Abstract: Described herein are techniques for operating a distributed computer system to implement a duration-limited online poker tournament. Also described herein are particular techniques for operating a distributed computer system to implement such a duration-limited online poker tournament. In some embodiments, a duration-limited online poker tournament is operated such that each player begins with a set number of funds, but those funds are not themselves used during gameplay. Rather, in the tournament each player is allotted a number of chips and, at an outset of each hand, each player's chips are reset to this number, regardless of the chips won or lost in preceding hands. At the end of the tournament, a player's winnings or losses may be determined based on the chips won or lost across the hands of the tournament.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to gaming devices and to techniques for operating such devices in connection with secondary gameplay features of computer-based games. The secondary gameplay may share gameplay features with primary gameplay. In some group-matching games, each game piece includes two characteristics that may affect a display of the game piece in a computer user interface. One characteristic may be used during primary gameplay and another may be used to track when a user has an opportunity for secondary gameplay. For example, a gameplay facility may determine whether the grid includes a set of game pieces having a first characteristic. If so, the gameplay facility may then evaluate each of the game pieces in the set and increment a score based on whether each game piece has a second characteristic. When the score meets or exceeds a threshold, the gameplay facility triggers secondary gameplay.

Abstract: Techniques for managing an online poker tournament include receiving data transmissions indicating buy-in amounts to participate in the online poker tournament from a plurality of client devices, with buy-in amounts received from first and second client devices being different from buy-in amounts received from third and fourth client devices. The first, second, third, and fourth client devices may be associated in a first set, and the third and fourth client devices may be associated in a second set. Users of all four client devices may participate in the same online poker tournament, and rankings of users in the first and second sets may be determined based on results of the tournament. One or more award amounts for each of the sets may be computed based on the buy-in amounts and the rankings, and notifications of award amounts may be transmitted to client devices.

Abstract: An events agent core library of software functions, when executed by at least one processor of a client device, receives notifications of in-game events from game content software downloaded to the client device from a game supplier server and executing on the client device providing wagering game play to a user of the client device. Based on the notifications, the events agent core may report at least some of the in-game events to a front-end set of processor-executable instructions downloaded to the client device from a gaming operator server different from the game supplier server, the front-end set of processor-executable instructions being configured to cause the at least one processor of the client device to implement an out-of-game response based on at least one of the reported in-game events.

Abstract: Techniques for facilitating online search for up-to-date available sports betting opportunities may include maintaining a history of sports betting performed by a user, and maintaining a data feed of available sports betting opportunities with continuous updates. A search query for available sports betting opportunities, input by the user, may be received at a first computing device from a second computing device over a network. Search results representing up-to-date available sports betting opportunities may be retrieved from the data feed at the first computing device in response to the input search query. At least a portion of the search results may be ranked based at least in part on the user's history of sports betting, and the ranked available sports betting opportunities may be transmitted from the first computing device to the user at the second computing device over the network as a response to the user's input search query.