PLAYER SELECTABLE GAMING VOLATILITY
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to gaming devices having player selectable gaming volatility and methods of implementing selectable volatility for player use on a gaming device. In one embodiment, a gaming device includes a player interface panel including at least one gaming button for placing a wager on a gaming event, a gaming display to show an output of the gaining event, and a volatility device configured to set a volatility level of the gaming event in response to a player input.
Latest ACRES-FIORE, INC. Patents:
This disclosure relates generally to gaming devices, and more particularly to gaming devices having player selectable gaming volatility and methods of implementing selectable volatility for player use on a gaming device.
BACKGROUNDConventionally, gaming devices include a memory that houses one or more predetermined paytables utilized during game play operations on the gaming devices. These predetermined paytables are generally set by game designers prior to the manufacture or placement in the field of the gaming device. The paytable and reel strip layouts determine the payback percentage of the game and the volatility of winning combinations appearing during game play.
Low volatility games may frequently hit winning symbol combinations that provide an award to the player, but many of these awards are quite small to compensate for the relatively high hit frequency. In gaming devices that allow multiple lines to be played during each game (e.g., a 20 line game), the hit frequency of these low volatility games may be further increased. Often times, however, when multiple lines are played an award for a minor symbol combination occurring on one or only a few of the paylines will return a total award that is less in amount than the amount wagered on the game. For example, a player playing a 20 line game at one credit per line may hit a two symbol winning combination that occurs on two paylines, but only pays two credits for each winning payline. Thus, for a 20 credit wager, the player is only awarded four credits.
High volatility games typically have lower hit frequencies than low volatility games, but the awards for winning combinations tend to be much larger than winning combinations on lower volatility games. One way to increase the volatility of a game is to remove all two symbol pays (since they occur more frequently than 3, 4, or 5 symbol pays), but provide higher awards for the 3, 4, and 5 symbol pays. Although higher volatility games do not hit a winning combination as frequently, when they do hit a winning symbol combination, the award is usually relatively substantial.
Some players that enjoy the reassurance of hitting frequent winning combinations often prefer lower volatility machines. On the other hand, players that prefer larger awards when they achieve a winning combination, and do not care as much about the frequency of the winning combination occurrences, often prefer higher volatility games. As mentioned above, however, with conventional gaming devices, the volatility of a game on a gaming device is typically fixed during the design of the game. Thus, if a player has a gaming theme preference that does not coincide with his or her preferred volatility that is designed into that game as implemented on a gaming device, the player may be forced to play a different game or be uncomfortable with the volatility of the game in order to enjoy the specific gaming theme.
Referring to
The gaming device 10 includes a cabinet 15 housing components to operate the gaming device 10. The cabinet 15 may include a gaming display 20, a base portion 13, a top box 18, and a player interface panel 30. The gaming display 20 may include mechanical spinning reels (
The base portion 13 may include a lighted panel 14, a coin return (not shown), and a gaming handle 12 operable on a partially rotating pivot joint 11. The game handle 12 is traditionally included on mechanical spinning-reel games, where the handle may be pulled toward a player to initiate the spinning of reels 22 after placement of a wager. The top box 18 may include a lighted panel 17, a video display (such as an LCD monitor), a mechanical bonus device (not shown), and a candle light indicator 19. The player interface panel 30 may include various devices so that a player can interact with the gaming device 10.
The player interface panel 30 may include one or more game buttons 32 that can be actuated by the player to cause the gaming device 10 to perform a specific action. For example, some of the game buttons 32 may cause the gaming device 10 to bet a credit to be wagered during the next game, change the number of lines being played on a multi-line game, cash out the credits remaining on the gaming device (as indicated on the credit meter 27), or request assistance from casino personnel, such as by lighting the candle 19. In addition, the player interface panel 30 may include one or more game actuating buttons 33. The game actuating buttons 33 may initiate a game with a pre-specified amount of credits. On some gaming devices 10 a “Max Bet” game actuating button 33 may be included that places the maximum credit wager on a game and initiates the game. The player interface panel 30 may further include a bill acceptor 37 and a ticket printer 38. The bill acceptor 37 may accept and validate paper money or previously printed tickets with a credit balance. The ticket printer 38 may print out tickets reflecting the balance of the credits that remain on the gaming device 10 when a player cashes out by pressing one of the game buttons 32 programmed to cause a ‘cash out.’ These tickets may be inserted into other gaming machines or redeemed at a cashier station or kiosk for cash.
The gaming device 10 may also include one or more speakers 26 to transmit auditory information or sounds to the player. The auditory information may include specific sounds associated with particular events that occur during game play on the gaming device 10. For example, a particularly festive sound may be played during a large win or when a bonus is triggered. The speakers 26 may also transmit “attract” sounds to entice nearby players when the game is not currently being played.
The gaming device 10 may further include a secondary display 25. This secondary display 25 may be a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), a plasma screen, or the like. The secondary display 25 may show any combination of primary game information and ancillary information to the player. For example, the secondary display 25 may show player tracking information, secondary bonus information, advertisements, or player selectable game options.
The gaming device 10 may include a separate information window (not shown) dedicated to supplying any combination of information related to primary game play, secondary bonus information, player tracking information, secondary bonus information, advertisements or player selectable game options. This window may be fixed in size and location or may have its size and location vary temporally as communication needs change. One example of such a resizable window is International Game Technology's “service window”. Another example is Las Vegas Gaming Incorporated's retrofit technology which allows information to be placed over areas of the game or the secondary display screen at various times and in various situations.
The gaming device 10 includes a microprocessor 40 that controls operation of the gaming device 10. If the gaming device 10 is a standalone gaming device, the microprocessor 40 may control virtually all of the operations of the gaming devices and attached equipment, such as operating game logic stored in memory (not shown) as firmware, controlling the display 20 to represent the outcome of a game, communicating with the other peripheral devices (such as the bill acceptor 37), and orchestrating the lighting and sound emanating from the gaming device 10. In other embodiments where the gaming device 10 is coupled to a network 50, as described below, the microprocessor 40 may have different tasks depending on the setup and function of the gaming device. For example, the microprocessor 40 may be responsible for running the base game of the gaming device and executing instructions received over the network 50 from a bonus server or player tracking server. In a server-based gaming setup, the microprocessor 40 may act as a terminal to execute instructions from a remote server that is running game play on the gaming device.
The microprocessor 40 may be coupled to a machine communication interface (MCI) 42 that connects the gaming device 10 to a gaming network 50. The MCI 42 may be coupled to the microprocessor 40 through a serial connection, a parallel connection, an optical connection, or in some cases a wireless connection. The gaming device 10 may include memory 41 (MEM), such as a random access memory (RAM), coupled to the microprocessor 40 and which can be used to store gaming information, such as storing total coin-in statistics about a present or past gaming session, which can be communicated to a remote server or database through the MCI 42. The MCI 42 may also facilitate communication between the network 50 and the secondary display 25 or a player tracking unit 45 housed in the gaming cabinet 15.
The player tracking unit 45 may include an identification device 46 and one or more buttons 47 associated with the player tracking unit 45. The identification device 46 serves to identify a player, by, for example, reading a player-tracking device, such as a player tracking card that is issued by the casino to individual players who choose to have such a card. The identification device 46 may instead, or additionally, identify players through other methods. Player tracking systems using player tracking cards and card readers 46 are known in the art. Briefly summarizing such a system, a player registers with the casino prior to commencing gaming. The casino issues a unique player-tracking card to the player and opens a corresponding player account that is stored on a server or host computer, described below with reference to
To induce the player to use the card and be an identified player, the casino may award each player points proportional to the money or credits wagered by the player. Players typically accrue points at a rate related to the amount wagered, although other factors may cause the casino to award the player various amounts. The points may be displayed on the secondary display 25 or using other methods. In conventional player tracking systems, the player may take his or her card to a special desk in the casino where a casino employee scans the card to determine how many accrued points are in the player's account. The player may redeem points for selected merchandise, meals in casino restaurants, or the like, which each have assigned point values. In some player tracking systems, the player may use the secondary display 25 to access their player tracking account, such as to check a total number of points, redeem points for various services, make changes to their account, or download promotional credits to the gaming device 10. In other embodiments, the identification device 46 may read other identifying cards (such as driver licenses, credit cards, etc.) to identify a player and match them to a corresponding player tracking account. Although
During typical play on a gaming device 10, a player plays a game by placing a wager and then initiating a gaming session. The player may initially insert monetary bills or previously printed tickets with a credit value into the bill acceptor 37. The player may also put coins into a coin acceptor (not shown) or a credit, debit or casino account card into a card reader/authorizer (not shown). One of skill in the art will readily see that this invention is useful with all gambling devices, regardless of the manner in which wager value-input is accomplished.
The credit meter 27 displays the numeric credit value of the money inserted dependent on the denomination of the gaming device 10. That is, if the gaming device 10 is a nickel slot machine and a $20 bill inserted into the bill acceptor 37, the credit meter will reflect 400 credits or one credit for each nickel of the inserted twenty dollars. For gaming devices 10 that support multiple denominations, the credit meter 27 will reflect the amount of credits relative to the denomination selected. Thus, in the above example, if a penny denomination is selected after the $20 is inserted the credit meter will change from 400 credits to 2000 credits.
A wager may be placed by pushing one or more of the game buttons 32, which may be reflected on the bet meter 28. That is, the player can generally depress a “bet one” button (one of the buttons on the player interface panel 30, such as 32), which transfers one credit from the credit meter 27 to the bet meter 28. Each time the button 32 is depressed an additional single credit transfers to the bet meter 28 up to a maximum bet that can be placed on a single play of the electronic gaming device 10. The gaming session may be initiated by pulling the gaming handle 12 or depressing the spin button 33. On some gaming devices 10, a “max bet” button (another one of the buttons 32 on the player interface panel 30) may be depressed to wager the maximum number of credits supported by the gaming device 10 and initiate a gaming session.
If the gaming session does not result in any winning combination, the process of placing a wager may be repeated by the player. Alternatively, the player may cash out any remaining credits on the credit meter 27 by depressing the “cash-out” button (another button 32 on the player interface panel 30), which causes the credits on the credit meter 27 to be paid out in the form of a ticket through the ticket printer 38, or may be paid out in the form of returning coins from a coin hopper (not shown) to a coin return tray.
If instead a winning combination (win) appears on the display 20, the award corresponding to the winning combination is immediately applied to the credit meter 27. For example, if the gaming device 10 is a slot machine, a winning combination of symbols 23 may land on a played payline on reels 22. If any bonus games are initiated, the gaming device 10 may enter into a bonus mode or simply award the player with a bonus amount of credits that are applied to the credit meter 27.
Referring to
During game play, the spinning reels 22A may be controlled by stepper motors (not shown) under the direction of the microprocessor 40 (
A gaming session on a spinning reel slot machine 10A typically includes the player pressing the “bet-one” button (one of the game buttons 32A) to wager a desired number of credits followed by pulling the gaming handle 12 (
Referring to
Because the virtual spinning reels 22B, by virtue of being computer implemented, can have almost any number of stops on a reel strip, it is much easier to have a greater variety of displayed outcomes as compared to spinning-reel slot machines 10A (
With the possible increases in reel 22B numbers and configurations over the mechanical gaming device 10A, video gaming devices 10B often have multiple paylines 24 that may be played. By having more paylines 24 available to play, the player may be more likely to have a winning combination when the reels 22B stop and the gaming session ends. However, since the player typically must wager at least a minimum number of credits to enable each payline 24 to be eligible for winning, the overall odds of winning are not much different, if at all, than if the player is wagering only on a single payline. For example, in a five line game, the player may bet one credit per payline 24 and be eligible for winning symbol combinations that appear on any of the five played paylines 24. This gives a total of five credits wagered and five possible winning paylines 24. If, on the other hand, the player only wagers one credit on one payline 24, but plays five gaming sessions, the odds of winning would be identical as above: five credits wagered and five possible winning paylines 24.
Because the video display 20B can easily modify the image output by the video display 20B, bonuses, such as second screen bonuses are relatively easy to award on the video slot game 10B. That is, if a bonus is triggered during game play, the video display 20B may simply store the resulting screen shot in memory and display a bonus sequence on the video display 20B. After the bonus sequence is completed, the video display 20B may then retrieve the previous screen shot and information from memory, and re-display that image.
Also, as mentioned above, the video display 20B may allow various other game information 21B to be displayed. For example, as shown in
Even with the improved flexibility afforded by the video display 20B, several physical buttons 32B and 33B are usually provided on video slot machines 10B. These buttons may include game buttons 32B that allow a player to choose the number of paylines 24 he or she would like to play and the number of credits wagered on each payline 24. In addition, a max bet button (one of the game buttons 32B) allows a player to place a maximum credit wager on the maximum number of available paylines 24 and initiate a gaming session. A repeat bet or spin button 33B may also be used to initiate each gaming session when the max bet button is not used.
Referring to
The player selectable soft buttons 29C appearing on the screen respectively correspond to each card on the video display 20C. These soft buttons 29C allow players to select specific cards on the video display 20C such that the card corresponding to the selected soft button is “held” before the draw. Typically, video poker machines 10C also include physical game buttons 32C that correspond to the cards in the hand and may be selected to hold a corresponding card. A deal/draw button 33C may also be included to initiate a gaming session after credits have been wagered (with a bet button 32C, for example) and to draw any cards not held after the first hand is displayed.
Although examples of a spinning reel slot machine 10A, a video slot machine 10B, and a video poker machine 10C have been illustrated in
Gaming devices 71 coupled over an optical line 64 may be remote gaming devices in a different location or casino. The optical line 64 may be coupled to the gaming network 50 through an electronic to optical signal converter 63 and may be coupled to the gaming devices 71 through an optical to electronic signal converter 65. The banks of gaming devices 70 coupled to the network 50 may be coupled through a bank controller 60 for compatibility purposes, for local organization and control, or for signal buffering purposes. The network 50 may include serial or parallel signal transmission lines and carry data in accordance with data transfer protocols such as Ethernet transmission lines, Rs-232 lines, firewire lines, USB lines, or other communication protocols. Although not shown in
As mentioned above, each gaming device 70-75 may have an individual processor 40 (
Thus, in some embodiments, the network 50, server 80, and database 90 may be dedicated to communications regarding specific game or tournament play. In other embodiments, however, the network 50, server 80, and database 90 may be part of a player tracking network. For player tracking capabilities, when a player inserts a player tracking card in the card reader 46 (
The various systems described with reference to
Referring to
In some embodiments, players may select a general level of gaming volatility at the start of game play or during game play. In these embodiments, a player may be prompted upon insertion of money or tickets with credit value to select a preferred level of volatility. Additionally, a player may be able to access and change the volatility level of a gaming device through a help screen. In other embodiments, only players identified through a play reward system may be able to select the volatility level of a game. Since actual volatility values associated with hit frequency and average award pays may prove confusing, it may be preferable in some embodiments to give a player a general range of volatilities. For example, a list menu may include selectable volatility levels between 1 and 10, where a value closer to 1 is associated with a lower volatility game while a value closer to 10 is associated with a higher volatility game.
Each volatility level may be associated with a paytable that reflects the relative volatility of the volatility level. That is, the paytables may be arranged such that lower volatility paytables have a higher hit frequency with a lower average prize for a gaming event outcome, and such that higher volatility paytables have a lower hit frequency with a higher average prize for a gaming event outcome. This volatility characteristic of the paytables may be implemented by a variety of arrangements. For example, a lower volatility paytable may include more minor symbol pays or a reduced number of symbols needed for a prize to be awarded. By contrast, a higher volatility paytable may reduce the number of minor symbol pays and reduce the prizes awarded for 2 or 3 symbol pays. The actual amounts of the awards and/or the reel strip layouts may need to be adjusted as well to accomplish different volatility levels for the same general game theme.
To ensure fairness across the selectable volatility levels, it may be preferable to have all of the selectable volatilities give substantially similar payback percentages. Thus, for games that are designed with multiple payback percentages, multiple paytables having different volatility levels may need to be included for each of the payback percentages. For example, in a game that has approximate payback percentages of 88.5%, 91%, 92.5%, and 94% and selectable gaming volatility levels, a game designer may need to develop 20 different paytable combinations.
In some embodiments, a plurality of volatility levels may be displayed on a volatility menu (See
In other embodiments, a default volatility level may be initially displayed. This default level may again be shown on the gaming display 120, secondary display 125, top box 118, or meter 127/128. A selection means, such as game buttons or soft buttons may be activated to allow the player to increase or decrease the volatility level from the default volatility level. To provide easier transitions between volatility selections, it may be preferable to have the default volatility level occur at approximately the middle of the available volatility levels. However, for games that are predispositioned to play a high or low volatility, the default volatility level may be skewed toward a higher or lower volatility end. Embodiments that initially display a default volatility level may be preferable where a gaming display includes physical spinning reels or a set layout, such as in video poker because the initial default level may be easier to display on a meter 127/128 or secondary display 125 as compared to embodiments that display a full volatility level menu.
Gaming volatility may also be set as a preference in a player club database so that each time the player is identified at a gaming device, a preferred volatility level may be automatically set for the player. In other embodiments, only identified players may be permitted to change a volatility level. In such embodiments, the volatility device may be configured to set a volatility level of the gaming event in response to receiving player identification at player identifying unit 145. When a player is identified, the player may be given a volatility option of playing a gaming event at a default gaming volatility level or playing the gaming event at a custom selectable gaming volatility level. Further, the player may be given the option of saving a preferred volatility level in a player database so that each time the player identifies himself or herself to a gaming device connected to the player database, the player's preferred volatility level will be identified and implemented on the gaming device being played by the player.
In some embodiments a gaming system may be implemented along the lines of the gaming system shown in
In some embodiments, the volatility level may be changed or updated based on gaming conditions rather than being available to change in response to a player request or a player identification. That is, the volatility device 160 may change a volatility level in response to gaming conditions such as game play options or game play results. These embodiments are discussed more fully below with reference to
Referring to
As described above, the displayed volatility levels 285 may be arbitrary numbers or symbols that represent different levels of volatility for paytables associated with each of the selectable volatility levels 285. For example, the embodiment shown in
Referring to
If the player has not been identified by the gaming device (e.g., the player has not joined a player club, or has chosen to not identify his or her self), a default volatility level associated with the gaming event may be set 360 and the gaming device may then wait to receive a wager from the unidentified player on a gaming event 370. On the other hand, if the player has been identified by the gaming device and information about the player has been transferred to the gaming device, it may be determined whether the player has saved a particular volatility level as one of their player preferences 320. If the player has previously saved a particular volatility level as a player preference, or if the player typically plays games having a particular volatility level, a volatility level for the player's current gaming session may be automatically set or the gaming device may prompt the player with a suggested volatility level based on the transferred player information 350.
If the player has not saved a preferred volatility level as a player preference, the gaming device may provide a prompt asking the player if they want to set a preferred level as a player preference 330. If the player does not want to save a particular volatility level as a player preference, a default volatility level may be set for the gaming event 360. However, if the player does choose to save a preferred level, the gaming device may prompt the player to select a volatility level, save the selected volatility level in the player database 340, and set the volatility level of the gaming event to the new preferred level 350. After a volatility level has been set, the gaming device may receive a wager from the player on the gaming event.
Referring to
If the player, however, does choose to change the volatility level of the gaming event, a volatility menu including a plurality of selectable volatility levels is displayed 420. As mentioned above, this volatility menu may be displayed on a portion of the gaming display 120 (
Referring to
However, instead of displaying a volatility menu and receiving a selection of one of the levels displayed on the volatility menu, the embodiment illustrated in
After the default volatility level has been displayed, the player may be prompted to increase or decrease the volatility level of the gaming event from the default level 435. As mentioned above, in some embodiments two or more game buttons 132 on a player interface panel 130 may be active to respectively increase or decrease the volatility level. With each press of the game button 132, the display may indicate a new volatility level, which may be selected by a player. In other embodiments soft buttons or dedicated buttons on the game cabinet 115 or top box 118 may be used to increase or decrease the volatility level. After a desired volatility level is reached, the gaming device may again set that desired level for the gaming event 450 and receive a wager from the player on the gaming event 470.
Referring to
After the gaming conditions have been tracked, it may be determined whether the tracked conditions meet predetermined criteria for changing the volatility level of the gaming event 510. A gaming server 80 (
When the gaming conditions meet these predetermined criteria, the gaming device may select a new paytable with a different volatility level for subsequent gaming events 520. As stated in the examples above, this volatility level change may last for a predetermined number of subsequent gaming events, for a single gaming event, or for as long as the gaming conditions meet the predetermined criteria.
Referring to
After the player input is received, it is determined what volatility level is selected by the player 620. A paytable associated with the selected volatility level is identified 640 and the paytable is loaded for determining prize amounts to award based on the outcome of the gaming event 650. As discussed above, at least one paytable may be associated with each one of the selectable volatility levels to change the volatility of the hit frequency and prize amounts for winning combinations within gaming event outcomes. The identified paytable may be loaded in local memory 141 (
Some embodiments of the invention have been described above, and in addition, some specific details are shown for purposes of illustrating the inventive principles. However, numerous other arrangements may be devised in accordance with the inventive principles of this patent disclosure. Further, well known processes have not been described in detail in order not to obscure the invention. Thus, while the invention is described in conjunction with the specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings, it is not limited to these embodiments or drawings. Rather, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that come within the scope and spirit of the inventive principles set out in the appended claims.
Claims
1. A gaming device comprising:
- a player interface panel including at least one gaming button, the gaming button configured to allow a player to place a wager on a gaming event;
- a gaming display to show an output of the gaming event; and
- a volatility device, wherein the volatility device is configured to set a volatility level of the gaming event in response to a player input.
2. The gaming device of claim 1, further comprising a volatility menu to display a plurality of volatility levels selectable by the player.
3. The gaming device of claim 2, wherein the volatility menu is displayed on the gaming display.
4. The gaming device of claim 2, wherein the volatility menu is displayed on a secondary display.
5. The gaming device of claim 1, further comprising a player identifying device, wherein the volatility device is configured to set the volatility level of the gaming event in response to receiving a player identification.
6. The gaming device of claim 5, wherein the volatility device is further configured to display a volatility option to an identified player, the volatility option including a default gaming volatility level and a custom selectable gaming volatility level for the gaming event.
7. The gaming device of claim 1, further comprising a volatility display to show a set volatility level.
8. The gaming device of claim 7, wherein the volatility display includes an alphanumeric meter display.
9. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the volatility device is configured to set the volatility level of the gaming event by selecting one of a plurality of predetermined paytables.
10. A gaming system comprising:
- a gaming server;
- a player database connected to the gaming server, the player database configured to store player preferences associated with identified players;
- a gaming device connected to the gaming server, the gaming device including a volatility device configured to set a volatility level of a gaming event according to a player preference associated with an indentified player wagering on an outcome of the gaming event at the gaming device.
11. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the gaming device further includes a player identification device to identify the player wagering on the outcome of the gaming event at the gaming device.
12. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the gaming device further includes a display to show the set volatility level associated with the player preference.
13. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein the gaming device is configured to update the volatility level associated with the player preference in response to a player input.
14. A gaming device comprising:
- a gaming processor to operate base game events and bonus events on the gaming device in response to wagers placed by a player;
- a player interface panel including a plurality of gaming buttons, wherein at least one of the gaming buttons is configured to initiate a base game event in response to a player input;
- a gaming display to show an output of the base game event; and
- a volatility device configured to set a volatility level of the base game event by loading one of a plurality of predetermined paytables to the gaming processor.
15. The gaming device of claim 14, wherein the volatility device is configured to load one of the plurality of predetermined paytables in response to a player selection.
16. The gaming device of claim 14, wherein the volatility device is configured to load one of the plurality of predetermined paytables in accordance with a stored player preference associated with the player.
17. The gaming device of claim 14, wherein the volatility device is configured to load one of the plurality of predetermined paytables in response to a gaming condition.
18. The gaming device of claim 17, wherein the gaming condition includes an amount wagered on the base game event.
19. The gaming device of claim 17, wherein the gaming condition includes results of recent base game events.
20. The gaming device of claim 19, wherein the gaming condition includes a determination of whether a prize has been awarded in a predetermined number of previous base game events.
21. A method of operating a gaming device, the method comprising:
- displaying an amount of credits available to wager on a gaming event at the gaming device;
- determining a selected volatility level for the gaming event;
- identifying a selected paytable from a plurality of paytables, the selected paytable associated with the selected volatility level;
- loading the selected paytable;
- receiving a wager of a portion of the credits available from a player on the gaming event; and
- utilizing the selected paytable to determine prizes awarded based on an outcome of the gaming event.
22. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving a player input to change the volatility level of the gaming event prior to determining the selected volatility level.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein determining a selected volatility level for the gaming event comprises:
- displaying a volatility menu including a plurality of selectable volatility levels; and
- receiving a player input to select one of the plurality of volatility levels.
24. The method of claim 22, wherein determining a selected volatility level for the gaming event comprises:
- displaying a default volatility level; and
- receiving at least one player input to increase or decrease the default volatility level to the selected volatility level.
25. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining whether the player has been identified to the gaming device prior to determining the selected volatility level.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein determining a selected volatility level for the gaming event comprises identifying a preferred volatility level associated with the player when the player has been identified to the gaming device.
27. The method of claim 25, wherein determining a selected volatility level for the gaming event comprises selecting a default volatility level when the player has not been identified to the gaming device.
28. The method of claim 21, further comprising tracking gaming conditions prior to determining the selected volatility level.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein determining a selected volatility level for the gaming event comprises identifying the volatility level based on the tracked gaming conditions.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein tracking gaming conditions includes tracking coin-in amounts for previous gaming events wagered upon by the player.
31. The method of claim 29, wherein tracking gaming conditions includes tracking a hit frequency for previous gaming events wagered upon by the player.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 1, 2008
Publication Date: Jan 7, 2010
Applicant: ACRES-FIORE, INC. (Las Vegas, NV)
Inventor: John F. Acres (Corvallis, OR)
Application Number: 12/166,255
International Classification: A63F 9/24 (20060101);