Gaming Methods and Apparatus Facilitating Tournament Play at Gaming Machines Which Are Configurable to Accept Wagers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018089954-A1
Application number	US-201715716468-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 26, 2017
Priority date	Sep 26, 2016
Publication date	Mar 29, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method is directed in particular to a tournament gaming system which defines a number of first level rounds at a first level of a tournament and second level rounds at a second level of the tournament. The tournament system further defines criteria for player advancement from the first level rounds to the second level rounds. The method includes conducting the first level rounds among a number of tournament players each participating at a respective gaming machine. The conduct of the first level rounds identifies a set of non-advancing tournament players and identifies advancing tournament players as well. After identifying the non-advancing tournament players, the method includes making a selection of one or more of the non-advancing tournament players. These selected non-advancing tournament players are added to a set of advancing tournament players for advancement to the second level rounds of the tournament.

First claim

1 . A method for a tournament gaming system including a set of networked gaming machines, the tournament gaming system defining a number of one or more first level rounds at a first level of a tournament and one or more second level rounds at a second level of the tournament, and defining criteria for player advancement from the first level rounds to the second level rounds, the method including:
(a) conducting the first level rounds among a number of tournament players, each tournament player participating at one of the set of networked gaming machines, the conduct of the first level rounds identifying a set of non-advancing tournament players and identifying one or more advancing tournament players, each non-advancing tournament player comprising tournament players who has not met the criteria for player advancement from the first level rounds to the second level rounds and each advancing player comprising a player who has met the criteria for player advancement from the first level rounds to the second level rounds; (b) after identifying the non-advancing tournament players, making a selection of one or more players from the set of non-advancing tournament players; and (c) adding the one or more players selected from the set of non-advancing tournament players to a set of one or more advancing tournament players for advancement to the second level rounds of the tournament.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the selection includes:
(a) making an initial random selection of two or more players from the set of non-advancing tournament players; and
(b) conducting a wild card drawing between the two or more players from the set of non-advancing tournament players to identify the one or more players from the set of non-advancing tournament players for adding to the set of one or more advancing tournament players for advancement to the second level rounds of the tournament.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the selection includes:
(a) making an initial random selection of two or more players from the set of non-Page advancing tournament players; and
(b) conducting a wild card round between the two or more players from the set of non-advancing tournament players to identify the one or more players from the set of non-advancing tournament players for adding to the set of one or more advancing tournament players for advancement to the second level rounds of the tournament.

4 . The method of claim 1 further including:
(a) displaying a wild card configuration interface at a tournament controller;
(b) through the wild card configuration interface, receiving a selection for wild card advancement in a tournament to be conducted through the set of networked gaming machines; and
(c) wherein identifying the non-advancing tournament players and making a selection of one or more players from the set of non-advancing tournament players is performed in response to the selection for wild card advancement in the tournament.

5 . A method for a tournament gaming system including a set of networked gaming machines, the method including:
(a) monitoring for a sit/go tournament play request entered through one of the networked gaming machines; (b) determining if the sit/go tournament play request is associated with a qualifying player; (c) where the sit/go tournament play request is associated with a qualifying player, enabling the gaming machine for sit/go tournament play for a tournament game; (d) reading one or more scores from previously conducted tournament play in the tournament game or an equivalent tournament game from a data storage device, and, during sit/go tournament play at the gaming machine, displaying the one or more scores from the previously conducted tournament play in the tournament game or equivalent tournament game; and (e) at the conclusion of sit/go tournament play at the gaming machine, posting a final score of the sit/go tournament play to a sit/go tournament play record for the tournament.

6 . A method for a tournament gaming system including a set of networked gaming machines, the method including:
(a) through an operator interface associated with a tournament controller, defining a qualification parameter for a tournament qualification tier; (b) receiving a registration request for a tournament, the tournament registration request associated with a player; (c) comparing a parameter associated with the registration request to the qualification parameter for the tournament qualification tier; and (d) registering the player into a tournament associated with the tournament qualification tier in the event of a match between the parameter associated with the registration request and the qualification parameter.

7 . A method for a tournament gaming system including a set of networked gaming machines, the method including:
(a) assigning a gaming machine bank and unique first identifier for the bank, and communicating an instruction to the gaming machine bank to display the unique first identifier; (b) through a tournament registration interface device, receiving a registration request for a tournament; (c) assigning a second unique identifier to a respective gaming machine in the gaming machine bank and communicating an instruction to the respective gaming machine to display the second unique identifier; and (d) assigning a player to the respective gaming machine and communicating both the first unique identifier and the second unique identifier to the player.

8 . A method of providing tournament play in a group of networked gaming machines, the method including:
(a) receiving a wager for each activation for a play in a respective game conducted on a respective gaming machine in the group of networked gaming machines, each wager being received while the respective gaming machine is in a wagering game mode; (b) for each wager received, placing a portion of the respective wager into a tournament prize fund; (c) in response to a triggering event, placing each gaming machine of the group of gaming machines which meets an eligibility requirement in a tournament game mode to provide a tournament game for a predefined tournament time period; (d) receiving activations of the tournament game at each of the gaming machines that has been placed in the tournament game mode, and maintaining a respective tournament score for each gaming machine that has been placed in the tournament game mode; (e) responsive to an end of the tournament time period, paying a respective tournament prize for each respective tournament score identified as a prize winning score, each prize being paid from the tournament prize fund; and (f) after the end of the tournament time period, placing each gaming machine which had been placed in the tournament game mode into the wagering game mode.

Assignees

• Everi Games Inc

Inventors

• Carpenter John
• Watkins Brian
• Pope Allison
• Jacobs Loren
• Riggs Keith

Classifications

• G07F17/3262

  Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played · CPC title

• G07F17/3288

  Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking · CPC title

• G07F17/3223

  Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, leader-follower, wireless communication · CPC title

• G07F17/3276 Primary

  wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament · CPC title