Gaming system including multiple wager selectors and dynamic theoretical payback percentage display
Systems and methods of gaming that provide the user with increased wagering within a specific game of chance. Multiple wager selectors each having a specific value ed therewith provide the user with a wide range of wager amounts that may be placed on gaming device. As the user's current wager increases or decreases, a theoretical percentage is displayed to the user.
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None.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONGaming machines or devices that are currently available permit a player to play video card games, video keno, video spinning-reel type games, video bingo, and other types of games. These same games, as well as others, may also be played over a data network such as the Internet.
Current gaming devices provide games that are based on a single denomination within each game (e.g. nickel games, quarter games, dollar games etc.). Wagers and awards are whole number multiples of the particular denomination. This stems from the time when coins or tokens were inserted into the gaming machine as the only means of accepting money and hoppers dispensing coins were the primary means of returning winnings to the player. The payout amount for a winning outcome had to be an increment of the denomination for the player to be able to redeem their entire winnings and permitted the players to bet their entire credit balance down to exactly zero. This practice continues even though most gaming machines now have currency acceptors rather than or in addition to coin acceptors and ticket printers that print cash out tickets, which permits any credit balance to be fully redeemed. There are multi-game and multi-denomination machines which provide more flexibility by allowing the player to select a single denomination at which to play a game.
Current implementations allow the player to either select the game by name and then select the desired denomination or select the game by name with denomination as part of the identifying name, or select the denomination first and then choose the game. Current games that are based on a nickel denomination would have a five cent wager selector and possibly a max bet selector. The five cent wager selector would increment the player's wager by one credit (five cents) each time it is selected and there might also be decrement functionality. The max bet selector would set the player's bet at the maximum bet allowed in the game if it was selected. There are some games that provide additional bet selectors which allow the player to bet a set number of credits per line in spinning reel games, but these selectors have no repeat functionality.
It would be unusual for a nickel denomination game to allow a player to wager up to one hundred dollars, but if it did and a player wanted to wager one hundred dollars and there was no max bet selector, the game would require two thousand selections of the five cent wager selector. If there was a max bet selector, it would make it easy for the player to achieve the one hundred dollar bet, but if they only wanted to bet fifty dollars (assuming a one hundred dollar max bet), it would require one thousand selections of the five cent wager selector. If a current game was based on a five dollar denomination, a five dollar wager selector would make it easier for the player to achieve the fifty or one hundred dollar bet, but it would eliminate the ability for the player to wager anything less than five dollars or anything greater than five dollars that was not a whole number multiple of five dollars.
It is not uncommon that higher denomination games offer higher theoretical payback percentages to the player. Due to the random nature of games, statistically speaking, the more games that are played the closer the actual payback percentage of the game gets to the theoretical payback percentage. Theoretical payback percentages are sometimes posted, as fixed values, on certain machines or banks of machines to try and attract players, but in the vast majority of cases, the player is not informed in any way of a game's theoretical payback percentage. There are currently games that give players incentive to bet more by increasing the pays for certain outcomes at higher bets, thereby increasing the theoretical payback percentage. It is very common for poker games to have a maximum bet of five coins where the Royal Flush will pay 250 times the total bet for the first four coins bet and pay 800 times the total bet for a five coin wager. Examining the effect of this Royal Flush pay increase in three “standard” Jacks or Better poker pay tables known in the industry as the 5-7, the 5-8 and the 6-9, the theoretical payback percentage on the fifth coin bet increases from approximately 94.91 to 96.15; 96.06 to 97.30; and 98.37 to 99.54 respectively. Assuming the player was offered the 5-7, the 5-8, and the 6-9 at denominations of 5¢, 25¢, and $1 respectively, discrepancies can be seen which are not atypical of current art in the gaming industry and are often unavoidable or inherent in the credit/denomination approach used throughout the industry. The player betting 25¢ in the 5¢ game is getting 96.15% while the player betting 25¢ in the 25¢ game is getting 96.06%. The player betting $1 in the 25¢ game is getting 96.06% while the player betting $1 in the $1 game is getting 98.37%.
Using the same three Jacks or Better poker pay tables it is possible to create a table of the bet versus the theoretical cost per hour to play, the amount the “house” makes, which is calculated by multiplying each wager times the quantity one minus the associated theoretical payback percentage and summing over all games played in an hour. Assuming an average player plays a game every six seconds, or 600 games per hour the following table results:
The house would not want a player occupying a machine and only betting 5¢ per game with a rent of only $1.53 per hour, especially if they are giving the player free drinks or other comps. The game being played can have a huge impact on the $1 player. If they are playing the 25¢ game at a $1 bet it costs them $23.64 per hour but if they play the $1 game at the same bet it only costs them $9.78 per hour. At the same time, players are typically given no indication of the payback percentage. The majority of keno and spinning reel games offer no pay increases at increased bets.
Embodiments of the invention provide more diverse betting options, which may eliminate the need for games at different denominations.
Another object of this invention is to create more equity in terms of cost per hour to play for the house at lower bets and for the player at higher bets.
It is a further object of this invention to provide players with more information regarding the effect of their wager on the payback percentage and the related cost per hour to play.
In one aspect of the invention, a gaming device is provided with multiple wager selectors, each with a different value, within a single game. Each wager selector operates, in a preferred embodiment, to increment the player's wager amount by the value of the wager selector each time it is selected (as by depressing a key). Preferably, each wager key may either increment or decrement the wager amount at the player's option. Accordingly, players can more easily achieve their desired bet level over a larger range of bets. For example, if a game is provided with four wager selectors with values of five cents, twenty-five cents, one dollar and five dollars, each with increment and decrement functionality and a maximum bet of one hundred dollars, the player can select any bet from five cents to one hundred dollars in five cent increments with twenty eight or less selections of the appropriate wager selectors. For practical reasons, each selector could be limited to a maximum of twenty increments. This would allow the player to wager from five cents to one dollar in five cent increments, from twenty-five cents to five dollars in twenty-five cent increments, from one dollar to twenty dollars in one dollar increments, or from five dollars to one hundred dollars in five dollar increments with no more than twenty selections of the appropriate wager selector.
In a further aspect of the invention, the theoretical payback percentage will be caused to increase at every, or nearly every, increasing bet. The contribution to the theoretical payback percentage of any given outcome is calculated by multiplying the statistical odds of that outcome occurring times the pay for that outcome. With multiple wager selectors, it is possible to provide awards which are whole number multiples of the smallest wager selector and fractional multiples of the larger wager selectors while still permitting the player to bet their entire credit balance down to exactly zero. An increased number of available award values with increasing bets provides for more precision in targeting theoretical payback percentages as the wager increases. With a five cent wager selector and a twenty five cent wager selector, when the player is betting twenty-five cents it is possible to provide awards which are any multiple of five cents rather than just multiples of twenty-five cents, allowing game designers greater flexibility in achieving desired theoretical payback percentages. All other things being constant, increasing the theoretical payback percentage as the absolute value of the bet increases will create a more equitable cost per hour to play the game for all players. The theoretical payback percentage can be set low enough at a five cent bet that the “house” no longer needs to worry about a player occupying a seat and only betting five cents per game. Similarly, the theoretical payback percentage can be set high enough at large bets such that the cost per hour to play is not so high as to discourage high rollers.
In another aspect of the invention, a variable display shows the player the theoretical payback percentage at the current wager amount. The theoretical payback percentage is displayed for each different wager amount and will change with at least one wager change. Added visibility may be created by displaying the range of possible theoretical payback percentages available.
The gaming system of the invention and associated methods of operation may be implemented on a stand-alone gaming machine or over a data network such that the player may access the gaming system from a remote computer (e.g., over the Internet). The wager selectors may take the form of depressable keys for making selections of wager amounts which can be selectively incremented or decremented by the key value with each depression. Alternatively, a “touch screen” arrangement for the wager selectors may be employed such that the player makes wager selections directly on the display screen.
Therefore, the invention provides for a gaming system and method in which the player has a wide range of choices and relative ease of achieving wager amounts. The need for games at different denominations is eliminated. There is more flexibility in achieving a desired increase in theoretical payback percentage as the bet increases. Due to increasing the theoretical payback percentage as the absolute value of the bet increases, more player equity is created in terms of average cost per hour to play, all other things being constant. The theoretical payback percentage display dynamically updates the theoretical payback percentage as the player's wager amount changes, giving the player more information about how a wager amount affects the theoretical payback percentage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
This invention is directed in one aspect to the providing of a gaming device that is equipped with multiple wager selectors within a game and with each selector having a different value assigned to it. Each wager selector may be incremented (and also preferably decremented) in succession to change the value of the amount wagered by the value assigned to the wager selector each time the player selects the wager selector. In this way, a player is not restricted in the amount he or she can bet but instead is given wide latitude in selecting the wager amount for each round of play on the gaming device.
In another aspect of the invention, the theoretical payback percentage increases at every, or nearly every, increasing bet. With multiple wager selectors, as the bet increases, the number of available pay values increases, providing more precision in targeting theoretical payback percentages. All other things being constant, increasing the theoretical payback percentage as the absolute value of the bet increases will create a more equitable cost per hour to play the game for all players.
In a further aspect of the invention, the theoretical payback percentage is displayed to the player for each wager amount that he or she selects. The player is thus provided with a visual display informing him or her of the fact that the theoretical payback percentage increases with the amount that is wagered. The theoretical payback percentage display is adjusted dynamically such that the theoretical payback percentage that is displayed changes with changes in the wager amount.
Version No. 1 Version no. 1 of the invention is shown in
In version no. 1 of the invention shown in
The remaining keys 14-18 similarly have increment finger pads and decrement finger pads. Key 14 has an increment pad 14a on its upper portion which increments the wager amount by 25¢ each time it is depressed, and a decrement key pad 14b on its lower portion which decrements the wager amount by 25¢ each time it is depressed. Likewise, key 16 has an increment finger pad 16a on its upper portion which can be depressed to operate key 16 in an increment mode to increase the wager amount by $1 with each depression of pad 16a (or in successive $1 increments when pad 16a is depressed and held in a depressed condition). A decrement pad 16b on the lower portion of key 16 decrements the wager amount by $1 each time pad 16b is depressed. Finally, an increment finger pad 18a is provided on the upper portion of key 18 which increments the amount wagered by $5 each time it is depressed. A decrement finger pad 18b is provided on the lower portion of key 18 and operates to decrement the wager amount by $5 each time it is depressed.
Thus, the wager amount can be incremented or decremented as desired by the player by the amount that is associated with whichever of the bet keys 12-18 is selected. The player can increment the wager amount in 5¢ increments by depressing finger pad 12a and decrement the wager amount in 5¢ increments by depressing finger pad 12b. The wager amount can be incremented in 25¢ increments by depressing finger pad 14a and decremented in 25¢ increments by depressing finger pad 14b. The wager amount can be increased in $1 increments by depressing finger pad 16a and decreased in $1 increments by depressing finger pad 16b. The player can increase the amount wagered in $5 increments with the depression of finger pad 18a and decrease the amount wagered in $5 increments by depressing finger pad 18b.
The gaming device may include a display such as the visual display 20 shown in
In
Each of the wager keys 12-18 preferably has a maximum wager amount assigned to it such that when the wager amount has reached the applicable maximum amount, that particular key is disabled for that amount and larger wager amounts. For example, the 5¢ bet key 12 may have a $1 maximum assigned to it as indicated, the 25¢ bet key 14 may have a $5 maximum wager amount assigned to it, the $1 bet key 16 may have a $20 maximum wager amount assigned it, and the $5 bet key 18 may have a $100 maximum wager amount assigned to it. When the wager amount is $1 or more, the 5¢ wager key 12 cannot be used to increment the wager amount, so the finger pad 12a is disabled when the bet reaches $1 or more. Similarly, pad 14a is disabled when the wager amount is $5 or more, finger pad 16a is disabled when the wager amount is $20 or more, and the finger pad 18a is disabled when the wager amount has reached $100. In this manner, players are encouraged to use the proper bet key to speed up entry of the wager amount.
Referring to
In
It is possible to enable all of the keys in order to make bets of any amount. However, it is unlikely that a player would desire to use the 5¢ bet key 12 when the wager amount is $1 or more, as he or she would be more likely to increment in larger increments which is more easily done using other of the keys. A similar situation holds true for the 25¢ bet key 14 which a player would be unlikely to use with a wager amount of $5 or over, as he or she would be more likely to be interested in incrementing the bet in $1 or $5 increments using the $1 wager key 16 or the $5 bet key 18. Thus, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, which encourages speedy bet entries, the available bets are those set forth in
Version no. 2 of the invention is shown in
The invention contemplates that at least two wager keys will be provided on the gaming device, with each key being assigned a different value. Further, more than the four keys illustrated in
In each of version no. 1 and version no. 2 of the invention, the display 20 displays the wager amount in the absolute value of the currency that is accepted by the gaming device.
Referring again to
In this manner, one aspect of the present invention contemplates providing a dynamic display of the theoretical payback percentages for the different wagers that can be made, with the theoretical payback percentage typically increasing as the wager amount increases.
In accordance with the invention, a gaming device may be adapted for play of various games. The player may make game selections on the touch screen 60 or other input devices coupled with the control unit 50. The player selects a particular game of chance and provides payment through the payment acceptor 66. Then, wager selections may be made on the various wager selectors. For example, the player may decide to bet one dollar by depressing finger pad 16a one time, and then he or she may add fifty cents to the current wager by depressing finger pad 14a of the quarter selector key 14 two times until the wager amount displayed on display 20 reaches the desired wager amount of $1.50. At each wager amount during the incrementing process (e.g., $1.00, $1.25, $1.50) the theoretical payback percentage display 26 displays what the theoretical payback percentage is for the current wager, and the display 28 displays the amount that can be won for each winning combination at the current wager amount. For instance, the theoretical payback percentage is 93.173% when the current wager amount is $0.65 (
Once the current wager amount has been established, the game proceeds, and awards may be granted according to the conditions of the applicable pay table. Program code for the gaming system may determine the outcome for each game using a random number generator or other randomization software controlled to ensure that the operator's desired house advantage is realized.
Although embodiments of the gaming system have been described with reference to wager selectors associated with denominations of 5 cents, 25 cents, 1 dollar and 5 dollars, as many wager selectors as desired and at any value assigned to each wager selector may be provided to present the player with the desired number of wagering options. With conventional gaming systems where a limited number of wager selectors are available—typically one selector per game (e.g., a quarter selector) and perhaps a “max bet” button for the maximum bet allowable (an integer multiple of the value of the selector)—the amount that can be bet on a particular gaming device is limited. Player excitement and knowledge are increased by having a visual indicator of what the theoretical payback percentage is at the current wager amount, and how that percentage changes as the player's wager amount increases. Preferably, the theoretical payback percentage is increased substantially consistently (over a given range) with increases in the wager amount.
From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with the other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure.
It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.
Since many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.
Claims
1. A method of allowing a player to select a wager amount to be made on a gaming device, comprising:
- (a) providing a first wager selector having a first value;
- (b) providing a second wager selector having a second value different from said first value;
- (c) incrementing a wager amount for the player by said first value each time said first wager selector is selected by the player; and
- (d) incrementing the wager amount for the player by said second value each time said second wager selector is selected by the player.
2. A method as set forth in claim 1, including the steps of:
- (e) decrementing the wager amount by said first value each time said first wager selector is selected by the player in a decrement mode of said first wager selector; and
- (f) decrementing the wager amount by said second value each time said second wager selector is selected by the player in a decrement mode of said second wager selector.
3. A method as set forth in claim 1, including the step of disabling said first wager selector to prevent step (c) from occurring when the wager amount has a predetermined value.
4. A method as set forth in claim 2, including the step of disabling said first wager selector to prevent step (c) or step (e) from occurring when the wager amount has a predetermined value.
5. A method as set forth in claim 1, including the step of displaying the wager amount in the value of the currency accepted by the gaming device.
6. A method as set forth in claim 1, including the steps of:
- (e) varying the theoretical payback percentage of the gaming device dependent on the wager amount selected by the player; and
- (f) displaying to the player the theoretical payback percentage for each wager amount selected by the player.
7. A method as set forth in claim 6, wherein step (e) comprises varying the theoretical payback percentage in a manner to increase the theoretical payback percentage substantially consistently with increases in the wager amount.
8. A method of operating a gaming device in which a player can select at least first and second different wager amounts, comprising:
- (a) providing a first theoretical payback percentage for the device when said first wager amount is selected by the player;
- (b) providing a second theoretical payback percentage for the device when said second wager amount is selected by the player, said second theoretical payback percentage being different from said first theoretical payback percentage; and
- (c) displaying to the player said first theoretical payback percentage when said first wager amount is selected and said second theoretical payback percentage when said second wager amount is selected.
9. In a method of operating a gaming device, the steps of:
- (a) providing separate first and second wager selectors having respective first and second values assigned thereto different from one another;
- (b) incrementing a wager amount selected by a player of the device by said first value each time the player selects said first wager selector and by said second value each time the player selects said second wager selector, wherein each selector can be selected a plurality of times to effect a final wager amount;
- (c) providing different theoretical payback percentages for the gaming device for each different wager amount selected by the player; and
- (d) displaying to the player the theoretical payback percentage for each wager amount selected by the player.
10. The invention of claim 9, including the steps of:
- (e) decrementing the wager amount by said first value each time the player selects said first wager selector in a decrement mode thereof, and
- (f) decrementing the wager amount by said second value each time the player selects said second wager selector in a decrement mode thereof.
11. The invention of claim 10, including the step of displaying to the player the wager amount in the value of the currency accepted by the gaming device.
12. A gaming device allowing a player to select a wager amount, comprising:
- (a) a first wager selector having a first value;
- (b) a second wager selector having a second value different from said first value;
- (c) means for incrementing a wager amount for the player by said first value each time the player selects said first wager selector; and
- (d) means for incrementing the wager amount for the player by said second value each time the player selects said second wager selector.
13. A gaming device as set forth in claim 12, wherein:
- said first and second wager selectors each has an increment mode and a decrement mode;
- said means for incrementing a wager amount by said first value is active only in the increment mode of said first wager selector;
- said means for incrementing a wager amount by said second value is active only in the increment mode of said second wager selector;
- said first wager selector is operable to decrement the wager amount by said first value each time the player selects said first wager selector in the decrement mode thereof; and
- said second wager selector is operable to decrement the wager amount by said second value each time the player selects said second wager selector in the decrement mode thereof.
14. A gaming device as set forth in claim 12, wherein said first wager selector is disabled when the wager amount is above a predetermined value.
15. A gaming device as set forth in claim 12, including a display for displaying the wager amount in the value of the currency accepted by the gaming device.
16. A gaming device as set forth in claim 12, wherein different theoretical payback percentages are applicable to different wager amounts, and including:
- a display visible to the player visually displaying to the player the theoretical payback percentage applicable to each different wager amount selected by the player.
17. In a gaming device in which a player can select at least first and second different wager amounts, a first theoretical payback percentage is assigned to a game played with said first wager amount, and a second theoretical payback percentage is assigned to a game played with said second wager amount, said second theoretical payback percentage being different from said first theoretical payback percentage, the improvement comprising:
- (a) a visual display visible to the player; and
- (b) means for displaying on said display said first theoretical payback percentage when the player selects said first wager amount and said second theoretical payback percentage when the player selects said second wager amount.
18. A gaming device in which a player can select a wager amount and the device has different theoretical payback percentages for different wager amounts, comprising:
- (a) separate first and second wager selectors having respective first and second values assigned thereto different from one another;
- (b) said first wager selector having an increment mode wherein a wager amount for the player is incremented by said first value each time said first wager selector is selected by the player and a decrement mode wherein the wager amount is decremented by said first value each time said first wager selector is selected by the player;
- (c) said second wager selector having an increment mode wherein the wager amount is incremented by said second value each time said second wager selector is selected by the player and a decrement mode wherein the wager amount is decremented by said second value each time said second wager selector is selected by the player; and
- (d) a visual display on which the theoretical payback percentages are displayed to the player for different wager amounts selected by the player.
19. A gaming device as set forth in claim 18, including a display for displaying to the player the wager amount that is selected in the value of the currency accepted by the gaming device.
20. A gaming device as set forth in claim 18, wherein said first wager selector is disabled when the wager amount exceeds a predetermined amount.
21. A method of operating a gaming device in which a player can select a plurality of different wager amounts, comprising:
- displaying payback percentage information to said player; and
- permitting said payback percentage information to change relative to the selected amount to be wagered by said player.
22. The invention as in claim 21, including the step of increasing the payback percentage being displayed upon said player increasing the selected amount of the wager.
23. The invention as in claim 21, including the step of decreasing the payback percentage being displayed upon said player decreasing the selected amount of the wager.
24. Gaming device in which a player playing said gaming device may select a plurality of different wager amounts, said device comprising:
- means for displaying payback percentage information to said player; and
- means for displaying payback percentage information that changes relative to the selected amount to be wagered by said player.
25. A gaming device as set forth in claim 24, including means for increasing the payback percentage being displayed upon said player increasing the selected amount of the wager.
26. A gaming device as set forth in claim 24, including:
- means for decreasing the payback percentage being displayed upon said player decreasing the selected amount of the wager.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 8, 2005
Publication Date: Aug 10, 2006
Applicants: ,
Inventors: David Kraft (Bozeman, MT), Dustin Fasbender (Bozeman, MT)
Application Number: 11/054,524
International Classification: A63F 9/24 (20060101);