Using multiple bingo cards to represent multiple slot paylines and other Class III game options

• US 20070155472A1
• Filed: 04/11/2006
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Wolf, Bryan, Powell, Tracy, Gail, Ted, Krum, Justin
• Granted Patent: US 7,753,774 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/19
• 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

Abstract

Methods, devices and systems are described for mapping a variety of Class III game outcomes to a common set of bingo patterns. Each game theme may have a different entertaining display, based upon a corresponding Class III game. Preferably, each game theme will offer game play and paytable percentages closely matching those of the original Class III game. In order to more closely match Class III game play, some implementations provide a system wherein the hit frequency of a bingo game will be modulated according to Class III game options selected by a player. The options may be, for example, paylines of a simulated slot game. In preferred implementations, this modulation is accomplished by varying the number of bingo cards provided in the underlying bingo game according to the options (e.g., the number of paylines) selected.

Claims

1. A gaming machine, comprising:

means for providing a bingo game that simulates a Class III game having from 1 to P possible options for changing hit frequency; and

means for providing from 1 to B bingo cards for playing the bingo game, wherein the number of bingo cards depends on the option selected by a player.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the Class III game is one of a slot game, a roulette game, a keno game and a poker game.

3. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the options are one of a number of paylines for a simulated slot game, a number of hands for a simulated poker game, a number of spots picked for a simulated keno game and a number of wagers placed on a simulated roulette game.

42. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the Class III game is one of a slot game, a roulette game, a keno game and a poker game.

4. A gaming machine configured for providing a bingo game that simulates a slot game, the gaming machine comprising:

a network interface;

a first display device for displaying the bingo game;

a second display device for displaying a simulated slot game;

a pay device for accepting indicia of credit;

at least one user input device; and

at least one logic device configured to perform the following steps;

receive an indication of sufficient credit for the bingo game from the pay device;

receive an indication from a user input device to play P paylines in the simulated slot game;

ascertain a number B of bingo cards for the bingo game, wherein B is ascertained according to P;

control the first display device to display B bingo cards;

control the first display device to indicate hits on the B bingo cards according to bingo game data received via the network interface;

determine a first outcome of the bingo game;

control the first display device to display the first outcome;

determine a second outcome of the slot game; and

control the second display device to display the second outcome.

5. The gaming machine of claim 4, wherein the ascertaining step comprises referencing a data structure wherein B≦

P.

6. The gaming machine of claim 4, wherein the ascertaining step comprises referencing a data structure wherein B=P.

7. The gaming machine of claim 4, wherein:

each payline of the slot game corresponds with a slot hit frequency;

each bingo card of the slot game corresponds with a bingo hit frequency;

the absolute value of an average difference between each slot hit frequency and each corresponding bingo hit frequency equals D; and

the ascertaining step comprises referencing a data structure wherein paylines are associated with bingo cards such that D is minimized.

8. The gaming machine of claim 4, wherein:

each payline of the slot game corresponds with a slot hit frequency;

each bingo card of the slot game corresponds with a bingo hit frequency;

the absolute value of a difference between a slot hit frequency of a selected slot payline and a corresponding bingo hit frequency equals D_S; and

the ascertaining step comprises referencing a data structure wherein paylines are associated with bingo cards such that D_S is minimized.

9. The gaming machine of claim 4, wherein the ascertaining step comprises:

determining whether P is an odd number or an even number; and

setting B equal to P/2 when P is an even number.

10. The gaming machine of claim 4, wherein the ascertaining step comprises:

determining whether P is an odd number or an even number; and

when P is an odd number, determining whether P=1.

11. The gaming machine of claim 4, wherein the ascertaining step comprises determining whether P is a multiple of 3.

12. The gaming machine of claim 8, wherein the selected slot payline is selected according to historical player preference data.

13. The gaming machine of claim 8, wherein the selected slot payline is a maximum slot payline.

14. The gaming machine of claim 10, wherein the ascertaining step further comprises setting B equal to P when P=1.

15. The gaming machine of claim 10, wherein the ascertaining step further comprises setting B equal to (P+1)/2 when P≠

1.

16. The gaming machine of claim 11, wherein the ascertaining step comprises setting B equal to P/3 when P is a multiple of 3.

17. The gaming machine of claim 11, wherein the ascertaining step comprises setting B equal to N/3 when P is not a multiple of 3, wherein N is a multiple of 3 greater than P and less than P+3.

18. A gaming method, comprising:

providing a bingo game that simulates a slot game having from 1 to P possible paylines; and

providing from 1 to B bingo cards for playing the bingo game, a number of bingo cards provided depending on a number of paylines selected by a player and wherein B≦

P.

19. A gaming machine, comprising:

means for providing a bingo game that simulates a slot game having from 1 to P possible paylines;

means for providing from 1 to B bingo cards for playing the bingo game, a number of bingo cards provided depending on a number of paylines selected by a player and wherein B≦

P.

20. Software embodied in a machine-readable medium, the software comprising instructions for controlling a gaming machine to perform the following steps:

provide a bingo game that simulates a slot game having from 1 to P possible paylines; and

provide from 1 to B bingo cards for playing the bingo game, a number of bingo cards provided depending on a number of paylines selected by a player and wherein B≦

P.

21. A gaming method, comprising:

determining numbers of bingo cards B to assign to each of a plurality of Class III game options P for modulating hit frequency in a Class III game; and

forming a data structure indicating a correspondence between the numbers of bingo cards and each of the Class III game options.

22. The gaming method of claim 21, wherein the determining step comprises determining how a first hit frequency of the bingo game will increase as a second hit frequency of the Class III game increases.

23. The gaming method of claim 21, wherein the determining step comprises setting B≦

P.

24. The gaming method of claim 21, wherein the determining step comprises setting B=P.

25. The gaming method of claim 21, further comprising:

providing the data structure to a plurality of gaming machines;

providing a bingo game that simulates a Class III game, wherein a player is provided with P Class III game options and plays the bingo game with corresponding B bingo cards; and

simulating the Class III game outcome according to a bingo game outcome.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the Class III game is one of a slot game, a roulette game, a keno game and a poker game.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the Class III game options are one of a number of paylines for a simulated slot game, a number of hands for a simulated poker game, a number of spots picked for a simulated keno game and a number of wagers placed on a simulated roulette game.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the Class III game comprises a slot game and wherein the options comprise paylines of a simulated slot game.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein:

each payline of the slot game corresponds with a slot hit frequency;

each bingo card of the slot game corresponds with a bingo hit frequency;

the absolute value of an average difference between each slot hit frequency and each corresponding bingo hit frequency equals D; and

the determining step comprises associating paylines with bingo cards such that D is minimized.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein:

each payline of the slot game corresponds with a slot hit frequency;

each bingo card of the slot game corresponds with a bingo hit frequency;

the absolute value of a difference between a slot hit frequency of a selected slot payline and a corresponding bingo hit frequency equals D_S; and

the determining step comprises associating paylines with bingo cards such that D_S is minimized.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the determining step comprises:

determining whether P is an odd number or an even number; and

setting B equal to P/2 when P is an even number.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the determining step comprises:

determining whether P is an odd number or an even number; and

when P is an odd number, determining whether P=1.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein the determining step comprises determining whether P is a multiple of 3.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the selected slot payline is selected according to historical player preference data.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein the selected slot payline is a maximum slot payline.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein the determining step further comprises setting B equal to P when P=1.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein the determining step further comprises setting B equal to (P+1)/2 when P≠

1.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the determining step comprises setting B equal to P/3 when P is a multiple of 3.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the determining step comprises setting B equal to N/3 when P is not a multiple of 3, wherein N is a multiple of 3 greater than P and less than P+3.

40. A gaming machine configured for providing a bingo game that simulates a slot game, the gaming machine comprising:

a network interface;

a first display device for displaying the bingo game;

a second display device for displaying a simulated slot game;

a pay device for accepting indicia of credit;

at least one user input device; and

at least one logic device configured to perform the following steps;

receive an indication of sufficient credit for the bingo game from the pay device;

receive an indication from a user input device that a player has selected a number B of bingo cards for the bingo game a number B of bingo cards for the bingo game;

ascertain a number P of paylines for the simulated game, wherein P is ascertained according to B;

control the first display device to display B bingo cards;

control the first display device to indicate hits on the B bingo cards according to bingo game data received via the network interface;

determine a first outcome of the bingo game;

control the first display device to display the first outcome;

determine a second outcome of the slot game; and

control the second display device to display the second outcome.

41. A gaming machine, comprising:

means for providing a bingo game that simulates a Class III game having from 1 to P possible options for changing hit frequency; and

means for providing from 1 to B bingo cards for playing the bingo game, wherein the number of options depends on the number of bingo cards selected by a player.