Multi-station gaming system and method
View Patent ↗Gaming methods, apparatus, and program products prompt players to move between different gaming machines or player stations ( 103 ) included in a gaming system ( 100 ). One preferred method includes receiving a player input at a first player station ( 103 ) in a network gaming system ( 100 ). Upon receiving the player input at the first player station ( 103 ), a station changing prompt is produced at the first player station ( 103 ). A multi-station game result for the player is then awarded to the player after the player makes some input at a second player station ( 103 ) in the system.
1. A method including:
(a) initiating a course of play in a single-station game for a player at a first player station in response to a single-station game selection input for the first player station;
(b) in the absence of a request for the player at the first player station to participate in a multi-station game, displaying a station changing prompt at the first player station to interrupt the course of play in the single-station game at the first player station, the station changing prompt presenting the player at the first player station with options including (i) an option to continue the course of play in the single-station game at the first player station and (ii) an option to participate in the multi-station game, the multi-station game requiring the player to move to a second player station; and
(c) producing a multi-station game result for the player in response to a player input at the second player station.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein producing the multi-station game result for the player includes identifying a multiplier to be applied to an additional game result for a game conducted at a respective player station included in a gaming system.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein producing the multi-station game result for the player includes crediting a player account for the player.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the station changing prompt identifies the second player station so that the player at the first player station may locate the second player station.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the station changing prompt describes an identifying display at the second player station, and the method further includes changing a display appearance at the second player station to the identifying display.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the station changing prompt is produced upon completion of a single-station game cycle at the first player station.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the station changing prompt is produced after a start of a single-station game cycle and before an end of the single-station game cycle.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the single-station game selection input for the first player station comprises a player login at the first player station.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first player station is located in a peripheral area of a casino and further including selecting the second player station based on its location in a relatively more central area of the casino as compared to the peripheral area.
10. The method of claim 1 further including the step of selecting a target player station in the gaming system to which the player must move to participate in the multi-station game, the target player station being selected based upon play characteristics of the target player station and being identified by the station changing prompt.
11. The method of claim 1 further including measuring elapsed time between the display of the station changing prompt at the first player station and the player input at the second player station.
12. A system including:
(a) a first player station and a second player station; and
(b) a multi-station game controller for (i) directing the first player station to display a station changing prompt during a course of play for a player in a single-station game where the course of play has been initiated at the first player station in response to a single-station game selection input for the first player station, and where the first player station is directed to display the station changing prompt in the absence of a request by the player at the first player station to participate in a multi-station game, for (ii) monitoring for a prompted player input at the second player station, and for (iii) awarding a multi-station game result in response to the prompted player input at the second player station, wherein the station changing prompt presents the player at the first player station with options including (I) an option to continue the course of play in the single-station game and (II) an option to participate in the multi-station game, the multi-station game requiring the player to move to the second player station.
13. The system of claim 12 wherein the multi-station game controller includes a game conducting controller for conducting the multi-station game requiring player actions at the first player station and the second player station, and an evaluation controller for producing the multi-station game result according to the player actions at the first player station and the second player station.
14. The system of claim 12 wherein the first player station is located at a peripheral area of a casino and the second player station is located at a relatively more central area of the casino as compared to the peripheral area of the casino.
15. The system of claim 12 wherein the multi-station game controller awards the multi-station game result in response to a player login by the player at the second player station.
16. The system of claim 12 wherein the multi-station game controller awards the multi-station game result based on a game result for the player at the second player station.
17. A program product stored on at least one computer readable medium, the program product including a set of machine-readable instructions that when executed are configured to:
(a) initiate a course of play in a single-station game for a player at a first player station in response to a single-station game selection input for the first player station;
(b) in the absence of a request for the player at the first player station to participate in a multi-station game, cause a station changing prompt to be displayed at the first player station to interrupt the course of play in the single-station game at the first player station, the station changing prompt presenting the player at the first player station with options including (i) an option to continue the course of play in the single-station game at the first player station and (ii) an option to participate in the multi-station game, the multi-station game requiring the player to move to a second player station; and
(c) award a multi-station game result for the player after a player input at the second player station.
18. The program product of claim 17 wherein the machine-readable instructions configured to award the multi-station game result for the player include instructions to measure elapsed time between the display of the station changing prompt at the first player station and the player input at the second player station.
19. The program product of claim 17 wherein the machine-readable instructions configured to cause the station changing prompt to be displayed at the first player station include instructions to identify the second player station based on a relatively more central location of the second player station in a casino as compared to the location of the first player station in the casino.
20. A method including:
(a) receiving a first player input for a player to initiate a single-station game at a first player station in a gaming system;
(b) in the absence of a request for the player at the first player station to participate in a multi-station game, displaying a station changing prompt at the first player station during a course of play of the single-station game, the station changing prompt giving the player at the first player station options including (i) an option of moving from the first player station to a second player station in the gaming system to complete a multi-station game and (ii) an option of continuing the course of play of the single-station game; and
(c) awarding a multi-station game result for the player in response to a prompted player input at the second player station.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein the station changing prompt identifies the second player station by a characteristic of the second player station.
22. The method of claim 20 further including selecting the second player station based on the position of the second player station at a relatively more central location of a casino as compared to the location of the first player station in the casino.
23. The method of claim 20 further including selecting the second player station based at least in part on a play characteristic of the second player station.
24. The method of claim 20 further including measuring elapsed time between the display of the station changing prompt at the first player station and the player input at the second player station.