Method and apparatus for team play of slot machines

• US 20040242297A1
• Filed: 05/10/2004
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Jorasch, James A., Tedesco, Daniel E., Fincham, Magdalena M., Tulley, Stephen C., Gelman, Geoffrey M., Tedesco, Robert C., Walker, Jay S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,695,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/13
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/008 adapted for being playable on a screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament

Abstract

A method of operating slot machines permits a machine to be identified as available for team play. Upon being identified for team play, the machine is grouped with other slot machines and subject to bonus conditions dependent on the team play. Bonus conditions typically including selected bonus outcomes and a bonus time period, during which bonus time period all outcomes of the grouped machines are monitored to determine the total bonus outcomes. If the total bonus outcomes of the team meet the bonus conditions within the bonus time period, then a bonus payout is awarded to all of the players. Players are thus encouraged to participate in a social, team environment with others of the team to win the group bonus. The invention is applicable to all slot machines, including video poker machines wherein the bonus outcomes include selected video poker hand ranks, and reeled slot machines wherein the bonus outcomes include selected reel outcomes.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a first card for a first player at a first gaming device;

determining a second card for a second player at a second gaming device, in which the first card and the second card form part of a starting hand of a single game of poker;

receiving a first discard decision from the first player;

receiving a second discard decision from the second player;

determining a third card for the first player based on the first discard decision;

determining a fourth card for the second player based on the second discard decision;

determining a final hand of the game of poker based on the third card and the fourth card; and

providing, based on the final hand, a payout to a group comprising the first and second players.

2. The method of 1, further including:

determining a fifth, a sixth, and a seventh card for a third, a fourth, and a fifth player, respectively, in which the fifth, sixth, and seventh cards form part of the starting hand;

determining a third, a fourth, and a fifth discard decision from the third, the fourth, and the fifth player, respectively;

determining an eighth, a ninth, and a tenth card based on the third, the fourth, and the fifth discard decision, respectively;

in which determining a final hand includes determining a final hand based on the third, fourth, eighth, ninth and tenth cards; and

in which providing includes providing, based on the final hand, a payout to a group comprising the first, second, third, fourth and fifth players.

3. The method of 2 in which determining a final hand includes determining a final hand consisting only of the third, fourth, eighth, ninth, and tenth cards.

4. The method of 1 in which determining a first card includes determining only a first card for a first player at a first gaming device.

5. A method comprising:

determining a separate hand of video poker for each member of a team, in which the team comprises at least two players;

receiving from at least one of the members an indication of a preferred hand from among the determined hands; and

replacing each of the determined hands with the preferred hand.

6. The method of 5 in which receiving includes receiving from each team member a vote as to the preferred hand.

7. The method of 5 further including:

receiving from each member a separate indication of a set of discards;

replacing, for each member, cards from the preferred hand with new cards based on the member'"'"'s indication of a set of discards, thereby forming a final hand for each member; and

providing, to each member, a payout based on the member'"'"'s final hand.

8. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of a first card discarded from a first hand of video poker belonging to a first player;

receiving an indication of a second card discarded from a second hand of video poker belonging to a second player,

in which the first player and the second player are members of a same team;

determining a third hand of video poker, the third hand comprising the first and second cards; and

determining a payout for the team based on the third hand of video poker.

9. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of a first card discarded from a first hand of video poker belonging to a first player;

receiving an indication of a second card discarded from a second hand of video poker belonging to a second player,

determining a pool of discards comprising the first card and the second card;

receiving from the first player an indication of a third card included in the pool of discards; and

including the third card in a second hand of video poker for the first player.

10. The method of 9 further including providing a payout to the first player based on the second hand of video poker.

11. The method of 9 in which receiving from the first player an indication of a third card includes receiving from the first player an indication of the second card;

and

in which including the third card includes including the second card in a second hand of video poker for the first player.

12. A method comprising:

determining a starting hand of video poker;

providing a first player with the starting hand of video poker;

providing a second player with the starting hand of video poker;

receiving an indication of first set of discards from the first player;

receiving an indication of a second set of discards from the second player;

determining a first final hand of video poker based on the starting hand and first set of discards;

determining a second final hand of video poker based on the starting hand and second set of discards,

in which the first and second final hands are determined from separate decks of cards, each of which has been shuffled independently;

determining a first score for the first player based on the first final hand;

determining a second score for the second player based on the second final hand;

and providing a payment to the first player based on the first score and the second score.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a first card from a first player;

receiving a second card from a second player,

in which the first player and the second player are members of a same team;

determining a grid of cards, the grid comprising the first and second cards;

determining a first hand of poker based on the grid of cards; and

determining a payment for the team based on the first hand of poker.

14. The method of 13 in which determining a grid includes determining a grid of cards comprising at least two rows of cards and at least two columns of cards.

15. The method of 14 in which determining a first hand of poker includes determining a first hand of poker based only on cards included in a single row of the at least two rows.

16. The method of 14 in which determining a first hand of poker includes determining a first hand of poker based only on cards included in a single column of the at least two columns.

17. The method of 14 in which receiving a first card includes receiving first cards from a player hand of poker, in which a row of the at least two rows consists only of the first cards.

18. The method of 14 in which receiving a first card includes receiving first cards from a player hand of poker, in which a column of the at least two columns consists only of the first cards.

19. The method of 14 in which determining a grid includes determining a grid of cards comprising at least one diagonal of cards,

in which determining a first hand of poker includes determining a first hand of poker based only on cards included in a single diagonal of the grid.

20. The method of 14 in which determining a grid includes determining a grid of cards consisting of five rows of cards and five columns of cards.

21. The method of 13 further including determining a second hand of poker based on the grid of cards;

and

in which determining a payment includes determining a payment for the team based on the first and second hands of poker.

22. The method of 13 in which receiving a first card includes receiving a first card that has been discarded from a hand of poker belonging to the first player.

23. The method of 13 in which receiving a first card includes receiving a first card from a hand of poker belonging to the first player, in which the first card has replaced a card previously discarded by the first player.

24. The method of 13 in which determining a first hand of poker includes determining a first hand of poker comprising the first card and the second card.

25. A method comprising:

receiving a first wager from a first player;

receiving a second wager from a second player;

determining a set of community cards;

determining a first set of personal cards for the first player;

determining a second set of personal cards for the second player;

determining a first hand of poker based on the first set of personal cards and the set of community cards;

determining a second hand of poker based on the second set of personal cards and the set of community cards;

determining a payout for the first player based on the first wager and the first hand; and

determining a payout for the second player based on the second wager and the second hand.

26. The method of 25 further including:

displaying replicas of the community cards on a gaming device in use by the first player; and

displaying replicas of the community cards on a gaming device in use by the second player.

27. The method of 25 further including:

displaying replicas of the community cards on a display screen that is not associated with only a single gaming device.

28. The method of 25 in which determining a first hand of poker includes determining the best five-card hand of poker from among the set of cards that includes the community cards and the first set of personal cards.

29. The method of 25 further including:

determining a third set of personal cards for the first player;

receiving an indication of a set of cards to be discarded from the third set of personal cards; and

in which determining the first set of personal cards includes determining the first set of personal cards for the first player based on the third set of personal cards and the set of discards.