Video poker wagering game for playing multi-level hands
A gaming system for playing a video poker game includes a wager-input device, a display, and a controller. The wager-input receives a wager input from a player to purchase a plurality of poker hands, wherein the poker hands include a first hand and a second hand. The display displays a plurality of first cards as a first played hand of the first hand. The controller is coupled to the display and is programmed to create the second hand initially consisting of the plurality of first cards, if the first played hand is a predetermined ranked winning card combination. The controller is further programmed to allow the player to create a second played hand of the second hand. The second played hand includes at least one player-selected card of the first cards and at least one randomly selected card from a deck of cards.
This application is related to and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/662,445 filed Mar. 16, 2005, titled “Video Poker Wagering Game For Playing Multi-Level Hands,” which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
COPYRIGHTA portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
Field of the InventionThe present invention relates generally to gaming machines, and methods for playing wagering games, and more particularly, to a gaming machine for playing a plurality of successive gaming levels that are arranged according to a predetermined hierarchy.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONGaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning at each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines. Shrewd operators consequently strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines, features, and enhancements available because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator. Therefore, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to continuously develop new games and improved gaming enhancements that will attract frequent play through enhanced entertainment value to the player.
One concept that has been successfully employed to enhance the entertainment value of a game is the concept of a “secondary” or “bonus” game that may be played in conjunction with a “basic” game. The bonus game may comprise any type of game, either similar to or completely different from the basic game, which is entered upon the occurrence of a selected event or outcome in the basic game. Generally, bonus games provide a greater expectation of winning than the basic game and may also be accompanied with more attractive or unusual video displays and/or audio. Bonus games may additionally award players with “progressive jackpot” awards that are funded, at least in part, by a percentage of coin-in from the gaming machine or a plurality of participating gaming machines.
Because the bonus game concept offers tremendous advantages in player appeal and excitement relative to other known games, and because such games are attractive to both players and operators, there is a continuing need to develop gaming machines with new types of bonus games or other feature to satisfy the demands of players and operators.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to one aspect of the present invention, a gaming system for playing a video poker game includes a wager-input device, a display, and a controller. The wager-input receives a wager input from a player to purchase a plurality of poker hands, wherein the poker hands include a first hand and a second hand. The display displays a plurality of first cards as a first played hand of the first hand. The controller is coupled to the display and is programmed to create the second hand initially consisting of the plurality of first cards, if the first played hand is a predetermined ranked winning card combination. The controller is further programmed to allow the player to create a second played hand of the second hand. The second played hand includes at least one player-selected card of the first cards and at least one randomly selected card from a deck of cards.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method of conducting a video poker game on a gaming machine includes receiving a wager input from a player to purchase a plurality of poker hands for playing the video poker game from a deck of cards. The poker hands include a first hand and a second hand to be played by the player. The method further includes displaying a plurality of first cards as a first played hand of the first hand, wherein the first played hand indicates an outcome. In response to the first played hand being at least a predetermined one of a plurality of ranked winning card combinations, the second hand is created initially consisting of the plurality of first cards. The player is allowed to create a second played hand of the second hand, wherein the second played hand includes at least one player-selected card of the plurality of first cards and at least one randomly selected card from the deck of cards.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a method of conducting a video poker game on a gaming machine includes receiving a wager input from a player to purchase a plurality of poker hands for playing the video poker game from a deck of cards. The poker hands include a qualifying hand and a subsequent qualifying hand to be played by the player. The method further includes displaying a plurality of initial cards for playing the qualifying hand, wherein the initial cards are randomly selected from the deck of cards. The player is allowed to create a qualifying played hand of the qualifying hand, wherein the qualifying played hand indicates an outcome. In response to the qualifying played hand being at least a predetermined one of a plurality of ranked winning card combinations, a subsequent qualifying hand is created initially consisting of the initial cards.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a computer readable storage medium is encoded with instructions for directing a gaming device to perform the above methods.
Additional aspects of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of various embodiments, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.
Referring to
The gaming machine 10 comprises a housing 12 and includes input devices, including a value input device 18 and a player input device 24. For output the gaming machine 10 includes a primary display 14 for displaying information about the basic wagering game. The primary display 14 can also display information about a bonus wagering game and a progressive wagering game. The gaming machine 10 may also include a secondary display 16 for displaying game events, game outcomes, and/or signage information. While these typical components found in the gaming machine 10 are described below, it should be understood that numerous other elements may exist and may be used in any number of combinations to create various forms of a gaming machine 10.
The value input device 18 may be provided in many forms, individually or in combination, and is preferably located on the front of the housing 12. The value input device 18 receives currency and/or credits that are inserted by a player. The value input device 18 may include a coin acceptor 20 for receiving coin currency (see
The player input device 24 comprises a plurality of push buttons 26 on a button panel for operating the gaming machine 10. In addition, or alternatively, the player input device 24 may comprise a touch screen 28 mounted by adhesive, tape, or the like over the primary display 14 and/or secondary display 16. The touch screen 28 contains soft touch keys 30 denoted by graphics on the underlying primary display 14 and used to operate the gaming machine 10. The touch screen 28 provides players with an alternative method of input. A player enables a desired function either by touching the touch screen 28 at an appropriate touch key 30 or by pressing an appropriate push button 26 on the button panel. The touch keys 30 may be used to implement the same functions as push buttons 26. Alternatively, the push buttons 26 may provide inputs for one aspect of the operating the game, while the touch keys 30 may allow for input needed for another aspect of the game.
The various components of the gaming machine 10 may be connected directly to, or contained within, the housing 12, as seen in
The operation of the basic wagering game is displayed to the player on the primary display 14. The primary display 14 can also display the bonus game associated with the basic wagering game. The primary display 14 may take the form of a cathode ray tube (CRT), a high resolution LCD, a plasma display, an LED, or any other type of display suitable for use in the gaming machine 10. As shown, the primary display 14 includes the touch screen 28 overlaying the entire monitor (or a portion thereof) to allow players to make game-related selections. Alternatively, the primary display 14 of the gaming machine 10 may include a number of mechanical reels to display the outcome in visual association to at least one payline 32. In the illustrated embodiment, the gaming machine 10 is an “upright” version in which the primary display 14 is oriented vertically relative to the player. Alternatively, the gaming machine may be a “slant-top” version in which the primary display 14 is slanted at about a thirty-degree angle toward the player of the gaming machine 10.
A player begins play of the basic wagering game by making a wager via the value input device 18 of the gaming machine 10. A player can select play by using the player input device 24, via the buttons 26 or the touch screen keys 30. The basic game consists of a plurality of symbols arranged in an array, and includes at least one payline 32 that indicates one or more outcomes of the basic game. Such outcomes are randomly selected in response to the wagering input by the player. At least one of the plurality of randomly selected outcomes may be a start-bonus outcome, which can include any variations of symbols or symbol combinations triggering a bonus game.
In some embodiments, the gaming machine 10 may also include a player information reader 52 that allows for identification of a player by reading a card with information indicating his or her true identity. The player information reader 52 is shown in
Turning now to
The controller 34 is also coupled to the system memory 36 and a money/credit detector 38. The system memory 36 may comprise a volatile memory (e.g., a random-access memory (RAM)) and a non-volatile memory (e.g., an EEPROM). The system memory 36 may include multiple RAM and multiple program memories. The money/credit detector 38 signals the processor that money and/or credits have been input via the value input device 18. Preferably, these components are located within the housing 12 of the gaming machine 10. However, as explained above, these components may be located outboard of the housing 12 and connected to the remainder of the components of the gaming machine 10 via a variety of different wired or wireless connection methods.
As seen in
Communications between the controller 34 and both the peripheral components of the gaming machine 10 and external systems 50 occur through input/output (I/O) circuits 46, 48. More specifically, the controller 34 controls and receives inputs from the peripheral components of the gaming machine 10 through the input/output circuits 46. Further, the controller 34 communicates with the external systems 50 via the I/O circuits 48 and a communication path (e.g., serial, parallel, IR, RC, 10bT, etc.). The external systems 50 may include a gaming network, other gaming machines, a gaming server, communications hardware, or a variety of other interfaced systems or components. Although the I/O circuits 46, 48 may be shown as a single block, it should be appreciated that each of the I/O circuits 46, 48 may include a number of different types of I/O circuits.
Controller 34, as used herein, comprises any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware that may be disposed or resident inside and/or outside of the gaming machine 10 that may communicate with and/or control the transfer of data between the gaming machine 10 and a bus, another computer, processor, or device and/or a service and/or a network. The controller 34 may comprise one or more controllers or processors. In
Turning now to
A pay table 64 indicates the corresponding awards for winning ranked hands. For example, a Jacks-Or-Better ranking pays one credit, a Two Pairs ranking pays two credits, a Three-Of-A-Kind ranking pays three credits, etc.
The pay table 64 further indicates which qualifying hands are needed to move up to each of the levels for the hands 60a-60d. Initially, the player plays the first hand 60a, which corresponds to a First Level of the poker game. If the played hand of the first hand 60a has a ranking of at least Jacks-Or-Better then the player qualifies for a Second Level, during which the player plays the second hand 60b. If the played hand for the second hand 60b has a ranking of at least Three-Of-A-Kind, then the player qualifies for a Third Level, during which the player plays the third hand 60c. If the played hand for the third hand 60c has a ranking of at least a Flush, then the player qualifies for a Fourth level, during which the player plays the fourth hand 60d. If the played hand for the fourth hand 60d has a ranking of at least a Four-Of-A-Kind, then the player wins a corresponding award and, optionally, a corresponding multiplier (e.g., 8× multiplier). In other embodiments, if the played hand of the fourth hand 60d meets a predetermined criterion, then it can trigger other game outcomes (e.g., a game bonus, a game award, etc.). Optionally, the pay table 64 indicates the multipliers corresponding to each one of the four levels.
For each of the four levels, First Level to the Fourth Level, a multiplier is awarded if the played hand meets the predetermined ranking corresponding to that particular level. The 1×-8× multipliers shown in the gaming screen of the primary display 14 are associated with the First Level to the Fourth Level, correspondingly. As shown, a 1× multiplier is awarded at the First Level if the first hand 60a has at least a Jacks-Or-Better ranking. A 2× multiplier is awarded at the Second Level (i.e., it pays double the award) if the second hand 60b has at least a Three-Of-A-Kind ranking. A 4× multiplier is awarded at the Third Level if the third hand 60c has at least a Flush ranking. An 8× multiplier is awarded at the Fourth Level if the fourth hand 60d has at least a Four-Of-A-Kind ranking. Optionally, the award multipliers can be indicated in the pay table 64.
A number of indicators are included on the primary display 14 for visually displaying game-related information to the player. Specifically, the primary display 14 includes a credits indicator 66, a wager indicator 68, a block of hands indicator 70, and an award indicator 72.
To purchase the block of hands 60a-60d, the player makes an extra bet or a side bet. Thus, assuming that a single hand of poker costs one credit, the player pays, for example, three extra credits to purchase the block of hands 60a-60d. The wager indicator 68 shows that four credits have been wagered, and the block of hands indicator 70 shows that one block has been purchased. Optionally, the block of hands 60a-60d can be awarded as a bonus.
After the player has purchased the block of hands 60a-60d, the player is dealt the first dealt hand 61, which includes the Jack of Diamonds, the 3 of Spades, the 10 of Hearts, the 5 of Hearts, and the Ace of Spades. The first dealt hand 61 is not a winning hand. The player selects for replacement the 3 of Spades and the 5 of Hearts, which are shown crossed-out with an “X” mark on each card. The cards are then replaced with the Jack of Hearts and the 7 of Spades, which are shown above the first dealt hand 61, in the row of cards 62 indicating the played hand of the first hand 60a.
The played hand of the first hand 60a meets the predetermined criteria because it includes a pair of Jacks, i.e., the Jack of Diamonds, which was present in the dealt hand of the first hand 60a, and the Jack of Hearts, which replaced the 3 of Spades. The pay table 64 indicates that the played hand of the first hand 60a is a winning hand because a Jacks-Or-Better ranking pays one credit. Further, because a Jacks-Or-Better ranking is the minimum required ranking for qualifying the player for the next level, or hand, a determination has been made that the winning pair of Jacks of the first hand 60a qualifies the player for playing the second hand 60b. The award for the first hand 60a is 1 credit, wherein the multiplier for this level is 1×.
The dealt hand of the second hand 60b is the played hand of the first hand 60a. Specifically, the dealt hand of the second hand 60b includes the Jack of Diamonds, the Jack of Hearts, the 10 of Hearts, the 7 of Spades, and the Ace of Spades. The player selects for replacement the 10 of Hearts and the 7 of Spades, as shown by the crossed-out “X” mark on each of the two cards. The two cards are replaced by the Jack of Spades and the 6 of Diamonds. Thus, the played hand of the second hand 60b has a Three-Of-A-Kind ranking, which consists of the three Jacks—the Jack of Diamonds, the Jack of Hearts, and the Jack of Spades. As indicated, the Three-Of-A-Kind ranking earns the player an award of 3 credits and a 2× multiplier, for a total of 6 credits. Thus, the player's award from the first hand 60a has now been increased by 6 credits to 7 total credits. In addition, the player has qualified for playing the next level of the game, which is the third hand 60c.
The dealt hand (i.e., starting hand) of the third hand 60c is the played hand of the second hand 60b. Specifically, the dealt hand of the third hand 60c includes the Jack of Diamonds, the Jack of Hearts, the Jack of Spades, the 6 of Diamonds, and the Ace of Spades. The player selects for replacement a single card—the 6 of Diamonds, which is replaced by the Ace of Clubs. Thus, the played hand of the third hand 60c has a Full House ranking. As indicated, the Full House ranking earns the player an award of 9 credits and a 4× multiplier, for a total of 36 credits. The player's total award has, thus, increased by 36 from 7 credits to 43 credits. In addition, the player has qualified for playing the next level of the game, which is the fourth hand 60d.
The dealt hand of the fourth hand 60d is the played hand of the third hand 60c. Specifically, the dealt hand of the fourth hand 60c includes the Jack of Diamonds, the Jack of Hearts, the Jack of Spades, the Ace of Clubs, and the Ace of Spades. The player selects for replacement the three Jacks, which are replaced by the King of Diamonds, the Ace of Hearts, and the Ace of Diamonds. Thus, the played hand of the fourth hand 60d has a Four-Of-A-Kind ranking. As indicated, the Four-Of-A-Kind ranking earns the player an award of 25 credits and an 8× multiplier, for a total of 200 credits for the fourth hand 60c. The total award has now increased from 43 credits to 243 credits.
If the player does not qualify for a subsequent hand, then the player has finished playing the game. Specifically, the player has lost the chance to play any of the higher level hands. For example, if the player does not achieve a Three-Of-A-Kind ranking while playing the second hand 60b, then the player cannot play the third hand 60c or the fourth hand 60d. Thus, if the player does not qualify for the predetermined ranking associated with the second hand 60b, the award will not receive a 2× multiplier. Nevertheless, the player may still receive an award for the second hand 60b if the player achieves a ranking of Two Pairs or Jacks-Or-Better. Alternatively, by making it to the Second Level, but not qualifying for the Third Level, the winning hand (e.g., Two Pairs) can still be paid with a 2× multiplier in the second hand 60b. In a further alternative, if the player does not meet the predetermined ranking criterion associated with a particular hand, the player can have the option to continue playing the subsequent hand by making an extra wager.
Referring to
In this example, the player has purchased a block of hands, which includes a first hand 160a and a second hand 160b. A dealt hand 161 for the first hand 160a is identical to the dealt hand 61 described above in reference to
The dealt hand for the second hand 160b includes all the cards from the played hand of the first hand 160a, i.e., the Jack of Diamonds, the Jack of Hearts, the 10 of Hearts, the Ace of Hearts, and the Ace of Spades. The player selects for replacement the Jack of Diamonds and the Ace of Spades. The replacement cards are the Queen of Hearts and the King of Hearts. The ranking of the second hand 160b is a Royal Flush, which is associated with a Fourth Level winning hand. The Royal Flush earns the player an award of 250 credits having an 8× multiplier, resulting in a total award of 2,000 credits for the second hand 160b. Thus, unlike
Similar to the previous embodiments, it is assumed in this example that there are four hierarchy levels for a block of four poker hands. The player needs a Jacks-Or-Better ranking to qualify for the second level, which pays 2× the normal award; a Three-Of-A-Kind ranking or better to qualify for the third level, which pays 4× the normal award; a Flush ranking or better to qualify for the fourth level, which pays 8× the normal award; and a Four-Of-A-Kind ranking or better to win the 8× multiplier associated with the fourth level.
The player has purchased a block of hands, which includes a first hand 260a, a second hand 260b, a third hand 260c, and a fourth hand 260d. A dealt hand 261 is received for playing the first hand 260a. The dealt hand 261 includes the Jack of Diamonds, the 3 of Spades, the 10 of Hearts, the 5 of Hearts, and the Ace of Spades. The player selects for replacement the 3 of Spades and the 5 of Hearts, and the replacement cards are the Jack of Hearts and the Ace of Hearts. The ranking of the played hand of the first hand 260a is Two Pairs, which includes the pair of Jacks and the pair of Aces. The Two Pairs ranking meets the predetermined criterion of Jacks-Or-Better and, thus, the player qualifies for playing the next hand. The award for Two Pairs is 2 credits and a multiplier of 1×.
The dealt hand 261 is now received for playing the second hand 260b. The player selects for replacement the 3 of Spades and the 5 of Hearts, as in the previous hand, and the replacement cards are the Ace of Diamonds and the Ace of Hearts. The ranking of the played hand of the second hand 260b is Three-Of-A-Kind, which includes the three Aces. The Three-Of-A-Kind ranking meets the predetermined criterion of Three-Of-A-Kind that is associated with the second level, and the player qualifies for playing the next hand. The award corresponding to the Three-Of-A-Kind ranking is 3 credits and the multiplier is 2×, for an award of 6 credits.
The dealt hand 261 is now received for playing the third hand 260c. The player selects for replacement the 3 of Spades, the 5 of Hearts, and the Ace of Spades, and the replacement cards are the Jack of Hearts, the 10 of Diamonds, and the 10 of Clubs. The ranking of the played hand of the third hand 260c is a Full House, which meets the predetermined criterion of at least a Flush ranking that is associated with the third level. The player qualifies for the next hand and is awarded, as of now, an award of 9 credits having a multiplier of 4×, for an award of 36 credits.
The dealt hand 261 is now received for playing the fourth hand 260d. The player selects for replacement four cards, the Jack of Spades, the 3 of Spades, the 10 of Hearts, and the 5 of Hearts. The replacement cards are the Queen of Hearts, the Queen of Diamonds, the Queen of Clubs, and the Queen of Spades. The ranking of the played hand of the fourth hand 260d is Four-Of-A-Kind and, therefore, the player is awarded an award of 25 credits having a multiplier of 8×, for an award of 200 credits. Thus, the total award for the player is 244 credits.
Referring to
The player now plays the fourth hand 360d and receives the dealt hand 361. The player selects for replacement all the cards except the 4 of Diamonds. The replacement cards are the 8 of Diamonds, the 7 of Diamonds, the 6 of Diamonds, and the 5 of Diamonds, which results in a ranking of a Straight Flush. Thus, the player has won the fourth hand 360d, winning a total award of 400 credits (50 credits multiplied by the 8× multiplier).
In the embodiments describe above in reference to
In other embodiments, a block of hands can include any number of poker hands, which can have a hierarchy determined according to any poker rankings. Optionally, multiplier values and their corresponding poker hands can vary according to any predetermined manner. For example, a multiplier value can be awarded for every other poker hand. Thus, a multiplier value can be awarded for a first hand, a third hand, a fifth hand, etc., but not for a second hand, a fourth hand, a sixth hand, etc. In yet other embodiments, the multiplier values can be any type of bonus award. For example, the bonus award can be a free block of hands, a predetermined credit amount, etc. In another example, the awards of the pay table 64 can vary for each of the poker hands of a block of hands.
In the above-described embodiments, all the hands of a purchased block of hands are shown on the primary display 14. Optionally, only one hand can be shown on the primary display 14 at one time.
Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
Claims
1. A gaming system for playing a video poker game having a plurality of ranked winning card combinations from a deck of cards, comprising:
- a wager-input device for receiving a wager input from a player to purchase a plurality of poker hands for playing said video poker game from a deck of cards, said poker hands including a first hand and a second hand to be played by the player;
- a display for displaying a plurality of first cards as a first played hand of said first hand; and
- a controller coupled to said display and programmed to create said second hand initially consisting of said plurality of first cards in response to said first played hand being at least a predetermined one of said plurality of ranked winning card combinations, and allow the player to create a second played hand of said second hand, said second played hand including at least one player-selected card of said plurality of first cards and at least one randomly selected card from said deck of cards.
2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the displaying of said plurality of first cards includes the player replacing undesired cards with other cards from said deck of cards.
3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said display further displays a pay table having at least one award associated with said plurality of ranked winning card combinations.
4. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein said display further includes multiplier values for said first and second hands, said multiplier values being used to multiply said at least one award associated with at said at least one ranked winning card combination.
5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said pay table further includes said plurality of multiplier values.
6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said display is internal to a gaming terminal, said controller being external to said gaming terminal.
7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said display shows each one of said plurality of poker hands generally simultaneously on a single gaming screen.
8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said controller is further programmed to award a total award, said total award including a plurality of awards, each one of said plurality of awards being associated with a ranked winning card combination of said first hand and said second hand.
9. A method of conducting a video poker game on a gaming machine, the method comprising:
- receiving a wager input from a player to purchase a plurality of poker hands for playing said video poker game from a deck of cards, said poker hands including a first hand and a second hand to be played by the player;
- displaying a plurality of first cards as a first played hand of said first hand, said first played hand indicating an outcome;
- in response to said first played hand being at least a predetermined one of a plurality of ranked winning card combinations, creating said second hand initially consisting of said plurality of first cards; and
- allowing the player to create a second played hand of said second hand, said second played hand including at least one player-selected card of said plurality of first cards and at least one randomly selected card from said deck of cards.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein said displaying of said plurality of first cards includes the player replacing undesired cards with other cards from said deck of cards.
11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
- listing a plurality of awards in a pay table, each of said plurality of awards corresponding to a respective one of said plurality of ranked winning card combinations; and
- multiplying said awards according to a multiplier value corresponding to each one of said poker hands.
12. The method of claim 9, further comprising
- displaying a plurality of second cards as said second played hand;
- in response to said second played hand being at least another predetermined one of said plurality of ranked winning card combinations, creating another hand consisting initially of said plurality of second cards; and
- allowing the player to create another played hand of said another hand, said another played hand including at least one player-selected card of said plurality of second cards and at least one randomly selected card from said deck of cards.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein said another predetermined one of said plurality of ranked winning card combinations is a corresponding hand ranking that is higher than a hand ranking corresponding to said predetermined one of said plurality of ranked winning card combinations.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein said predetermined one of said plurality of ranked winning card combinations is a ranking of Jacks-Or-Better and said another predetermined one of said plurality of ranked winning card combinations is a ranking that is at least equal to a Three-Of-A-Kind ranking.
15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
- awarding a first award for said first played hand if said second played hand does not meet said predetermined one of a plurality of ranked winning card combinations; and
- awarding a second award for said second played hand if said another played hand does not meet said another predetermined one of said plurality of ranked winning card combinations, said second award being awarded instead of said first award and being larger than said first award.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein said second award is twice larger than said first award.
17. A computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions for directing a gaming device to perform the method of claim 9.
18. A method of conducting a video poker game on a gaming machine, the method comprising:
- receiving a wager input from a player to purchase a plurality of poker hands for playing said video poker game from a deck of cards, said poker hands including a qualifying hand and a subsequent qualifying hand to be played by the player;
- displaying a plurality of initial cards for playing said qualifying hand, said initial cards being randomly selected from said deck of cards;
- allowing the player to create a qualifying played hand of said qualifying hand, said qualifying played hand indicating an outcome; and
- in response to said qualifying played hand being at least a predetermined one of a plurality of ranked winning card combinations, creating a subsequent qualifying hand initially consisting of said initial cards.
19. The method of claim 18, further comprising awarding an award if said qualifying played hand is a winning hand.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising increasing said award if a subsequent qualifying played hand of said subsequent qualifying hand is a subsequent winning hand.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 16, 2006
Publication Date: Sep 21, 2006
Inventors: John Flint (Winthrop, MA), Joel Jaffe (Glenview, IL), Michael Mastropietro (Chicago, IL), Larry Pacey (Northbrook, IL)
Application Number: 11/377,865
International Classification: A63F 9/24 (20060101);