GAMING BONUS HAVING ODD-INCREASING WINS
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to gaming devices having bonuses with odd-increasing wins and methods of operating gaming systems and gaming devices to provide bonuses that have better odds of providing awards as the bonus progresses. During game play, bonus selections are awarded and selections are made among covered elements of a linked bonus display. As bonus elements become selected and revealed during a bonus cycle, the odds of a jackpot value being selected increase. In some variations, players direct which element is selected and revealed.
1 . A gaming system comprising:
a plurality of gaming devices;
a bonus controller connected to the plurality of gaming devices; and
a bonus display connected to the bonus controller, the bonus display including a plurality of covered bonus elements, wherein the bonus display is configured to reveal at least one selected element in response to a bonus trigger event.
2 . The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of bonus elements on the bonus display are arranged in a grid.
3 . The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of bonus elements include at least two layers of possible awards.
4 . The gaming system of claim 3 , wherein each of the layers are associated with a different eligibility criterion.
5 . The gaming system of claim 4 , wherein the bonus controller is configured to only provide those awards associated with layers with eligibility criteria satisfied by the player.
6 . The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the bonus controller is configured to receive a selection signal from a triggering game device.
7 . The gaming system of claim 6 , wherein the selection signal identifies a unique bonus element to be selected.
8 . The gaming system of claim 6 , wherein the selection signal identifies a group of bonus elements, the bonus controller further configured to make a random selection among the selected group of bonus elements.
9 . The gaming system of claim 6 , wherein a player is given a set number of selections to use during a bonus cycle, the bonus controller configured to update the number of available selections for the player when the selection is received.
10 . The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the bonus display includes a plurality of face-down cards.
11 . The gaming system of claim 10 , wherein each face-down card includes a bonus award amount or a card value on the face of the card.
12 . The gaming system of claim 11 , wherein a selected card with a card value can be used with a video poker hand to generate a final poker hand.
13 . A method of operating a gaming system having a plurality of gaming devices connected to a bonus display showing a plurality of bonus elements, the method comprising:
receiving a signal from a gaming device that a bonus element on the bonus display is to be selected;
selecting at least one of the bonus elements on the bonus display to reveal any awards associated with the selected bonus element;
providing an award to the gaming device from which the signal was received when an eligible award is associated with the selected bonus element; and
determining if the bonus elements on the bonus display are to be reset.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein receiving a signal from a gaming device that a bonus element on the bonus display is to be selected includes receiving a selection indication of a unique one of the bonus elements.
15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein selecting at least one of the bonus elements on the bonus display to reveal any awards associated with the selected bonus element includes randomly selecting the at least one bonus element.
16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein determining if the bonus elements on the bonus display are to be reset, includes determining if all bonus elements associated with eligible awards are revealed.
17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein determining if the bonus elements on the bonus display are to be reset, includes determining if all bonus elements have been revealed.
18 . The method of claim 14 , wherein determining if the bonus elements on the bonus display are to be reset includes determining if a bonus element associated with a jackpot award has been selected.
19 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising generating a bonus selection hint and communicating the bonus selection hint to qualifying players.
20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the bonus selection hint generated and communicated includes a group of the bonus elements to select from.