Wagering game method, gaming machine, gaming system, and program product providing an enhanced tournament award feature

A gaming system including:

• (a) one or more display devices;
• (b) a player input system;
• (c) at least one processor;
• and
• (d) at least one memory device storing instructions executable by the at least one processor to:
• (i) receive a tournament play input in the gaming system, the tournament play input being associated with a tournament participant;
• (ii) obtain a tournament play result for the tournament input;
• (iii) determine whether an enhanced tournament play result is to be awarded for the tournament play input or for an additional event in the course of tournament play;
• (iv) where it is determined that the enhanced tournament play result is to be awarded for the tournament play input or additional event, determine an enhanced tournament result value, the enhanced tournament result value comprising a value sufficient to place the tournament participant at a predetermined tournament ranking;
• (v) award the enhanced tournament result value;
• and
• (vi) cause the tournament participant to be displayed in the predetermined tournament ranking at least at one of the one or more display devices of the gaming system.

A program product comprising one or more non-transitory data storage devices storing program code, the program code including:

• (a) player input program code executable to receive a tournament play input through a gaming machine;
• (b) tournament program code executable to obtain a tournament play result for the tournament play input;
• (c) enhancement control program code executable to:
• (i) determine whether an enhanced tournament play result is to be awarded for the tournament play input or for an additional event in the course of tournament play;
• (ii) where it is determined that the enhanced tournament play result is to be awarded for the tournament play input or additional event, determine an enhanced tournament result value, the enhanced tournament result value comprising a value sufficient to place a tournament participant at a predetermined tournament ranking;
• and
• (iii) award the enhanced tournament result value at the gaming machine;
• and
• (d) tournament display program code executable to display the tournament participant in the predetermined tournament ranking at a display device associated with the gaming machine.