U.S. patent application number 10/826045 was filed with the patent office on 2005-10-20 for bingo game.
Invention is credited to Van Asdale, Shawn Michael.
Application Number | 20050233798 10/826045 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35096932 |
Filed Date | 2005-10-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050233798 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Van Asdale, Shawn Michael |
October 20, 2005 |
Bingo game
Abstract
This present invention involves a method and gaming device for
playing a bingo-type game. More particularly, the invention relates
to a method for allowing a player to use strategy to select or daub
a number of bingo balls in a bingo-type game and forgo daubing
other balls, thereby adding a new level of player interaction,
skill and chance to the game of bingo.
Inventors: |
Van Asdale, Shawn Michael;
(Reno, NV) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Lena T. Van Asdale
2573 Rampart Terrace
Reno
NV
89509
US
|
Family ID: |
35096932 |
Appl. No.: |
10/826045 |
Filed: |
April 16, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/19 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/32 20130101;
G07F 17/3286 20130101; G07F 17/3276 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/019 |
International
Class: |
A63F 009/24 |
Claims
1. A method of playing a game of electronic bingo, the method
comprising the steps of: (a) defining a set of bingo balls; (b)
providing a central computer, said central computer being
programmed to randomly draw bingo balls from the defined set of
bingo balls; (c) providing a plurality of gaming terminals, said
gaming terminals operatively coupled to said central computer to
communicate the bingo balls drawn by the central computer; (d)
enrolling a plurality of players, each player enrolling by placing
a wager at his gaming terminal, the step of enrolling each player
further comprising displaying a bingo card on each player's gaming
terminal, each of said bingo cards comprising a matrix, each matrix
having a plurality of randomly arranged indicia, each indicia
corresponding to at least one of the bingo balls in the defined set
of bingo balls; (e) allotting each player a defined number of
selectively activated daubs; (f) randomly drawing a first group of
bingo balls from the set of bingo balls; (g) displaying said first
group of bingo balls on each gaming terminal; (h) determining for
each gaming terminal any matches between the indicia of each bingo
card on said terminals and the first group of bingo balls drawn;
(i) allowing each player to individually select for daubing a
number of the matching indicia from the first draw, the number of
matching indicia the player is allowed to select being any number
at the player's option between zero and all of the defined number
of selectively activated daubs, where the decision to select or not
select a matching indicia is a strategic decision.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: (j) to
the extent any player has used less than all of his defined number
of selectively activated daubs on the matching indicia resulting
from the first group of bingo balls drawn, drawing an additional
bingo ball and automatically daubing the matching indicia on the
bingo card of each such player that has at least one remaining
selectively activated daub; (k) repeating step (j) until each
player has used all of his defined number of selectively activated
daubs; (l) checking the bingo cards of each player to determine if
the matching indicia that have been daubed on each card completes
at least one of a defined first set of bingo patterns; (m) paying
each player who has completed a defined bingo pattern using his
allotted number of selectively activated daubs a defined
payout.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of: (n)
defining a second set of bingo patterns as a game-ending patterns;
(o) to the extent no player has yet completed a game-ending
pattern, drawing additional bingo balls and daubing the matching
indicia on each player's bingo card until at least one player has
completed a game-ending pattern; (p) paying the first player who
has completed a defined game-ending pattern a defined payout.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one of the game-ending
patterns is different than any of the bingo patterns defined by the
first set of bingo patterns.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein all of the game-ending patterns
are included in the first set of bingo patterns.
6. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one of the game-ending
patters is included in the first set of bingo patterns.
7. The method of claim 3, wherein prior to the first bingo ball
being drawn, the expected value associated with the first set of
bingo patterns is greater than the expected value associated with
the set of game-ending patterns.
8. The method of claim 0, wherein the ratio of the expected value
associated with the first set of bingo patterns to the expected
value associated with the set of game-ending patterns is greater
than 16:1.
9. The method of claim 0, wherein the ratio of the expected value
associated with the first set of bingo patterns to the expected
value associated with the set of game-ending patterns is greater
than 32:1.
10. The method of claim 0, wherein the ratio of the expected value
associated with the first set of bingo patterns to the expected
value associated with the set of game-ending patterns is greater
than 100:1.
11. The method of claim 3, wherein the number of balls drawn in the
first group of balls drawn is greater than or equal to the defined
number of selectively activated daubs.
12. The method of claim 0, wherein a set of auxiliary symbols is
defined and an auxiliary symbol is associated with each matching
indicia; the auxiliary symbols carrying information thereon and
being displayed on each player's game terminal such that a player
can evaluate his progress toward completing at least one of the
defined bingo patterns.
13. The method of claim 0, wherein a standard deck of playing cards
is used as the auxiliary symbols; each matrix is at least
4.times.13 in size, with each row of the matrix associated with a
suit of playing cards and each column of the matrix is
incrementally associated with a rank of playing cards, such that
each cell of the matrix is associated with exactly one playing
card; the set of bingo balls is 52 in number; the first group of
bingo balls drawn is 5 in number and each player is allotted 5
selectively activated daubs.
14. The method of claim 0, wherein a plurality of the defined bingo
patterns and the playing cards associated with each such pattern
form a poker hand of a standard ranking.
15. The method of claim 0, wherein the ratio of the expected value
associated with the first set of bingo patterns to the expected
value associated with the set of game-ending patterns is greater
than 16:1.
16. A method of playing a game of electronic bingo, the method
comprising the steps of: (a) defining a set of at least 52 bingo
balls; (b) providing a central computer, said central computer
being programmed to randomly draw bingo balls from the defined set
of bingo balls; (c) providing a plurality of gaming terminals, said
gaming terminals operatively coupled to said central computer to
communicate the bingo balls drawn by the network computer; (d)
enrolling a plurality of players, each player enrolling by placing
a wager at his gaming terminal; (e) upon enrolling, the gaming
terminal displays a bingo card, said bingo card comprising a matrix
which is at least 4.times.13 in size, having a plurality of
randomly arranged indicia [, each indicia] corresponding to [at
least one of] the bingo balls in the defined set of bingo balls;
(f) assigning a set of auxiliary symbols corresponding to each
position within at least a [on the] 4.times.13 portion of the
matrix wherein a standard deck of playing cards is used as the
auxiliary symbols; (g) allotting each player at least five
selectively activated daubs; (h) randomly drawing a first group of
at least 5 bingo balls from the set of bingo balls; (i) displaying
said first group of bingo balls on each gaming terminal; (j)
determining for each gaming terminal any matches between the
indicia of each bingo card on said terminals and the first group of
bingo balls drawn; and (k) allowing each player to individually
select for daubing a number of the matching indicia in the at least
4.times.13 portion of the matrix from the first draw, the number of
matching indicia the player is allowed to select being any number
at the player's option between zero and all of the defined number
of selectively activated daubs, where the decision to select or not
select a matching indicia is a strategic decision.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of: (l) to
the extent any player has used less than all of his defined number
of selectively activated daubs on the matching indicia resulting
from the first group of bingo balls drawn, drawing an additional
bingo ball and automatically daubing the matching indicia on the
bingo card of each such player that has at least one remaining
selectively activated daub; (m) repeating step (1) until each
player has used all of his defined number of selectively activated
daubs; (n) checking the bingo cards of each player to determine if
the matching indicia that have been daubed on each card completes
at least one of a defined first set of bingo patterns; and (o)
paying each player who has completed a defined bingo pattern using
his allotted number of selectively activated daubs a defined
payout.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of: (p)
defining a second set of bingo patterns as a game-ending patterns;
(q) to the extent no player has yet completed a game-ending
pattern, drawing additional bingo balls and daubing the matching
indicia on each player's bingo card until at least one player has
completed a game-ending pattern; and (r) paying the first player
who has completed a defined game-ending pattern a defined
payout.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein prior to the first bingo ball
being drawn, the expected value associated with the first set of
bingo patterns is greater than the expected value associated with
the set of game-ending patterns.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the ratio of the expected value
associated with the first set of bingo patterns to the expected
value associated with the set of game-ending patterns is greater
than 16:1.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a method of playing a bingo-type
game. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for
allowing a player to use strategy to select or daub a number of
bingo balls in a bingo-type game and forgo daubing other balls,
thereby adding a new level of player interaction, skill and chance
to the game of bingo.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Bingo is one of the most prevalent forms of gaming across
the United States. In the United States it is organized by, among
others, charity groups and Native American tribes that operate
casinos or gambling parlors. Bingo may be played using electronic
devices or in its non-electronic form which has existed for several
years. In the typical non-electronic form each player purchases at
least one bingo card (but often more than one card) that is good
for a specified drawing of bingo balls, e.g., the nine o'clock
drawing. Each drawing uses a predetermined number of bingo balls,
typically 75. The typical bingo card is a five-by-five matrix where
each column is identified by a letter, B-I-N-G-O, and at each
coordinate in the matrix a number is provided. Typically, the "B"
column contains numbers ranging from 1 to 15, the "I" column
contains numbers ranging from 16 to 30 and so on. As balls are
drawn, the number of the ball is called out and the players
determine if their card(s) has the drawn ball. If a player's
card(s) has the drawn ball, the player will daub the spot(s) on his
card(s) corresponding to the ball. Daubing is often accomplished in
the non-electronic game by the use of a special ink marker, but
players may use other means to record the selection of a ball on
their card(s), including placing an object such as a coin or bean
on the spot.
[0003] In each bingo game there is one or more pattern that, when
completed, will entitle the player who completed it to a prize and
that may or may not end the bingo game. A wide variety of patterns
have been used in these games. A "simple" pattern may be any
horizontal line of five daubed spots. However, there is virtually
no limit to the number or complexity of patterns that may be used.
For instance, the pattern could be a "kite" which is defined as a
four daubs in a square pattern with two daubs in a diagonal line
and diagonally touching a point of the square to form the "kite's
tail." Thus, the players of the bingo game are competing with each
other to complete the designated patterns. Often, only the first
player to complete each pattern is awarded the prize associated
with the pattern. In addition to varying the pattern that is used,
bingo games may vary the size of the matrix used or the number of
bingo balls that are used to provide additional variety and
excitement to the game.
[0004] Electronic bingo games operate in much the same way as
non-electronic games with a few exceptions. The most notable
difference in the two types of games is that the electronic bingo
balls are drawn much faster and microprocessors determine if a
player's bingo card contains a spot that matches a drawn ball. As a
result, the players do not daub balls individually. Rather, the
player's electronic device or gaming terminal that is being used to
play bingo will automatically daub multiple balls for the player at
the touch of a button. Thus, it is no longer up to the player to
watch the ball draw and determine if any of the balls drawn appear
on the player's bingo card. With this electronic setup, all balls
drawn that appear on a player's card are either instantly daubed as
soon as the ball is drawn or a player may periodically hit a daub
button to update multiple balls on his card at once. The ability to
draw balls quicker and to almost instantaneously automatically daub
spots that match the drawn balls allows players of electronic bingo
to play many more bingo games in a given amount of time than with
non-electronic bingo. Also, because a computer or other electronic
device is used to monitor the bingo game, far more complex bingo
patterns can be used than with non-electronic bingo games. These
differences between electronic bingo and non-electronic bingo have
led to electronic bingo terminals that display, in addition to a
bingo card, other entertaining graphics to the player. The most
successful such devices display what appears to be a slot machine
like those used in Las Vegas. These bingo terminals often determine
the amount of a player's win, if any, based on one or more of the
following criterion: the number of player's playing the game, the
number of balls it took the player to complete a pattern and the
specific pattern completed. Once the amount of the win is
determined, the portion of the terminal resembling a slot machine
is then used to display a combination of slot machine symbols that
would correspond to the determined amount.
[0005] In the non-electronic form of bingo described above, the
player uses a certain amount of skill to recognize that his card or
cards contain a spot matching a drawn ball and to daub the spots
corresponding to that ball in the time before the next ball is
drawn, although there is typically no time limit placed on how
quickly a spot must be daubed. Because there is no additional cost
associated with daubing a spot and because there is no penalty
involved with daubing a spot that is subsequently not used to
complete a bingo pattern, the player will, if he is able, daub
every possible spot that he can. Thus the amount of player
interaction in non-electronic bingo is very limited. In electronic
bingo, a computer determines whether a player's card has a spot
that matches or concords with any drawn balls. And for the same
reasons as those discussed in non-electronic bingo, there has never
been a need in the electronic form of bingo described above to
allow a player to daub some spots but not others. As a result, the
level of player interaction in electronic bingo is even less than
in non-electronic bingo and the level of competition between
players is also reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method
for playing a bingo-type game which overcomes the above-described
shortcomings associated with the known forms of both electronic and
non-electronic bingo games, by presenting the player with a
strategic decision for at least a portion of the bingo balls that
are drawn and that may be daubed on the player's card. It is still
a further object of the present invention to provide visual indicia
familiar to a large number of gaming patrons that will quickly and
easily convey the strategic decisions available to the players of
said bingo game.
[0007] Strategic decision or strategy as used herein is accorded
its usual meaning in the gaming art and relates to decisions that
can be made based on statistical probability and expected value to
maximize a player's chance of success, even if the player is not
completely aware of, or even misunderstands, the mathematical
principals involved. In this context, strategic decision also
refers to the decision by a player whether or not to daub a spot on
his card when a corresponding ball is drawn based on any number of
factors including the pays associated with various bingo patterns,
the other balls that have been drawn, the number of balls
remaining, etc. Penalty as used herein is also accorded its usual
meaning in the gaming art, and more specifically, in the context of
the present invention, means a player using or not using one daub
on a spot that reduces the probability of a player completing at
least one specific paying bingo pattern either because for
instance, other balls required for any winning pattern were
already, or will be disregarded (i.e., undaubed), or there are
fewer daubs remaining to complete another more desirable pattern or
the pattern involving the penalty daub is less desirable than
another pattern. In this context, those skilled in the art will
understand that a strategic decision that is mathematically correct
or optimal may involve not daubing a spot that is likely to result
in a bingo win (or may even complete a winning bingo pattern at the
very time the decision is made not to daub it) because the
probabilities and payouts involved dictate that the player tries
for a higher paying pattern. In this case, the failure to daub the
spot is still a penalty, even though it was mathematically optimal
(i.e., strategically correct) to incur the penalty.
[0008] The method of the present invention involves determining a
first number of daubs to be used by a player and a first number of
bingo balls to be drawn. The first number of daubs allotted to the
player is preferably less than or equal to the first number of
bingo balls to be drawn. Preferably the first number of daubs
allotted and the first number of bingo balls drawn are determined
well in advance of the players initiating the bingo game and remain
constant from game to game. After the first number of balls are
drawn, the players chose which if any of their first number of
allotted daubs they will use to selectively daub spots matching the
balls drawn. This determination should be made by each player in
order to maximize each particular player's chances of success.
After each player has made his daub selections, additional bingo
balls may or may not be drawn. The drawing of additional balls may
depend on whether a player achieved a game-ending bingo during the
first selection. The spots matching the additional balls drawn
after the first selection may be daubed automatically according to
the number of remaining first allotted daubs that each player has
after the first selection or these spots may again be selectively
daubed by each player. At some point in the game, it may be
desirable to rapidly provide bingo balls to the player that can be
daubed without penalty.
[0009] It will also be preferable to offer a large variety of bingo
patterns for the players to attempt. It will also be desirable for
the prizes associated with each pattern to vary. Preferably the
prize amounts will relate to the statistical probability of
successfully completing the bingo pattern either in a certain
number of drawn bingo balls or before other players complete a
game-ending bingo pattern.
[0010] Although the method of the present invention may be
practiced in a non-electronic format, it will be appreciated by
those skilled in the art that an electronic format will both
facilitate the ease of play as well as dissuade and/or prevent
players from attempting to cheat the game by altering their daub
selections after additional balls are drawn. Also, although the
present invention may be enjoyably played by a single player
competing against only a computer opponent and/or a pay table when
making his strategic decisions with respect to which balls to daub,
it is most preferred that players compete against each other in at
least a portion of the game.
[0011] In its electronic format, the bingo game according to the
present invention can associate traditional playing cards in a
visual presentation that resembles poker. Preferably the poker game
imitated will be one of the many popular five-card video draw poker
games played in Las Vegas style casinos on stand-alone slot
machines. In such an embodiment the traditional five-by-five bingo
matrix is changed to either a four-by-thirteen or four-by-fourteen
matrix. Each of the four rows of the matrix is associated with one
of the four suits used in poker--clubs, diamonds, hearts and
spades. Each column is associated with a card ranking of 2 through
Ace; in the four-by-fourteen version, the Ace will appear as both
the first column and the last. (The general desirability of using a
four-by-fourteen matrix to allow for both a "high" and a "low" Ace
will be appreciated by those familiar with poker, and further
reference herein to a poker-type bingo game using the present
invention will make reference to a four-by-thirteen matrix
generally, with the understanding that a four-by-fourteen matrix
could also be used with little alteration of the underlying game.)
On each player's bingo card matrix preferably only one number will
be randomly assigned to the spots on the player's bingo card from
the population that makes up the numbers appearing on the bingo
balls available to be drawn in the bingo game. In this
configuration it may be desirable to use 52 bingo balls rather than
75 and to randomly assign a number from 1 to 52 to each spot in the
matrix. Thus, for every player, any ball drawn will result in the
opportunity to daub exactly one spot on his bingo card.
[0012] In the version of the present invention that emulates
five-card draw video poker, the bingo patterns used will correspond
to traditional hands of poker and the payout for each pattern will
approximately correspond with the payouts associated with
traditional video poker. Thus, any horizontal line of five daubs on
the four-by-thirteen bingo card would result in a payout of at
least 50 credits for each credit bet and would provide the player
with a visual indication of five cards of the same suit all in
numerical succession, i.e., a straight flush. Each player would
initially be allotted five daubs and the initial draw of bingo
balls will also be five. After the five bingo balls are drawn, the
player's terminal would preferably show the player the five balls
and the corresponding spots on the player's card as well as the
playing cards associated with each spot. The player would then be
given the opportunity to selectively daub none, one, two, three,
four or all of the spots on his card based on the initial draw. For
each spot that is daubed, the corresponding card would also be
"held." After the player has determined which of the five spots he
wishes to daub, he would hit a button signaling his desire to
proceed with the drawing of additional bingo balls. After all the
players enrolled in the bingo game have indicated their desire to
draw the additional balls, the second draw will begin. As each ball
is drawn in the second draw, each spot on each player's card
corresponding to the drawn ball is automatically daubed until all
of the player's remaining allotted daubs that were not used on the
first round of drawn balls are used up. Thus, in this preferred
embodiment, the second ball draw will never exceed five balls (the
maximum number of remaining daubs being five if a player chose not
to daub any spots during the first round).
[0013] After the second round of ball draws and automatic daubing
is completed, each player's card is examined to determine if that
player completed a winning bingo pattern using only the initial
allotment of daubs, five. For the purposes of this evaluation,
spots that were not daubed either because the player chose not to
daub them during the initial round or because the player had
already used up his allotment of daubs in or prior to the second
round are ignored. For each player that completed a winning pattern
using five or fewer daubs, a prize according to the predetermined
prize table will be paid to the player. This may also constitute a
game-ending bingo that will end the game. If no player completed a
winning pattern using five or fewer daubs, the undaubed spots
corresponding to previously drawn balls may also be reviewed or
other balls may be drawn that will automatically be daubed using a
second unlimited allotment of daubs until a predetermined
game-ending bingo pattern occurs. These patterns may include, but
are not limited to the patterns for which payouts are provided for
the initial five daubs or fewer and will preferably payout much
less than the patterns accomplished using the initial five
daubs.
[0014] In an alternative form of the invention, each player has
available to him two types of daubs. The first type of daub
operates like standard bingo daubs, i.e., there is no penalty for
daubing a spot and there is no strategic decision to be made when a
player's bingo card contains a spot corresponding to a drawn ball.
The second type of daub is either limited in number or is used to
complete bingo patterns that have a payout dictated in part by the
number of daubs used to complete the pattern. The player can chose
whether or not to use the second type of daub when a spot on the
player's bingo card corresponds to a drawn ball. Thus, this
decision involves a strategic risk-reward decision and the
possibility of a penalty.
[0015] These and other objects, advantages, and features of the
invention will be apparent from the following description of the
preferred embodiments, considered along with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 shows an electronic gaming terminal for playing a
bingo game according to the method of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the electronic
configuration of an embodiment of the gaming terminal shown in FIG.
1.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a plurality of electronic
gaming terminals connected to a network computer for playing a
bingo game according to the method of the present invention.
[0019] FIGS. 4A-4C is a flow chart showing the steps according to
one embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 5A-5C is a flow chart showing the steps according to an
alternative embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 6 shows a pay table that may be used in the present
invention.
[0022] FIG. 7 shows a game of the present invention being played
after the initial ball draw employing the pay table patterns
defined in FIG. 6.
[0023] FIG. 8 shows the final result of the game initially depicted
in FIG. 7.
[0024] FIG. 9 shows an alternative pay table that may be used in
the present invention and shows how bingo patterns may be
associated with traditional poker hand rankings.
[0025] FIG. 10 shows a game of the present invention being played
by a first player after the initial ball draw employing the pay
table patterns defined in FIG. 9.
[0026] FIG. 11 shows a game of the present invention being played
by a second player after the initial ball draw employing the pay
table patterns defined in FIG. 9.
[0027] FIG. 12 shows the final result of the game initially
depicted in FIG. 10.
[0028] FIG. 13 shows the final result of the game initially
depicted in FIG. 11.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0029] FIG. 1 shows a player terminal or gaming device 100 for
implementing the present invention. Gaming device 100 has the
features of a conventional player terminal or slot machine. The
gaming device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is what is commonly referred to
as an electronic bingo terminal. FIG. 1 displays a bingo terminal
that is very similar to an upright slot machine which the player
can operate while standing or sitting. Most often the gaming device
100 is preferably mounted on a cabinet. (Not shown.) Although an
up-right electronic bingo terminal 100 is shown in FIG. 1, it can
be appreciated that the gaming device 100 can be any other style of
gaming machine known in the art including, but not limited to a
pub-style table-top or slant-top game in which a player can operate
while sitting. The gaming device 100 can be constructed with
varying cabinet and display designs.
[0030] Gaming device 100 may also include one or more display
devices. The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 shows a central display 105
and an upper display 107. The upper display 107 may be used to show
an electronic bingo game or a bonus game, while the central display
105 may display an electronic bingo game and/or ancillary visual
indicia representing such games as slots, video poker, blackjack
and/or keno. More specifically, the visual indicia could include,
but is not limited to, playing cards and/or slot machine reels with
symbols. The symbols and indicia used on and in gaming device 100
may be in mechanical, electrical, electronic or video form. The
central display 105 in FIG. 1 shows both an electronic bingo game
and visual indicia of playing cards.
[0031] It should be appreciated that the display devices may
display any visual representation or exhibition, including but not
limited to video images or movement of physical objects such as
mechanical reels and wheels. The display devices can be a video
monitor or screen, a liquid crystal display or any other display
mechanism. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that these display
devices preferably include touchscreens.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, gaming device 100 includes a wager
accepting mechanism 110. The wager accepting mechanism 110 can be a
bill acceptor. The wager accepting mechanism 110 can also accept
other forms of payment including, but not limited to tickets, smart
cards, debit cards and credit cards. With these other types of
payment, other types of validators or readers other than a bill
acceptor may be used. There is also a coin slot 120 on the gaming
device 100 in which a player can insert coins or tokens.
[0033] Often, there is also a card reader 130. The card reader 130
may include any type of card reading device, such as a magnetic
card reader or an optical card reader. The player will insert a
card, such as a player tracking card or a credit card into the card
reader 130 which will then read data from the card. The card reader
130 may be used to read and/or write from and/or to the inserted
card.
[0034] After a player inserts money in the gaming device 100,
either via the coin slot 120 or the wager accepting mechanism 110,
a number of credits corresponding to the amount deposited is shown
in a credit meter 140. After money is credited to the machine 100
and shown on the credit meter 140, the player then determines the
wager amount. In order to facilitate the wager, the player may
alternatively push a bet one credit button 170 repeatedly until the
number of desired credits to be wagered is reached or may push a
maximum bet button 150 which automatically allows the player to
wager the maximum amount on the gaming device 100. As the player is
selecting the wager amount, this wager amount is displayed on a bet
display 160. As the bet display 160 amount is incrementing, the
credit meter 140 amount is decreasing by the corresponding amount.
In should be appreciated by anyone of known skill in the art that a
player may also interact with the gaming device 100 by touching the
appropriate marked regions on the displays 105 and 107 when the
displays are equipped with touchscreens. Once the player has
finalized his wager amount, the player may initiate play either by
pressing a "Play" button or a "Draw/Continue Draw" button 145 or by
touching the appropriate region on the displays 105 and 107.
[0035] To accomplish the selective daubing of the present
invention, a number of daub buttons 155a, 155b, 155c, 155d, and
155e may be provided on the gaming device 100. Each daub button
155a, 155b, 155c, 155d, and 155e preferably corresponds to exactly
one spot or exactly one corresponding bingo ball drawn.
Alternatively the player may select which spots to daub using the
touchscreen to either touch the spot or the corresponding ball.
When the daub buttons 155a, 155b, 155c, 155d, and 155e are used,
they are preferably visually aligned with the bingo balls they
correspond with so that the player can expeditiously daub the
desired spots/balls.
[0036] If the player has completed his play of the gaming device
100, and he still has a credit amount on the credit meter 140, the
player may cash out. To cash out, the player will push a cash out
button 180. Depending on the gaming device 100 configuration, the
gaming device may pay out coins into a coin tray 190 corresponding
to the amount shown on the credit meter 140. Alternatively, the
gaming device 100 may issue a ticket from the wager accepting
mechanism 110 corresponding to the amount shown on the credit meter
140 or the gaming device 100 may electronically transfer the credit
amount to a smart card or a player's account.
[0037] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the general electronic
configuration that may be incorporated in gaming device 100. The
configuration preferably includes a processor 200. The processor
200 is preferably a microcontroller-based platform or
microprocessor which is capable of displaying images, symbols and
other indicia such as images of people, characters, places, things
and faces of cards. One or more secondary processors may also be
employed in conjunction with the primary processor to control
certain aspects of the game function.
[0038] The gaming device 100 also includes a memory device 210 for
storing program code or other data. This memory device 210 can
include both read only memory (ROM) 205 and random access memory
(RAM) 207. In addition to the memory device 210, the electronic
configuration of the gaming device 100 may also include one or more
input devices 220, one or more display devices 230, a sound card
240, and one or more speakers 250.
[0039] The input devices 220 include but is not limited to play
button 145, bet one credit button 175, the daub buttons 155a, 155b,
155c, 155d, the max bet button 150 and the cash out button 180. In
situations where a touch screen 260 is used, a touch screen
controller 265 and touch screen 260 are connected to a video
controller 270 and the processor 200.
[0040] Although FIG. 2 shows the processor 200 and memory device
210 residing on the gaming device 100, it should be appreciated
that it is possible for both the processor 200 and memory device
210 to reside at a central location instead of at the gaming device
100. In such a situation, a network server may be used to
communicate to a playing station over an Inernetnet connection,
local area network (LAN), or wide area network (WAN). The processor
200 and memory device 210 are generally referred to herein as the
controller.
[0041] FIG. 3 displays a gaming system 300 in which multiple gaming
devices 100 are connected to a central or network computer 310 via
a network data link or bus 320. The gaming system 300 may include a
second group of gaming devices 100 which are connected to another
central network computer (Not shown) via another network data link
or bus (Not shown). The first and second gaming systems 300 may be
coupled to one another via any type of network known in the art
including, but not limited to the Internet, a wide area network
(WAN), or a local area network (LAN).
[0042] When play is initiated, the processor randomly assigns a
unique number from the appropriate group to each position in the
bingo card. In an alternate embodiment, the player may chose the
numbers assigned to each position on the card. Often, one or more
positions are displayed as "free" indicating that the free position
will always be treated as daubed for the game.
[0043] Turning now to FIG. 4A-4C and FIGS. 6 to 8, a first
embodiment of the present invention will now be described in
greater detail. In the embodiment that will be described, two
different types of daubs, arbitrarily named special daubs and
regular daubs, are used. Each type of daub may have its own
associated bingo patterns, special patterns and regular patterns,
that may be the same patterns or different. Each bingo pattern,
whether special or regular, may have a different payout associated
with it. FIGS. 4A-4C is a flowchart of one manner of operating the
gaming routine. FIG. 6 is an image of a "See Pays" screen that may
be displayed and used in conjunction with the manner of operation
shown in FIGS. 4A-4C. FIGS. 7 and 8 show the information conveyed
to the player by the video display device 105 and/or 107 at various
points during the game.
[0044] Referring to FIG. 4A, the gaming routine may begin at block
401 at which the gaming system 300 loads the bingo patterns that
will result in a pay as well as the amount of each pay. These pays
may vary depending on the bingo game, the number of players playing
and may also vary depending on the size of each individual player's
wager. Although the patterns used for special daubs and regular
daubs are the same in this example, this is a matter of convenience
only and different patterns may be used for the two different sets
of daubs. Preferably the pay information is relatively constant
such that players can easily predict what patterns and associated
pays they are playing for from game to game. The pattern and pay
information may be communicated to the player via a see pays screen
601 as shown in FIG. 6. At block 403 the number of bingo balls to
be used in the draw universe for the game is determined. Referring
to FIG. 6, in the "rules" section 655 of the see pays screen 601,
it is apparent that the total number of bingo balls available for
drawing has been set to sixty. At block 405 the gaming system
determines the number of allotted special daubs each player will
initially receive. Referring to the rules section 655, it is
apparent that for this game the number of special daubs has been
set at eight. At block 407 a counter for tracking the number of
bingo balls drawn, C, is set to zero and the number of balls to be
drawn in the first draw is set. Again referring to the rules
section 655, it is apparent that the number of balls per draw has
been set to eight. Although steps 401, 403, 405 and 407 relating to
the setting of the bingo game's basic parameters are shown as
coming before the enrollment of any player in block 409, it should
be understood that this is not necessary. Indeed as already
disclosed, in many applications, these parameters may change
depending upon the number of players enrolled or the size of the
various wagers enrolled. Thus, it should be understood that unless
specifics of the invention dictate otherwise, the order of the
steps performed is not relevant.
[0045] At block 409 a first player is enrolled in the game. In the
electronic version of the game, it will be appreciated and
understood by those familiar with the gaming art that enrolling a
player in the game may include the steps of the player establishing
credit at an electronic gaming terminal 100 by either depositing
currency in the form of bills or coin or by using other
value-accepting mechanisms associated with the gaming terminal 100.
These may include bill/ticket validator 110, coin slot 120 or card
reader 130. Once credit is established, the player may enroll in
the game by indicating the amount of his wager using various player
input mechanisms and pressing start or draw button 145 or similar
input means. After the first player is enrolled at block 409 the
gaming system 300 waits for at least a second player to enroll at
block 411. The gaming system may wait for additional players to
enroll using algorithms well known in the electronic bingo art as
indicated at block 413. These algorithms may be very simple, for
instance waiting for a predetermined number of players, e.g., four,
or waiting a predetermined amount of time to enroll as many players
as possible, e.g., thirty seconds. Alternatively, the algorithms
may be much more complex and may vary the number of players or the
time window for enrollment based upon how many terminals are in
active use across the gaming systems network. It may be desirable
for the gaming system to communicate to the players the total
number of enrolled players using display device 105 or 107 or some
other communication device. Also during enrollment, each player may
be issued at least one bingo card 700 similar to the one shown in
FIG. 7. The bingo card will preferably have numbers corresponding
to the available draw universe of bingo balls. The numbers will
preferably be randomly distributed on the bingo card 700, but the
player may be allowed to exercise a degree of control over the
numbers he is assigned and how they are arranged using the various
player input means provided. In the non-electronic form of the
invention, the step of enrolling players is typically performed by
selling a player a bingo card that bears an indication of which
bingo draw it is good for.
[0046] Referring again to FIG. 4A, at block 417 another game
parameter is set. In this example, block 417 turns autodaub ON for
regular daubs ("Regular Autodaub") and turns autodaub OFF for
special daubs ("Special Autodaub"). As will be seen, setting these
two autodaub features in this fashion will result in two bingo
games being played simultaneously. In the first game dealing with
regular daubs, all of the spots 709 on each player's card 700
corresponding to a drawn bingo ball will automatically be daubed
until one player achieves a regular bingo pattern (which may also
be referred to as a game-ending bingo pattern), at which point the
regular aspect of the bingo game will be terminated. In the second
game dealing with special daubs, the player will initially be given
the option of which of the available spots 709 to daub as groups of
bingo balls are drawn. But in subsequent draws, the player's
remaining special daubs that were unused in the initial draw or
draws will be automatically used in an autodaub format for the
subsequent spots until such time as each player's allotted special
daubs are completely used.
[0047] Autodaub or automatically daubed as used herein refers to
any electronic means that automatically keeps track of spots
available for daubing on a player's bingo card 700 and that daubs
all of these available spots without giving the player the option
to daub some individually selectable subset of the spots. Some
forms of autodaub being used in electronic bingo games today
require a player to periodically hit a button to initiate an
autodaub. Upon doing so, all spots available at that time are
daubed. The player may have to hit this button to initiate the
autodaub on later occasions throughout the game to effectuate a
daubing of spots that match with newly drawn balls. Although such
routines allow a player to selectively autodaub groups of available
spots, they do not allow a player to daub some of the spots in
these groups and not others, nor do they allow a player to daub the
spots in one subsequent group but not the spots in a previous
group. Therefore, each such application is still within the meaning
of autodaub as used herein.
[0048] At block 420 a bingo ball is drawn by the network computer
310 and communicated to each player's game terminal 100. Each
player's game terminal 100 will display the drawn ball in a ball
display area 710, e.g., ball display icon 720 on FIG. 7. In FIG. 4B
at block 421 C is incremented by one to reflect that a ball has
been drawn. At block 422 the gaming routine determines if there is
a match between the recently drawn ball and any of the spots on
each player's bingo card 700. Preferably this operation is carried
out by the processor 200 in the individual gaming terminals 100 and
communicated to the network computer 310. When there is a match,
the gaming terminal's display device 105 or 107 preferably may
provide a visual indication of such by highlighting the available
spot 709 on the player's bingo card 700 and/or by highlighting the
ball display icon 720 in the ball display area 710. Of course, a
variety of visual indications may be used. At block 424, the game
routine determines if Regular Autodaub is ON. If it is ON, this
indicates that a regular bingo pattern has not yet been formed
using regular daubs. If Regular Autodaub is OFF, no daubing of
regular spots can occur in the embodiment shown and the gaming
routine will proceed to block 433 dealing with special daubs.
Preferably the Regular Autodaub function is set the same at all
times for all gaming terminals 100 playing the bingo game. Thus, in
this embodiment the player's are competing against each other to be
the first to complete a regular bingo pattern using regular daubs.
Assuming that Regular Autodaub is ON, the matching spot 709 on each
player's bingo card 700 is daubed with a regular daub as indicated
at block 426. At block 428, the logic of the gaming system
determines if the last ball drawn completes a regular bingo pattern
using regular daubs. If it does, the player or players (if multiple
patterns are completed using the same final ball) are paid for the
regular pattern win at block 430. In order not to interrupt the
flow of the game, it may be desirable to provide the win to the
player at the ultimate end of the game, however. After a pattern
has been completed with regular daubs, the Regular Autodaub is
turned OFF at block 432.
[0049] After the gaming routine of the present invention has dealt
with application of regular daubs, it proceeds to block 433, which
begins the portion dealing with special daubs. At block 433 the
routine determines if there are any unused special daubs remaining.
The determination of whether a player has any special daubs
remaining unused will preferably be made by the processor 200 in
each individual player's game terminal 100 as the usage of the
special daubs is intended to be a strategic decision made by each
individual player. If there are remaining unused special daubs
(i.e., if X>0), the routine proceeds to block 434 to determine
whether Special Autodaub is ON. Because this parameter is
preferably set to OFF in block 417 at the beginning of the game,
the routine will initially proceed to logic block 436. At block 436
the routine determines if the last drawn ball completes the set of
balls to be drawn (i.e., if Y=C). If it does not, additional balls
are preferably drawn to complete the set.
[0050] If the last drawn ball does complete a selectable set, the
gaming routine proceeds to block 438 where the player is then
allowed to use some, none or all of his special daubs on the balls
in the set. Referring now to FIG. 7, the terminal's display screens
105 or 107 may at this point display a message 730 notifying the
player that he may now make his selection. As previously discussed
the balls in the set that have been drawn 720, 721, 722, 723, 724,
725, 726 and 727 are also preferably displayed and the balls in
this set 720, 721, 722, 724, 725, 726 and 727 that concord with a
spot on the player's bingo card 700 are preferably highlighted in
some fashion as are the matching spots 709 on the player's bingo
card. The player may make his selection by using a touchscreen,
light pen, buttons or the like to indicate either the available
spots 709 or the matching ball display icons (ball display icons
720, 721, 722, 723, 724, 725, 726 and 727). After a player has made
his selections and is satisfied with them, he preferably actuates a
"Continue Draw" button 145 that indicates his desire to proceed
with the bingo game. At this time the player's allotment of special
daubs is reduced by the number just used as indicated at block
440.
[0051] At block 442 the Special Autodaub is switched to ON. This
signifies that at this point in the game, any remaining special
daubs will automatically be used on any additional available spots
as additional balls are drawn without giving the player the option
to strategically decide not to daub them. It will be appreciated by
those familiar with gaming that it may be desirable to determine if
any player has completed a special bingo pattern using special
daubs as soon as the Continue Draw button 145 is activated. In some
alternative embodiments, only the first player to complete a
special bingo pattern with special daubs may receive an award to
heighten the competition amongst the players. Also, it will be
appreciated that a player may be allotted more than eight special
daubs, but then because balls are drawn in sets of eight, it may be
possible for a player to have more than eight special daubs
remaining after the first set is evaluated. In such a situation, it
may be desirable to draw another set of eight balls and allow the
player to strategically decide for which of the resulting available
spots to use special daubs. Thus, in this alternative embodiment
the Special Autodaub in not set to ON until the player has fewer
special daubs remaining than the number of balls drawn per set.
Alternatively, the Special Autodaub can be set to ON after a
predetermined number of ball sets other than the first one have
been drawn. Setting Special Autodaub to ON can optionally be done
either on an individual gaming terminal 100 or across all gaming
terminals 100 playing the current bingo game by the network
computer 310. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art
that the options of only awarding the first special bingo pattern
formed with special daubs, allowing Special Autodaub to remain OFF
for a second (or further) set of balls and allowing Special
Autodaub to be switched to ON for some terminals but not others can
be used in various combinations to provide players a variety of
interesting and entertaining options. Each option offers a
different strategy and level of competition between the
players.
[0052] After the Special Autodaub is turned ON, additional
available spots will be automatically daubed as indicated at block
444 until the number of special daubs remaining is reduced to zero
via block 446. Referring now to FIG. 4C and to logic blocks 448 and
452, collectively these blocks determine whether additional balls
need to be drawn either to ensure at least one player completes a
regular pattern with regular daubs or to allow each player to use
his allotment of special daubs. Of course, in the alternative
embodiments discussed in the foregoing paragraph where there is no
guarantee that a player will use all of his special daubs or where
players compete to be the first to complete a special bingo pattern
using special daubs, block 448 is adjusted accordingly. At logic
block 454 the gaming routine determines if a player has completed a
special bingo pattern using special daubs and if so, pays the
player for the special win at block 456.
[0053] Referring now to FIG. 8, it is apparent that the player
chose to use special daubs on available spots 840 but not on
available spots 850 and 851 when given the opportunity in the
flowchart at block 438. To signify that available spots 850 and 851
have been marked with regular daubs, but not special daubs,
different graphic patterns may be used on the bingo card 700 and in
the section of the video display 105 or 107 showing the drawn balls
710. In the instant example a regular daub is indicated by a / hash
mark, a special daub is indicated by a .backslash. hash mark and a
spot with both daubs is indicated by an X. The decision not to daub
the spot corresponding to drawn ball number fifty three 850 is
mathematically and strategically the correct choice because the
most likely pattern spot 850 would be used to complete is the
diagonal traversing from the upper right corner to the lower left
corner. To complete this pattern, the player needs ball number
forty. However, if ball number forty is drawn, the player would
also complete a kite pattern resulting from balls four 720,
fourteen 721, twenty-one 725 and seven 724 as well as the "Free
Space" in the center of the five-by-five matrix. As the kite
pattern pays a greater number of credits the diagonal pattern would
be ignored per the rules in FIG. 6. Because the player chose not to
daub the spot corresponding to ball number fifty-three 850, it was
also logical for the player to not daub the spot corresponding to
ball number fifty-two 851.
[0054] Note that the player also chose to daub the spot
corresponding to ball number one 853. Based on the pay table shown
in FIG. 6 and the statistical expected value of this decision, this
was not the mathematically optimal play. The odds of this spot
being used to complete the bottom-left to top-right diagonal with
three special daubs remaining is 0.005%. The odds of this spot
being used to complete the vertical line in the B column 701 is
0.226% and the odds of the player catching ball number 40 to
complete the kite with three special daubs remaining (the number of
daubs the would remain if the spot 853 is daubed) is 5.769%. Thus,
the expected value of daubing this spot is 0.00005.times.3 (the pay
for a diagonal)+0.00226.times.7 (the pay for a
vertical)+0.05769.times.10 (the pay for a kite), or 0.5929.
Whereas, the expected value that the player would receive just for
the kite alone, if he had four special daubs in which to complete
it, is 7.692%.times.10, or 0.7692. Thus, by daubing the spot 853
associated with the one ball, the player lost over 0.1763 in
expected value. Although this may constitute an error in
mathematical strategy, it is still a strategic decision as
contemplated by the invention.
[0055] Again referring to FIG. 8, the outcome of the decisions that
the player made at block 438 in the game routine after the initial
eight bingo balls were drawn can now be determined. The player's
bingo card 700 contained spots corresponding to the next three
bingo balls drawn in the second drawing as indicated by ball icons
828, 829 and 830. Therefore these spots were autodaubed with
regular daubs as indicated at block 426 and with special daubs as
indicated at block 444. The player's remaining number of special
daubs was reduced by one for each spot at block 446. Thus the first
three ball drawn in the second draw used up all of the player's
allotted special daubs. It will be appreciated that in an
alternative embodiment, it may be desirable once the Special
Autodaub is ON to reduce the player's number of special daubs by
one for every ball drawn, regardless of whether there is a match
between the drawn ball and a spot on the player's bingo card 700.
Because the first three spots 845 that were covered using the
player's remaining special daubs did not complete a special bingo
pattern, the player did not receive any special pays. However, the
fourth bingo ball drawn in the second drawing as indicated by ball
icon 831 was ball number forty. The spot 852 matching ball number
forty was autodaubed with a regular daub as indicated at block 426
and completed the pattern forming a kite using regular daubs. And
because the Regular Autodaub was still set to ON, indicating no
other player had yet formed a regular bingo pattern, the player
would be awarded five credits at block 430 as indicated by the pay
table shown in FIG. 6. Note had the player not used a special daub
to daub spot 853 corresponding to bingo ball number one, the
drawing of bingo ball number forty would have also completed a
special bingo pattern using special daubs, in which case the player
may have been awarded both ten credits for the special win and five
credits for the regular win. Alternatively, the rules for the game
may be adjusted so that the player is only awarded for a single
win, in this case the ten credits for the special win, as the
highest win, would be the preferred payout.
[0056] Using the same principles of expected value demonstrated
above, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that once
the number of players in a given bingo game is known, the total
expected value for any given player at any time can be determined
or approximated by reviewing the rules of the game, particularly
those displayed in FIG. 6, and the status of the ball draw compared
to each player's bingo card 700. Further, it will be appreciated
that the expected value will be comprised of two components. The
first component comes from the bingo pays that use regular daubs
and is therefore entirely based on luck. The second component comes
from the bingo pays that use special daubs and is therefore based
at least in part on the player's strategic decisions as well as
luck. By adjusting the payouts for the various patterns, the
expected value of both the regular pays and the special pays can
easily be adjusted. Preferably the two components when added
together will produce an expected value greater than 0.75 but less
than 1.00 (because an expected value above 1.00 would mean that
with perfect strategy, the house may lose money in the long term).
Furthermore, most preferably the total expected value will be
greater than 0.95, of which more than 0.90 is attributable to the
special pays. In terms of a ratio the expected value of the special
pays to the expected value of the regular pays will be greater than
approximately 20:1, and most preferably greater than approximately
40:1.
[0057] It will be appreciated that in addition to the variations to
the gaming routine described in FIGS. 4A-4C that have already been
disclosed, other variations are made possible merely by adjusting
the parameters of the game such as the number of allotted special
daubs set at block 405 and the number of bingo balls drawn per
group set at block 407. For instance, in one alternative embodiment
the number of allotted special daubs could randomly change at some
point in the game. This would in turn alter the expected value of
special daubs that the player could have used, but chose to save.
Also, it may be possible to allow the player to "purchase"
additional special daubs at some point in the game by increasing
his wager. The "price" of these special daubs need not be constant
and could change in either a predictable or random manner.
Preferably, the price of the special daubs would increase as the
game is played. Thus, referring to the example shown in FIG. 6, one
credit initially purchases eight special daubs. Therefore, in this
alternative embodiment it would be preferable to allow the player
to purchase less than eight special daubs for one credit.
Additional special daubs could be purchased either one at a time or
in groups. Also, by changing the number of bingo balls drawn per
group, the decisions made by the player would significantly change.
For instance if Y is set to one at block 407, the player may be
presented with only one bingo ball at a time and would have to
decide whether to daub it based on which balls were previously
drawn without seeing any other balls that will be drawn. While if Y
is greater than one, the player gets to evaluate a larger group of
balls, but may be limited to selecting only one ball out of each
group by resetting the allotted special daubs to one before each
group of balls is drawn.
[0058] Referring now to the flowchart in FIGS. 5A-5C and FIGS. 9 to
12, another alternative embodiment will now be described. Among the
features of this embodiment that differ from the embodiment
described in FIGS. 4A-4C is that there is only one type of daub.
The player is initially limited to the number of daubs he is
allotted, but if no player completes a game-ending pattern in the
allotted daubs, additional daubs are allotted to every player and
autodaubed as additional balls are drawn until there is at least
one winner. In this embodiment a great premium may be paid for
completing a pattern in the original allotment of balls. Also
different from the embodiment previously described is the addition
of ancillary indicia, in the form of playing cards, that are not
traditionally associated with the game of bingo. In addition to
providing the player with additional visual stimulus, the playing
cards allow the player to quickly and more accurately evaluate the
strategic decisions available to the player after the initial group
of bingo balls is drawn.
[0059] In FIG. 5A, at block 560 the gaming routine of the present
embodiment may be initiated by loading the pay table information
shown in FIG. 9. At block 561 the total universe of bingo balls to
be used in the game is set at fifty-two balls numbered one to
fifty-two. At block 562 the number of daubs originally allotted to
the player is set at five and at block 563 the number of balls to
be drawn in the initial group is set to five. It is understood
that, as was done in FIGS. 4A-4C, each of these values can be
replaced with a variable and data structure that is easily changed
from game to game.
[0060] At block 564 the gaming system enrolls the first player by
accepting a wager at the player's gaming terminal 100. As part of
the enrollment process the gaming system may randomly distribute
numbers one to fifty-two in the matrix of the first player's bingo
card 900 at block 565 as shown in FIG. 10. The random creation of
the bingo card 900 may be done locally by the gaming terminal 100
or by the network computer 310. In either case it is preferable
that the gaming system ensures that no two players' bingo cards 900
are identical. At blocks 566 and 567 the gaming system enrolls an
additional player by accepting a wager at an additional gaming
terminal 100 and randomly generates an additional bingo card 960 as
shown in FIG. 11. As in block 413 in FIG. 4, the gaming system may
wait to enroll other players at block 568.
[0061] After all players have been enrolled, the gaming system
draws the first group of five bingo balls at block 570.
Corresponding ball icons 905, 906, 907, 908 and 909 are displayed
on the video display 105 or 107 of each player's gaming terminal
100. Additionally, as indicated at block 572, based on the matrix
position of the spot, if any, corresponding to each drawn ball, a
playing card is also displayed on the video display 105 of each
player's gaming terminal 100. The suit of the card (i.e., Spades,
Diamonds, Hearts or Clubs) is determined by assigning each of the
four rows 930, 931, 932 and 933 of the bingo card 900 a suit.
Similarly, the rank of the card (i.e., two through ten, jack,
queen, king and ace) is determined by assigning each column of the
player's bingo card 900 a corresponding rank. Preferably, the rank
associated with each column and the suit associated with each row
is in a logical order and is constant from game to game. Referring
now to FIG. 10, it can be seen that the first five balls drawn
were, in order of drawing, the seven ball, the twenty-three ball,
the eight ball, the fourteen ball and the fifty-two ball. These
balls correspond to spots 950, 951, 953, 952 and 954 respectively
of the player's bingo card 900. Therefore, the gaming terminal
generates cards showing the Five of Hearts 910, the Eight of Clubs
911, the Queen of Hearts 912, the Ten of Diamonds 913 and the Queen
of Clubs 914. Referring now to FIG. 11, it is apparent that these
same five bingo balls represent different playing cards on another
player's bingo card 960, specifically the Six of Clubs 915, the Six
of Diamonds 916, the Four of Diamonds 917, the Five of Diamonds 918
and the Three of Diamonds 919. The difference in the playing cards
displayed in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 is attributable to the different
distribution of numbers on the two player's bingo cards 900 and
960.
[0062] It will be appreciated that because there are only fifty-two
bingo balls in the total universe and because each bingo card has
fifty-two spots in its matrix, there is no need to check for a
match between the matrix and the drawn ball, as was done at block
422 in FIG. 4. Of course, if the parameters of the instant bingo
game were changed, this step could be easily inserted.
[0063] At this point in the game represented by block 574, each
player is allowed to make strategic decisions by selectively
daubing between none and all of the five spots 950, 951, 953, 952
and 954 on his bingo card 900 that correspond to the five bingo
balls drawn. This may be done by touching the spots 950, 951, 953,
952 and 954, the bingo ball icons 905, 906, 907, 908 and 909 or the
corresponding cards 910, 911, 912, 913 and 914 on the gaming
terminal's video display 105. Also, the player may daub spots by
depressing one or more of the corresponding "Daub" buttons 155a,
155b, 155c, 155d and 155e on the gaming terminal 100. Preferably
these buttons 155a, 155b, 155c, 155d and 155e are generally aligned
on the gaming terminal 100 beneath the five bingo ball icons 905,
906, 907, 908 and 909 and/or corresponding playing cards 910, 911,
912, 913 and 914 displayed on the video display 105.
[0064] After the player is happy with his usage of allotted daubs
on the first group of bingo balls drawn, he presses the Continue
Draw button 145. At block 576 each player's number of allotted
daubs is reduced by the number of daubs just used. Once all
enrolled players have indicated their desire to continue with the
draw, the gaming system proceeds to block 578. At block 578 the
gaming terminal 100 removes the undaubed bingo ball icons 905, 906,
and 908 as well as the associated playing cards 910, 911, and 913
from the video display. In an alternative embodiment, it may be
desirable to retain on the video display 105 or 107 a record of all
bingo balls that were drawn even if they were not daubed. It may
also be preferred to rearrange some of the graphics shown to the
player on the video display 105 to more easily advise the player of
the results of his strategic decisions as shown in FIG. 12.
[0065] At block 580 the gaming system initiates the draw of the
second group of bingo balls. For simplicity the second group of
balls may be the same size as the first group of balls drawn, even
though it will often be unnecessary to display the entire second
group of balls to the players. At block 582 each gaming terminal
100 displays only the first X balls of the second group, where X is
equal to the number of allotted daubs that each individual player
has remaining. Also displayed to the player are the playing cards
associated with each displayed ball from the second draw. Thus, it
will be appreciated that the number of balls from the second
drawing that will initially be displayed on each player's gaming
terminal 100 may vary from terminal to terminal. For instance,
referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, the player viewing the video display
105 corresponding to FIG. 12 is initially shown ball icons 920, 921
and 922 while the player viewing the video display 105
corresponding to FIG. 13 is simultaneously shown only ball icon
920. Each spot corresponding to the initially shown balls drawn in
the second drawing is autodaubed for individual players as
indicated at block 584.
[0066] At block 586 the pattern formed by the balls selectively
daubed by the player from the first draw as well as the balls
initially displayed from the second group that were autodaubed are
evaluated to determine if the player has formed a winning bingo
pattern. If the player has, the player is paid for the win at block
588. At block 590 the network computer 310, in communication with
the gaming terminals 100, determines which player completed a
paying bingo pattern first. "First" as used herein preferably
refers to the completion of a bingo pattern using the nth ball
drawn, as is typical in electronic and non-electronic bingo games
known today. However, in alternative embodiments, "first" may also
mean completing a bingo pattern in the fewest daubs or fewest
selective daubs (as opposed to autodaubs) or may mean temporally
completing the pattern first by being the first player to complete
a pattern and press the Continue Draw button 145. At block 592 the
player who first completed a winning pattern is awarded an
additional payout based on the pay table shown in FIG. 9.
[0067] If no player enrolled in the current game completes a bingo
pattern in the allotted five daubs, the gaming system proceeds to
block 594. At block 594 additional bingo balls are drawn and
autodaubed on each player's bingo card 900 or 960 until the first
winning pattern is formed and detected at logic block 596. The
first "draw" of additional balls may involve revealing balls drawn
in the second group draw that were initially not displayed on one
or more player's game terminal 100 one at a time. If no bingo
pattern is completed in this fashion, or if in an alternative
embodiment the undisplayed balls from the second group draw are
ignored, the network computer 310 may draw balls one at a time from
the remaining forty-two balls until a bingo pattern is completed.
Once a bingo pattern is completed and detected at block 598 the
player completing the pattern is paid for a First Pay win as
indicated on the pay table shown at FIG. 9 and the game is ended.
In some embodiments it may be desirable to require the player who
wins the First Pay to interact with gaming terminal 100 in some
fashion, for instance by hitting a "Collect Win" button 145.
Failure to do so in a given amount of time may result in the player
"sleeping" his win away, in which case the gaming system 300 will
ignore this first win and continue drawing balls until a second
player receives a first win.
[0068] Referring now to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the end results of the
game can now be analyzed and the payouts received by each player
can be explained. Focusing first on FIG. 12, the player chose at
block 574 to daub spots 953 and 954. These spots are both in the
eleventh column. Therefore this player had already completed the
bingo pattern that pays one credit on the Standard Pay table and
{fraction (1/100)}.sup.th of a credit on the First Pay table (i.e.,
two spots in the same column, where the column is the 10.sup.th,
11.sup.th, 12.sup.th or 13.sup.th column). Assuming that no other
player completed a bingo pattern by the fifth ball (i.e., the last
ball of the first draw) the player would already be entitled to the
First Pay. However, because the player only used two of his
allotted daubs, he received three additional bingo balls in the
second ball draw indicated at block 580. The first three balls
drawn in the second ball draw were balls numbered twenty-six,
twenty-two and thirty-six as indicated by ball icons 920, 921 and
922. The three playing cards associated with the spots matching
these balls for the player playing the game represented at FIG. 12
are the Six of Clubs 923, the Six of Spades 924, and the Eight of
Spades 925. Thus, when the player's bingo card 900 is evaluated at
block 586, the player has completed a pattern of two spots in one
column and two spots in another column and receives a pay of two
credits, see FIG. 9. The collection of the five displayed playing
cards forms a poker-hand ranking of two pair--Queens and Sixes.
[0069] Turning to FIG. 13, the second player chose at block 574 to
daub spots 961, 962, 963 and 964, thereby using four of his five
allotted daubs. Therefore, the second player only receives the
first ball of the second ball draw, as indicated by ball icon 920.
The spot 966 matching to ball number twenty-six completes the bingo
pattern of one spot in each of five consecutive columns, for which
the player is paid five credits. Referring to the player's bingo
card 960, the playing card associated with the fifth daubed spot
966 is the Seven of Clubs 926. This playing card thus completes a
seven-high straight.
[0070] As with the first embodiment discussed, it is understood
that a number of modifications to this embodiment could be made
without altering the essence of the invention, such as only paying
a Standard Pay for the first bingo pattern formed amongst all the
enrolled players or by adjusting the number of balls in play or
altering the various pay tables.
[0071] Those familiar with the art of video poker as well as
statistics will understand that the foregoing embodiment nearly
perfectly matches the mathematical principles at work in video
poker. The only exception being that in the four-by-thirteen matrix
used in the example, the Ace must play either high or low. In the
described and preferred embodiment the Ace plays high. This minor
irregularity could of course be rectified by including a fourteenth
column for a low Ace. Preferably the bingo ball numbers in this
fourteenth column would exactly match the numbers in the column for
the high Ace. Thus, the bingo pay table shown in FIG. 9 nearly
perfectly approximates the pay table for the popular video poker
game known as 9/6 Jacks or Better. The probability and expected
value of each hand in the 9/6 Jacks or Better game is represented
by the table below:
1 Hand Probability Payout Expected Return Royal Flush 0.00%* 800**
0.0198 Straight Flush 0.01% 50 0.0055 4 of a Kind 0.24% 25 0.0591
Full House 1.15% 9 0.1036 Flush 1.10% 6 0.0661 Straight 1.12% 5
0.0449 3 of a Kind 7.45% 3 0.2233 Two Pair 12.93% 2 0.2586 Jacks or
Better 21.46% 1 0.2146 TOTAL 45.46% n/a 0.9955 *The probability of
a Royal Flush occurring is about one in 40,390 hands. **In an
alternative embodiment, one or more payouts may be based on a
progressive jackpot that increments over time, as is known in the
gaming art. When such a progressive is used, it is most preferably
paid for the most difficult pattern to complete, in this case the
pattern corresponding to a Royal Flush.
[0072] In order to keep the expected value or expected return of
the Standard Pay and First Pay portion of the game below 1.00, it
is therefore necessary to limit the expected return of the First
Pay portion to less than 0.0045. In the preferred embodiment
represented by FIG. 9, the probability of a First Pay win is
approximately 50% when there are only two players enrolled.
Therefore, the expected return of the First Pay win is 0.005.
Although this yields a total expected return for the game of
1.0005, it will be appreciated by those familiar with the video
poker art that because players typically make strategy mistakes a
game with an expected return of 1.0005 could be profitably deployed
by a casino or other gaming establishment. As an alternative to
awarding {fraction (1/100)} of a credit for the First Pay, the
expected return of the First Pay may be modified by requiring more
players to enroll before the game is initiated. For instance, if
two hundred players are required to enroll before the game begins,
each First Pay could pay one credit, resulting in a probability of
approximately 0.5% for an expected return of 0.005. As with the
first embodiment explained with reference to FIGS. 4A-4C, the First
Pays in this embodiment need not be all of the same value nor do
the patterns associated with the First Pays need to be the same as
the patterns associated with the Standard Pays. It is also possible
to lower the expected return for the Standard Pays by, for example,
reducing the amount paid for a bingo pattern having three spots in
one column and two spots in another column (i.e., a full house)
from nine to eight and reducing the pay for five spots in one row
(i.e., a flush) from six to five. This would lower the expected
return of the Standard Pays to approximately 97% or 0.97. However,
in the most preferred embodiment of the invention, the expected
return of the Standard Pays is not lowered significantly (e.g.,
more than 2%) below the expected return of the Las Vegas style
video poker machines that the strategy based portion of the bingo
game is emulating. Therefore the ratio of the expected return from
the Standard Pays to that of the First Pays will preferably be
greater than or equal to approximately 16:1 and also preferably
greater than approximately 32:1 and most preferably greater than
100:1.
[0073] It should be appreciated that the step of associating each
spot on the player's bingo card 900 with a particular playing card
has at least two significant advantages for the present invention.
First, it allows complicated pay table information for the
underlying game of bingo to be expressed very succinctly. For
instance, for the bingo pattern corresponding to a full
house--three spots in one column and two spots in another
column--there are 936 different bingo patterns in a
four-by-thirteen matrix that would meet this requirement. The need
to visually depict each of these patterns in a See Pay's screen is
negated by the gaming public's general familiarity with what a full
house looks like when playing the game of video poker. The second,
and somewhat related benefit, is that by associating a playing card
with each spot that is available for daubing, a great deal of
information is being conveyed to the player about his chances of
success in the game based on the instant ball in question without
the player having to consult a rather complicated four-by-thirteen
matrix to determine what other balls may have also been drawn in
the instant ball's corresponding row or column or in adjacent
columns. By associating a single playing card with each spot on the
bingo card's matrix, the player can tell by looking at each playing
card, what row and column the corresponding spot is in in the
matrix. Additionally, by comparing the ranks and suits of the other
displayed playing cards, the player can tell if additional spots
may be daubed that are in the same row or column or an
adjacent/near by row or column. Not only does this alleviate the
need to review the accompanying drawn balls in the form of the
matrix, but it also eliminates the need for the player to review
the aforementioned complicated and large number of different visual
bingo patterns that may be completed using any one given ball.
[0074] Playing a bingo game of the present invention, it is
possible to incorporate nearly all of the features that are
currently popular in Las Vegas style video poker games. For
instance, one of the most popular video poker innovations of the
last ten years is multi-handed video poker as described in U.S.
Pat. No. 5,823,873 incorporated herein by reference. The most
popular embodiment of the '873 patent is a video poker game
commonly known as Triple Play.RTM. poker. In Triple Plays poker a
player is dealt one video poker hand and the cards that the player
wishes to hold in the first hand are also used in a second and
possibly third hand. This type of poker game could easily be
converted to the last embodiment of the invention disclosed herein
by allowing the player to purchase multiple bingo cards, but
initially displaying just a single bingo card 900. After the player
makes his initial daub decisions at block 574, the gaming terminal
creates the additional bingo cards that were previously purchased.
However, unlike the first bingo card 900 that had all fifty-two
spots randomly assigned a number, the additional cards will
maintain the five spots that match to the first five bingo balls
drawn and will mark any of these spots as daubed if they were
daubed on the original card. The remaining forty-seven bingo
numbers will then be randomly distributed in the matrix of the
additional bingo cards. It would also be a simple matter to
incorporate "wild" spots into the matrix or multiplier spots into
the matrix that double the pay table, thus approximating wild cards
and multiplier jokers.
[0075] While this invention has been described with respect to
several specific embodiments thereof, it should be understood that
the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but
rather that the invention is intended to cover various
modifications and equivalent arrangements which will be apparent to
those skilled in the art. It is thus to be understood that the
invention should not be limited by the description, and that
modifications and variations in the present invention may be made
without departing from the novel aspects of this invention as
defined in the claims.
* * * * *