Patent application number | Description | Published |
20130065665 | WAGERING GAME WITH PROGRESSIVE AWARDS WON BY ACCUMULATING PROGRESSIVE PRIZE SEGMENTS - A gaming system, apparatus, and method are disclosed providing game players an exciting chance to win any of multiple progressive prizes within a free spin bonus round by accumulating different prize segment symbols which are displayed in a meter zone for each possible progressive prize. Various ways are described to add free spins to the bonus round, making it more exciting by giving the player increased chance to fill all the segments associated with a particular progressive prize, thereby winning the prize. | 03-14-2013 |
20130065673 | GAMING SYSTEM, METHOD, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR REAL-TIME SELECTION OF OUTCOME DISTRIBUTION IN A WAGERING GAME - A method includes, for a given play of a wagering game, displaying a visual depiction which varies over a range of visual states. The visual depiction is displayed through a display system of the gaming machine and each visual state is correlated to a respective outcome distribution from a set of different outcome distributions. The method may then include receiving a player input through a player input system of the gaming machine. This player input selects one of the visual states of the visual depiction, so that the outcome distribution correlated to that selected visual state may be applied to randomly identify an outcome for a play of a game at the gaming machine. The method then includes awarding any prize correlated to the identified outcome. | 03-14-2013 |
20130084948 | WAGERING GAME METHOD, GAMING MACHINE, GAMING SYSTEM, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT PROVIDING AN ENHANCED TOURNAMENT AWARD FEATURE - Gaming systems and methods provide a tournament game which selectively awards an enhanced tournament play result. The enhanced tournament play result may be of variable value which is selected for the given instance in order to place the receiving tournament player in some predetermined rank in the tournament. Such a variable enhanced tournament play result in the tournament game may be used to help keep all participants interested in the tournament, even those participants who trail the tournament leaders by a wide margin. | 04-04-2013 |
20130274004 | WAGERING GAME METHOD, GAMING MACHINE, GAMING SYSTEM, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT PROVIDING LOCAL AND GROUP PROGRESSIVE PRIZES - A progressive prize method for a group of linked gaming machines includes maintaining both a respective local progressive pool for each respective gaming machine in the group and a group progressive pool shared among the group of gaming machines. A local progressive prize trigger is used to determine when a progressive prize is to be awarded from a local progressive pool and a separate group progressive trigger is used to determine when a progressive prize is to be awarded from the group progressive pool. The group progressive trigger may be based on a count of local progressive prizes that have been awarded. Thus a local progressive trigger may ultimately result in the award of a progressive prize from the group progressive pool rather than the respective local progressive pool. | 10-17-2013 |
20130281171 | SLOT MACHINES WITH WAGER-PER-PLAY SKILL GAMES - Provided is a wager-per-play skill game in which the player's skill is used in selecting one of several random prize distributions or prize pools from which the player's award will be randomly selected. Wagers are preferably entered automatically for each skilled interaction the player makes in the game play area, allowing for continuous play in which the game state persists between wagers. In one version, there is no possibility of complete failure of the skill game, instead every move of the player is given an immediate skill rating or value. The immediate skill rating is used to select an associated prize distribution or prize pool from among multiple distributions or pools, which is then applied to randomly select a prize for the player's move. | 10-24-2013 |
20140057694 | WAGERING GAME WITH SPECIAL FUNCTION COMMUNICATING MULTIPLE MEANINGS - A gaming system, apparatus, and method are disclosed with one or more special function zones which foreshadow or hint at game results in a manner designed to create a lucky or positive impression with the player. A preferred version provides a slot machine game with a special function zone behind and around the reels, which animates in certain circumstances to predict the outcome of a reel spin. The animation may have different meanings depending on the context within the game. | 02-27-2014 |
20140066169 | WAGERING GAME WITH AWARDED PAYLINES - A gaming system, apparatus, and method are disclosed with one or more additional payline awards made through special symbols appearing in the game. The number of additional paylines is determined based at least on the special symbol present. A preferred version provides a slot machine game with a payline meter zone on a dedicated display or beside the reels which emphasizes to the player the amount of additional paylines provided and their application in the prize award. | 03-06-2014 |
20140080570 | GAMING SYSTEM, METHOD, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR CONTROLLING NEAR MISS OUTCOMES IN A WAGERING GAME - A game symbol matrix, such as a symbol matrix produced in a reel-type game, may be modified to provide the player with an additional chance for certain types of winning symbol combinations. In particular, a first game symbol matrix which may be produced in a wagering game may be evaluated to detect if the game symbol matrix is close to, for example, a high value win. If so, one or more symbol locations may be repopulated with a respective game symbol to provide the player with another chance at achieving the high value win. | 03-20-2014 |
20140080571 | GAMING SYSTEM, METHOD, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR GENERATING ADDITIONAL PAYOUT CHANCES IN A WAGERING GAME - Methods, apparatus, and program products provide for dynamically modifying a symbol matrix, such as a symbol matrix produced in a reel-type game, to provide the player with additional chances to win on a given activation of the game. In particular, one or more initial symbol locations in a matrix of symbol locations may be split so as to replace the respective initial symbol location with two or more symbol locations. The additional symbol locations produced in this way define additional sets of symbol combinations and these additional symbol combinations provide the player with additional chances to win on a given play of the game. | 03-20-2014 |
20140080572 | GAMING SYSTEM, METHOD, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT PROVIDING FULL WINDOW PAYS IN A REEL-TYPE WAGERING GAME - A method includes producing a game symbol matrix for a play in a wagering game. The game symbol matrix is produced through a gaming machine display system by controlling the display system to populate each of at least some of the symbol locations of the game symbol matrix with a respective game symbol selected from one or more game symbol sets. The game symbol matrix is then evaluated for the presence of any winning full window combination, and prizes are awarded at the gaming machine for each winning full window combination defined through the game symbol matrix. | 03-20-2014 |
20140087818 | WAGERING GAME WITH SYMBOL SELECTION GAMEPIECE - A gaming system, apparatus, and method are disclosed including a game feature with one or more symbol selection gamepieces, preferably presented as a graphical “Eye of the Pharaoh,” which, when activated, causes a moving graphical effect to sequentially select various symbols in the gaming array. An interactive player input or a timeout may end the sequential selections, after which the symbol selection gamepiece selects a final selected symbol, on which is based a special award. Perceived-skill and actual-skill versions are disclosed. | 03-27-2014 |
20140087822 | GAMING SYSTEM, METHOD, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR SELECTING GAME SYMBOLS IN A WAGERING GAME - Multiple different game symbol weighting sets are defined for selection in a given play of a reel-type game. Each game symbol weighting set defines a probability of each reel strip in the reel-type game landing at each particular stop position for that reel strip. By providing multiple different game symbol weighting sets, certain game symbols such as special themed game symbols may be favored for one or more plays of the game to increase the chance of hitting winning symbol combinations using that game symbol. | 03-27-2014 |
20140087829 | WAGERING GAME HAVING WIN STREAK AWARD FEATURE - A gaming system, apparatus, and method are disclosed providing a free-spin bonus game, wherein the player's streaks of consecutive winning free spins are tracked throughout the bonus, with bonus enhancements or awards for achieving streaks of specified lengths. Some embodiments award additional free spins for win streaks. Other versions provide different numbers of additional spins awarded for each number of consecutive winning spins. Other embodiments provide different bonus features as an award for winning streaks, including credit prizes which may be fixed or variable, triggering a secondary bonus (such as a wheel spin or a pick bonus), or applying multiplier values to the reel-spin wins in the streak. | 03-27-2014 |
20140094271 | GAMING SYSTEM, METHOD, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR CONTROLLING A FREE PLAY SEQUENCE IN A WAGERING GAME - A method provides a secondary game for controlling free plays awarded in a wagering game conducted through a gaming machine. Once results are displayed for a number of free plays awarded in the wagering game, a secondary game is conducted and the outcome of the secondary game may award additional free plays. Once results for the additional free plays are displayed, the secondary game is conducted again and the outcome of the secondary game may award yet more free plays. Each instance of the secondary game may include a result that does not trigger additional free plays and thus may end the play sequence at the gaming machine. | 04-03-2014 |