Gaming system with multiple generic and subgeneric characteristics
View Patent ↗A reel-type display wagering game is provided in which the symbols on the frames or positions of the pay line display are capable of having an ordered arrangement of separately provided and separately determined generic symbols and species symbols. The generic symbols may be provided in a number of ways. The generic symbols may be provided in a separate set of reels or frames, or may be added as subtext or supertext on the same frame or reel position as the species symbols.
1. A method of playing a wagering game comprising:
a player placing a wager in a wagering machine having a processor;
the wagering machine displaying at least a single payline of multiple symbols, the multiple symbols having a predetermined indication of order;
the processor independently selecting one of a plurality of generic characteristics for each of the multiple symbols and independently selecting one of a plurality of separate subgeneric characteristics for each of the multiple symbols;
the processor determining from the displayed generic characteristics of the multiple symbols alone on the payline whether the symbols have at least one of at least two available predetermined orders of the selected generic characteristics that are associated with a first award; and
providing the player with an additional award when the determined at least one of the at least two available predetermined orders of generic characteristics includes a predetermined order of the selected separate subgeneric characteristics.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the generic characteristics determined for the multiple symbols comprise playing card suit symbols also have rank symbol modifiers that distinguish like generic characteristics determined for the multiple symbols into subsets, and at least one event consisting of fewer than all of the multiple symbols on a single payline having a same generic characteristic as well as all of the multiple symbols on the single payline having the same generic characteristic symbol will assure the first award on the wager.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein increased awards above the first award are provided when the subgeneric characteristics of playing card ranks appear in a predetermined order of ranks.
4. The method of claim 2 wherein increased awards above the first award are provided when the subgeneric characteristics of playing card ranks appear in a predetermined order of ranks.
5. The method of claim 3 wherein awards vary in amount with respect to at least one predetermined order of subgeneric characteristics with one generic characteristic present in a set of symbols as compared to a same at least one other predetermined order of subgeneric characteristics with a second and different generic characteristic present in the set of symbols.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein awards vary in amount with respect to at least one predetermined order of subgeneric characteristics with one generic characteristic present in a set of symbols as compared to a same at least one other predetermined order of subgeneric characteristics with a second and different generic characteristic present in the set of symbols.
7. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least two predetermined orders of characteristics comprise orders other then Royal Flushes with card symbols in ascending or descending order.
8. The method of claim 4 wherein the at least two predetermined orders of characteristics comprise orders other then Royal Flushes with card symbols in ascending or descending order.
9. The method of claim 5 wherein the at least two predetermined orders of characteristics comprise orders other then Royal Flushes with card symbols in ascending or descending order.
10. The method of claim 6 wherein the at least two predetermined orders of characteristics comprise orders other then Royal Flushes with card symbols in ascending or descending order.
11. The method of claim 5 wherein each frame in the at least one payline having a number of frames has a number of subgeneric characteristics available, exclusive of blank spaces, that is equal to the number of frames in the payline.
12. The method of claim 5 wherein each frame in the at least one payline having a number of frames has a number of subgeneric characteristics available, exclusive of blank spaces, that is equal to the number of frames in the payline, and the number of frames on a payline is five, and the sudgeneric characteristics available consist of Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks and Tens.
13. The method of claim 5 wherein at least two predetermined orders in a five frame payline that are payouts are selected from the group consisting of:
A-K-Q;
A-K-Q-J;
Q-K-A;
J-Q-K-A;
A-K; and
K-A.
14. A gaming apparatus for playing a computer based wagering game comprising:
a housing;
a processor;
a symbol display area; and
user interface capacity;
wherein the processor is programmed to randomly provide symbols on at least one payline, the processor executing a program to perform a method comprising:
a player placing a wager in a wagering machine having a processor;
the wagering machine displaying at least a single payline of multiple symbols, the multiple symbols having a predetermined indication of order;
the processor independently selecting one of a plurality of generic characteristics for each of the multiple symbols and independently selecting one of a plurality of separate subgeneric characteristics for each of the multiple symbols;
the processor determining from the displayed generic characteristics of the multiple symbols alone on the payline whether the symbols have at least one of at least two available predetermined orders of the selected generic characteristics that are associated with an award;
providing the player with an additional award when the determined at least one of the at least two available predetermined orders of generic characteristics includes a predetermined order of the selected separate subgeneric characteristics; and
wherein the generic characteristics determined for the multiple symbols comprise playing card suit symbols also have rank symbol modifiers that distinguish like generic characteristics determined for the multiple symbols into subsets, and at least one event consisting of fewer than all of the multiple symbols on a single payline having a same generic characteristic as well as all of the multiple symbols on the single payline having the same generic characteristic symbol will assure a first award on the wager.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the generic characteristics shown on the multiple symbols also have subgeneric characteristic symbol modifiers that distinguish symbols having a same generic characteristic into subsets and programming requires that the at least two different predetermined orders of subgeneric characteristics also have same generic characteristic symbol modifiers.