Bingo-like and trivia televison game show

Abstract

A bingo-style/trivia game in a game show or computer game format is provided. In accordance with the method, at least two players compete to match numbers on a game board and to correctly answer questions. The player who has the most points at the end of one-to-one contestant rounds then plays a bonus round.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to game shows particularly suited for television and, more particularly, to a television game show for playing a bingo-like game in conjunction with a trivia game.

2. Description of the Related Art

Game shows have been and remain a staple of television broadcasting virtually from its inception as a broadcast medium. At the height of its popularity, a good game show can deliver some of the highest ratings on TV. Game shows present entertainment in the form of conflict. The conflict lies in the competition between the players for the prizes.

In the prior art, there are a number of bingo style games and trivia games, but none teach or suggest the combination of these games as taught by the present invention. That is, the applicant is not aware of any prior art which combines aspects of trivia games with aspects of the game of bingo. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a game combining elements of the game of bingo with a trivia game in a television game show format.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus to play the TV format bingo/trivia game where at least two players or contestants can compete against each other.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the prior art, the present invention provides a new unique game show system which enables in-studio players or contestants to play a unique game which combines elements of the game of bingo with a trivia game.

In one aspect, the unique game show system is preferably embodied as a one-half hour television program in a studio setting where the studio set design reflects the colorful look, feel and excitement of a casino setting with a capacity to accommodate a large live audience. It is contemplated that the shows would be produced in casino showrooms such as Atlantic City or Las Vegas. Each show would preferably include several one-to-one contestant rounds and a bonus round for the winner of the contestant rounds.

According to another aspect, a game board is preferably displayed in a television studio setting using a bank of video monitors or one large video monitor. The studio setting would also include a spin lever or pull arm for each contestant podium to allow each contestant to take alternate turns at playing the inventive game. It is also contemplated that in lieu of a spin lever or pull arm, each player's turn would be initiated automatically without any action required on the part of the contestants.

According to the present invention, each game is preferably played between two in-studio contestants. The game is based upon a combination of elements of the game of bingo with elements of a trivia game to challenge the contestants to earn their points playing the bingo portion of the game. The contestants keep their points if they answer trivia questions correctly and lose all or a portion of their points if they answer trivia questions incorrectly.

A main objective of the game during one-to-one contestant rounds is for each contestant to cover-up rows, columns or diagonals of the game board. By doing as such, the contestants earn points. The game board includes five rows and five columns, thereby providing a total of 25 squares or cells. Each of the 25 squares is capable of displaying a number (a symbol of a first set) or a graphic indicating that there is no number displayed or that a number previously displayed has been covered-up. In the preferred embodiment of the game, prior to any spins being made by any of the contestants, 12 of the 25 squares are covered-up and the remaining 13 squares display a number. Each square or cell corresponds to one of the video monitors, in the case where a bank of video monitors is used to display the game board.

The game board further includes a row of five player reels or cells; each player reel corresponds to one of the five columns. During a contestant's turn during a one-to-one contestant round, the contestant pulls a spin lever or pull arm to display an icon in each of the five player reels. If a number (a symbol of the first set) is displayed by a player reel which matches a number displayed by a square of the corresponding column, the square of the corresponding column is covered-up.

If the icon displayed by a player reel is a graphic icon (a symbol of a second set), a predetermined action is performed in accordance with the graphic icon displayed. The action could be the automatic awarding of a predetermined number of points to the contestant who pulled the spin lever, providing the contestant who pulled the spin lever with the option of deciding which square to cover-up, providing the contestant who pulled the spin lever with a free spin or turn, and asking the contestant who pulled the spin lever a trivia question. Based on whether the contestant answers correctly or not, another action is performed, such as the contestant keeping/losing a predetermined number of points, including the contestant losing all of his points (if the question is answered incorrectly). If the contestant answers incorrectly, the other contestant is giving an opportunity to answer correctly. By answering trivia questions correctly, a contestant earns clues in helping him solve a puzzle during the bonus round, if the contestant reaches the bonus round.

The winner of the one-to-one contestant rounds is the contestant who has the most points (which have a monetary value) at the end of the contestant rounds. This contestant then plays the bonus round, with a chance to win additional money and/or other prizes by solving the puzzle.

It is contemplated that the game of the present invention can be implemented as a set of programmable instructions and game resources (graphics, audio, video, alphanumeric text, etc.) capable of being executed by a general purpose processor or a hard-wired special-purpose processor for playing the game. The set of programmable instructions and game resources can be stored on a computer-readable medium, including optical, magnetic and opto-magnetic media.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing features of the present invention will become more readily apparent and may be understood by referring to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 a illustrates a television studio setting for playing the inventive television game show in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 1 b illustrates a game board for playing the inventive television game show in accordance with the present invention; and

FIGS. 2 a-2zzz illustrate views of the television studio setting showing an exemplary play of the inventive television game show being played in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiment shown in the accompanying figures, and detailed hereinafter, describes a bingo-like and trivia television game show. It is contemplated that the game underlying the bingo-like and trivia television game show described herein can be played as a computer/video game, board game or in any other format, including providing for play of the game by one, two or multiple players over a network, such as the Internet. As such, the game can be provided as a set of programmable instructions and game resources (graphics, audio, video, alphanumeric text, etc.) capable of being executed by a general purpose processor or a hard-wired special-purpose processor for playing the game. The set of programmable instructions and game resources can be stored on a computer-readable medium, including optical, magnetic and opto-magnetic media.

In the television game show format of the game of the present invention, two contestants compete with each other before a live studio audience in order to win money and prizes. FIG. 1a illustrates a television studio setting 100 for playing the game. In this embodiment, the studio setting 100 includes a game board 10, two contestant podiums 12, 14 where each podium includes a spin lever or pull arm 17, 18 corresponding to each contestant (e.g., Jim 17′ and Sharon 18′ as shown in the FIGs.). Each podium also includes the contestant's name and score as shown by FIG. 1a. A game show host 19 moderates the progression of the game. During a one-to-one contestant round following the first one-to-one contestant round, each podium also displays the contestant's cumulative score.

The game board 10 is displayed using a bank of video monitors or one large video monitor. Prior to the start of the game, each monitor of the game board 10 or the large video monitor display a game start graphic, such as the name of the television game show.

The game in accordance with the present invention is based upon a combination of elements of the game of bingo with elements of a trivia game to challenge the contestants 17′, 18′ to earn their points playing the bingo portion of the game. The contestants 17′, 18′ keep their points if they answer trivia questions correctly and lose all or a portion of their points if they answer trivia questions incorrectly. The trivia questions are asked to the contestant by the game show host 19 when the contestant pulls the spin lever 17, 18 and obtains a particular icon (e.g., a devil) on reels of the game board 10 as further described below.

A main objective of the game during one-to-one contestant rounds is for each contestant to cover-up rows, columns or diagonals of the game board 10. By doing as such, the contestants 17′, 18′ earn points. The game board 10 includes a matrix of cells 24 arranged in a column and row configuration. The game board 10 includes five rows 20 and five columns 22, thereby providing a total of 25 squares or cells 24. Each of the 25 squares or cells 24 is capable of displaying a number 26 (a symbol of a first set) or a graphic 28 (FIG. 1b) indicating that there is no number displayed or that a number previously displayed by the respective square 24 has been covered-up. The first column is capable of displaying numbers in the range of 1 to 15, the second column in the range of 16 to 30, the third column in the range of 26 to 45, the fourth column in the range of 46 to 60 and the fifth column in the range of 61 to 75. The numbers 1 to 75 are symbols of the first set. In an alternate embodiment, the squares 24 display other types of symbols besides numbers, such as letters, punctuation marks, hearts, spades, clubs, diamonds, etc.

In the preferred embodiment of the game, prior to any spins being made by any of the contestants 17′, 18′ and as shown by FIG. 1b, 12 of the 25 squares 24 are covered-up and the remaining 13 squares 24 display a number. Each square or cell 24 corresponds to one of the video monitors, in the case where a bank of video monitors is used to display the game board 10.

The game board 10 further includes a row of five player reels or cells 30; each player reel 30 corresponds to one of the five columns 22. During a contestant's turn during a one-to-one contestant round, as will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2a-2u, the contestant pulls the spin lever or pull arm 17, 18 to display an icon or a number in each of the five player reels 30. As further described below with reference to FIGS. 2a-2u, if the number (a symbol of the first set) is displayed by a player reel 30 which matches a number displayed by a square 24 of the corresponding column 22, the square 24 of the corresponding column 22 is covered-up.

If the icon displayed by a player reel 30 is a graphic icon (a symbol of a second set), a predetermined action is performed in accordance with the graphic icon displayed. The action could be the automatic awarding of a predetermined number of points to the contestant 17′, 18′ who pulled the spin lever 17, 18, providing the contestant 17′, 18′ who pulled the spin lever 17, 18 with the option of deciding which square 24 to cover-up, providing the contestant 17′, 18′ who pulled the spin lever 17, 18 with a free spin or turn, and asking the contestant 17′, 18′ who pulled the spin lever 17, 18 a trivia question. Based on whether the contestant 17′, 18′ answers correctly or not, another action is performed, such as the contestant 17′, 18′ keeping/losing a predetermined number of points, including the contestant 17′, 18′ losing all of his points (if the question is answered incorrectly). If the contestant 17′, 18′ answers incorrectly, the other contestant 17′, 18′ is giving an opportunity to answer correctly. By answering trivia questions correctly, a contestant 17′, 18′ earns clues in helping him solve a puzzle during the bonus round, if the contestant 17′, 18′ reaches the bonus round.

The winner of the one-to-one contestant rounds is the contestant 17′, 18′ who has the most points (which have a monetary value) at the end of the contestant rounds. Preferably, there are two one-to-one contestant rounds. Preferably, each of the one-to-one contestant rounds terminates when all the numbers displayed by the game board 10 during that round have been matched; after there is only a predetermined amount of numbers left to be matched and the subsequent pull of the spin lever 17, 18 does not match any number; a time clock has clocked a predetermined amount of time, a predetermined number of spins has been reached, etc. The winning contestant at the end of the one-to-one contestant rounds then plays the bonus round, with a chance to win additional money and/or other prizes by solving the puzzle. The bonus round is described below with reference to FIGS. 2v-2zzz in conjunction with a description of an exemplary play of a preferred embodiment of the inventive game.

FIGS. 2 a-2zzz illustrate views of the television studio setting 100 showing an exemplary play of the inventive television game show being played in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2a, the game begins by the host 19 announcing that 12 squares 24 of the game board 10 are covered up and by reminding the contestants 17′, 18′ that the object of the game is to cover five numbers on the game board 10 either horizontally, vertically or diagonally. The various steps in the implementation and execution of the game, such as generating and displaying the numbers on the game board 10, determining if there are any matches, etc., are performed by at least one processor.

After the 12 squares 24 are covered up, contestant number one or Sharon goes first by pulling on her spin lever 18. After pulling on her spin lever 18, numbers and a graphic icon are displayed by the five player reels 30. As shown by FIG. 2b, the five player reels 30 display from left to right the number 5, a joker, and the numbers 33, 50 and 71. The host 19 then announces that Sharon matched the number 5 in the first column of the game board 10. The host 19 then asks Sharon which number she would like to match in the second column with the joker displayed by the second player reel 30. Sharon selects to match the number 25 in the second column. In an alternate embodiment, the game processor arbitrarily and randomly selects which number in the column to match and cover up upon the display of a joker in that column's corresponding player reel 30. Each of the two matches earns Sharon 200 points, thereby earning her a total of 400 points after her first spin.

Contestant number two or Jim then pulls his spin lever 17. After pulling on his spin lever 17, numbers and graphic icons are displayed by the five player reels 30. As shown by FIG. 2c, the five player reels 30 display from left to right a joker, the number 18, another joker, and the numbers 52 and 66. The joker in the first player reel 30 causes all five squares 24 of the first column to be covered up. The host 19 then announces that the joker match caused all of the squares 24 of the first column to be covered up. This is referred herein as the occurrence of a bingo-like condition or as making a “Slingo.” The host 19 thus announces that Jim has made a Slingo. The host 19 also announces that the second joker provides an opportunity for a number match and asks Jim which number he would like to match. Jim tells the host 19 that he wants to match the number 40 displayed in the third column of the game board 10 and corresponding to the third player reel 30 displaying the joker. The host 19 then announces that every number match is worth 200 points and a Slingo is worth 1,000 points, thus earning Jim 1,400 points after his first spin.

Sharon then pulls her spin lever 18. After pulling on her spin lever 18, numbers and a graphic icon are displayed by the five player reels 30. As shown by FIG. 2d, the five player reels 30 display from left to right the number 8, a devil, and the numbers 44, 47 and 75. The host 19 then announces that the display of the devil in the second player reel requires Sharon to answer a question or lose all of her points. The host 19 then asks Sharon a multiple choice question. The host 19 asks what is the fear of heights called and provides four choices: agoraphobia, acrophobia, claustrophobia and thanatophobia. The question and four choices are preferably displayed as one image by the bank of video monitors, as shown by FIG. 2dd or by a large monitor. Sharon answers by saying agoraphobia. The host 19 then states that the answer is incorrect, thereby losing all of her points and putting her back to zero as shown by FIG. 2e.

The host 19 then tells Jim that if he answers the question correctly, he has a chance to turn the devil into a cherub. The host 19 also tells Jim that if he answers correctly he can earn an extra or uncovered clue to use during the bonus round, if he is the winner after the one-to-one contestant rounds and gets to play in the bonus round. Jim then answers the question by saying acrophobia. The host 19 states that the answer is correct which gives Jim one extra or uncovered clue if he gets the opportunity to play the bonus round.

The host 19 then tells Jim that it is his turn to pull his spin lever 17. Jim then pulls his spin lever 17. After pulling on his spin lever 17, numbers and graphic icons are displayed by the five player reels 30. As shown by FIG. 2f, the five player reels 30 display from left to right the number 14, a joker, the number 38, another joker, and the number 68. None of the displayed numbers by the player reels 30 matches a number in the game board 10. However, the two jokers enable Jim to select a number to match in the second and the fourth columns. Jim tells the host 19 that he wants to make a Slingo by matching the 17 and 51 in the second and the fourth columns, respectively. The host 19 then announces that the two matches and the Slingo bring Jim to 2,800 points.

The host 19 then tells Sharon that it is her turn. Sharon then pulls her spin lever 18. After pulling on her spin lever 18, numbers and graphic icons are displayed by the five player reels 30. As shown by FIG. 2g, the five player reels 30 display from left to right a joker, a gold coin, and the numbers 32, 50 and 64. The joker in the first player reel 30 does not give Sharon the opportunity to match any numbers, since there are no more numbers to match in the corresponding first column. In an alternate embodiment, when there are no more numbers to match in a particular column, the corresponding player reel 30 does not display any numeric and graphic icons after a spin. The rest of the player reels 30 do not provide any number matches, however, the gold coin in the second player reel 30 earns Sharon 1,000 points which is announced by the host 19. The host 19 then announces the total points for each player by saying that Sharon has 1,000 points and Jim has 2,800 points.

Jim then pulls his spin lever 17. After pulling on his spin lever 17, numbers and graphic icons are displayed by the five player reels 30. As shown by FIG. 2h, the five player reels 30 display from left to right the number 1, a free spin, a joker, and the numbers 47 and 72. The host 19 then announces that Jim got a joker and a free spin, and asks Jim which number in the third column he would like to match. Jim decides to match the number 39. The number 39 is then covered up in the third column of the game board 10. The host 19 then tells Jim that he has a free spin and asks him if he wants to use his free spin. The host 19 also tells Jim that by using the free spin and pulling the spin lever, one of the player reels 30 may display a devil which will cause Jim to lose all of his points. Jim decides not to take the free spin. The host 19 then states that the number match brings Jim's total number of points to 3,000.

Contestant number one or Sharon then pulls her spin lever 18. After pulling on her spin lever 18, numbers and graphic icons are displayed by the five player reels 30. As shown by FIG. 2i, the five player reels 30 display from left to right the number 6, a joker, the number 40, a devil and the number 69. The devil requires Sharon to answer a question to save her points and not to go back to zero points. The host 19 asks Sharon which of these teams has been in the NHL the longest: Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, Washington Capitals and Edmonton Oilers. The question is displayed by the bank of video monitors as shown by FIG. 2ii. Sharon answers by the Philadelphia Flyers. The host 19 then tells Sharon that she is correct and by answering correctly she turned the devil into a cherub (as shown by FIG. 2j) and accordingly earned one extra or uncovered clue to use in the bonus round, if she makes it to the bonus round.

Sharon then tells the host 19 she wants to match the number 21 in the second column of the game board 10 with the joker displayed by the second player reel 30. After the number match, Sharon makes a Slingo as shown by FIG. 2j. The host then announces that by matching the number 21 in the second column of the game board 10 and by making a Slingo, Sharon earned 1,200 points for the spin.

It is then Jim's turn to pull his spin lever 17. After pulling on his spin lever 17, numbers and graphic icons are displayed by the five player reels 30. As shown by FIG. 2k, the five player reels 30 display from left to right the numbers 5 and 26, a joker, the number 57 and another joker. Jim then tells that host 19 that he wants to use the joker displayed by the third player reel 30 to match the number 45. The host 19 then announces that by matching the number 45, Jim has made a diagonal Slingo (top left to bottom right of the game board 10) and a vertical Slingo (third column of the game board 10) earning Jim 1,000 points for each Slingo. Jim then tells the host 19 that he wants to use the joker displayed by the fifth player reel 30 to match the number 63. The host 19 then announces that by matching the number 63, Jim has made a vertical Slingo (fifth column of the game board 10) and a horizontal Slingo (fourth row of the game board 10). The host 19 then states that Jim's turn earned Jim 4,400 points to bring his score to 7,400 points.

It is now Sharon's turn to pull the spin lever. Before pulling on her spin lever 18, the host 19 announces that if she matches the number 59 in the fourth column of the game board 10, she will make two Slingos. After pulling on her spin lever 18, numbers are displayed by the five player reels 30. As shown by FIG. 21, the five player reels 30 display from left to right the numbers 3, 22, 39, 59 and 61. The host 19 then announces that Sharon successfully matched the number 59 in the fourth column of the game board 10 and made two Slingos earning her 2,000 points to bring her total number of points to 4,400.

After Sharon's turn since there is only one number remaining to be matched on the game board 10, the host announces that the next spin would be the last spin of the first one-to-one contestant round. The host 19 also tells Jim that if he matches the number 48 in the fourth column of the game board 10, he would have two more Slingos and would have cleared the game board 10, thereby being awarded 5,000 points.

After pulling on his spin lever 17, numbers and a graphic icon are displayed by the five player reels 30. As shown by FIG. 2m, the five player reels 30 display from left to right the number 14, a devil and the numbers 46, 58 and 68. The host 19 announces that the devil in the second square 30 means that Jim must answer a trivia question to keep his points. The host 19 asks Jim what part of your body is a “hallux” and provides the following choices: inner ear, big toe, eye lid and belly button, as shown by FIG. 2 mm. Jim answers by stating the eyelid. The host 19 then states that Jim is incorrect and accordingly loses all of his points.

The host 19 then tells Sharon that if she answers correctly she will earn another uncovered clue or extra clue if she makes it to the bonus round. Sharon answers by stating the inner ear. The host 19 states that the answer is incorrect and that the right answer is the big toe. The host 19 then states that Sharon is the leader with 4,400 points and that each player has earned an uncovered clue to use if they make it to the bonus round. The host 19 then states that the game has reached the end of the first one-to-one contestant round and the second one-to-one contestant round will start where the point values are doubled.

In FIG. 2n, the second one-to-one contestant round begins by the host 19 announcing that 12 squares 24 of the game board 10 are covered up and by reminding the contestants 17′, 18′ that the points are now doubled.

After the 12 squares 24 are covered up, contestant number one or Sharon goes first by pulling on her spin lever 18. After pulling on her spin lever 18, numbers and graphic icons are displayed by the five player reels 30. As shown by FIG. 2o, the five player reels 30 display from left to right the numbers 1, 16, 42 and two jokers. The host 19 then announces that Sharon matched the 42 displayed by the third column of the game board 10. The host 19 then asks Sharon which numbers she will like to match with the two jokers. Sharon selects to match the numbers 48 and 75 to make a Slingo (fourth row). The host 19 then announces that the three number matches and the Slingo earn Sharon 3,200 points after her first spin of the second one-to-one contestant round.

Contestant number two or Jim then pulls his spin lever 17. After pulling on his spin lever 17, numbers and graphic icons are displayed by the five player reels 30. As shown by FIG. 2p, the five player reels 30 display from left to right a joker, the numbers 20, 38 and 56 and a gold coin. The host 19 then announces that the gold coin earns Jim 2,000 points and asks Jim what number he would like to match with the joker. Jim decides to match the number 14. The host 19 announces that the gold coin and the two matches earned Jim a total of 2,800 points.

Contestant number one or Sharon then pulls her spin lever 18. After pulling on her spin lever 18, numbers and a graphic icon are displayed by the five player reels 30. As shown by FIG. 2q, the five player reels 30 display from left to right the numbers 8 and 20, a super joker and the numbers 54 and 63. The host 19 then announces that Sharon made two number matches (the number 8 in the first column and the number 63 in the fifth column). The host 19 also announces that Sharon has a super joker which she can use to cover up any number on the game board 10. Sharon decides to cover up the number 22 in the second column of the game board 10. The host 19 then announces that Sharon's spin earned her 7,200 points because she made three Slingos (first column, first row and fifth column) and had three number matches. After her spin, Sharon has 10,400 points.

The host 19 then tells Jim that it is his turn to pull his spin lever 17. Jim then pulls his spin lever 17. After pulling on his spin lever 17, numbers and graphic icons are displayed by the five player reels 30. As shown by FIG. 2r, the five player reels 30 display from left to right the number 8, a joker, the number 38 and 50 and a devil. The host 19 announces that the display of the devil means that Jim must answer a trivia question to keep his points and to pull the spin lever again. The host 19 asks Jim the country once known as “Burma” is now called and provides the following choices: Myanmar, Eritrea, Tuvalu and Qatar, as shown by FIG. 2rr. Jim answers by stating Myanmar. The host 19 states that that is the correct answer turning the devil into a cherub as shown by FIG. 2s. The host 19 also states that Jim earned another uncovered clue to use if he makes it to the bonus round. The host 19 then announces that Jim now has two uncovered clues.

The spin is then finished out as shown by FIG. 2s by the number 50 displayed by the fourth player reel 30 being matched with the number 50 displayed by the fourth column of the game board 10. The match makes a Slingo earning Jim 2,000 points and 400 points for the match. The host 19 then asks Jim which number he wants to match with the joker. Jim decides to match the number 28 to make another Slingo. The host 19 then announces that by this spin Jim made two Slingos earning him 4,000 points and two matches earning him 800 points. This gives Jim a total of 7,600 points.

Sharon then pulls her spin lever 18. After pulling on her spin lever 18, numbers and graphic icons are displayed by the five player reels 30. As shown by FIG. 2t, the five player reels 30 display from left to right the number 11, a joker, the number 41, a joker and the number 60. The host 19 then announces that the first joker and the number 41 give Sharon two Slingos (the second column and the second row). The second joker does not give Sharon the opportunity to match any numbers in the fourth column of the game board 10, because the fourth column does not have any numbers left to be matched. The host 19 then states that Sharon earned 4,800 points by her spin. This brings Sharon's total number of points to 15,200 for the second one-to-one contestant round and a total number of points to 19,600 for the entire game.

The host 19 announces that Sharon is ahead and that since there is only one number left to be matched on the game board 10, the next spin (Jim's spin) would be the last spin for the second one-to-one contestant round. The host 19 also reminds Jim that Sharon is ahead and that Jim would need to match the number 39 to beat Sharon. The host 19 states that by matching the number 39, Jim would earn a bonus of 10,000 points for clearing the game board 10, 400 points for matching the number, and another 8,000 points for making four Slingos. Accordingly, Jim would have a total number of points of 26,000 points for the entire game (18,400 points for the spin plus the 7,600 points already earned in the current round).

After pulling on his spin lever 17, numbers and graphic icons are displayed by the five player reels 30. As shown by FIG. 2u, the five player reels 30 display from left to right a joker, the number 28, another joker and the numbers 46 and 70. The host 19 quickly announces that the second joker makes Jim the winner of the one-to-one contestant rounds, since this joker enabled Jim to match the number 39 to clear the game board 10, make one number match and four Slingos. This gives Jim a total number of points of 26,000 for the entire game versus Sharon's total number of points of 19,600 for the entire game. The host 19 then announces that Jim would be playing the bonus round with two uncovered or extra clues to use, since he has more points than Sharon by combining the total number of points from both rounds. The host 19 then tells Sharon she was a great contestant and thanks her for playing the game.

At the beginning of the bonus round, as shown by FIG. 2v, a bonus round game board 50 is provided and a spin lever 52 for pulling by the contestant to display either a joker or a blank in one of the five bonus reels or bonus cells 54 below the columns of the game board 50. The game board 50 is similar to the game board 10 with five rows 51 of five squares each and five columns 53 of five squares each. The game board 50 is preferably configured using a bank of video monitors.

The host 19 announces that random numbers will be generated in each of the squares or game cells 56 of the game board 50, other than the bonus reels 54. The host 19 then announces that 12 of the 25 squares 56 would be covered up as shown by FIG. 2v.

The host 19 informs Jim that his goal during the bonus round or Ultimate Slingo is to get clues which would help him solve the puzzle. Clues are obtained by making Slingos diagonally, horizontally and vertically after pulling the spin lever 52 once or twice and matching the numbers displayed on the game board 50. However, unlike the one-to-one contestant rounds, the numbers of the game board 50 are matched by only displaying jokers in the corresponding bonus reels 54. If a blank is displayed by the bonus reels 54, no matches can be made with the numbers displayed by the game board 50.

The host 19 tells Jim that if he solves the puzzle after the first pull, he would win two prizes. The host 19 also tells Jim that if he answers incorrectly after the first pull, the game would end and he would not win any prizes but would have $26,000 (the dollar value of his total number of points from the one-to-one contestant rounds). The host 19 further tells Jim that if he solves the puzzle after the second pull, he would win one prize. The host 19 then informs Jim that he has two uncovered clues to use in solving the puzzle and that the category is sports figure. The host 19 then states that the two uncovered clues in helping Jim solve the puzzle are Military Brat and College Dropout. These clues as well as the category are displayed on a display 58 adjacent to the game board 50 as shown by FIG. 2w.

Jim then pulls the spin lever 52 to reveal one or more jokers (matching icons) and blanks (“^•”) (non-matching icons) in the bonus reels 54. The bonus reels 54 display a joker, a blank and three jokers as shown by FIG. 2x. Jim then tells the host 19 that he wants to make a horizontal Slingo by matching the number 2 with the first joker and the number 73 with the fourth joker. Jim also tells the host 19 that he wants to make a diagonal Slingo by matching the number 44 with the second joker and the number 55 with the third joker.

The host 19 then informs Jim that he earned two clues for helping him solve the puzzle (one for each Slingo). The host 19 then announces that the two earned clues relating to the category sports figure are Blonde Girlfriend and Green Blazer. These clues are displayed by display 58 as shown by FIG. 2y. The host 19 then asks Jim if he wants to take one last spin or if he wants to guess the puzzle. Jim decides to take the second spin for possibly getting one or more additional clues, even though he can now only win one prize.

Jim then pulls the spin lever 52 to reveal one or more jokers and blanks in the bonus reels 54. The bonus reels 54 display a joker, a blank, two jokers and a blank as shown by FIG. 2z. The host 19 tells Jim that the first joker enables him to match the number 11 to make a Slingo and get another Clue. The host then asks Jim which numbers he would like to cover with the other two jokers. Jim then tells the host 19 that he wants to match the number 34 with the second joker and the number 47 with the third joker, even though he cannot make a Slingo by matching these numbers.

The host 19 then informs Jim that he earned one additional clue for helping him solve the puzzle. The host 19 tells Jim that the additional clue is Nike® Spokesman which is displayed by the display 58. The host 19 then tells Jim that he has ten seconds to solve the puzzle. Jim then states that the puzzle solution is Tiger Woods. The host 19 states that that is the answer and congratulates Jim for winning $26,000 (the dollar value of the total number of points earned during the two one-to-one contestant rounds).

The host 19 then tells Jim to pull the spin lever 52 one more time to reveal prize numbers for each reel 54. Jim then pulls the spin lever 52 and prize numbers are displayed for each reel 54. The host 19 then asks Jim which prize number he would like. Jim picks prize number four displayed by the fourth reel 54 which is then highlighted as shown by FIG. 2zz. The prize won or the boat is then displayed by the bank of video monitors of the game board 50 as shown by FIG. 2zzz. The host 19 also announces that Jim won the boat.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein and that the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended thereto.

Claims

1. A method of playing a game comprising the steps of: providing a game board comprising a matrix of cells configured in a column and row orientation and a row of player cells; displaying on each of a subset of said matrix of cells a random number; displaying during a plurality of turns one of a random number and a graphic icon on each of said row of player cells; determining at least one of whether at least one random number displayed by at least one player cell matches at least one random number displayed by at least one cell of said matrix of cells and whether at least one graphic icon displayed by the at least one player cell provides for the performance of a predetermined action; and in accordance with said determining step, performing at least one of covering up the at least one random number displayed by the at least one cell of said matrix of cells which matches the at least one random number displayed by the at least one player cell and performing the predetermined action corresponding to the at least one graphic icon displayed by the at least one player cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined action is selected from the group consisting of awarding a predetermined number of points to at least one player, providing an option to the at least one player of selecting a cell of said matrix of cells to cover, awarding a free turn to the at least one player, and asking the at least one player a question.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, if the at least one player answers the question incorrectly, deducting points from the at least one player and giving another player an opportunity to answer the question.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of awarding the at least one player a clue for solving a puzzle, if the at least one player answers the question correctly.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining the occurrence of at least one bingo-like condition after the covering of said at least one matched random number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each player cell corresponds to a respective column of the matrix of cells, such that only the random number displayed in a cell in the column corresponding to the player cell can be matched by the random number displayed by the player cell.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one player is given an opportunity to solve the puzzle during a bonus round.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of announcing a category related to the puzzle prior to giving the opportunity to solve the puzzle to the at least one player.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the bonus round comprises the steps of: providing a bonus round game board comprising a matrix of game cells configured in a column and row orientation and a row of bonus cells; displaying on each of a subset of said matrix of game cells a random number; displaying during at least one turn one of a matching icon and a non-matching icon on each of said row of bonus cells; covering one or more random numbers displayed by the matrix of game cells in columns of the bonus round game board corresponding to one or more bonus cells displaying the matching icons; determining the occurrence of at least one bingo-like condition after the covering of the one or more random numbers; and awarding a clue to the at least one player for each bingo-like condition for solving the puzzle.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of awarding points to at least one player of said game after matching the at least one random number displayed by the at least one player cell with the at least one random number displayed by the at least one cell of said matrix of cells.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing the method steps in a format suitable for broadcasting.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the game includes at least one contestant round played between at least two players and at least one round played by a player of the at least two players, and wherein the player of the at least two players is a winning player of the at least one contestant round.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein points awarded to the at least two players are increased for at least one of the at least one contestant round.

14. A computer-readable medium storing a set of programmable instructions and game resources capable of being executed by a processor for playing a game comprising the steps of: providing a game board comprising a matrix of cells configured in a column and row orientation and a row of player cells; displaying on each of a subset of said matrix of cells a random number; displaying during a plurality of turns one of a random number and a graphic icon on each of said row of player cells; determining at least one of whether at least one random number displayed by at least one player cell matches at least one random number displayed by at least one cell of said matrix of cells and whether at least one graphic icon displayed by the at least one player cell provides for the performance of a predetermined action; and in accordance with said determining step, performing at least one of covering up the at least one random number displayed by the at least one cell of said matrix of cells which matches the at least one random number displayed by the at least one player cell and performing the predetermined action corresponding to the at least one graphic icon displayed by the at least one player cell.

15. A method of playing a game comprising the steps of: providing a game board comprising a matrix of cells configured in a column and row orientation and a row of player cells; displaying on each of a subset of said matrix of cells a symbol of a first set; displaying during a plurality of turns one of a symbol of the first set and a symbol of a second set on each of said row of player cells; determining at least one of whether at least one symbol of the first set displayed by at least one player cell matches at least one symbol of the first set displayed by at least one cell of said matrix of cells and whether at least one symbol of the second set displayed by the at least one player cell provides for the performance of a predetermined action; and in accordance with said determining step, performing at least one of covering up the at least one symbol of the first set displayed by the at least one cell of said matrix of cells which matches the at least one symbol of the first set displayed by the at least one player cell and performing the predetermined action corresponding to the at least one symbol of the second set displayed by the at least one player cell.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined action is selected from the group consisting of awarding a predetermined number of points to at least one player, providing an option to the at least one player of selecting a cell of said matrix of cells to cover, awarding a free turn to the at least one player, and asking the at least one player a question.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, if the at least one player answers the question incorrectly, deducting points from the at least one player and giving another player an opportunity to answer the question.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of awarding the at least one player a clue for solving a puzzle, if the at least one player answers the question correctly.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of determining the occurrence of at least one bingo-like condition after the covering of said at least one matched symbol of the first set.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein each player cell corresponds to a respective column of the matrix of cells, such that only the symbol displayed in a cell in the column corresponding to the player cell can be matched by the symbol displayed by the player cell.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one player is given an opportunity to solve the puzzle during a bonus round.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the bonus round comprises the steps of: providing a bonus round game board comprising a matrix of game cells configured in a column and row orientation and a row of bonus cells; displaying on each of a subset of said matrix of game cells a random number; displaying during at least one turn one of a matching icon and a non-matching icon on each of said row of bonus cells; covering one or more random numbers displayed by the matrix of game cells in columns of the bonus round game board corresponding to one or more bonus cells displaying the matching icons; determining the occurrence of at least one bingo-like condition after the covering of the one or more random numbers; and awarding a clue to the at least one player for each bingo-like condition for solving the puzzle.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of announcing a category related to the puzzle prior to giving the opportunity to solve the puzzle to the at least one player.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of awarding points to at least one player of said game after matching the at least one symbol of the first set displayed by the at least one player cell with the at least one symbol of the first set displayed by the at least one cell of said matrix of cells.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the game includes at least one contestant round played between at least two players and at least one round played by a player of the at least two players, and wherein the player of the at least two players is a winning player of the at least one contestant round.

26. An apparatus for playing a game comprising: a processor configured for executing a set of programmable instructions and game resources for performing the steps of: providing a game board comprising a matrix of cells configured in a column and row orientation and a row of player cells; displaying on each of a subset of said matrix of cells a random number; displaying during a plurality of turns one of a random number and a graphic icon on each of said row of player cells; determining at least one of whether at least one random number displayed by at least one player cell matches at least one random number displayed by at least one cell of said matrix of cells and whether at least one graphic icon displayed by the at least one player cell provides for the performance of a predetermined action; and in accordance with said determining step, performing at least one of covering up the at least one random number displayed by the at least one cell of said matrix of cells which matches the at least one random number displayed by the at least one player cell and performing the predetermined action corresponding to the at least one graphic icon displayed by the at least one player cell.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the predetermined action is selected from the group consisting of awarding a predetermined number of points to at least one player, providing an option to the at least one player of selecting a cell of said matrix of cells to cover, awarding a free turn to the at least one player, and asking the at least one player a question.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the processor further executes the set of programmable instructions for determining the occurrence of at least one bingo-like condition after the covering of said at least one matched random number.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the processor further executes the set of programmable instructions and game resources for giving at least one winning player an opportunity to solve a puzzle during a bonus round.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the processor further executes the set of instructions and game resources for playing a bonus round comprising the steps of: providing a bonus round game board comprising a matrix of game cells configured in a column and row orientation and a row of bonus cells; displaying on each of a subset of said matrix of game cells a random number; displaying during at least one turn one of a matching icon and a non-matching icon on each of said row of bonus cells; covering one or more random numbers displayed by the matrix of game cells in columns of the bonus round game board corresponding to one or more bonus cells displaying the matching icons; determining the occurrence of at least one bingo-like condition after the covering of the one or more random numbers; and awarding a clue to the at least one player for each bingo-like condition for solving a puzzle.

31. An apparatus for playing a game comprising: a processor configured for executing a set of programmable instructions and game resources for performing the steps of: providing a game board comprising a matrix of cells configured in a column and row orientation and a row of player cells; displaying on each of a subset of said matrix of cells a symbol of a first set; displaying during a plurality of turns one of a symbol of the first set and a symbol of a second set on each of said row of player cells; determining at least one of whether at least one symbol of the first set displayed by at least one player cell matches at least one symbol of the first set displayed by at least one cell of said matrix of cells and whether at least one symbol of the second set displayed by the at least one player cell provides for the performance of a predetermined action; and in accordance with said determining step, performing at least one of covering up the at least one symbol of the first set displayed by the at least one cell of said matrix of cells which matches the at least one symbol of the first set displayed by the at least one player cell and performing the predetermined action corresponding to the at least one symbol of the second set displayed by the at least one player cell.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the predetermined action is selected from the group consisting of awarding a predetermined number of points to at least one player, providing an option to the at least one player of selecting a cell of said matrix of cells to cover, awarding a free turn to the at least one player, and asking the at least one player a question.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the processor further executes the set of programmable instructions for determining the occurrence of at least one bingo-like condition after the covering of said at least one matched symbol of the first set.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the processor further executes the set of programmable instructions and game resources for giving at least one player an opportunity to solve a puzzle during a bonus round.

35. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the processor further executes the set of programmable instructions and game resources for playing a bonus round comprising the steps of: providing a bonus round game board comprising a matrix of game cells configured in a column and row orientation and a row of bonus cells; displaying on each of a subset of said matrix of game cells a random number; displaying during at least one turn one of a matching icon and a non-matching icon on each of said row of bonus cells; covering one or more random numbers displayed by the matrix of game cells in columns of the bonus round game board corresponding to one or more bonus cells displaying the matching icons; determining the occurrence of at least one bingo-like condition after the covering of the one or more random numbers; and awarding a clue to the at least one player for each bingo-like condition for solving a puzzle.