Gaming machines and methods particularly for use in environments imposing prize restrictions
View Patent ↗Method, apparatus, and program products relating to a multi-mode game play. A player places a bet through a player station to commence play in a first play mode of a multi-mode game. The first play mode may award a prize specified as a number of plays at a different (“second”) play mode. The second play mode has a different associated prize structure and a higher expected net value per play as compared to the first play mode. Once the player has played the specified number of plays at the second play mode the game switches back to the first play mode for additional plays.
1. A method including:
(a) receiving a first wager at a player station, the first wager being received for a first game play;
(b) initiating the first game play at the player station and displaying a result for that respective game play through a display system of the player station, the first game play being in a first play mode associated with a first prize structure that provides a first expected net value per play and includes a prize level that correlates to a second play mode prize, the second play mode prize specifying a number of game plays in a second play mode which is associated with a second prize structure, the second prize structure providing a second expected net value per play that is greater than the first expected net value per play;
(c) when the result for the first game play correlates to the second play mode prize, switching the player station to operate in the second play mode so as to facilitate a respective game play in the second play mode at the player station for each of the number of plays specified by the second play mode prize; and
(d) at the player station, receiving a second wager for a respective game play in the second play mode, and then initiating the respective game play in the second play mode at the player station and displaying a result for that respective game play through the display system of the player station.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first prize structure includes a prize level that correlates to an additional second play mode prize, the additional second play mode prize specifying a number of game plays in an additional second play mode which is associated with an additional second prize structure, the additional second prize structure providing a third expected net value per play that is greater than the first expected net value per play and is different from the second expected net value per play.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first prize structure and the second prize structure each includes a common set of prizes defined in terms of a fixed prize.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first prize structure includes two or more second mode prizes, each second mode prize specifying a respective number of plays in the second play mode.
5. The method of claim 3 wherein the probability of winning a respective prize included in the common set of prizes is higher in the second prize structure than in the first prize structure.
6. A player station comprising:
(a) a user interface;
(b) a visual display device; and
(c) a processor accessing software programming stored on a local or remote memory device, the processor in communication with the user interface and the visual display device, the software programming being executable by the processor to:
(i) for a first wager entered through the user interface, initiate a first game play at the player station, the first game play being initiated while the player station is in a first play mode having associated therewith a first prize structure, the first prize structure including a prize defined as a specified number of plays in a second play mode, the second play mode having an associated second prize structure, the second prize structure having an expected net value per play higher than that of the first prize structure,
(ii) in response to a result for the first game play correlating to the prize defined as the specified number of plays in the second play mode, cause the processor to switch the player station from the first play mode to the second play mode, and
(iii) for a second wager entered through the user interface while the player station is in the second play mode, cause the processor to initiate a second game play at the player station in the second play mode.
7. The player station of claim 6 wherein the second prize structure includes no prize having a payout of more than ten times the second wager or no more than a specified monetary value.
8. The player station of claim 6 wherein the first prize structure includes a prize level that correlates to an additional second play mode prize, the additional second play mode prize specifying a number of game plays in an additional second play mode which is associated with an additional second prize structure, the additional second prize structure being different from the second prize structure.
9. The player station of claim 6 wherein the first prize structure includes a set of fixed prizes and the second prize structure includes the same set of fixed prizes.
10. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program product, the program product including:
(a) first play mode program code executable to initiate a first game play at a player station for a first wager and to cause a result for that respective game play to be displayed through a display system of the player station, the first game play being in a first play mode associated with a first prize structure that provides a first expected net value per play and includes a prize level that correlates to a second play mode prize, the second play mode prize specifying a number of game plays in a second play mode which is associated with a second prize structure, the second prize structure providing a second expected net value per play that is greater than the first expected net value per play;
(b) second play mode program code executable to (i), when the result for the first game play correlates to the second play mode prize, cause the player station to switch to operate in the second play mode so as to facilitate a respective game play in the second play mode at the player station for each of the number of game plays specified by the second play mode prize, and to (ii) upon receipt of a second wager for a respective play in the second play mode, initiate the respective game play in the second play mode at the player station and cause the display system of the player station to display a result for that respective game.
11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the first prize structure includes no prize of more than ten times the first wager or no more than a specified monetary value.
12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the first prize structure includes a prize level that correlates to an additional second play mode prize, the additional second play mode prize specifying a number of game plays in an additional second play mode which is associated with an additional second prize structure, and further including additional second play mode program code executable to facilitate a game play in the additional second play mode in response to the award of the prize level that correlates to the additional second play mode prize.
13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the first prize structure includes a set of fixed prizes and the second prize structure includes the same set of fixed prizes.
14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the probability of winning a prize is higher in the second prize structure than the probability of winning a prize in the first prize structure.