Patent Grant
7837550
The present invention relates to games of chance. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods and devices for conducting games in which a player utilizes a Bingo format to play a game combining the rules and rewards of Bingo and video poker.
Poker games are well known in the casino industry. There are many different types of poker games, including stud poker, in which the player plays the hand dealt, and draw poker, in which the player has the opportunity to discard and replace cards in the player's hand. These games, and many other variations thereon, have been embodied in video gaming machines. For example, in the case of draw poker, the video poker machine or a central server selects the playing cards to be dealt to the player from a data structure storing data representing a deck of playing cards and displays the player's initial hand at a display.
The player selects the playing cards to “hold,” and the remaining playing cards from the player's initial hand are discarded and replaced from the deck of playing cards depleted of the cards already dealt. The replacements along with the held cards form a final hand.
The player's final hand is compared to a pay schedule which determines winning combinations and associated awards. Typically, these combinations represent the conventional ranked Poker hands such as a pair of Jacks or better, two pair, three of a kind, and so forth. If the player's final outcome matches a winning combination, the player is rewarded with the associated award. Otherwise, the final outcome is deemed to be a loss and the player's wager is retained by the gaming machine.
With the increasing popularity of video poker, there is a parallel demand for innovations and variations to attract new players and to keep existing players excited. Multi-hand and multi-wager games abound as do games with variations in pay tables and game strategies, such as joker and wild card games and games which skew pay tables away from pure probabilities.
Bingo games are likewise well known in the casino industry. In such games a player has a game “card” having a random distribution of numeric indicia, and the game operator conducts a lottery like selection of such indicia. As indicia values are selected, they are marked on the player card until a given pattern of selected locations emerges. The first player to achieve a desired pattern thereby wins the Bingo game.
Bingo is a highly mechanical game, with the requisite skill of marking selected indicia on a player's Bingo cards being a skill readily learned over time. Serious Bingo players often simultaneously manage dozens of cards, and managing of over a hundred cards is not unusual for the truly expert player, even in a non-automated environment. The very trait which makes it less attractive to a serious gambler, i.e. the absence of an analytical skill requirement, makes it attractive to the Bingo afficionado, who can derive the excitement of playing a high number of Bingo cards without the strain and effort typically associated with high stakes gambling.
Bingo, however, is typically a player-banked game, with the player wagers funding the prize pool. In casino operations, there is a desire to play house-banked games, or hybrid house-and-player-banked games, in which the player is playing at least partially against the casino, rather than simply against other players. Bingo is not conducive to such play, as a typical Bingo game will always yield a winner.
There is thereby a need in the art for a game which combines the house-banked nature of a video poker game with the ease of play and automation of a Bingo game. Such a game may allow for simultaneous play of multiple “cards” like Bingo, yet pay according to defined pay tables like video poker. In its automated implementation, simultaneous play of a hundred or more hands is feasible for players at all experience levels, and it is also reasonable to allow players the choice of either selection of the indicia with which to populate their cards, or allowing the game processor to do so in their stead.
A method for conducting a game of chance for one or more players uses playing cards, optionally a standard deck of fifty-two playing cards, a universe of Bingo indicia, optionally standard Bingo numbers one through seventy-five, inclusive. The method also includes a Bingo card forming a matrix of coordinate locations. Optionally, a conventional Bingo card template in the form of a 5×5 matrix in which columns identified “B,” “I,” “N,” “G,” and “O” is used. In a further optional embodiment, at least one of the coordinate locations may be designated a “free” space that is considered a match in any pattern including the “free” space.
The method also includes defining a Bingo pay table identifying one or more winning Bingo patterns of coordinate locations and one or more associated Bingo awards and defining a poker pay table identifying one or more winning poker hands of playing cards and one or more associated poker awards. Optionally, the winning Bingo patterns of coordinate locations include conventional Bingo patterns such as one or more columns of coordinate locations, one or more rows of coordinate locations, one or more diagonals of coordinate locations, and/or the four corners of coordinate locations. Optionally, the poker pay table includes conventional poker hands such as royal flush, five of a kind, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, and/or pair of kings or higher.
Each player places a game wager to play at least one Bingo card. Optionally, a player may be allowed to play multiple Bingo cards. In such an optional embodiment, the player may be allowed to specify the quantity of Bingo cards to generate but may also be required to place a proportionally larger wager.
At least one player Bingo card is generated by selecting Bingo indicia from the universe of Bingo indicia and placing the selected Bingo indicia in the coordinate locations. In an embodiment in which the player may specify the quantity of player Bingo cards, the quantity of player Bingo cards specified is generated. In one optional embodiment, the player may permitted to manually generate at least a portion of at least one player Bingo card by selecting the Bingo indicia displayed in the coordinate locations of the player Bingo card. In yet another optional embodiment, the player may be allowed the option of regenerating a player Bingo card. In such an optional embodiment, if the player opts to regenerate the player Bingo card, the Bingo indicia displayed in the matrix of coordinate locations are re-selected.
A selection set of pairs are generated. Each pair includes a Bingo indicium selected from the universe of Bingo indicia and a playing card selected from the deck of playing cards. In an optional embodiment, each pair of the selection set includes a randomly selected Bingo indicium and a randomly selected playing card, wherein the Bingo indicium and the playing card are separately and independently selected. In a further optional embodiment in which the selection set is randomly selected based on a random number generator using a selected seed, the player may be allowed to prompt the re-selection of the seed.
The Bingo indicium of each pair is compared to the player Bingo card. If the Bingo indicium of a pair matches a Bingo indicium on the player Bingo card, the coordinate location of the matching Bingo indicium is identified and the playing card of the pair is positioned at the coordinate location of the matching Bingo indicium.
If the coordinate locations of the matching Bingo indicia form one of the winning Bingo pattern of coordinate locations, the Bingo award associated with that winning Bingo pattern is awarded to the player. Similarly, if the playing cards positioned along a predetermined poker pattern of coordinate locations form one of the winning poker hand of playing cards, the poker award associated with that winning poker hand is awarded to the player. Optionally, only the highest ranking poker hand on each player Bingo card is rewarded, along with any winning Bingo pattern. Optionally, where the winning poker hands include a five-card straight, the Bingo award and the poker award may be increased, such as doubled, if the player has a winning Bingo pattern and a poker hand of at least a five-card straight.
The present invention also includes a device for carrying out the present method. Such a device could include a data processor, as well as a display, a device receiving wagers and issuing awards, and a data structure all communicating with the data structure. In an optional embodiment, the device may also include an input device. The data structure stores electronic representations of playing cards, a universe of Bingo indicia, a template for Bingo cards, a Bingo pay table identifying one or more winning Bingo patterns of coordinate locations and one or more associated Bingo awards, a poker pay table identifying one or more winning poker hands of playing cards and one or more associated poker awards, and instructions executable by the processor for conducting the method described above.
Reference is now made to the figures wherein like parts are referred to by like numerals throughout. Referring to
In a novelty or entertainment embodiment, the player plays strictly for entertainment value and may input a fee or may play without fee, depending upon the implementation. In such an embodiment, the game may commence upon the player prompting his or her participation.
In a gaming embodiment, the player may place a wager prior to the start of play. In such an optional embodiment, the player could wager in many different ways, including inserting cash or scrip into the gaming device, or by allocating a wager from stored credits, a line of credit, an account, or the like. In this optional embodiment, the amount of available credit for play is displayed in a Credit display 405 in the control and status section 120 of the device display 100. In this optional embodiment, the player selects the desired total wager which may be displayed in a Wager display 415. Optionally, the total wager may be based upon the number of Bingo cards to be played (which may be displayed in a Cards display 425) and the wager per player Bingo card (which may be displayed in a Wager/Card display 420) and, in this respect, the total wager is proportional to the number of Bingo cards to be played. In an optional embodiment, the player may increase or decrease the number of Bingo cards to be played in groups, such as in groups of ten, although it is also contemplated that the number of Bingo cards to be played may, in another optional embodiment, be increased or decreased singly. In an optional embodiment, the wager is uniform across hands. In an alternate optional embodiment, the wager may vary from player Bingo card to player Bingo card. In yet another optional embodiment, the total wager and the number of player Bingo cards may be may be selected by the player, and the wager per player Bingo card computed.
In an optional embodiment, the operator, typically the casino, specifies the betting unit, the maximum wager per hand, and the maximum number of hands permitted to be played. Such values may be displayed to the player in the message and instructions section 150 of the display, or may be presented otherwise, such as in external signage, coded light displays as are known in the art (e.g., red lights for nickel machines, yellow for quarters, blue for half-dollars, white for dollars), or otherwise.
In the optional embodiment illustrated, the player may select the number of Bingo cards to be played in either of two methods. The player may actuate the 10 Cards control 460 for the first ten cards, or to add cards in increments of ten, until the desired number of cards is reached. Alternatively, the player who wishes to play the most cards allowed may simply actuate the Max Cards control 465 to go directly to this maximum as determined by the casino.
Similarly, in the optional embodiment illustrated, the player may select the wager per card by actuating the Bet 1 control 470 the number of times which corresponds to the desired wager per card, or actuating the Bet Max control 475 to wager the casino-determined maximum on each Bingo card. As the player selects the desired number of cards and the wager per card, the Wager display 415 is updated accordingly.
Once the player has selected the desired number of cards to be played, and the desired wager per card to be risked, the player may initiate play. In the optional embodiment illustrated, this is achieved by actuating the Play control 400.
In the optional embodiment illustrated, a data processor in the device generates the player Bingo cards as they are selected for play by the player, i.e. each time the player actuates the 10 Cards control 460 or the Max Cards control 465. While the player may be limited to the Bingo cards generated for the player by the data processor, in this optional embodiment, if the player wishes to change the player Bingo cards, the player actuates the Generate control 430 which causes the random regeneration of cards elected for play, as discussed in greater detail below.
Player Bingo card generation consists of forming a player Bingo card 200 as depicted in
Player Bingo card generation includes placing of Bingo indicia in all coordinate locations (with the possible exception of the (3, 3) location which, as noted above, may be designated a “Free” coordinate location). In the optional embodiment illustrated, such placement of Bingo indicia is accomplished by a random process. In alternate optional embodiments, such placement may be performed by player selection, or the player may be given the option of manual or automatic selection, or even partial manual and partial automatic selection. For example, in one optional embodiment, the device may include an input device through which the player can input selections of Bingo indicia from the universe of Bingo indicia for inclusion in one or more Bingo cards.
Whether the player Bingo cards are generated manually, automatically, or a combination of manually and automatically, Bingo indicia included on a player Bingo card are selected from a universe of Bingo indicia. In an optional embodiment, the universe of Bingo indicia is a closed set, such as the numbers one through seventy-five, inclusive. In a further optional embodiment, the Bingo indicia selected for each column of a player Bingo card may be further constrained to a particular range of numbers permitted in each column 210, 220, 230, 240, 250. For example, in an embodiment based on conventional Bingo, the numbers one through fifteen may be limited to the first column 210, also optionally designated as the “B” column. The numbers sixteen through thirty may be limited to the second column 220, also optionally designated as the “I” column. The numbers thirty-one through forty-five may be limited to the third column 230, also optionally designated as the “N” column. The numbers forty-six through sixty may be limited to the fourth column 240, also optionally designated as the “G” column. The numbers sixty-one through seventy-five may be limited to the fifth column 250, also optionally designated as the “O” column. In the game of Bingo as it is known in the art, there are no row restrictions imposed upon placement of Bingo numbers and, in an optional embodiment, this may hold true for the player Bingo cards generated according to the present invention.
In the optional embodiment illustrated, player Bingo card generation includes selection of twenty-four Bingo indicia, as the (3, 3) coordinate location is preset as a free space. As the example illustrated is based on a conventional Bingo card, for coordinate locations (1, 1) through (5, 1), random selection is made from Bingo numbers one through fifteen; for coordinate locations (1, 2) through (5, 2), random selection is made from Bingo numbers sixteen through thirty; and so forth as described above. While the coordinate locations on the player Bingo card could be filled sequentially or all at once, it is also contemplated that the coordinate locations could be filled in a random pattern or, at least, displayed as filling in a random pattern.
In the optional embodiment illustrated, this selection process occurs for each player Bingo card. In an alternate optional embodiment, selection may be performed for the maximum cards permitted, and then when cards are activated for play, they may be drawn from the pool of cards already selected. Optionally, card selection is limited in that no two player Bingo cards being played on the same device at the same time may be identical, i.e. have duplicated selections at all coordinate locations.
As alluded to above, in an optional embodiment, the player may opt to generate a different set of player Bingo cards prior to the commencement of any round of play. In such an optional embodiment, the player may also have the option to use the same set of player Bingo cards used in a preceding game. For example, the default setting may include the player using the generated player Bingo cards, or if the player had played a prior game, player Bingo cards from a preceding game. In such an optional embodiment, if the player opts to use different player Bingo cards, the player may press a Generate control 430 to prompt regeneration of the player Bingo cards. While regeneration could take many different forms, in an optional embodiment, the Bingo indicia on the player Bingo cards is re-selected and/or repositioned when a regeneration is triggered.
The player may also be given some input into the constitution of the player Bingo cards. For example, in one optional embodiment, the player may be permitted manual control over a portion or all the Bingo indicia included on one or more of the player Bingo cards by actuating a Select control 432. In one example of such an optional embodiment, manual generation of player Bingo cards 200 is performed by the player by specifying the Bingo indicia and their placement on a player Bingo card as shown in a card selection display 140. It is contemplated that in alternate embodiments, manual generation of player Bingo cards by a player may be allowed for a single player Bingo card, a subset of player Bingo cards, and all the player Bingo cards, and that any player Bingo cards that are not manually generated may be generated for the player. It is also contemplated that the player may be allowed to select Bingo indicia for a portion of the player Bingo card or for the entire player Bingo card and that those coordinate locations not manually selected may be generated for the player.
In an alternate optional embodiment, “equivalent” player Bingo cards may also be prohibited, where equivalent Bingo cards are Bingo cards which yield the same results in reaction to the same game events. In the game of Bingo as is known in the art, this means cards which are “y-symmetric,” i.e. top-to-bottom images of each other, so that the selection at coordinate location (a, b) on one card appears at coordinate location (5−a, b) on the other card. The number of possible Bingo cards may be computed as 15P54×15P4 (accounting for the preset “Free” coordinate location at location (3,3)), which yields a number on the order of 5.5×1026 as the number of possible player Bingo cards that could be generated without duplicates or equivalents.
Once player Bingo cards 200 have been generated, play may commence. Play consists of creation of a selection set 290 of predetermined size, where each element of the selection set 290 consists of a pair 291 of values randomly selected by the device. In the optional embodiment illustrated, a set of sixteen pairs are selected, but in alternate optional embodiments may be higher or lower. Each pair 291 selected consists of a Bingo indicium and a playing card. In an optional embodiment, the Bingo indicium and playing card are separately and independently selected. In other words, in such an optional embodiment, a Bingo indicium is randomly selected and a playing card is randomly selected, with the selection of the Bingo indicium having no relation to the selection of the playing card other than being paired after each is randomly selected.
Optionally, selections are made without replacement from both the universe of Bingo numbers and the universe of playing cards, so that neither the Bingo indicium nor the playing card may repeat in a selection set 290. An example of such a selection set 290 is illustrated in
Each pair 291 consists of a Bingo indicium and a playing card. The Bingo indicium of each pair in the selection set is compared to the player Bingo cards generated. If the Bingo indicium from the selected pair it is found, i.e. if the selected Bingo indicium matches a Bingo indicium on a player Bingo card, the match is noted and, in an optional embodiment, the matching Bingo indicium on the player Bingo card is replaced by the playing card from the pair. Such comparison and replacement is performed for each player Bingo card 200, for each Bingo number of each pair 291 of the selection set 290. For example, using the example selection set 290 of
In the optional embodiment illustrated, in addition to transforming the selection set of Bingo indicia matching Bingo indicia on the player Bingo cards into playing cards, the display may also highlight coordinate locations that have been matched to make than easier to visually locate, as indicated by the change in background in
Following comparison of the pairs 291 within the selection set 290 to the player Bingo cards, each player Bingo card 200 is evaluation for potential awards. Optionally, such analysis is performed utilizing a Bingo pay table identifying winning Bingo patterns of coordinate indicia and associated awards and a poker pay table identifying winning poker hands of playing cards and associated awards. The Bingo pay table may include many different Bingo patterns, although in an optional embodiment, the conventional patterns of one or more of the columns, rows, diagonals, and/or four corners of the player Bingo card, may be designated as winning Bingo patterns Similarly, the poker pay table may include many different poker hands, although in an optional embodiment, the conventional poker hands of royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, and so forth, may be designated as winning poker hands. One example of a combined Bingo pay table/poker pay table is illustrated in Table 1.
In evaluating poker hands, the playing cards lying along a poker pattern of coordinate locations are evaluated. While the poker patterns used in the examples of
Moreover, it is noted that in an optional embodiment, a pattern of coordinates may not necessarily be completely filled to be evaluated as a poker hand. For example, in one optional embodiment, if the first column only includes three playing cards, it may still be evaluated as a poker hand and may be considered a winning poker hand if, for example, the three playing cards are of the same rank and, therefore, form a three of a kind.
As noted, while any pattern of coordinate locations could be included as a poker pattern of coordinate locations, in the optional embodiment illustrated in the figures, each row, column, and diagonal combination of each player Bingo card 200 is analyzed for poker hand and Bingo marking, considering only coordinate locations into which playing cards have been inserted as a result of a Bingo number match to an pair 291 within the selection set 290, and any automatic value placements, such as, in the optional embodiment illustrated, the “free” location in coordinate location (3, 3) of each card, which may be treated as a wild card (and designated with a Joker) in the evaluation of poker hands. Thus, for example, in in location (2, 4) and the Joker in the “free” in location (3, 3), would together form a hand of a pair of Aces. In the optional embodiment of Table 1, such a poker hand would be paid at 1-to-1.
The player Bingo card 200 shown in the example of Q⋄ K
A
, a pair of aces along the opposite diagonal, 3
Joker A⋄, a pair of aces along fourth row, A⋄ A
, and a pair of kings along the second row, K
K
3
. While other rows, columns, and the four corners yield additional results, such as the first column which includes a king-high, Q⋄ K
, or the fourth column which includes an ace-high, 3
A
, these are not considered a winning poker hands according to the example pay table of Table 1. Thus, the player Bingo card of
In one optional embodiment, the player is rewarded for each winning outcome, i.e. each winning Bingo pattern and each winning poker hand, separately for each player Bingo card. In such an optional embodiment as applied to the example of
In the optional embodiment illustrated, following the processing of Bingo indicium-playing card pairs 291 within the selection set 290, the player may view the entire selection set by pressing the Show Draw control 450. Additionally, the user display 100 may show one or more winning Bingo cards 130, if any player Bingo cards 200 received an award. In one optional embodiment, a player Bingo card 200 is randomly selected from the winning Bingo cards to be displayed as the winning Bingo card 130. In another optional embodiment, the player Bingo card 200 paying the highest award is displayed as the winning Bingo card 130. Optionally, statistics on total winning and number of winning Bingo cards may optionally be displayed in the message and instructions section 150 of the user display 100.
The total award earned for all player Bingo cards 200 may be displayed in an Award display 410 following computation. Optionally, a player may examine the individual player Bingo cards 200 to see what contributed to that total award 410 by pressing the Show Cards control 455. In an optional embodiment, a multi-card display 300 as shown in
In alternate optional embodiments, awards could be paid for all qualifying holdings, and adjustments for combinations of awards could be altered or eliminated.
It is noted that in one optional embodiment, selection of pairs 291 comprising the selection set 290 is based upon the output of a randomizing event. For example, in one optional embodiment, this is accomplished by a random number generator (“RNG”) that communicates with, or is incorporated into, the data processor controlling the game. In such an optional embodiment, the RNG may generate a stream of random numbers that determine the selection set generated. In an optional embodiment in which the RNG uses a seed to generate random numbers, the player may be enabled to re-select the seed. In the optional embodiment illustrated, a player may press the ReSpin-Reshuffle control 435 which will prompt a re-selection of the seed used by the RNG to generate the selection set. For example, in one optional embodiment in which the RNG seed is a timer or internal clock, such a re-selection of the seed may trigger an alteration in the internal clocking mechanism, thereby changing the output of the RNG, and hence the values selected in generation of the selection set 290.
In the optional embodiment illustrated, a player wishing to view the active pay table may do so by pressing the Pay Table control 445. In an alternate embodiment, the pay table may be displayed in external signage, or may be on the user display 100.
At the conclusion of any hand, a player may cease play. In the optional embodiment illustrated, a player wishing to redeem the remaining credits, a result of initial invested amount, less amount wagered, plus amounts awarded, by pressing a Cash Out control 440. In the optional embodiment illustrated, this may result in the printing of a credit voucher which may be redeemed by the casino. In alternate optional embodiments, this may result in an entry being created in a data structure maintained by the casino. In yet another optional embodiment, this may result in the output of cash corresponding to available credits. In yet another optional embodiment, this may create entries in a tournament, or rewards of other types.
While certain embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described it is to be understood that the present invention is subject to many modifications and changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims presented herein.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US03/15670 | May 2003 | WO | international |
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/443,567, entitled “Electronic Bingo Game and Method,” filed May 22, 2003 now U.S Pat. No. 7,316,612 by Applicant herein, which, in turn, was a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/557,948, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,935, entitled “Electronic Bingo Game and Method,” filed Apr. 24, 2000 by Applicant herein. This application also claims priority to PCT Application No. PCT/US03/15670 with a priority date of May 19, 2003 filed by Applicant herein.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5647798 | Falciglia | Jul 1997 | A |
| 6656044 | Lewis | Dec 2003 | B1 |
| 20020113369 | Weingardt | Aug 2002 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20060121976 A1 | Jun 2006 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10443567 | May 2003 | US |
| Child | 11282332 | US | |
| Parent | 09557948 | Apr 2000 | US |
| Child | 10443567 | US |
