Wagering Game With Upgradable Symbol Stacks
AssigneeWMS Gaming Inc.
InventorsAnthony J. Baerlocher, Daniel P. Louie
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gaming system includes one or more input devices, display devices, processors, and memory devices. At least one of the memory devices store instructions that cause the system to receive a wager and to display at least one array having a plurality of columns. An outcome is randomly selected, in response to the wager, in which a first column is stacked with a stack of symbols of a first rank and a second column is stacked with a stack of symbols of a second rank. The first rank is compared with the second rank to determine a high rank and a low rank according to a predetermined pay table. The stack of symbols of the low rank is upgraded to a stack of symbols of the high rank.
Claims20
A gaming system comprising:
- one or more input devices;
- one or more display devices;
- one or more processors;
- and
- one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the gaming system to:
- receive a wager in response to an input via at least one of the one or more input devices,
- display on at least one of the one or more display devices at least one array comprising a plurality of columns,
- randomly select, in response to the wager, an outcome in which a first column is completely stacked with a stack of symbols of a first rank and a second column is completely stacked with a stack of symbols of a second rank,
- compare the first rank and the second rank to determine a high rank and a low rank according to a predetermined pay table, and
- upgrade the stack of symbols of the low rank to a stack of symbols having the high rank.
A gaming system comprising:
- one or more input devices;
- one or more display devices;
- one or more processors;
- and
- one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the gaming system to:
- receive a wager in response to an input via at least one of the one or more input devices,
- display on at least one of the one or more display devices at least one array comprising a plurality of columns with symbol positions for being populated with symbols having an assigned rank according to a predetermined pay table,
- in response to an initial spin, achieve a first outcome in which a first column of the plurality of columns is a stacked column with all column positions being populated with a stack of symbols of a first rank, other ones of the plurality of columns being non-stacked columns with column positions being populated with symbols of different ranks,
- in response to the first outcome, maintain the first column with the stack of symbols of the same first rank and re-spin the non-stacked columns,
- in response to the re-spin, achieve a second outcome in which a second column of the non-stacked columns is now a stacked column with all column positions being populated with a stack of symbols of a second rank,
- compare the first rank and the second rank to determine a high rank and a low rank according to the predetermined pay table, and
- upgrade the stack of symbols of the low rank to a stack of symbols having the high rank.
A computer-implemented method in a gaming system, comprising:
- receiving a wager in response to an input via at least one input device of one or more input devices;
- displaying on at least one display device of one or more display devices at least one array comprising a plurality of columns;
- randomly selecting, by at least one of one or more processors, in response to the wager, an outcome in which a first column is stacked with a stack of symbols of a first rank and a second column is stacked with a stack of symbols of a second rank;
- comparing, by at least one of the one or more processors, the first rank and the second rank to determine a high rank and a low rank according to a predetermined pay table;
- and
- upgrading, by at least one of the one or more processors, the stack of symbols of the low rank to a stack of symbols having the high rank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.