Gaming system with zero-volatility hold

Details Gaming system with zero-volatility hold Gaming system with zero-volatility hold

1999-07-22

2001-09-18

Martin-Wallace, Valencia (Department: 3713)

Amusement devices: games

Including means for processing electronic data

Credit/debit monitoring or manipulation

C463S026000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06290603

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In a typical gaming system, it is important to avoid the potential for players to predict when a particular gaming terminal will have a win, and thus electronic gaming terminals are typically configured to provide wins on a random or pseudo-random basis, often using a random number generator. Gaming devices typically use some of the wagering revenues to fund prizes, with the remainder (referred to as a “hold”) being retained by the casino or other game operator. Previous devices, while providing prizes on a random basis, have provided one or more prize payouts which are of a fixed nature, i.e., which are predetermined and substantially unrelated to the amount of wagers that have been placed since the last win. For example, in a video poker device, a machine may be configured to output a first prize amount in response to a hand which has a pair and a second prize amount to a hand which has three of a kind, and so forth. The prize amounts corresponding to each winning hand are, typically, predetermined and constant. In a slot machine game, jackpots or other prizes are paid upon obtaining particular reel combinations. Typically, such gaming devices are configured so that on average (i.e., over a relatively long period of time, which may encompass many games, a number of which may be winning games) the amount of hold for a terminal will approach a predetermined target average hold. However, over a relatively short range (e.g., over a period representing two or three wins), the amount of hold for a machine, will typically be quite volatile. This is particularly true when the hold is considered on the basis of the ratio of the money which is held since the last prize to the total amount wagered since the last prize.
Previous systems which have provided for random wins with fixed payoffs have involved a banked game, i.e. a game in which players compete against the house (or “bank”) for a prize. This is at least partly because wins which are randomly distributed will occasionally occur close together, so that a subsequent prize is not fully funded by wages that have been placed since the previous prize.
Some previous gaming systems have included a feature which provides for a so-called progressive prize which increases in value as more players wager to win the prize. However, such previous devices have been implemented so that players wager for non-progressive prizes at the same time that they are playing a “progressive” game and thus there devices still have substantial volatility in the hold value.
Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a gaming system which avoids and, preferably substantially eliminates, volatility from the hold value. It would be useful to provide a device which can be implemented as a non-baked game, i.e., in which there is not a potential for a prize which has not already been “covered” by previous wagers (and which, thus must be covered by the house or “bank”).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, a gaming system is provided in which preferably all prizes of the game are covered by (i.e., do not exceed) the total of the wagers placed since the last win, or the last n wins, less a hold portion of the wagers. In one embodiment, for each wager placed by a player, a certain portion is allocated for the hold and the remainder is allocated to one or more prize meters. Preferably there are multiple prizes and thus multiple prize meters. When a prize is won, the amount of the prize will be the amount accumulated in whichever prize meter corresponds to that particular prize. Furthermore, in one embodiment, prize meters may be further subdivided into visible meters and background meters, with the visible meter representing the amount that will be paid out when the corresponding prize is won, and the background meter representing the starting amount, for that prize, for the next game. Thus, the amount which a player may win for particular winning outcomes in a game will increase as more wagers are made, until a winning combination or outcome, e.g. corresponding to a particular prize meter. Preferably the amount allocated for various winning outcomes is displayed and the visibly-increasing prize amounts is believed to add to the entertainment value of the game.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5275400 (1994-01-01), Weingardt et al.
patent: 5476259 (1995-12-01), Weingardt
patent: 5639088 (1997-06-01), Schneider et al.

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