System, Apparatus, and Method for Providing Gaming Awards Based on Replay Events

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for providing a gaming experience involve facilitating player interaction with a plurality of gaming events via a gaming apparatus. In response to the completion of a gaming event selected from the plurality of events, a replay of the selected gaming event is presented to a player of the gaming event. A monetary award is provided to the player based on the replay of the selected gaming event. In one arrangement, the gaming events are selected from winning events of the plurality of events, and may be selected randomly or based on predetermined criteria.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to games, and more particularly to apparatuses and methods for providing gaming awards based on replay events, such as facilitating instant replay awards in gaming activities.

BACKGROUND

Casino games such as poker, slots, and craps have long been enjoyed as a means of entertainment. Almost any game that can be played using traditional apparatus (e.g., cards, dice) can be simulated on a computer. The popularity of casino gambling with wagering continues to increase, as does recreational gambling such as non-wagering computer game gambling.

One reason that casino games are widely implemented on computerized apparatus is that computerized games are highly adaptable, easily configurable and re-configurable, and require minimal supervision to operate. This adaptability allows features and improvements to be quickly added to enhance the gaming experience. For example, the graphics and sounds included in such games can be timely modified, such by adding graphics, logos, and themes related to popular movies and television shows.

Notwithstanding the adaptability of modern gaming systems, player interest can wane unless the games are adapted to maintain player interest. There is a need in the gaming industry to entice players through interesting and captivating gaming features. There is a need in the gaming industry to take advantage of computerized gaming to further introduce anticipation and excitement for players participating in gaming activities. The present invention fulfills these and other needs, and offers other advantages over prior art gaming approaches.

SUMMARY

To overcome limitations in the prior art described above, and to overcome other limitations that will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, the present invention discloses apparatuses and methods for providing an award based on an instant replay of a gaming event.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a method is provided that includes facilitating player interaction with a plurality of gaming events via a gaming apparatus. In response to the completion of a gaming event selected from the plurality of events, a replay of the selected gaming event is presented to a player of the gaming event. A monetary award is provided to the player based on the replay of the selected gaming event.

In accordance with another embodiment, a casino gaming apparatus is provided, including a human input and output capable of providing a player access to a gaming activity, a processor coupled to the human input and output, and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory has instructions stored thereon that cause the processor to facilitate, via the human input and output, player interaction with a plurality of events associated with the gaming activity, where in response to the completion of a gaming event selected from the plurality of events, a replay of the selected gaming event is presented to the player, and a monetary award is provided to the player based on the replay of the selected gaming event.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described in connection with the embodiments illustrated in the following diagrams.

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a manner of providing an award based on an instant replay according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating another manner of providing an award based on an instant replay according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a sequence of events associated with an instant replay and award according to embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a gaming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a computing arrangement capable of carrying out functions according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a system capable of carrying out functions according to embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a component diagram of interacting software modules capable of carrying out functions according to embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of various exemplary embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration various embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, as structural and operational changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Generally, the present invention relates to providing a replay(s) of a gaming experience such that, in addition to seeing or otherwise perceiving the replayed gaming experience, the player also receives a monetary award or other player asset associated with the playback. In various forms, the player may receive a first award based on a winning event. For certain predetermined and/or random winning events, the player experiences an “instant replay” of the winning event (or some subset or variation thereof), and receives a second award based on the instant replay. In this way, players may receive an instant replay and bonus payout for certain winning events. The prospect of receiving an additional award associated with an instant replay will increase the desirability of using an apparatus so equipped. Thus, by tracking/storing game play, the precise sequence of player and computer actions (or some subset or other variation thereof) may be replayed, such as an instant replay. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a winning gaming event that is subjected to such a replay is again awarded the same (or modified) gaming activity award that was previously awarded in the live gaming activity.

For example, in one embodiment, assume a player wins one hundred credits by obtaining a certain symbol combination in a slot gaming activity. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, an instant replay event is triggered that shows and/or otherwise presents a replay of the occurrence of the winning symbol combination, where the replay of the event itself results in the associated winning payout being awarded a second time. As another example, instant replay events can be shown multiple times, perhaps from different visual perspectives (e.g., left-to-right view, downward view, mechanical view, graphical view, slow motion view, etc.), and each replay again awards another one hundred credits. For example, if two instant replay events occurred in response to a player receiving a one-hundred credit award, the player may receive an additional one hundred credits for each of the replay events, for a total of two hundred additional credits in addition to the one hundred originally awarded.

Thus, an instant replay event not only provides a visual, audible, tactile or other replication of a prior event(s), but also provides a monetary (or other asset) replication of the prior event(s). While a visual, audible, and/or other perceivable replay is not even necessary (e.g., where only the “replay” of the monetary or other asset award is provided), a particularly interesting embodiment involves again awarding a received payout when a visual or other perceptible presentation of the original award-generating event is replayed. For example, a replay of a symbol combination that originally resulted in a fifty credit award will provide an additional fifty credit award when the event undergoes the “instant replay” and the replayed symbol combination that gave rise to the original award occurs again as a result of the instant replay.

In reference now to FIG. 1, a flow diagram illustrates an example procedure 100 for providing an award based on an instant replay. The instant replay is generally associated with gaming activities that may be implemented on a data processing arrangement. For example, such gaming activities may be invoked, in whole or in part, on a processor-implemented gaming apparatus. As such, the activities are usually implemented as computer executable instructions, such as binary objects, scripts, etc.

The gaming apparatus facilitates 102 player interaction with a gaming event. This gaming event may differ depending on the underlying gaming activity provided via the apparatus. Example events may include hands for card games, rolls for dice and slot machine games. Each of the events will take a finite amount of time to complete, and the procedure waits until each event is finished, such as using test condition 104. This waiting may be achieved by conditional testing, polling, or wait states as known in the art. When the event is complete, another test 106 determines whether the just completed event satisfies a selection criterion. This selection criterion may be any condition desired by the game designer. The selection could be random, based on previous win/loss patterns, based on time, based on adjacent players/apparatus, based on cumulative house winnings/losses, etc. For example, the player may be presented with an instant replay upon the completion of every tenth winning event.

Assuming a gaming event has satisfied the selection criteria, the gaming event is selected 108 for purposes of replaying 110 the event to the player. For example, the apparatus may save a buffer of data describing each gaming event or selected gaming events. If the gaming event is selected 108, this buffer is accessed for purposes of the replay 110. Such buffered data may include descriptive metadata, video capture, input/output device capture, data structures/objects, etc. Based on the replay 110, the player is provided 112 a monetary award. The monetary award may be any form of direct or indirect accession to wealth, including cash, credits, points, coupons, casino tickets, tangible/intangible objects of financial value, etc.

Further, the monetary award provided in connection with the replayed event(s) may be exactly the same value as the original monetary award giving rise to the replay event, or the monetary award may be different. For example, the “replayed” monetary award may be a smaller amount than the original, or in the case of multiple replay events may be increasingly smaller amounts. These amounts may be proportional to the original amount, such as 100% equal to the original payout for a first replay, 80% for a second replay, 60% for a third, etc. The amounts may also be increasing amounts, such as 100% equal to the original payout for a first replay, 120% for a second replay, 140% for a third, etc. Any desired pattern of payments may be utilized. One embodiment involves a pure instant replay embodiment, where the replay(s) of the original event that resulted in a winning payout provides the same payout amount as the original event because an instant replay is by its very nature a replica of the original event.

In reference now to FIG. 2, a more particular procedure 200 for providing an award based on an instant replay is presented. Player interaction with a gaming event is facilitated 202. If it is determined 204 that the player won the event, the player is paid 206 an amount appropriate to the pay tables for the particular gaming activity. In addition, a random selection criterion is generated 208. This random selection criterion may be, for example, the generation of a random number associated with the winning event and comparison of the randomly generated number to a predetermined number. Other ways of randomly selecting an event are know in the art. If the random criterion is satisfied 210, then a replay of the winning event is presented 212 to the player and the player is paid out 214 based on the replay.

A variety of events may trigger the instant replay function. As described above, it may be a random event, such as a “mystery bonus” where the instant replay simply occurs randomly. In another embodiment, it may be dependent at least in part on the wager amount placed by the player, such as being available only when the player places the maximum wager for a particular gaming activity (e.g., wagers on all possible paylines, or some minimum threshold of paylines). In other embodiments, the triggering event may be a particular symbol combination or some number of known symbol combinations. For example, when three or more cherry symbols are provided on a payline or across multiple paylines, the instant replay feature may be activated. In another embodiment, the instant replay feature may be activated upon any winning symbol combination, regardless of the monetary size of the winning payout. In another embodiment, the instant replay feature may be activated upon any winning symbol combination that results in a payout of some credit/money amount or higher. Other embodiments may involve an auxiliary display(s) or reel(s) that determine whether the instant replay will be awarded for the primary display(s) or reel(s). In another embodiment, a player's “side bet” may be used to enable the instant replay feature, whereby any winning payout (or payout meeting other criteria) is available for the replay feature if the player placed the wager for the side bet. As can be seen, the present invention is amenable to a wide variety of triggering events.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a block diagram shows a more particular example of instant replays of winning events according to embodiments of the invention. In the illustrated example, a gaming apparatus facilitates playing electronic draw poker. In draw poker, each hand may be considered a gaming event, such as event 300. The event 300 may include any number of continuous or discrete actions that make up the event. In the illustrated poker hand event 300, these actions include an initial deal 302, selection of discards 304, dealing replacement cards 306, and determination of a win 308. As is known in the art, the determination of a winning hand 308 results in a payout 310. The payout 310 generally involves giving a monetary award 312 to the player 314. The payout 310 may involve calculating the size of the award 312 based on any combination of pay tables, player bets, progressive bonuses, etc.

In an exemplary apparatus according to the present invention, a determination 316 is also made as to whether the player 314 is to receive an instant replay 318. In the illustrated example, this instant replay 318 includes animation frames 320, 322, 324, 326 corresponding to events 302, 304, 306, 308 of the original winning event 300. The frames 320, 322, 324, 326 may include features to distinguish the replay 318 for the original event 300. Here, a label 328 indicates that this is an instant replay. Other indicators of the replay status may include a change of colors, sounds, text style, animated figures, flashing, marquee, tactile feedback, and other multimedia features known in the art.

Generally, a payout 330 of an award 332 is given to the player 314 based on the instant replay 318. This second payout 330 may be provided at the same time as the replay 318, after the replay 318, or at any other appropriate time. The second payout amount 332 may be of the same as the first payout amount 312, such that the second payout 330 simulates a replay of the first payout event 310 in conjunction with the instant replay 318 simulating a replay of the winning event 300. In other embodiments, the second payout amount 332 may be different from the first amount 312, taking into account other factors such as cumulative bonuses, the player's win/loss record, elapsed time since last payout, and the like.

The present invention may be implemented in different manners, such as via a live table game or an electronic embodiment. FIG. 4 illustrates a representative embodiment of a casino-style gaming device in which the principles of the present invention may be applied. For purposes of explanation, the description of the gaming device is FIG. 4 is provided in terms of a gaming device in the form of a kiosk or console 400. However, the present invention is analogously applicable to other computer-based systems.

The illustrated gaming machine 400 includes a computing system (not shown) to carry out operations according to the invention. The illustrated gaming machine 400 includes a display 402, and a user interface 404, although some or all of the user interface may be provided via the display 402 in touch screen embodiments. The user interface 404 allows the user to control and engage in play of the gaming machine 400. The particular user interface mechanisms associated with user interface 404 is dependent on the type of gaming machine. For example, the user interface 404 may include one or more buttons, switches, joysticks, levers, pull-down handles, trackballs, voice-activated input, or any other user input system or mechanism that allows the user to play the particular gaming activity.

In the particular embodiments illustrated, the gaming machine 400 may support a wide variety of different games playable from the same machine 400. As such, the user interface 404 may be generalized and programmable to support a number of different games. For example, various controls of the user interface 404 may have different functions depending on the current game being played. These different functions could be indicated by a menu or labels provided on the display 402, wherein the labels describe the function performed by each control for the current game. In other arrangements, the user interface 404 itself may have mechanical or electrical elements that denote different functions of various controls for each game. For example, buttons may built-in or nearby electronic (e.g., LED, LCD) or mechanical indicators that provide words or symbols that changeably indicate the function of each button.

The user interface 404 may allow the user to enter coins, bills, or otherwise obtain credits through vouchers, tokens, credit cards, tickets, etc. Various mechanisms for entering such vouchers, tokens, credit cards, coins, tickets, etc. are known in the art. For example, coin/token input mechanisms, card readers, credit card readers, smart card readers, punch card readers, and other mechanisms may be used to enter wagers. It is through the user interface 404 that the user can initiate and engage in a gaming activity in accordance with the invention. While the illustrated embodiment depicts various buttons for the user interface 404, it should be recognized that a wide variety of user interface options are available for use in connection with the present invention, including pressing buttons, touching a segment of a touch-screen, entering text, entering voice commands, or other known user entry methodology.

The display device 402 may include one or more of an electronic display, a mechanical display, and fixed display information such as information such as paytable information associated with a glass/plastic panel on the gaming machine 400. The cards or other indicia associated with the play of the game may be presented on an electronic display device.

Generally, the display 402 devotes the largest portion of viewable area to a gaming portion 406. The gaming portion 406 is generally where the visual feedback for any selected game is provided to the user. The gaming portion 406 may render graphical objects such as cards, slot wheels, dice, animated characters, and any other gaming visual known in the art. The gaming portion 406 according to an embodiment of the invention includes an indicator section 408 that may be used to inform the player of whether an instant replay event is in progress.

The player may need some instruction as to the operation of the instant replay features, and this instruction may be partially provided by the indicator section 408. Other indicators may be provided in a label 410 or other text communication such as may be presented via the display 402 or a placard. The player may also have an option to opt in or opt out of the instant replay feature, such as indication by the option dialog 412. For example, selecting the instant replay option via the dialog 412 may incur some costs, affect payouts, or provide other tradeoffs that the player may or may not want to take. The options dialog 412, if needed or included, can be implemented using any combination of the display 402 and user interface 404.

When a player receives an instant replay, the onscreen indicator 408 (or any other multimedia feature) can be used to indicate that what the user is currently viewing on the display 402 is a replay. Based on the replay, the player will also receive an award, such as money distributed by a coin hopper of the user interface 404. In one embodiment, the replay may repeat for a predetermined number of times, and the gaming machine 400 thereafter resumes regular gameplay. In other embodiments, the replay may be stored via the machine 400 for future use. For example, the machine 400 may have an internal data storage (e.g., hard drive, flash memory) capable of storing replay events for future access. In other examples, the machine 400 may be able to store the replay event in a central data store, such as a network-accessible server.

In some arrangements, if the replay data is stored, either locally on the machine 400 or remotely, it may be combined with other relevant data. For example, the machine may have a camera/microphone that captures the player's reaction to a winning event. Such supplemental data may be captured using any combination of video, still images, sound, or any other perceptible signals capable of being digitized and/or electronically stored. Generally, such supplemental video, as well as the replay data, may be later available to the player if they so desire.

Should the player wish to later access any replays or supplemental data, such access may be possible if the player can be identified and matched up with stored data. For example, the player may have an account number associated with the stored data, and later access the data using that number. Alternatively, the player may have a portable data storage device, such as indicated by access card 414. The access card 414 may be capable of storing data, either the replay data itself, or a reference to the data that can be later used to access the data elsewhere. Generally, the access card 414 can be swiped through a reader 416 for reading from and/or writing to the card 414. It will be appreciated that any other device known in the art may be used to provide user access to replay data and supplemental data. For example, the user interface 404 may have a data port compatible with a portable video/music player, and the data may be downloaded to such device on request.

As may now be readily understood, a device may be programmed to play various embodiments of the invention. The present invention may be implemented as a casino gaming machine such as a slot machine or other special purpose gaming kiosk as described in FIG. 4, or may be implemented via computing systems operating under the direction of local gaming software, and/or remotely-provided software such as provided by an application service provider (ASP). The casino gaming machines utilize computing systems to control and manage the gaming activity. An example of a representative computing system capable of carrying out operations in accordance with the invention is illustrated in FIG. 5.

Hardware, firmware, software or a combination thereof may be used to perform the various gaming functions, display presentations and operations described herein. The functional modules used in connection with the invention may reside in a gaming machine as described, or may alternatively reside on a stand-alone or networked computer. The computing structure 500 of FIG. 5 is an example computing structure that can be used in connection with such electronic gaming machines, computers, or other computer-implemented devices to carry out operations of the present invention.

The example computing arrangement 500 suitable for performing the gaming functions in accordance with the present invention typically includes a central processor (CPU) 502 coupled to random access memory (RAM) 504 and some variation of read-only memory (ROM) 506. The ROM 506 may also represent other types of storage media to store programs, such as programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), etc. The processor 502 may communicate with other internal and external components through input/output (I/O) circuitry 508 and bussing 510, to provide control signals, communication signals, and the like.

Chance-based gaming systems, in which the present invention is applicable, are governed by random numbers and processors. A display device 511 is used to display the gaming activity as facilitated by a random number generator (RNG). RNGs are well-known in the art, and may be implemented using hardware, software operable in connection with the processor 502, or some combination of hardware and software. The present invention is operable using any known RNG, and may be integrally programmed as part of the processor 502 operation, or alternatively may be a separate RNG controller 540.

The computing arrangement 500 may also include one or more data storage devices, including hard and floppy disk drives 512, CD-ROM drives 514, card reader 515, and other hardware capable of reading and/or storing information such as DVD, etc. In one embodiment, software for carrying out the operations in accordance with the present invention may be stored and distributed on a CD-ROM 516, diskette 518, portable data storage 519, or other form of media capable of portably storing information (e.g., smart card). These storage media may be inserted into, and read by, devices such as the CD-ROM drive 514, the disk drive 512, peripheral data interface 515, etc. The software may also be transmitted to the computing arrangement 500 via data signals, such as being downloaded electronically via a network, such as the Internet 520. Further, as previously described, the software for carrying out the functions associated with the present invention may alternatively be stored in internal memory/storage of the computing device 500, such as in the ROM 506.

The computing arrangement 500 is coupled to the display 511, which represents a display on which the gaming activities in accordance with the invention are presented. The display 511 represents one manner of “presentation” of the video information in accordance with the invention, and may be any type of known display or presentation screen, such as LCD displays, plasma display, cathode ray tubes (CRT), digital light processing (DLP), liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS), etc. Where the computing device 500 represents a stand-alone or networked computer, the display 511 may represent a standard computer terminal or display capable of displaying multiple windows, frames, etc. Where the computing device is embedded within an electronic gaming machine (see FIG. 4), the display 511 corresponds to the display screen of the gaming machine/kiosk. A user input interface 522 such as a mouse, keyboard/keypad, microphone, touch pad, trackball, joystick, touch screen, voice-recognition system, etc. may be provided. The display 511 may also act as a user input device, e.g., where the display 511 is a touchscreen device.

The computing arrangement 500 may be connected to other computing devices or gaming machines, such as via a network. The computing arrangement 500 may be connected to a network server 528 in an intranet or local network configuration. The computer may further be part of a larger network configuration as in a global area network (GAN) such as the Internet 520. In such a case, the computer may have access to one or more web servers 530 via the Internet 520.

Among other functions, the computing arrangement 500 provides an interactive experience to players via input interface 522 and output devices, such as the display 511, speaker 532, etc. These experiences are generally controlled by gaming software 534. The gaming software 534 may be temporarily loaded into RAM 504, and may be stored locally using any combination of ROM 506, drives 512, or media player 514. The gaming software 534 may also be accessed remotely, such as via the server 528 or the Internet 520.

Other components directed to gaming machine implementations include manners of gaming participant payment, and gaming machine payout. For example, a gaming machine including the computing arrangement 500 may also include a hopper controller 542 to cause the payout to be provided to the participant. The hopper controller may be integrally implemented with the processor 502, or alternatively as a separate hopper controller 542. A hopper 544 may also be provided in gaming machine embodiments, where the hopper serves as the mechanism holding the coins/tokens of the machine. The wager input module 546 represents any mechanism for accepting coins, tokens, coupons, bills, electronic fund transfer (EFT), tickets, credit cards, smart cards, membership cards, etc., for which a participant inputs a wager amount.

The gaming software 534 includes a component 535 that enables instant replay and a payout associated with the instant replay. The instant replay component 535 may gather data 536 associated with actions and events involved in gaming activities of the gaming software 534. Each of the events may have a win/loss outcome, and be composed of multiple actions by the user and the apparatus to determine the ultimate outcome of each event. The activity/event data 536 may be stored in temporary storage (e.g., RAM 504) and persistent storage (e.g., disk drive 512), either locally or via a network (e.g., to servers 528, 530) to be used for playback of the events based on qualifying criteria. The instant replay component 535 may direct such playback to the display 511 using video hardware and drivers as is known in the art. The instant replay component 535 may also determine a payout associated with the instant replay and cause the player to receive the payout, such as via the hopper controller 542 and hopper 544 components.

The instant replay component 535 may allow management of instant replay data 536 for use beyond the immediate gaming activities. For example, the replay data 536 may be directed to a portable data storage device 519, database 539, and/or network server (e.g., Web server 530) for retrieval and viewing by the player. The replay data 536 may be converted before such transfers, such being converted to commonly used formats such as animated GIF, WMV, AVI, MP4, AU, Quicktime™, AIFF, MOV, MP3, WAV, etc. The replay data 536 may be combined with other data before being exported for other uses, such as being combined with Web content (e.g., embedded in HTML documents), text, graphics, other audio-video data, etc.

The computing arrangement 500 may be implemented as a stand-alone gaming machine, such as where all of the functionality is contained within a single apparatus. In other arrangements, the computing arrangement 500 may be implemented as a system of computers, generally coupled together by a network. A more particular example of such a system 600 according to an embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 6. The system 600 is capable of supporting a plurality of gaming machines 602 that are coupled together via one or more networks 604. The system 600 includes a server element 606 is a centrally accessible network entity that may support gaming activities, including the provision of games and support of user configurable collections of gaming activities.

The server 606 may include any combination of apparatuses known in the art. The server 606 may be implemented as a single computing device, or as a collection of computing devices. The server 606 generally includes one or more processors 608, volatile and non-volatile memory 610, I/O circuitry 612, and magnetic or optical data storage 614. The server 606 may act as a repository for some or all of the games that are playable on the gaming machines 602. This is represented by gaming modules 616. The gaming modules 616 may be libraries or other executable images that are compatible with the processing hardware on the gaming machines 602. In such an arrangement, the modules 616 may be uploaded to the gaming machines 602 at run-time and/or boot-time. In other implementations, the gaming modules 616 may execute on the server 606, and the gaming machines 602 are configured acting as network-coupled input-output devices. In this latter arrangement, the gaming machines 602 act as terminal devices, and may be configured to operate without any onboard disk storage or operating systems.

The server 606 also includes a instant replay module 618 that manages one or more instances of instant replay data 620. One instance of instant replay data 620 may be associated with each of the gaming machines 602, or the instant replay data 620 may be aggregated and shared across all of the machines 602. As an example of the latter, the instant replay data 620 may include one or more parameters used to award an instant replay to a qualifying event that occurs on any one of the machines 602. In such an arrangement, the players of the machines 602 may be playing against each other to get instant replays (and monetary awards associated with the replays) that may be randomly awarded, in addition to any awards associated with the games played on the individual machines 602.

Besides setting the criteria for awarding instant replays, the instant replay module 618 may also direct the presentation of the replay on the individual machines 602, and the instant replay data 620 may also include data that allows the replays to be presented/rendered to the user via the machines 602 or some other rendering device. In one configuration, the replay data may be directed to two or more of the machines 602, so that a group of players might see what one of their co-players just experienced. In machines 602 other than the one that receives the award associated with the replay, the replays may be rendered in a way that does not interrupt gameplay, such as in a small window on displays of the devices 602. The server 606 may also direct the replay data 620 to any rendering/transducing device known in the art, including a display 622 and loudspeaker 624.

It will be appreciated that the gaming functionality described herein may be implemented on any combination of hardware and software, as well as any combination of standalone apparatus and networked systems. A more particular description of the functionality according to an embodiment of the invention is shown in the software component diagram 700 in FIG. 7. These components 700 may be implemented as a single executable running on a single machine, or may be multiple processes/threads that are distributed over a local-area, wide-area, or global-area network. The components 700 may communicate using any combination of function calls, inter-process communications, and/or inter-host communications.

The components 700 include a game execution module 702 that controls the primary functions of the game as is known in the art. The game execution module 702 may provide a player experience using any known game in the art, including cards, slots, dice, puzzles, action games, etc. The game execution module 702 communicates with players via a game play user interface (UI) 704. The game player UI 704 handles presenting (706) media to the player (e.g., video, audio, tactile feedback, etc.) and receives user inputs (708) via UI hardware (e.g., buttons, switches, joysticks, trackballs, etc.).

The game execution module 702 may also interact with players via a wager/payout interface 710. The wager/payout interface 710 may interact with hardware that accepts (712) wagers directly from player, such as coin hoppers, card readers, etc. The wagers may also be accepted (712) via some manner of player identity authentication (e.g., passwords, radio frequency ID chips, access cards, biometric ID, etc.) that causes a credit account to be reduced in the amount of wagers made by the player. Similarly, the wager/payout interface 710 can be authorized (714) to deliver payouts in the form of cash, and/or credited to accounts based on player authentication as described above.

The gaming activities provided by the game execution module 702 generally includes individual user actions such as selection of UI objects, cursor movements, text inputs, and other activity that contribute to the progression of the game. The game itself may be divided into discrete events that result in some sort of win/loss result, or other progression of game play. Each event will typically require a user to perform one or more actions in order for the event to complete. The game execution module 702 generally tracks these activities and events in order to maintain internal states that cause the game to execute. These events and activities can be communicated 716 externally to an instant replay tracking module 718 for purposes of determining whether or not to award a player an instant replay and any awards associated with that replay.

The events/actions 716 communicated to the replay tracker 716 may be basic state variables (e.g., numeric constants and variables associated with game play) and hardware values (e.g., cursor positions, button events) that can be used later to recreate any given event. Alternatively, the events/actions 716 may be a summary or encapsulation of an event (e.g., player wins $X with three of a kind). For each event 716 communicated to the replay tracker 716, a determination of whether the event 716 qualifies for an instant replay may be made at the tracker 716 itself, or via a signal 720 made from an instant replay criteria calculator 722 as whether the event should be replayed. The signal 720 may be a simple yes/no, may include other data such as award multipliers. The signal 720 may be other data, such as a randomly generated number that can be compared against some number associated with the current gaming event to determine whether an instant replay is awarded.

If the criteria calculator 722 (or the tracker 718) determines an instant replay should be provided to the player, a reward is also provided based on the replay. The amount of this award must also be determined. In some configuration, the reward amount may be the same as an amount first awarded based on the event that is being replayed. In other configurations, the system may need to determine some other reward value. This functionality is represented by the replay reward calculator 724, which communicates an award amount 726 to the tracker 718. The reward calculator 724 may use any formula known in the art to determine the award amount 726, including pay tables, random selection, based on individual or group historical play events, etc.

Assuming that the replay tracker 718 has determined a replay is authorized 720 and an amount 726 is determined, the game execution module 702 is instructed (728) to present an instant replay and provide the appropriate award. The execution module 702 can provide the replay, either directly or indirectly, via the game play UI 704. Similarly, the payout associated with the replay can be directly or indirectly provided via the payout interface 710.

In some arrangements, the replay event may be sent to a data storage device 730 via a data storage interface 732. This storage of replay events may occur automatically, as indicated by storage commands 734 and 736. The events may be stored 734, 736 using the same or similar formats as the action/events 716 communicated to the replay tracker 718, or the events may be transformed into some other more easily usable format, such as a digital animation or movie file. The replay data may be stored 734, 736 each time a replay is awarded, or only based upon a user input 738. The data storage 730 could be a fixed service element, or a removable storage device that interfaces with the game play UI 704 or other player-accessible hardware.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. For example, the present invention is equally applicable in electronic or mechanical gaming machines, and is also applicable to live table versions of the gaming activities. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not with this detailed description, but rather determined from the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A method of providing a gaming experience, comprising:

facilitating player interaction with a plurality of gaming events via a gaming apparatus;

in response to the completion of a gaming event selected from the plurality of events, presenting a replay of the selected gaming event to a player of the gaming event; and

providing a monetary award to the player based on the replay of the selected gaming event.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the selected gaming event from winning events of the plurality of gaming events.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing a first monetary award with the selected winning event.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein providing the monetary award to the player based on the replay comprises providing the monetary award in an amount equal to the first monetary award.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein providing the monetary award to the player based on the replay comprises providing the monetary award based on a pay table that is different than a first pay table associated with the first monetary award.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising randomly selecting the selected gaming event from one or more qualifying events of the plurality of events.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the selected gaming event from one or more qualifying events of the plurality of events based on a predetermined criteria.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein selecting the selected gaming event from the one or more qualifying events based on a predetermined criteria comprises selecting the selected gaming event based on previous winning events associated with the plurality of gaming events.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a digital representation of the replay to a persistent data storage; and

facilitating user access to the stored digital representation for purposes of allowing the user to perceive the replay via the digital representation.

10. A casino gaming apparatus, comprising:

a human input and output capable of providing a player access to a gaming activity;

a processor coupled to the human input and output; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having instructions that cause the processor to, facilitate, via the human input and output, player interaction with a plurality of events associated with the gaming activity; in response to the completion of a gaming event selected from the plurality of events, presenting a replay of the selected gaming event to the player; and providing a monetary award to the player based on the replay of the selected gaming event.

11. The casino gaming apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the processor to select the selected gaming event from winning events of the plurality of gaming events.

12. The casino gaming apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions cause the processor to provide a first monetary award with the selected winning event.

13. The casino gaming apparatus of claim 12, wherein the instructions cause the processor to provide the monetary award to the player based on the replay by providing the monetary award in an amount equal to the first monetary award.

14. The casino gaming apparatus of claim 12, wherein the instructions cause the processor to provide the monetary award to the player based on the replay by providing the monetary award based on a pay table that is different than a first pay table associated with the first monetary award.

15. The casino gaming apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the processor to randomly select the selected gaming event from one or more qualifying events of the plurality of events.

16. The casino gaming apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the processor to select the selected gaming event from one or more qualifying events of the plurality of events based on a predetermined criteria.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the processor to select the selected gaming event based on previous winning events associated with the plurality of gaming events.

18. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon and executable by a processing system for performing steps comprising:

facilitating interaction between a player and a plurality of gaming events associated with a gaming activity of the processing system;

in response to the completion of a gaming event selected from the plurality of events, presenting a replay of the selected gaming event to the player; and

providing a monetary award to the player based on the replay of the selected gaming event.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the steps further comprise selecting the selected gaming event from winning events of the plurality of gaming events.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the steps further comprise providing a first monetary award with the selected winning event.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein providing the monetary award to the player based on the replay comprises providing the monetary award in an amount equal to the first monetary award.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein providing the monetary award to the player based on the replay comprises providing the monetary award based on a pay table that is different than a first pay table associated with the first monetary award.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the steps further comprise randomly selecting the selected gaming event from one or more qualifying events of the plurality of events.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the steps further comprise selecting the selected gaming event from one or more qualifying events of the plurality of events based on a predetermined criteria.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein selecting the selected gaming event from the one or more qualifying events based on a predetermined criteria comprises selecting the selected gaming event based on previous winning events associated with the plurality of gaming events.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the steps further comprise:

storing a digital representation of the replay to a persistent data storage; and

facilitating user access to the stored digital representation for purposes of allowing the user to perceive the replay via the digital representation.

27. A system comprising:

means for facilitating player interaction with a plurality of gaming events via at least one gaming apparatus;

means for presenting a replay of the selected gaming event to a player of the gaming event in response to the completion of a gaming event selected from the plurality of events; and

means for providing a monetary award to the player based on the replay of the selected gaming event.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means for storing a digital representation of the replay to a persistent data storage; and

means for facilitating user access to the stored digital representation for purposes of allowing the user to perceive the replay via the digital representation.