Systems, apparatuses and methods for enhancing gaming experiences

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9569934-B2
Application number	US-201313952273-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2013
Priority date	Aug 6, 2009
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses and methods for enhancing winning result opportunities in gaming activities. Embodiments involve identifying award-enhancing opportunities using dice during a current game to determine award-enhancing opportunities for subsequent games based on the dice results. Award-enhancing opportunities may continue over multiple games until a terminating condition is activated, or single bonus rolls of dice may be used to determine multipliers or other modifiers to enhance awards only in a single subsequent game. The award-enhancing opportunities may be triggered by a mystery or random selection process, or may be based on at least a portion of the outcome of the current game.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gaming device comprising:
a display;
a user interface;
a memory configured to store a credit amount;
a wager acceptor structured to receive physical currency or physical currency based tickets; and
a processor operable to:
receive a signal from the wager acceptor indicating receipt of physical currency or physical currency based tickets;
increase the credit amount in memory based upon the received signal from the wager acceptor;
receive a signal on the gaming device to initiate a first poker game having a predefined number of card positions associated with a poker hand, the signal indicating a wager amount, where the credit amount is reduced by the wager amount;
display a result of the first poker game on the display;
evaluate the poker hand of the first poker game to determine first awards associated with the first poker game;
increase the credit amount in memory based on the first awards;
determine if a bonus dice feature is triggered based on the first poker game;
randomly roll at least one die to generate a first dice value outcome when the bonus dice feature is triggered;
end the bonus dice feature when the first dice value outcome is associated with a terminating condition;
associate the first dice value outcome with a first bonus multiplier when the first dice value outcome is not associated with the terminating condition;
receive a signal on the gaming device to initiate a second poker game, the signal indicating a wager amount, where the credit amount is reduced by the wager amount;
select a plurality of cards to present in the card positions of the second poker game to form a poker hand;
display a result of the second poker game on the display;
evaluate the poker hand of the second poker game to determine second awards associated with the second poker game;
multiply any determined second awards for the second poker game with the first bonus multiplier, if any;
increase the credit amount in memory based on the multiplied second awards;
randomly roll the at least one die to generate a second dice value outcome;
end the bonus dice feature when the second dice value outcome is associated with the terminating condition;
associate the second dice value outcome with a second bonus multiplier when the second dice value outcome is not associated with the terminating condition;
receive a signal on the gaming device to initiate a third poker game, the signal indicating a wager amount, where the credit amount is reduced by the wager amount;
select a plurality of cards to present in the card positions of the third poker game to form a poker hand;
display a result of the third poker game on the display;
evaluate the poker hand of the third poker game to determine third awards associated with the third poker game;
multiply any determined third awards for the third poker game with the second bonus multiplier, if any; and
increase the credit amount in memory based on the multiplied third awards.

2. The gaming device of claim 1 , wherein multiple dice are used in the bonus dice feature, and wherein the first dice value outcome and second dice value outcome are respectively determined by summing the values of shown on faces of the multiple dice as outcomes.

3. The gaming device of claim 1 , wherein the first bonus multiplier and the second bonus multiplier are respectively equal to the first dice value outcome and the second dice value outcome.

4. The gaming device of claim 1 , wherein the first bonus multiplier and the second bonus multiplier are respectively determined by ascertaining predefined multiplier values associated with the first dice value outcome and the second dice value outcome in a table.

5. The gaming device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further operable to activate an extra life event when a bonus dice feature triggering condition is satisfied during the bonus dice feature.

6. The gaming device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further operable to:
determine if the second dice value outcome is equal to the first dice value outcome; and
modify the second bonus multiplier with a first modifier when the second dice value outcome is equal to the first dice value outcome.

7. The gaming device of claim 6 , wherein the processor is further operable to:
determine if the second dice value outcome includes identical dice outcomes to the first dice value outcome; and
modify the second bonus multiplier with a second modifier when the second dice value outcome includes identical dice outcomes to the first dice value outcome.

8. The gaming device of claim 1 , wherein determining if a bonus dice feature is triggered includes determining if both a predefined card is received in the first poker game outcome and a randomly selected number falls within a predetermined range.

9. A gaming device comprising:
a display;
a user interface;
a memory configured to store a credit amount;
a wager acceptor structured to receive physical currency or physical currency based tickets; and
a processor operable to:
receive a signal from the wager acceptor indicating receipt of physical currency or physical currency based tickets;
increase the credit amount in memory based upon the received signal from the wager acceptor;
receive a signal on the gaming device to initiate a first poker game having a predefined number of card positions associated with a first poker hand and a second poker hand, the signal indicating a wager amount, where the credit amount is reduced by the wager amount;
display results of the first poker hand and the second poker hand for the first poker game on the display;
evaluate the first poker hand and second poker hand of the first poker game to determine first awards associated with the first poker game;
increase the credit amount in memory based on the first awards;
determine if a first bonus dice feature is triggered for the first hand of the first poker game;
determine a first bonus multiplier when the first bonus dice feature is triggered by randomly rolling at least one die to generate a first dice value outcome, and associating the first dice value outcome, if any, with a bonus multiplier;
determine if a second bonus dice feature is triggered for the second hand of the first poker game;
determine a second bonus multiplier when the second bonus dice feature is triggered by randomly rolling at least one die to generate a second dice value outcome, and associating the second dice value outcome, if any, with a bonus multiplier;
receive a signal on the gaming device to initiate a second poker game having a first poker hand and a second poker hand, the signal indicating a wager amount, where the credit amount is reduced by the wager amount;
display results of the first poker hand and the second poker hand for the second poker game on the display;
evaluate the first poker hand of the second poker game to determine second awards associated with the first poker hand of the second poker game;
evaluate the second poker hand of the second poker game to determine third awards associated with the second poker hand of the second poker game;
multiply any second awards by the first bonus multiplier, if any;
multiply any third awards by the second bonus multiplier, if any; and
increase the credit amount in memory based on the multiplied second awards and the multiplied third awards.

10. The gaming device of claim 9 , wherein the processor is further operable in each of the first poker game and the second poker game to:
dealing a plurality of cards in the first poker hand to form a first dealt hand on the game display;
receiving signals from the user interface to hold some, all, or none of the first dealt hand;

Assignees

• King Show Games Inc

Inventors

• Berman Bradley

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

• G07F17/3267

  Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games · CPC title

• G07F17/3244

  Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes · CPC title

• G07F17/3293 Primary

  Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack · CPC title

• G07F17/3227 Primary

  Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters · CPC title