Personal tournaments

Inventors: Jeffery Shepherd (Reno, NV); Kevin Higgins (Reno, NV); Donald Dusich (Reno, NV)

Assignee: IGT

G07F17/3276 G07F17/3239 G07F17/3244

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12664861
App. No.: 18/539,784
Granted: Jun 23, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

Gaming systems and methods that provide a display of a plurality of different personal tournaments, enable a player to select one of the personal tournaments, cause a display and enable the player to play the selected personal tournament, determine if the player achieves or exceeds a standard for the play of the personal tournament, determine any award for the play of the personal tournament based on whether the player achieves or exceeds the standard for the play of the personal tournament, cause a display of any such determined award, and cause any such determined award to be provided to the player.

Claims (37)

1 . A gaming system comprising:

a personal tournament controller, personal tournament controller comprising a processor and a memory device storing a plurality of instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

cause a display, by a display device of an electronic gaming machine, of an indication of personal tournament, wherein the personal tournament comprises a standard, wherein the personal tournament comprises plays of a tournament game, wherein standard cannot be achieved in a single play of the tournament game, wherein the standard can be achieved in a plurality of the plays of the tournament game, and wherein the personal tournament is not against any other competitors, players, or electronic gaming machines,

cause a display, by the display device of the electronic gaming machine, of an indication of the standard of the personal tournament,

cause a display, by the display device of the electronic gaming machine, of a play of the personal tournament comprising the plays of the tournament game of the personal tournament,

cause a display, by the display device of the electronic gaming machine, of an indication that the standard for the play of the personal tournament is achieved or exceeded, and

cause a display, by the display device of the electronic gaming machine, of an indication of an amount based on the standard for the play of the personal tournament being achieved or exceeded, wherein the standard is different than the amount.

2 . The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to cause a service window displayed by the display device of the electronic gaming machine to display the indication of personal tournament, the indication of the standard of the personal tournament, the play of the personal tournament, the indication of the standard for the play of the personal tournament being achieved or exceeded, and the indication of the amount for the standard for the play of the personal tournament being achieved or exceeded.

3 . The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the standard for the play of the personal tournament comprises one of: a predetermined score, a predetermined quantity of credits won, a gross amount won, a net amount won, a quantity of winning tournament game plays, and an accumulation of certain quantity of one or more elements.

4 . The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the selected personal tournament comprises an interim standard, and the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to cause a display, by the display device of the electronic gaming machine, of an indication of the interim standard, an indication of the interim standard for the play of the personal tournament being achieved, and the indication of a benefit from the interim being achieved.

5 . The gaming system of claim 4 , wherein the interim standard is part of the standard for the personal tournament.

6 . The gaming system of claim 4 , wherein the interim standard is part of the standard is one of based directly on the standard for the personal tournament and based indirectly on the standard for the personal tournament.

7 . The gaming system of claim 4 , wherein the interim standard is completely separate from and independent of the standard for the personal tournament.

8 . The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to cause an entry payment for the play of the personal tournament to be paid from credits in a credit meter of the electronic gaming machine.

9 . The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to cause an entry payment for the play of the personal tournament to be paid from funds in an electronic player funds account of the player.

10 . The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to cause an entry payment for the play of the personal tournament to be paid via points in a player tracking account of the player.

11 . A gaming system comprising:

a personal tournament controller comprising a processor and a memory device storing a plurality of instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

cause a display, by a display device of an electronic gaming machine, of indications of a plurality of different personal tournaments, wherein each different personal tournament comprises a different standard, wherein each different personal tournament comprises plays of a different tournament game, wherein for each different personal tournament: (i) the standard of that personal tournament cannot be achieved in a single play of the tournament game of the tournament, and (ii) the standard of that personal tournament can be achieved in a plurality of the plays of the tournament game of that personal tournament, and wherein each different personal tournament is not against any other competitors, players, or electronic gaming machines,

cause a display, by the display device of the electronic gaming machine, of an indication of a player selected one of the different personal tournaments and the standard of the selected personal tournament,

cause a display, by the display device of the electronic gaming machine, of a play of the selected personal tournament comprising the plays of the tournament game of the selected personal tournament,

cause a display, by the display device of the electronic gaming machine, of an indication of the standard for the play of the selected personal tournament being achieved or exceeded, and

cause a display, by the display device of the electronic gaming machine, of an indication of an amount for the standard for the play of the selected personal tournament being achieved or exceeded, wherein the standard is different than the amount.

12 . The gaming system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to cause a service window displayed by the display device of the electronic gaming machine to display the indication of selected personal tournament, the indication of the standard of the selected personal tournament, the play of the selected personal tournament, the indication of the standard for the play of the selected personal tournament being achieved or exceeded, and the indication of the amount for the standard for the play of the selected personal tournament being achieved or exceeded.

13 . The gaming system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to cause an entry payment for the play of the selected personal tournament to be paid from credits in a credit meter of the electronic gaming machine.

14 . The gaming system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to cause an entry payment for the play of the selected personal tournament to be paid from funds in an electronic player funds account of the player.

15 . The gaming system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to cause an entry payment for the play of the selected personal tournament to be paid via points in a player tracking account of the player.

16 . A gaming system comprising:

a personal tournament controller comprising a processor and a memory device storing a plurality of instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

cause a display, by a display device of an electronic gaming machine, of indications of a plurality of different personal tournaments, wherein each different personal tournament comprises a different type of standard, wherein each different personal tournament comprises plays of a respective tournament game, wherein for each different personal tournament: (i) the standard of that personal tournament cannot be achieved in a single play of the tournament game of that personal tournament, and (ii) the standard of that personal tournament can be achieved in a plurality of the plays of the tournament game of that personal tournament, and wherein each personal tournament is not against any other competitors, players, or electronic gaming machines,

cause a display, by the display device of the electronic gaming machine, of an indication of a player selected one of the personal tournaments and the standard of the selected personal tournament,

cause a display, by the display device of the electronic gaming machine, of a play of the selected personal tournament comprising the plays of the tournament game of the selected personal tournament,

cause a display, by the display device of the electronic gaming machine, of an indication of the standard for the play of the selected personal tournament being achieved or exceeded, and

17 . The gaming system of claim 16 , wherein the different personal tournament require different entry payment amounts based on the respective different standards, and wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to cause an entry payment for the play of the selected personal tournament to be paid from credits in a credit meter of the electronic gaming machine.

18 . The gaming system of claim 16 , wherein the different personal tournament require different entry payment amounts based on the respective different standards, and wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to cause an entry payment for the play of the selected personal tournament to be paid from funds in an electronic player funds account of the player.

19 . The gaming system of claim 16 , wherein the different personal tournament require different entry payment amounts based on the respective different standards, and wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to cause an entry payment for the play of the selected personal tournament to be paid via points in a player tracking account of the player.