IP Library Granted Patent US 7,758,410
Granted Patent B2
US 7,758,410 · App. 10/938,101 · Granted Jul 20, 2010

Gaming terminal with replay bonus feature

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,758,410
App. No.
10/938,101
Granted
Jul 20, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method for conducting a wagering game includes receiving a wager from a player to play the game and providing a plurality of symbol-bearing objects to form a first user-playable hand. The method includes providing the ability to discard, via player selection, one or more of the provided symbol-bearing objects from the first user-playable hand. The discarded symbol-bearing objects are collected and replaced with a replacement symbol-bearing object to form a second user-playable hand. The method includes awarding the player a payoff based on a ranking of the second user-playable hand in response to the second user-playable hand meeting a predetermined criterion. The method includes forming a best-possible hand from the plurality of the symbol-bearing objects of the second user-playable hand and the collected, discarded symbol-bearing objects and awarding a bonus payoff based on a ranking of the best-possible hand in response to the best-possible hand meeting a predetermined criterion.

Claims (15)

1. A method of conducting a wagering game, comprising: receiving a wager from a player to play the game via a wager input device; providing a plurality of symbol-bearing objects to form a first user-playable hand via a processor; providing the ability to discard, via player selection, one or more of the provided symbol-bearing objects from the first user-playable hand; collecting the discarded symbol-bearing objects exclusively for use in a best-possible hand for the player; replacing each of the discarded symbol-bearing objects with a replacement symbol-bearing object to form a second user-playable hand; awarding the player a payoff based on a ranking of the second user-playable hand in response to the second user-playable hand meeting a predetermined criterion; forming the best-possible hand from a combination of the plurality of the symbol-bearing objects of the second user-playable hand and the collected, discarded symbol-bearing objects; and awarding a bonus payoff based on a ranking of the best-possible hand in response to the best-possible hand meeting a predetermined criterion.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the payoff award is based on an award value contained within a pay table.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the bonus payoff is a multiple of the award value contained within the pay table.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the bonus payoff is three times the award value contained within the pay table.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein a maximum of four symbol-bearing objects are able to be discarded from the first user-playable hand.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ability to discard one or more of the symbol-bearing objects from the first user-playable hand is limited to the ability to discard one or more of the symbol-bearing objects that do not meet a predetermined criterion within the first user-playable hand.

7. A method of conducting a wagering game, comprising: receiving a wager from a player to play the game via a wager input device; displaying a plurality of playing cards to form a first user-playable hand via a processor; providing the ability to discard, via player selection, one or more of the displayed playing cards from the first user-playable hand; collecting the discarded playing cards in a discard area exclusively for use in a best-possible hand for the player; replacing each of the discarded playing cards with a replacement playing card to form a second user-playable hand; awarding the player a payoff based on a ranking of the second user-playable hand in response to the second user-playable hand meeting a predetermined criterion; forming the best-possible hand from a combination of the plurality of the playing cards of the second user-playable hand and the playing cards collected in the discard area; and awarding a bonus payoff based on a ranking of the best-possible hand in response to the best- possible hand meeting a predetermined criterion.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the ability to discard one or more cards from the first user-playable hand is limited to the ability to discard one or more cards which do not meet a predetermined criterion within the first user-playable hand.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the predetermined criterion are defined in a pay table.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first user-playable hand, the second user-playable hand, and the best-possible hand each include five playing cards.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the predetermined criterion are five-card poker hands.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the playing cards are displayed and replaced from a standard 52-card set of playing cards.

13. A method of conducting an electronic poker game, comprising: receiving a wager from a player to play the game via a wager input device; displaying, on a display, five playing cards to form a first user-playable hand via a processor; allowing a single discard round based on the wager the single discard round including player selection of one or more of the five displayed playing cards from the first user-playable hand; collecting the discarded playing cards in a discard area on the display exclusively for use in a best-possible hand for the player; replacing each of the discarded playing cards with a replacement playing card to form a second user-playable hand of five cards; forming the best possible hand from a combination of the second user playable hand and the discarded playing cards based solely on the single discard round; and awarding a bonus payoff based on a ranking of the best-possible hand in response to the best-possible hand meeting a predetermined criterion solely after the single discard round.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the ability to discard one or more of the five playing cards from the first user-playable hand is limited to the ability to discard one or more of the playing cards that do not meet a predetermined criterion within the first user-playable hand.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the playing cards are displayed and replaced from a standard 52-card set of playing cards.

Assignments (7)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 21, 2022
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
To: SCIENTIFIC GAMES INTERNATIONAL, INC.; WMS GAMING INC.; BALLY GAMING, INC.; DON BEST SPORTS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 059756/0397 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 20, 2020
From: BALLY GAMING, INC.
To: SG GAMING, INC.
Reel/Frame 051643/0253 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS (RELEASES REEL/FRAME 034530/0318) Recorded Nov 5, 2018
From: DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS
To: SCIENTIFIC GAMES INTERNATIONAL, INC.; BALLY GAMING, INC.; WMS GAMING INC.
Reel/Frame 047924/0701 →
MERGER Recorded Jul 29, 2015
From: WMS GAMING INC.
To: BALLY GAMING, INC.
Reel/Frame 036225/0048 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 4, 2014
From: BALLY GAMING, INC; SCIENTIFIC GAMES INTERNATIONAL, INC; WMS GAMING INC.
To: DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 034530/0318 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 18, 2013
From: SCIENTIFIC GAMES INTERNATIONAL, INC.; WMS GAMING INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 031847/0110 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 10, 2004
From: HUGHES, DARRYL W.
To: WMS GAMING, INC.
Reel/Frame 015802/0837 →