Gaming devices having reverse-mapped game set

Abstract

A gaming apparatus and method first determines an outcome, and then maps that outcome to a symbol which is displayed to a player. In general, for each possible outcome, there may be a plurality of possible symbols, and the system selects a symbol by a random selection technique. The method can be practiced both for lottery-type games and non-lottery games. In the case of lotteries, the system determines the outcome by selecting a game set element from a finite pool, each game set element being associated with a particular value. The system then maps the game set element to an appropriate symbol to be displayed to the player. In another embodiment, the system can be programmed to allow the results of the game to be affected by the skill of the player. If the player plays optimally, the system can award the maximum possible value. If the player plays in a sub-optimal manner, the system can award an amount which is less than or equal to the maximum. Unused awards can be added to an award bank, which can be used to fund enhanced awards to be paid to the same or another player. The award determined by the system may also be computed by selecting multiple awards, either from the same game set or from different game sets, and adding these awards, before reverse-mapping the result to an appropriate symbol display. The invention provides more varied and entertaining games than are achievable with comparable systems of the prior art.