Abstract: Each player who is participating in the video poker tournament plays a designated group of video poker hands. The designated group of video poker hands comprises preselected starting hands so that each tournament participant plays the same starting hands. After the group of video poker hands has been completed, the player with the highest score or highest amount of accrued credits is awarded a prize. Besides awarding a prize to the player with the highest score, other lesser prizes could be awarded to other players who have high scores. Prizes could also be awarded to players who achieve a final score of at least a certain level.

Abstract: A pay line multiplier is randomly selected for each active pay line. The pay line multiplier varies for each round of play. An extra wager may be required from the player to activate this feature during the play of a casino game. A player makes a wager to activate at least two pay lines to be played in the casino game. For each active pay line, a multiplier is randomly selected a multiplier from a group of various multipliers and the selected multiplier is assigned to the activated pay line. The casino game is then played to achieve an outcome on each pay line. Each pay line that has a winning outcome has any associated award increased by the multiplier for that pay line.

Abstract: A gaming system, a gaming machine and a method is provided having a Five Card Video Draw poker game with multiple hands. An initial five card hand is displayed to the player face-up. The player then chooses which of the initial five cards to discard. Each card that is held is then duplicated into all of the other hands to be played. Replacement cards for the unheld cards are displayed and each hand is completed to have a final five card hand. The poker hand ranking of each final five card hand is determined and winning hands receive an award. The player also receives an additional award depending on the number of final hands that fall into each poker hand category.

Abstract: A slot machine that provides enhanced awards for consecutive spins with winning symbol combinations of any type (“Consecutive Wins”). Enhanced may be defined as any award in addition to the award indicated by the game's base level award schedule. Enhanced awards may include: any type of award (e.g., credits or free spins); any amount of award (e.g., ten times the base level award or five free spins); any combination of awards (e.g., credits and a free spin); and any schedule of enhancement (e.g., five times the base level credits for the first three consecutive wins and ten times the base level credits for any additional consecutive wins). Following any loss, the game returns to the base level award schedule.

Abstract: A stud poker game in which a partial hand of cards are dealt as the player's hand. The player is then permitted to choose one of the undealt cards to be added to the player's hand. The remaining cards needed to complete the player's final hand are dealt. If the player has achieved a winning card combination on his final hand, the player receives an award. The award is based on the poker hand ranking of the final player's hand and the amount wagered by the player.

Abstract: A conventional deck of fifty-two playing cards is modified by the addition of at least one extra card which can be of any of the conventional card ranks, which can be of a fifth suit or a duplicate of one of the conventional cards and which is preferably an Ace. This is additional card can also be of any rank of the conventional cards, but can having a suit designation of all of the suits, and is preferably an Ace of all of the suits. This modified deck of playing cards is used to play video poker.

Abstract: The player is dealt two hole cards. Each opponent is dealt two hole cards. The player has the option to raise or check. If the player raises, all opponents must raise. If the player checks, all opponents must check. Then three community cards are dealt. If the player raises or checks, all opponents must raise or check likewise. Then the final two community cards are dealt. If the player raises or checks, all opponents must raise or check likewise. All of the opponents hole cards are exposed. Whoever has the highest five card poker hand by category wins the pot. If two or more of the opponents and the player have the same highest five card poker hand by category, the hand is a tie and the pot carries over to the next round of play.

Abstract: One or more additional “bonus hand” cards that have no playing value are added to the deck of playing cards that is used in a video poker. When a “bonus hand” card appears in the player's initially dealt hand of cards, the player receives a second bonus hand of the initially dealt hand of cards. Alternatively, if the bonus hand card appears as one of the replacement cards during the draw step of video poker, the player is provided with another poker hand. In general, any type of triggering event is provided which awards the player another hand of video poker for no additional charge if the triggering event occurs during the player of the video poker hand.

Abstract: Each bettor wagers on a first hand (the RED hand) or a second hand (the BLACK hand). The first hand is dealt until the count value is at least 31 and not more than 40. The second hand is dealt until the count value is at least 31 and not more than 40. The higher hand wins. Ties are pushes. Aces count one, face cards count ten and all other cards count their pip value.

Abstract: The game begins with a player playing a conventional hand of video poker. Whenever the player achieves one of the predetermined types of starting hand combinations on the original round of play of the hand of video poker, then the player is awarded one or more additional hands of video poker on the next round of play. The additional hands of video poker on the next round of play are played according to the multiple hand poker method described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,873; or U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,074; or U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,568 or U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,883. The award of one or more additional hands may continue consecutively as long as the player continues to achieve one of the predetermined types of winning hand combinations on the previous round of play of video poker.

Abstract: A slot machine is provided with a plurality of slot symbols which results in a display matrix having a plurality of reel stop locations. A player makes a wager for each pay line on the slot machine that the player wishes to be active. Prior to the reels being spun, the player selects at least one of the reel stop locations that will be respun after the initial spin of the reels. The slot reels are spun and the player receives an award for any winning symbol combinations that appear on active pay lines. Then the reel stop locations selected by the player are respun and the pay lines are reanalyzed to determine if winning combinations have been achieved as a result of the switching of the two reel stop locations. The player receives an award for any winning symbol combinations that appear on active pay lines.

Abstract: Whenever the player achieves one of the predetermined types of winning hand combinations on the original round of play of the hand of video poker, then the player is awarded one or more additional hands of video poker on the next round of play. The player may also receive a monetary payout on the original hand in addition to the extra hands of play on the additional round. The award of one or more additional hands may continue consecutively as long as the player continues to achieve one of the predetermined types of winning hand combinations on the previous round of play of video poker.

Abstract: A slot machine is provided with a plurality of slot symbols which results in a display matrix having a plurality of reel stop locations. A player makes a wager for each pay line on the slot machine that the player wishes to be active. Prior to the reels being spun, the player selects two of the reel stop locations as the player's lucky reel stop locations. The slot reels are spun and the player receives an award for any winning symbol combinations that appear on active pay lines. Then the reel stop locations selected by the player are switched and the pay lines are reanalyzed to determine if winning combinations have been achieved as a result of the switching of the two reel stop locations. The player receives an award for any winning symbol combinations that appear on active pay lines.

Abstract: A player makes a wager to play multiple hands of a stud poker game. A plurality of initial partial hands are displayed to the player. Each initial partial hand has the same cards with the cards displayed face up to the player. Each hand is then completed as a stud poker final hand. The player wins or loses depending on the poker hand ranking of each final hand. If the player achieves two or more final hands of the same poker hand ranking, the amount won by the player is increased, preferably as multiples of the original payout amounts.

Abstract: During the play of a session of video poker, one or more playing cards, either as simply a group of cards or as recognizable poker hands, are designated and shown to the player on the video screen of the gaming machine. As the playing cards are dealt to the player during the play of the regular video poker game, each dealt card that corresponds to one of the designated cards results in a match of the designated card. The designated card that has been matched is shown by highlighting the matched card on the video screen. When the player has matched all of the designated cards, the player receives a bonus award. The amount of the bonus award is based on the number of deals of video poker that it took to match all of the designated cards.

Abstract: Payout methods in a mechanical, an electro-mechanical and/or computer-based slot machine-like games-of-chance enable a series of awards based upon: appearance of predetermined symbol combinations in the symbol matrix; issuance of awards for the predetermined combination of symbols; removal of the winning symbol combinations from the symbol matrix; replacement of removed symbols with other symbols; issuance of awards for predetermined combination of symbols in the symbol matrix; and recurring cycles of award, removal and replacement until no winning symbol combinations appear in the symbol matrix.

Abstract: A player makes a wager and a starting video poker hand is displayed to the player. The gaming machine calculates the highest expected value for the five card hand displayed. The gaming machine then calculates the expected value of the hand as played by the player. The difference between the highest expected value and the player expected value is also calculated and multiplied by the amount of the player's wager. The resultant amount is the error made by the player. The resultant amount may be returned to the player in a variety of ways, either directly or indirectly.

Abstract: A player makes a wager, determines the number of hands the player wishes to play and a first starting five card video poker hand is displayed. The computer controls of the gaming machine calculate the Expected Value (EV) for the five card hand displayed based on the poker format being played. The computer controls then display to the player one or more additional five card starting hands having an EV similar to the EV of the first starting hand. The player selects one of the hands to play and all of the other hands are converted to the same hand chosen by the player. The player holds and then replacement cards are dealt for the discarded cards and the poker hand ranking of each final hand is determined. Awards are made to the player for winning poker hands based on the pay table being used and the amount wagered.

Abstract: A player makes a wager to play a draw poker game a wager to play a stud poker game which is allocated over one or more stud poker hands. The player is dealt a draw poker hand. The player is then dealt one or more stud poker hands depending on the number of stud poker hands selected to be played. The player wins or loses depending on the poker hand ranking of each of the stud poker hands. The amount won for each winning hand is based on the poker hand ranking and the amount wagered according to a stud poker pay table. The player plays out the draw poker hand in accordance with the conventional manner of play of draw poker. The amount won for each winning hand is based on the poker hand ranking and the amount wagered according to a draw poker pay table.

Abstract: A video poker game that uses additional cards to enhance the value of some or all winning card combinations (“Reward Cards”). In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, two Reward Cards are added the traditional fifty-two card deck of playing cards. These Reward Cards do not help form any winning poker hands, but only enhance the value of some or all of the winning poker hands formed using the traditional fifty-two cards in the deck. A single Reward Card would double the payouts; two Reward Cards would quadruple the payouts. As a result, a preferred embodiment offers awards up to four times the traditional awards; maintains the full values of the underlying pay table; minimally impacts traditional poker strategy; and results in an overall return to the player of 99.2948% using a preferred pay table.