowledge of the first and second states includes:

verifying that there is no record of a presence of the second player during a time period relative to the first and second states.

8. The method of claim 5, in which determining that the second player is likely to lack knowledge of the first and second states includes:

verifying that the second player did not have a player tracking card inserted into a gaming device during some time period relative to the first and second states.

9. The method of claim 5, in which determining that the second player is likely to lack knowledge of the first and second states includes:

restricting determination that the first game should be used as the basis for the second game such that the at least five minutes has passed after the determination of the first payment to the first player before presenting the first indication of the first state to the second player.

10. The method of claim 1, in which the first state includes a decision having been made by the first player in the first game at the first point in the first game.

11. The method of claim 1, in which the first point includes a point after a start of the first game and after the first player made the first bet.

12. The method of claim 1, in which the first state includes an amount of money having been bet by the first player in the first game at the first point in the first game.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before receiving the second bet, providing an interface to the second player through which the second player may select the first game from a plurality of games of a same type as the first game.

14. The method of claim 13, in which the interface includes presented intermediate states in each of the plurality of games.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a description of a possible state from the second player and determining the to provide the second payment to the second player if the description matches the second state.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a third state in a third game to the second player as part of the second game prior to receiving the second bet from the second player.

17. The method of claim 1, in which determining the second payment is not based on the first state.

18. The method of claim 1, in which the first state includes a solicitation of a decision from the first player and the second state includes the decision made by the second player.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining odds for the second bet based on a plurality of respective decisions made by a plurality of respective players in respective games after each player has been presented with the first state.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, whether to provide the first payment to the first player based on the first bet and the second state.

21. The method of claim 1, in which odds for the first bet and odds for the second bet are different.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting historical wagering date related to the first game to the second player.

23. An apparatus comprising:

a computing device; and

a non-transitory medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by the computing device cause the apparatus to;

determine, after a first player generates an electronic signal to make a first virtual bet in a first virtual game and the first virtual bet has been resolved, that the first virtual game should be used as a basis for a second virtual game;

determine data representing a first virtual state of the first virtual game at a first point in the virtual first game and a second virtual state of the first virtual game at a second point in the first virtual in which a determination of generation of an electronic signal conveying data representing a first virtual payment to the remote computing device of the first player in the first virtual game is based on the second virtual state;

present, at least five minutes after the determination of the first payment to the remote computing device of the first player in the first virtual is made, data representing a first indication of the first state to be transmitted to a remote computing device of a second player as part of the second virtual game;

receive, after presenting the first indication of the first state of the virtual first game to the remote computing device of the second player, an electronical signal conveying data representing a second virtual bet from the remote computing device of the second player in the second virtual game;

present, after receiving the second bet, data representing a second indication of the second state to be transmitted to the remote computing device of the second player;

determine whether to generate an electronic signal to provide data representing a second payment to the remote computing device of the second player from virtual play of the second virtual game based on the second virtual bet and the second virtual state; and

pool at least part of money wagered in the second game by the second player with money wagered by other players to form a prize pool related to the second game.

24. An apparatus comprising:

a computing device; and

a non-transitory medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by the computing device cause the apparatus to;

determine, after a first player generates an electronic signal to make a first virtual bet in a first virtual game and the first virtual bet has been resolved, that the first virtual game should be used as a basis for a second virtual game;

determine data representing a first virtual state of the first virtual game at a first point in the virtual first game and a second virtual state of the first virtual game at a second point in the first virtual game, in which a determination of generation of an electronic signal conveying data representing a first virtual payment to the remote computing device of the first player in the first virtual game is based on the second virtual state;

present, at least five minutes after the determination of the first payment to the remote computing device of the first player in the first virtual game is made, data representing a first indication of the first state to be transmitted to a remote computing device of a second player as part of the second virtual game, in which presenting the first indication of the first state includes transmitting information indicative of at least one of a symbol played in the first game and a card played in the first game;

receive, after presenting the first indication of the first state of the virtual first game to the remote computing device of the second player, an electronical signal conveying data representing a second virtual bet from the remote computing device of the second player in the second virtual game;

present, after receiving the second bet, data representing a second indication of the second state to be transmitted to the remote computing device of the second player;

determine whether to generate an electronic signal to provide data representing a second payment to the remote computing device of the second player from virtual play of the second virtual game based on the second virtual bet and the second virtual state.