Gaming system having bonus awards entered into tournament features

• US 8,449,386 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Englman, Allon G., Vann, Jamie W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Arthur O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, WEI
• Application Number:
  US12/616,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20100120522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/25, 463/26, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/26
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots

Abstract

A gaming system for executing multi-mode bonus events comprises a wager input device, a primary display for displaying a primary wagering game and a bonus event, and at least one controller. The controller is operative to (i) detect receipt of a wager from a player of the gaming terminal, (ii) in response to the occurrence of a triggering event, initiate a bonus event, (iii) detect a selection between a standard bonus mode of operation and a tournament bonus mode of operation, (iv) if the standard bonus mode is selected, execute the bonus event on the primary display and provide any awards earned therein to the player, (v) if the tournament bonus mode is selected, execute the bonus event on the primary display and generate a tournament score for the player, and (vi) enter the player'"'"'s tournament score into at least one tournament.

Claims

1. A gaming system for conducting a wagering game including a multi-mode bonus event, the gaming system comprising:

at least one input device;

one or more display devices for displaying a primary wagering game and a bonus event;

one or more processors; and

at least one memory device storing instructions that, when executed by the gaming system, cause the gaming system to;

receive a wager from a player initiating the primary wagering game;

initiate the bonus event in response to an occurrence of a triggering event during play of the primary wagering game;

prior to initiating the bonus event, detect a selection, by the player, of one of a standard bonus mode of operation and a tournament bonus mode of operation, wherein the selection is independent of the bonus event;

execute the bonus event and display a bonus winning outcome of the bonus event;

if the standard bonus mode is selected, provide any awards associated with the bonus winning outcome to the player; and

if the tournament bonus mode is selected, generate a tournament score corresponding to the bonus winning outcome, and enter the tournament score into at least one tournament event.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the gaming system further collects a tournament fee from the player in response to the tournament bonus mode being selected.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the amount of the tournament fee is dependent upon the tournament score generated in the bonus event.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the tournament score comprises an amount of points equal to a credit amount which would have been provided had the standard bonus mode been selected.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein entry into the tournament event is closed after a predetermined number of tournament scores are entered.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein entry into the tournament event is closed after expiration of a predetermined period of time.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the tournament score equals a total credit amount earned by the player in the bonus event.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the tournament score is derived by cross-referencing a total credit amount earned by the player in the bonus event in a tournament points derivation table.

9. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the tournament score is calculated based upon a total credit amount earned by the player in the bonus event and a volatility of the bonus event.

10. A computer-implemented method of conducting a wagering game including a multi-mode bonus event-, the method comprising:

receiving, via at least one input device, a wager from a player to initiate a primary wagering game;

displaying, on one or more display devices, images representing game-play of the primary wagering game;

initiating, via one or more processors, the bonus event in response to an occurrence of a triggering event during play of the primary wagering game;

prior to initiating the bonus event, detecting a selection, by the player, of one of a standard bonus mode of operation and a tournament bonus mode of operation, wherein the selection is independent of the bonus event;

executing, via the one or more processors, the bonus event and displaying, on the one or more display devices, a bonus winning outcome of the bonus event;

if the standard bonus mode is selected, providing any awards associated with the bonus winning outcome to the player;

if the tournament bonus mode is selected, generating a tournament score corresponding to the bonus winning outcome for the player; and

entering the tournament score into at least one tournament event.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising collecting a tournament fee from the player in response to the tournament bonus mode being selected.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the tournament fee comprises a predetermined number of credits.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the tournament fee corresponds to a percentage of the tournament score.

14. A computer-implemented method of executing a wagering game including a multi-mode bonus event, the method comprising:

receiving, via at least one input device, a wager from a player to initiate a primary wagering game;

displaying, on one or more display devices, images representing game-play of the primary wagering game;

initiating, via one or more processors, a first bonus event in response to an occurrence of a triggering event during play of the primary wagering game;

prior to initiating the bonus event, detecting a selection, by the player, of one of a standard bonus mode of operation and a tournament bonus mode of operation, wherein the selection is independent of the bonus event;

executing, via the one or more processors, the first bonus event and displaying a bonus winning outcome of the first bonus event;

in response to the selection of the standard bonus mode of operation, providing any awards associated with the bonus winning outcome to the player;

in response to the selection of the tournament bonus mode of operation, generating a normalized tournament score corresponding to the bonus winning outcome of the first bonus event; and

entering the normalized tournament score into a tournament event with one or more other normalized tournament scores from at least one different bonus event, the normalized tournament scores being adjusted to compensate for one or more differences between the first bonus event and the at least one different bonus event.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing a tournament award to a player having the highest normalized tournament score.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein a normalized tournament score is derived by cross-referencing a total credit amount earned by the player in the bonus event in a tournament points derivation table.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein a normalized tournament score is normalized by dividing the awards associated with the bonus winning outcome into a plurality of award amount ranges, wherein each award amount range corresponds to a different normalized tournament score.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein a normalized tournament score is adjusted based on a volatility of a corresponding bonus event.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein a normalized tournament score from a low volatility bonus event is adjusted upwards.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein a normalized tournament score from a high volatility bonus event is adjusted downwards.

21. A machine-readable, non-transitory medium including executable instructions that, when executed by a gaming system, cause the gaming system to perform a method comprising:

receiving, via at least one input device, a wager from a player to initiate a primary wagering game;

displaying, on one or more display devices, images representing game-play of the primary wagering game;

initiating, via one or more processors, a bonus event in response to an occurrence of a triggering event during play of the primary wagering game;

prior to initiating the bonus event, detecting a selection, by the player, of one of a standard bonus mode of operation and a tournament bonus mode of operation, wherein the selection is independent of the bonus event;

executing, via the one or more processors, the bonus event and displaying, on the one or more display devices, a bonus winning outcome of the bonus event;

if the standard bonus mode is selected, providing any awards associated with the bonus winning outcome to the player;

if the tournament bonus mode is selected, generating a tournament score corresponding to the bonus winning outcome for the player; and

entering the tournament score into at least one tournament event.

22. The medium of claim 21, wherein a net expected return to the player is the same in the standard bonus mode and in the tournament bonus mode.

23. The medium of claim 21, wherein entries to the at least one tournament event includes tournament scores generated within a predetermined time period.

24. The medium of claim 21, wherein the gaming system includes a plurality of gaming terminals, and tournament scores entered in the tournament event are from bonus events executed on gaming terminals of the plurality.

25. The medium of claim 23, wherein the gaming system further comprises a community display device displaying the tournament event including prize and award information related to the tournament event.