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US 2003/0228902 A1Published application
Gaming device method and apparatus employing modified payouts
AssigneeWalker Digital, LLC
InventorsJay S. Walker, James A. Jorasch, Scott T. Friesen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention includes a system and method for a gaming device to determine when to offer a player an opportunity to play using a “jackpot only” pay table. The player may choose to accept the gaming device's offer to switch from using a conventional pay table to using a pay table that only pays top payout amounts. Play with a jackpot only pay table may only require a small wager amount as compared to play with a conventional pay table. Play with a jackpot only pay table may be automated to generate outcomes quickly to allow a player to relatively inexpensively avoid spending time playing a gaming device perceived to be in a “cold period.”
Claims40
A method comprising:
- determining whether to offer a player of a gaming device a choice to switch the gaming device from using a first payout table to using a second payout table, wherein the second payout table consists exclusively of winning outcomes that pay only jackpots and losing outcomes that pay nothing;
- presenting the offer to the player based on the determining;
- and
- receiving an election from the player to switch the gaming device from using the first payout table to using the second payout table.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- monitoring play at a gaming device to determine if a player at the gaming device perceives that the gaming device is in a cold period;
- offering, based on the monitoring, the player of the gaming device an opportunity to switch the gaming device from using a first payout table to using a second payout table, wherein the second payout table consists exclusively of winning outcomes that pay only jackpots and losing outcomes that pay nothing;
- and
- receiving an acceptance of the offer from the player to switch the gaming device from using the first payout table to using the second payout table,
- wherein the winning outcomes correspond to a plurality of different outcome indicia combinations,
- wherein the jackpots include a plurality of jackpot amounts,
- wherein each jackpot amount is greater than a predefined multiple of a number of standard deviations of an average payout amount of the first payout table,
- wherein the average payout amount of the first payout table is computed based upon at least one of:
- an average of all possible payout amounts specified in the first payout table, and
- a weighted average of all possible payout amounts specified in the first payout table wherein the weighting is based upon a number of outcomes associated with each payout amount in the first payout table.
7 more elements
A gaming device comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- a memory coupled to the processor,
- wherein the memory stores a program and a database,
- wherein the database includes a first payout table and a second payout table, and
- wherein the program includes instructions executable on the processor that are operable to:
- determine whether to offer a player of a gaming device a choice to switch the gaming device from using the first payout table to using the second payout table, wherein the second payout table consists exclusively of winning outcomes that pay only jackpots and losing outcomes that pay nothing;
- present the offer to the player based on the determination of whether to offer the choice to switch;
- and
- receive an election from the player to switch the gaming device from using the first payout table to using the second payout table.
7 more elements
A gaming device comprising:
- a processor;
- an input/output device coupled to the processor;
- and
- a memory coupled to the processor,
- wherein the memory stores a program and a database,
- wherein the database includes a first payout table and a second payout table, and
- wherein the program includes instructions executable on the processor that are operable to:
- monitor play at a gaming device to determine if a player at the gaming device is frustrated or perceives that the gaming device is in a cold period;
- determine whether to offer, based on the determination of the player's mood or perception, the player of the gaming device an opportunity to switch the gaming device from using a first payout table to using a second payout table, wherein the second payout table consists exclusively of winning outcomes that pay only jackpots and losing outcomes that pay nothing;
- and
- receive, via the input/output device, an acceptance of the offer from the player to switch the gaming device from using the first payout table to using the second payout table,
- wherein the winning outcomes correspond to a plurality of different outcome indicia combinations,
- wherein the jackpots include a plurality of jackpot amounts,
- wherein each jackpot amount is greater than a predefined multiple of a number of standard deviations of an average payout amount of the first payout table,
- wherein the average payout amount of the first payout table is computed based upon at least one of:
- an average of all possible payout amounts specified in the first payout table, and
- a weighted average of all possible payout amounts specified in the first payout table wherein the weighting is based upon a number of outcomes associated with each payout amount in the first payout table.
14 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.