International Game Technology

Ted M Gail

Bryan D Wolf

Larry R Hollibaugh

Tracy Powell

Justin M Krum

Mark Bansemer

Ali M Saffari

John W Chamberlain

Lesley Bienvenue

Joseph Randolph Hedrick

Daniel J Waller

James T McGlone

Ben Elie Isaac

The present invention provides methods and devices for providing wagering games. A player pays an initial price to play a wagering game according to normal game rules. Game information that would normally be concealed from the player is offered for an additional price. In some implementations, the wagering game is a poker game and the game information is draw card information. The additional price may increase according to the amount of game information provided. In some implementations, a paytable percentage for the wagering game decreases according to the amount of game information provided.

'Buy a peek' gaming methods and devices

The present invention provides methods and devices for providing wagering games having aspects of card games, such as poker games. Some implementations of the present invention involve methods and devices for providing such wagering games on a network of gaming machines. In some implementations, players can view a first M playing cards from each of N hands of playing cards, then must select one (or more) of the hands. Thereafter, a playing card hand (e.g., a poker hand) is made up for the selected hand from the N cards and from additional cards that are revealed after the hand is selected. Some implementations provide a bingo game in which areas of each bingo card correspond with playing cards, wherein players may establish interim wins that correspond to poker hands. Some such implementations include displaying N bingo cards, each of which corresponds to one of the N hands of playing cards.

Stud bingo

The present invention provides methods and devices for providing a first wagering game (such as a bingo game) that presents a changing pool of displayed game outcomes for a second wagering game (such as a Class III game), preferably on a network of gaming machines. Some implementations of the invention provide a bingo game that presents a changing pool of displayed game outcomes for a slot game or a poker game. In some preferred implementations, game outcomes are generated, e.g., by individual gaming machines, on an ongoing basis and stored in memory. Each of the game outcomes corresponds with a bingo outcome. Preferably, the game outcomes are sorted and stored according to payout amounts for various bingo outcomes. In some implementations, the game outcomes are stored in the form of random number generating ('RNG') seeds, but in other implementations the game outcomes are stored in a variety of other forms.

Providing non-bingo outcomes for a bingo game

Novel 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. Some implementations provide a system wherein electronic gaming machines presenting entertaining displays of various Class III game themes are linked to a single bingo server. By linking many participating electronic gaming machines to a single server, some implementations of the invention allow all of the progressive contributions to be pooled into one large progressive jackpot, thereby making the game more attractive to players.

Bingo system with downloadable common patterns

The present invention provides methods and devices for providing a bingo game having aspects of a poker game on a network of gaming machines. Some implementations include a bingo card display in which areas of a bingo card correspond with playing cards. Some such implementations provide first phase of a bingo game that is concluded when a player daubs a game-ending pattern of a bingo card and a second phase wherein players may establish interim wins by daubing other patterns that correspond to poker hands. In some implementations, only the highest-ranking interim win results in a payout. Preferred implementations provide games with easily recognizable bingo play and payout probabilities similar to existing bingo games.

Draw bingo

The invention is directed to methods and gaming units for conducting a multi-player wagering game, such as a Bingo game, in which at least one of the players may win the occurrence of the wagering game by matching a predetermined game-winning pattern of game indicia on one or more game arrays having unique combinations of game indicia based on matching the game indicia on the game arrays to game indicia randomly selected for the occurrence of the wagering game. The outcome of the multi-player wagering game may be displayed to the player at the gaming unit, along with an alternate outcome display at two or more alternate outcome display devices at the gaming unit. In one embodiment, an outcome of a Bingo game may be mapped to an outcome of a slot machine having a bonus feature such as a wheel. Outcomes of the Bingo game may then be displayed on the plurality of alternate display devices as outcomes of the slot game and accompanying bonus feature.

Multi-player bingo game with multiple alternate outcome displays

The invention is directed to methods and gaming units for conducting a multi-player wagering game, such as a Bingo game, in which at least one of the players may win the occurrence of the wagering game by matching a predetermined game-winning pattern of game indicia on one or more game arrays having unique combinations of game indicia based on matching the game indicia on the game arrays to game indicia randomly selected for the occurrence of the wagering game. Once a player matches a game-winning pattern to win the occurrence of the wagering game, the gaming unit may display a plurality of selection symbols, at least one of which may correspond to a game-winning award or a further game array. In the embodiment with the further game array, the indicia on the game array may be compared to the randomly selected game indicia to determine the amount of game-winning award for the player.

Multi-player bingo game with game-winning award selection

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.

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

Multi-player bingo game with multiple alternative outcome displays

A gaming device is provided with detectors configured to substantially reduce the potential for unauthorized manipulation of a coin output system. A pair of detectors can be used to output an error signal when the sequence or timing of detector blockages departs from that which would be expected from normal coin movement. A second optical detector is configured to provide a signal used to output an error signal when the second detector detects radiation or light during a time that a first detector is also detecting light from a paired radiation source. An error signal is preferably output when an optical detector is blocked for a period of time which exceeds a maximum blockage threshold, and preferably the threshold may be dynamically adjusted. In one embodiment, a sensor in or adjacent an output hopper is used to predict coin output from the hopper and an error signal is generated when more than a predetermined period of time passes, following a coin output prediction, without a coin being detected by a downstream optical detector.

Growing community of inventors

Sparks, NV, United States of America

Ted M Gail