Gaming machine with collectible game cards
View Patent ↗A gaming machine for conducting a wagering game includes a plurality of game cards that may be read by one or more card readers of the gaming machine. The game cards may provide a variety of enhancements for the gaming machine, including enhanced game features, enhanced rules of game play, enhanced game characters, and the like. Players may collect the game cards for use in the gaming machine in hopes of increasing their likelihood of achieving a desirable outcome or altering the characteristics of the game to offer more entertaining variations on game play. The players may also trade the game cards with one another and with the casino, thereby creating excitement and interest in the gaming machine. Special interest groups and even entire industries may be formed to facilitate the collecting and trading of the game cards.
1. A gaming machine, comprising:
a wager input device operable to accept a wager input from a player at said gaming machine;
a game display operable to display an outcome of said wagering game in response to said wager input, said outcome being randomly selected from a plurality of available outcomes for said wagering game; and
a data input device configured to receive a plurality of handheld data storage media and operable to read data stored on said plurality of handheld data storage media into said gaming machine, each handheld data storage media storing data representing one or more potential enhancements for said wagering game;
wherein said game display is operable to present at least one predetermined enhancement to said player in response to said data input device reading said plurality of handheld data storage media, said at least one predetermined enhancement being based on a sequence in which said plurality of said handheld data storage media are read by said data input device, said at least one predetermined enhancement including a first enhancement when said plurality of said handheld data storage media are entered in a first sequence and said at least one predetermined enhancement including a second enhancement when said plurality of said handheld data storage media are entered in a second sequence, said first enhancement being different than said second enhancement.
2. The gaming machine according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one enhancement is independent of previous wagering games played by said player.
3. The gaming machine according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one enhancement comprises one or more game feature enhancements.
4. The gaming machine according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one enhancement comprises one or more game character enhancements.
5. The gaming machine according to claim 4 , wherein said one or more game character enhancements comprise tangible assets for a game character in said wagering game.
6. The gaming machine according to claim 4 , wherein said one or more game character enhancements comprise intangible assets for a game character in said wagering game.
7. The gaming machine according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one enhancement comprises one or more rule modifications for said wagering game.
8. The gaming machine according to claim 7 , wherein said one or more-rule modifications for said wagering game comprise one or more of enhancement of payouts, selection of wagering game variations, unlocking of locked wagering games, ramping up of an expected value of said wagering game, conversion to wild symbol, conversion to scatter symbol, multiplication of winnings, performing of mystery functions, and combining of functions.
9. The gaming machine according to claim 1 , wherein said data input device is a platform-type card reader configured to simultaneously receive each of said plurality of handheld storage media.
10. A method of conducting a wagering game on a wagering game system, the method comprising:
receiving a wager via a player input device of a wagering game machine of the wagering game system;
initiating a wagering game, via a controller for the wagering game, in response to receiving said wager;
reading, via a game card reader, data from a plurality of game cards, each of said data from each of said plurality of game cards representing one or more potential enhancements for said wagering game;
and
presenting at least one enhancement during said wagering game in response to said data from said plurality of game cards being read into said gaming machine, said at least one enhancement being based on a sequence in which each of said plurality of game cards was read via said game card reader.
11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising providing said plurality of game cards to said player for a fee and factoring said fee into an expected value of said wagering game.
12. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising providing said plurality of game cards to said player free of charge and factoring any additional benefits said player may derive from said plurality of game cards into an expected value of said wagering game.
13. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising allowing said player to select one or more of said plurality of game cards to be read into said gaming system.
14. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising randomly selecting one or more of said plurality of game cards to be read into said gaming system.
15. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising offering said player an opportunity to replenish one or more of said plurality of game cards when said one or more of said plurality of game cards expire.
16. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said wagering game is a multi-player wagering game in which multiple players compete against one another using said plurality of game cards, each player having a respective set of game cards.
17. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising customizing an artwork for each game card according to one or more enhancements represented by said game card.
18. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said at least one enhancement unlocks an aspect of said wagering game.
19. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said at least one enhancement is further based on a state of said wagering game.
20. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said plurality of game cards include an indication of said sequence and said at least one enhancement.
21. A method of conducting a wagering game on a wagering game system including a wagering game machine conducting the wagering game thereon, the method comprising:
providing a plurality of game cards operatively associated with the wagering game, each of said plurality of game cards being associated with data representing one or more potential enhancements for said wagering game conducted on the wagering game machine, said plurality of game cards including a first game card and a second game card;
processing, via a game controller, data associated with said first game card;
processing, via said game controller, data associated with said second game card;
in response to said data associated with said first game card being processed prior to said data associated with said second game card being processed, presenting at least a first enhancement for said wagering game; and
in response to said data associated with said second game card being processed prior to said data associated with said first game card being processed, presenting at least a second enhancement for said wagering game, said first enhancement being different than said second enhancement.
22. The method according to claim 21 , wherein said plurality of game cards are virtual game cards stored on a network.
23. The method according to claim 21 , wherein said providing comprises endowing at least one of said plurality of game cards with a function that complements at least another one of said plurality of game cards.
24. The method according to claim 21 , wherein said providing comprises endowing at least one of said plurality of game cards with a function that only works when combined with at least another one of said plurality of game cards.
25. The method according to claim 21 , wherein said plurality of game cards comprise tangible objects configured to store said associated data, the method further comprising reading data borne by said plurality of game cards, via a game card reader of the wagering game machine.
26. The method according to claim 21 , wherein said providing comprises establishing an wagering game system based exchange for said game cards, said exchange allowing trade of said plurality of game cards on the wagering game system between players at different wagering game machines of said wagering game system.
27. The method according to claim 21 , wherein said plurality of game cards comprise virtual objects retrievably digitally stored on a network, the method further comprising retrieving data indicative of one or more of said plurality of game cards via the network in response to a signal from a user input device.