Gaming device having multiple game play option

Embodiments of this concept are directed to gaming devices that are configured to initiate multiple gaming events in response to a player input. The gaming device may include game initiating inputs that initiate a predetermined number of gaming events in response to the player input, or the gaming device may include configurable game initiating inputs that initiate a number of gaming events specified by the player, specified the gaming device, or specified by a gaming server. The gaming device or gaming server may set the number of initiated game events in response to the occurrence of a triggering event.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates generally to gaming devices, and more particularly to gaming devices configured to initiate multiple gaming events in response to a player input, as well as methods of operating gaming devices to initiate multiple gaming events.

BACKGROUND

In general, players gamble by placing a wager on a gaming event at a gaming device and make some input to initiate the gaming event. For example, on a typical spinning reel slot machine, a player may place a wager of a dollar and pull a game handle to spin the reels of the gaming device. When the reels come to rest, any awards associated with symbols shown the reels in conjunction with a displayed payline are paid. Then the player repeats the above process to play another gaming event. Some gaming devices include special initiation buttons, such as a “Max Bet” button that places a maximum wager and initiates the gaming event based on the same player action of pressing the “Max Bet” button. Even in this scenario, however, the player must still take an action to initiate subsequent gaming events.

Some slot machines also include “free spins” bonuses. After these bonuses are triggered, the player typically receives a predetermined number of “free spins” as a bonus prize. Any awards received during the bonus spins are accumulated and paid out as a bonus win at the end of the free spins. For example, if a bonus awards a player 10 free spins, an indication is displayed to alert the player of the bonus award and the first free spin initiates. When the first free spin concludes, the amounts won, if any, are rolled up in a bonus win meter, and the second free spin automatically begins. This process continues until all of the free spins have been played. At this point the total value of the bonus win meter is added to the player's credit meter. Many variations of this bonus exist. Oftentimes the game display changes color, theme, and sound to signify that the free spins are awarded coming as part of a bonus. Additionally, the reels and pays often change to promote additional wins during the bonus free spins. In each case, however, the bonus itself must be triggered and typically results from a single wager being placed on the gaming device. One common triggering event is a certain symbol combination appearing on the game's display as a result of game on which the player has wagered.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1A and 1Billustrate example gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.

Referring toFIGS. 1A and 1B, a gaming device10is an electronic gaming machine. Although an electronic gaming machine or “slot” machine is illustrated, various other types of devices may be used to wager monetarily based credits on a game of chance in accordance with principles of the invention. The term “electronic gaming device” is meant to include various devices such as electro-mechanical spinning-reel type slot machines, video slot machines, and video poker machines, for instance. Other gaming devices may include computer-based gaming machines, wireless gaming devices, multi-player gaming stations, modified personal electronic gaming devices (such as cell phones), personal computers, server-based gaming terminals, and other similar devices. Although embodiments of the invention will work with all of the gaming types mentioned, for ease of illustration the present embodiments will be described in reference to the electronic gaming machine10shown inFIGS. 1A and 1B.

The gaming device10includes a cabinet15housing components to operate the gaming device10. The cabinet15may include a gaming display20, a base portion13, a top box18, and a player interface panel30. The gaming display20may include mechanical spinning reels (FIG. 2A), a video display (FIGS. 2B and 2C), or a combination of both spinning reels and a video display (not shown). The gaming cabinet15may also include a credit meter27and a coin-in or bet meter28. The credit meter27may indicate the total number of credits remaining on the gaming device10that are eligible to be wagered. In some embodiments, the credit meter27may reflect a monetary unit, such as dollars. However, it is often preferable to have the credit meter27reflect a number of ‘credits,’ rather than a monetary unit. The bet meter28may indicate the amount of credits to be wagered on a particular game. Thus, for each game, the player transfers the amount that he or she wants to wager from the credit meter27to the bet meter28. In some embodiments, various other meters may be present, such as meters reflecting amounts won, amounts paid, or the like. In embodiments where the gaming display20is a video monitor, the information indicated on the credit meters may be shown on the gaming display itself20(FIG. 2B).

The base portion13may include a lighted panel14, a coin return (not shown), and a gaming handle12operable on a partially rotating pivot joint11. The game handle12is traditionally included on mechanical spinning-reel games, where the handle may be pulled toward a player to initiate the spinning of reels22after placement of a wager. The top box18may include a lighted panel17, a video display (such as an LCD monitor), a mechanical bonus device (not shown), and a candle light indicator19. The player interface panel30may include various devices so that a player can interact with the gaming device10.

The player interface panel30may include one or more game buttons32that can be actuated by the player to cause the gaming device10to perform a specific action. For example, some of the game buttons32may cause the gaming device10to bet a credit to be wagered during the next game, change the number of lines being played on a multi-line game, cash out the credits remaining on the gaming device (as indicated on the credit meter27), or request assistance from casino personnel, such as by lighting the candle19. In addition, the player interface panel30may include one or more game actuating buttons33. The game actuating buttons33may initiate a game with a pre-specified amount of credits. On some gaming devices10a “Max Bet” game actuating button33may be included that places the maximum credit wager on a game and initiates the game. The player interface panel30may further include a bill acceptor37and a ticket printer38. The bill acceptor37may accept and validate paper money or previously printed tickets with a credit balance. The ticket printer38may print out tickets reflecting the balance of the credits that remain on the gaming device10when a player cashes out by pressing one of the game buttons32programmed to cause a ‘cashout.’ These tickets may be inserted into other gaming machines or redeemed at a cashier station or kiosk for cash.

The gaming device10may also include one or more speakers26to transmit auditory information or sounds to the player. The auditory information may include specific sounds associated with particular events that occur during game play on the gaming device10. For example, a particularly festive sound may be played during a large win or when a bonus is triggered. The speakers26may also transmit “attract” sounds to entice nearby players when the game is not currently being played.

The gaming device10may further include a secondary display25. This secondary display25may be a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), a plasma screen, or the like. The secondary display25may show any combination of primary game information and ancillary information to the player. For example, the secondary display25may show player tracking information, secondary bonus information, advertisements, or player selectable game options.

The gaming device10may include a separate information window (not shown) dedicated to supplying any combination of information related to primary game play, secondary bonus information, player tracking information, secondary bonus information, advertisements or player selectable game options. This window may be fixed in size and location or may have its size and location vary temporally as communication needs change. One example of such a resizable window is International Game Technology's “service window”. Another example is Las Vegas Gaming Incorporated's retrofit technology which allows information to be placed over areas of the game or the secondary display screen at various times and in various situations.

The gaming device10includes a microprocessor40that controls operation of the gaming device10. If the gaming device10is a standalone gaming device, the microprocessor40may control virtually all of the operations of the gaming devices and attached equipment, such as operating game logic stored in memory (not shown) as firmware, controlling the display20to represent the outcome of a game, communicating with the other peripheral devices (such as the bill acceptor37), and orchestrating the lighting and sound emanating from the gaming device10. In other embodiments where the gaming device10is coupled to a network50, as described below, the microprocessor40may have different tasks depending on the setup and function of the gaming device. For example, the microprocessor40may be responsible for running the base game of the gaming device and executing instructions received over the network50from a bonus server or player tracking server. In a server-based gaming setup, the microprocessor40may act as a terminal to execute instructions from a remote server that is running game play on the gaming device.

The microprocessor40may be coupled to a machine communication interface (MCI)42that connects the gaming device10to a gaming network50. The MCI42may be coupled to the microprocessor40through a serial connection, a parallel connection, an optical connection, or in some cases a wireless connection. The gaming device10may include memory41(MEM), such as a random access memory (RAM), coupled to the microprocessor40and which can be used to store gaming information, such as storing total coin-in statistics about a present or past gaming session, which can be communicated to a remote server or database through the MCI42. The MCI42may also facilitate communication between the network50and the secondary display25or a player tracking unit45housed in the gaming cabinet15.

The player tracking unit45may include an identification device46and one or more buttons47associated with the player tracking unit45. The identification device46serves to identify a player, by, for example, reading a player-tracking device, such as a player tracking card that is issued by the casino to individual players who choose to have such a card. The identification device46may instead, or additionally, identify players through other methods. Player tracking systems using player tracking cards and card readers46are known in the art. Briefly summarizing such a system, a player registers with the casino prior to commencing gaming. The casino issues a unique player-tracking card to the player and opens a corresponding player account that is stored on a server or host computer, described below with reference toFIG. 3. The player account may include the player's name and mailing address and other information of interest to the casino in connection with marketing efforts. Prior to playing one of the gaming devices in the casino, the player inserts the player tracking card into the identification device46thus permitting the casino to track player activity, such as amounts wagered, credits won, and rate of play.

To induce the player to use the card and be an identified player, the casino may award each player points proportional to the money or credits wagered by the player. Players typically accrue points at a rate related to the amount wagered, although other factors may cause the casino to award the player various amounts. The points may be displayed on the secondary display25or using other methods. In conventional player tracking systems, the player may take his or her card to a special desk in the casino where a casino employee scans the card to determine how many accrued points are in the player's account. The player may redeem points for selected merchandise, meals in casino restaurants, or the like, which each have assigned point values. In some player tracking systems, the player may use the secondary display25to access their player tracking account, such as to check a total number of points, redeem points for various services, make changes to their account, or download promotional credits to the gaming device10. In other embodiments, the identification device46may read other identifying cards (such as driver licenses, credit cards, etc.) to identify a player and match them to a corresponding player tracking account. AlthoughFIG. 1Ashows the player tracking unit45with a card reader as the identification device46, other embodiments may include a player tracking unit45with a biometric scanner, PIN code acceptor, or other methods of identifying a player to pair the player with their player tracking account.

During typical play on a gaming device10, a player plays a game by placing a wager and then initiating a gaming session. The player may initially insert monetary bills or previously printed tickets with a credit value into the bill acceptor37. The player may also put coins into a coin acceptor (not shown) or a credit, debit or casino account card into a card reader/authorizer (not shown). In other embodiments, stored player points or special ‘bonus points’ awarded to the player or accumulated and/or stored in a player account may be able to be substituted at or transferred to the gaming device10for credits or other value. For example, a player may convert stored loyalty points to credits or transfer funds from his bank account, credit card, casino account or other source of funding. The selected source of funding may be selected by the player at time of transfer, determined by the casino at the time of transfer or occur automatically according to a predefined selection process. One of skill in the art will readily see that this invention is useful with all gambling devices, regardless of the manner in which wager value-input is accomplished.

The credit meter27displays the numeric credit value of the money or other value inserted, transferred, or stored dependent on the denomination of the gaming device10. That is, if the gaming device10is a nickel slot machine and a $20 bill inserted into the bill acceptor37, the credit meter will reflect 400 credits or one credit for each nickel of the inserted twenty dollars. For gaming devices10that support multiple denominations, the credit meter27will reflect the amount of credits relative to the denomination selected. Thus, in the above example, if a penny denomination is selected after the $20 is inserted the credit meter will change from 400 credits to 2000 credits.

A wager may be placed by pushing one or more of the game buttons32, which may be reflected on the bet meter28. That is, the player can generally depress a “bet one” button (one of the buttons on the player interface panel30, such as32), which transfers one credit from the credit meter27to the bet meter28. Each time the button32is depressed an additional single credit transfers to the bet meter28up to a maximum bet that can be placed on a single play of the electronic gaming device10. The gaming session may be initiated by pulling the gaming handle12or depressing the spin button33. On some gaming devices10, a “max bet” button (another one of the buttons32on the player interface panel30) may be depressed to wager the maximum number of credits supported by the gaming device10and initiate a gaming session.

If the gaming session does not result in any winning combination, the process of placing a wager may be repeated by the player. Alternatively, the player may cash out any remaining credits on the credit meter27by depressing the “cash-out” button (another button32on the player interface panel30), which causes the credits on the credit meter27to be paid out in the form of a ticket through the ticket printer38, or may be paid out in the form of returning coins from a coin hopper (not shown) to a coin return tray.

If instead a winning combination (win) appears on the display20, the award corresponding to the winning combination is immediately applied to the credit meter27. For example, if the gaming device10is a slot machine, a winning combination of symbols23may land on a played payline on reels22. If any bonus games are initiated, the gaming device10may enter into a bonus mode or simply award the player with a bonus amount of credits that are applied to the credit meter27.

FIGS. 2A to 2Cillustrate exemplary types of gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.FIG. 2Aillustrates an example spinning-reel gaming machine10A,FIG. 2Billustrates an example video slot machine10B, andFIG. 2Cillustrates an example video poker machine10C.

Referring toFIG. 2A, a spinning-reel gaming machine10A includes a gaming display20A having a plurality of mechanical spinning reels22A. Typically, spinning-reel gaming machines10A have three to five spinning reels22A. Each of the spinning reels22A has multiple symbols23A that may be separated by blank areas on the spinning reels22A, although the presence of blank areas typically depends on the number of reels22A present in the gaming device10A and the number of different symbols23A that may appear on the spinning reels22A. Each of the symbols22A or blank areas makes up a “stop” on the spinning reel22A where the reel22A comes to rest after a spin. Although the spinning reels22A of various games10A may have various numbers of stops, many conventional spinning-reel gaming devices10A have reels22A with twenty two stops.

During game play, the spinning reels22A may be controlled by stepper motors (not shown) under the direction of the microprocessor40(FIG. 1A). Thus, although the spinning-reel gaming device10A has mechanical based spinning reels22A, the movement of the reels themselves is electronically controlled to spin and stop. This electronic control is advantageous because it allows a virtual reel strip to be stored in the memory41of the gaming device10A, where various “virtual stops” are mapped to each physical stop on the physical reel22A. This mapping allows the gaming device10A to establish greater awards and bonuses available to the player because of the increased number of possible combinations afforded by the virtual reel strips.

A gaming session on a spinning reel slot machine10A typically includes the player pressing the “bet-one” button (one of the game buttons32A) to wager a desired number of credits followed by pulling the gaming handle12(FIGS. 1A,1B) or pressing the spin button33A to spin the reels22A. Alternatively, the player may simply press the “max-bet” button (another one of the game buttons32A) to both wager the maximum number of credits permitted and initiate the spinning of the reels22A. The spinning reels22A may all stop at the same time or may individually stop one after another (typically from left to right) to build player anticipation. Because the display20A usually cannot be physically modified, some spinning reel slot machines10A include an electronic display screen in the top box18(FIG. 1B), a mechanical bonus mechanism in the top box18, or a secondary display25(FIG. 1A) to execute a bonus.

Referring toFIG. 2B, a video gaming machine10B may include a video display20B to display virtual spinning reels22B and various other gaming information21B. The video display20B may be a CRT, LCD, plasma screen, or the like. It is usually preferable that the video display20B be a touch screen to accept player input. A number of symbols23A appear on each of the virtual spinning reels22B. AlthoughFIG. 2Bshows five virtual spinning reels22B, the flexibility of the video display20B allows for various reel22B and game configurations. For example, some video slot games10B spin reels for each individual symbol position (or stop) that appears on the video display20B. That is, each symbol position on the screen is independent of every other position during the gaming sessions. In these types of games, very large numbers of pay lines or multiple super scatter pays can be utilized since similar symbols could appear at every symbol position on the video display20B. On the other hand, other video slot games10B more closely resemble the mechanical spinning reel games where symbols that are vertically adjacent to each other are part of the same continuous virtual spinning reel22B.

Because the virtual spinning reels22B, by virtue of being computer implemented, can have almost any number of stops on a reel strip, it is much easier to have a greater variety of displayed outcomes as compared to spinning-reel slot machines10A (FIG. 2A) that have a fixed number of physical stops on each spinning reel22A.

With the possible increases in reel22B numbers and configurations over the mechanical gaming device10A, video gaming devices10B often have multiple paylines24that may be played. By having more paylines24available to play, the player may be more likely to have a winning combination when the reels22B stop and the gaming session ends. However, since the player typically must wager at least a minimum number of credits to enable each payline24to be eligible for winning, the overall odds of winning are not much different, if at all, than if the player is wagering only on a single payline. For example, in a five line game, the player may bet one credit per payline24and be eligible for winning symbol combinations that appear on any of the five played paylines24. This gives a total of five credits wagered and five possible winning paylines24. If, on the other hand, the player only wagers one credit on one payline24, but plays five gaming sessions, the odds of winning would be identical as above: five credits wagered and five possible winning paylines24.

Because the video display20B can easily modify the image output by the video display20B, bonuses, such as second screen bonuses are relatively easy to award on the video slot game10B. That is, if a bonus is triggered during game play, the video display20B may simply store the resulting screen shot in memory and display a bonus sequence on the video display20B. After the bonus sequence is completed, the video display20B may then retrieve the previous screen shot and information from memory, and re-display that image.

Also, as mentioned above, the video display20B may allow various other game information21B to be displayed. For example, as shown inFIG. 2B, banner information may be displayed above the spinning reels22B to inform the player, perhaps, which symbol combination is needed to trigger a bonus. Also, instead of providing a separate credit meter27(FIG. 1A) and bet meter28, the same information can instead be displayed on the video display20B. In addition, “soft buttons”29B such as a “spin” button or “help/see pays” button may be built using the touch screen video display20B. Such customization and ease of changing the image shown on the display20B adds to the flexibility of the game10B.

Even with the improved flexibility afforded by the video display20B, several physical buttons32B and33B are usually provided on video slot machines10B. These buttons may include game buttons32B that allow a player to choose the number of paylines24he or she would like to play and the number of credits wagered on each payline24. In addition, a max bet button (one of the game buttons32B) allows a player to place a maximum credit wager on the maximum number of available paylines24and initiate a gaming session. A repeat bet or spin button33B may also be used to initiate each gaming session when the max bet button is not used.

Referring toFIG. 2C, a video poker gaming device10C may include a video display20C that is physically similar to the video display20B shown inFIG. 2B. The video display20C may show a poker hand of five cards23C and various other player information21C including a pay table for various winning hands, as well as a plurality of player selectable soft buttons29C. The video display20C may present a poker hand of five cards23C and various other player information21C including a number of player selectable soft (touch-screen) buttons29C and a pay table for various winning hands. Although the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 3Cshows only one hand of poker on the video display20C, various other video poker machines10C may show several poker hands (multi-hand poker). Typically, video poker machines10C play “draw” poker in which a player is dealt a hand of five cards, has the opportunity to hold any combination of those five cards, and then draws new cards to replace the discarded ones. All pays are usually given for winning combinations resulting from the final hand, although some video poker games10C may give bonus credits for certain combinations received on the first hand before the draw. In the example shown inFIG. 2Ca player has been dealt two aces, a three, a six, and a nine. The video poker game10C may provide a bonus or payout for the player having been dealt the pair of aces, even before the player decides what to discard in the draw. Since pairs, three of a kind, etc. are typically needed for wins, a player would likely hold the two aces that have been dealt and draw three cards to replace the three, six, and nine in the hope of receiving additional aces or other cards leading to a winning combination with a higher award amount. After the draw and revealing of the final hand, the video poker game10C typically awards any credits won to the credit meter.

The player selectable soft buttons29C appearing on the screen respectively correspond to each card on the video display20C. These soft buttons29C allow players to select specific cards on the video display20C such that the card corresponding to the selected soft button is “held” before the draw. Typically, video poker machines10C also include physical game buttons32C that correspond to the cards in the hand and may be selected to hold a corresponding card. A deal/draw button33C may also be included to initiate a gaming session after credits have been wagered (with a bet button32C, for example) and to draw any cards not held after the first hand is displayed.

Although examples of a spinning reel slot machine10A, a video slot machine10B, and a video poker machine10C have been illustrated inFIGS. 2A-2C, gaming machines and various other types of gaming devices known in the art are contemplated and are within the scope of the invention.

FIG. 3is a block diagram illustrating networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. Referring toFIG. 3, multiple electronic gaming devices (EGMs)70,71,72,73,74, and75may be coupled to one another and coupled to a remote server80through a network50. For ease of understanding, gaming devices or EGMs70,71,72,73,74, and75are generically referred to as EGMs70-75. The term EGMs70-75, however, may refer to any combination of one or more of EGMs70,71,72,73,74, and75. Additionally, the gaming server80may be coupled to one or more gaming databases90. These gaming network50connections may allow multiple gaming devices70-75to remain in communication with one another during particular gaming modes such as tournament play or remote head-to-head play. Although some of the gaming devices70-75coupled on the gaming network50may resemble the gaming devices10,10A,10B, and10C shown inFIGS. 1A-1Band2A-2C, other coupled gaming devices70-75may include differently configured gaming devices. For example, the gaming devices70-75may include traditional slot machines75directly coupled to the network50, banks of gaming devices70coupled to the network50, banks of gaming devices70coupled to the network through a bank controller60, wireless handheld gaming machines72and cell phones73coupled to the gaming network50through one or more wireless routers or antennas61, personal computers74coupled to the network50through the internet62, and banks of gaming devices71coupled to the network through one or more optical connection lines64. Additionally, some of the traditional gaming devices70,71, and75may include electronic gaming tables, multi-station gaming devices, or electronic components operating in conjunction with non-gaming components, such as automatic card readers, chip readers, and chip counters, for example.

Gaming devices71coupled over an optical line64may be remote gaming devices in a different location or casino. The optical line64may be coupled to the gaming network50through an electronic to optical signal converter63and may be coupled to the gaming devices71through an optical to electronic signal converter65. The banks of gaming devices70coupled to the network50may be coupled through a bank controller60for compatibility purposes, for local organization and control, or for signal buffering purposes. The network50may include serial or parallel signal transmission lines and carry data in accordance with data transfer protocols such as Ethernet transmission lines, Rs-232 lines, firewire lines, USB lines, or other communication protocols. Although not shown inFIG. 3, substantially the entire network50may be made of fiber optic lines or may be a wireless network utilizing a wireless protocol such as IEEE 802.11 a, b, g, or n, Zigbee, RF protocols, optical transmission, near-field transmission, or the like.

As mentioned above, each gaming device70-75may have an individual processor40(FIG. 1A) and memory41to run and control game play on the gaming device70-75, or some of the gaming devices70-75may be terminals that are run by a remote server80in a server based gaming environment. Server based gaming environments may be advantageous to casinos by allowing fast downloading of particular game types or themes based on casino preference or player selection. Additionally, tournament based games, linked games, and certain game types, such as BINGO or keno may benefit from at least some server80based control.

Thus, in some embodiments, the network50, server80, and database90may be dedicated to communications regarding specific game or tournament play. In other embodiments, however, the network50, server80, and database90may be part of a player tracking network. For player tracking capabilities, when a player inserts a player tracking card in the card reader46(FIG. 1A), the player tracking unit45sends player identification information obtained on the card reader46through the MCI42over the network50to the player tracking server80, where the player identification information is compared to player information records in the player database90to provide the player with information regarding their player account or other features at the gaming device10where the player is wagering. Additionally, multiple databases90and/or servers80may be present and coupled to one or more networks50to provide a variety of gaming services, such as both game/tournament data and player tracking data.

The various systems described with reference toFIGS. 1-3can be used in a number of ways. For instance, the systems can be used to track data about various players. The tracked data can be used by the casino to provide additional benefits to players, such as extra bonuses or extra benefits such as bonus games and other benefits as described above. These added benefits further entice the players to play at the casino that provides the benefits.

FIG. 4is a detail diagram of a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.

Referring toFIG. 4, a gaming device100includes similar features to the gaming devices described above. However, unlike above described gaming devices, the illustrated gaming device100includes a group of buttons each of which allows the player to play multiple games without further interaction form the player. In other words, the player may initiate a set of games (gaming events) by activating one of these multiple play buttons. Each individual game of the set includes an automatically placed wager and a game result. Included in the group of multiple play buttons shown on the illustrated game device100is a “Play 5 Games” button136, a “Play 10 Games” button137and a “Play 20 Games” button138. In addition to these multiple play buttons136-138, the gaming device100also includes a “Play 1 Game” button135, which may be configured in a similar manner to a typical “Spin” button on a gaming device that initiates a single game on the gaming device100.

In operation, pressing any of these buttons135-138automatically plays a predetermined number of games on the gaming device100without further input from the player. In this example, the number of predetermined games is pre-labeled on the game initiation buttons135-138. For example, if the player presses the “Play 10 Games” button137, then a set of 10 games is initiated on the gaming device100, where the gaming device automatically initiates and plays 10 games in sequence without requiring further button presses from the player. For each of the games, a credit meter121is debited the appropriate wager amount and a set of reels122spins on the gaming device and eventually comes to a stop to display a game result. If the game result includes a winning combination of symbols123on a payline124, then the gaming device100awards a number the credits associated with the winning combination of symbols123by rolling the credits won to the credit meter121, after which point the game is completed. On the other hand, if the game result does not include a winning symbol combination along the payline124(a losing outcome), for instance, one like the game result illustrated inFIG. 4, then no credits are awarded and no further action is taken with respect to the now completed game.

With conventional gaming devices, after a game has been completed (with either a winning or losing game result), the gaming device will generally not take any action until it receives a subsequent player input, such as an input to initiate another game, an input to cash-out, etc. In the above example of a player pressing the “Play 10 Games” button137, the completion of the first game of the 10 game set does not place the gaming device100in an idle mode waiting for another player input. Rather, the gaming device automatically initiates another game in the set, deducts a credit wager amount from the credit meter121, spins the reels122, displays a game result, and pays any awards associated with the game result. This sequence of events is repeated for each of the 10 games in the 10 game set. After the completion of the tenth game, the gaming device may transfer to an idle mode where it waits for another player interaction. Thus, in this exemplary embodiment, pressing the “Play 10 Games” button137is substantially equivalent to the player pressing a standard play or spin button, described above, ten separate times.

In addition to the game play buttons135-138, a player interface panel130includes wager buttons134. In the particular example illustrated inFIG. 4, there are three wager buttons134associated with three wagers that a player can place on each game: a one credit wager per game, a two credit wager per game, and a three credit wager per game. The “Bet 1” button, “Bet 2” button, and “Bet 3” button respectively correspond to these wager amounts. That is, selecting one of the wager buttons134causes the particular wager associated with the wager button134to be used in each of the games selected by the multiple play buttons135-138. For example, if the player presses the “Bet 3” wager button134and then presses the “Play 5 Games” button136, a three credit wager will be placed for each of the five games specified by the multiple play button136. Thus, the player will be placing a total wager of 15 credits for the set of five games. If instead, the player had pressed the “Bet 1” wager button134and then pressed the “Play 5 Games” button136, then the player would be wagering only one credit for each of the five games automatically played, or wagering a total of five credits.

A “Repeat Bet” button140and one or more game buttons132are also included on the player interface panel130. The game buttons132may have similar functions to the ones described above, such as requesting help from a casino attendant or cashing out the credits shown on the credit meter121. The “Repeat Bet” button140has the function of repeating a previous wager and game initiation sequence. In the present embodiment, the “Repeat Bet” button140may also be used to repeat a multiple game set at a particular wager. For example, if the previous set of games included ten games, each at a wager of 2, then pressing the “Repeat Bet” button140would cause the gaming device100to automatically play ten more games, each of which had a wager of 2 credits. In some embodiments, the selected wager button134and previously selected game play button135-138may be highlighted, so that the player will know the effect of pressing the repeat bet button140. In other embodiments, all of the wager buttons134and game play buttons135-138may be highlighted to show that all of these buttons are active for a player to press.

As discussed above, the number of credits shown on the credit meter121indicates the total number of credits available to the player to be played on the gaming device100. During typical game operation, the credits wagered are simply deducted from the credits shown on the credit meter121for game play. If not enough credits remain on the credit meter121to cover a wager, the gaming device100typically disables the wager buttons134and game player buttons135-138corresponding to wagers that cannot be made. In addition, the “Repeat Bet” button140, may be disabled if the remaining credits on the credit meter121are not sufficient to cover a previous wager. With multiple game sets, the gaming device100can accommodate situations where enough credits remain to play some but not all of the games of a multiple game set by using several different options.

In one option, the gaming device100does not play the requested games, but rather indicates to the player that there are insufficient credits to cover the player's request. This may include disabling some of the wager buttons134and game player buttons135-138as discussed above. In addition, the credit meter121could flash in such a situation to bring to the player's attention that a low number of credits remain on the credit meter121. In a second option, the gaming device100may wager and play as many of the requested games as possible before the number of credits is reduced to 0 or below the level of a requested wager for a game. For example, a player with 15 credits remaining on the credit meter may still be able to initiate a multiple game set of ten games at a wager of two credits per game (a total wager of 20 credits). If the player is not awarded any credits in the first seven games of the 10 game set, the game play may stop with one credit remaining on the credit meter121. If the player inputs more credits in the gaming device100, the final three games from the 10 game set may be automatically played, the player may be prompted as to whether or not she would like to play the remaining games from the game set, or the gaming device100may automatically end the previous 10 game set. This second option may be preferable because it is possible that the player will be awarded credits during some of the earlier games in the multiple game sets, in which case, the player may likely be able to complete the entire series of 10 games.

In a game display120ofFIG. 4, in addition to the reels122, two soft buttons are illustrated: a fast forward button128and a stop button129. The fast forward button128may change the rate of game play between games with winning outcomes and games with losing outcomes. Additional details about the fast forward button128and the rate of game play are discussed below. The stop button129may be used by the player to stop or pause a multiple game set. For example, if a player had mistakenly pressed one of the higher multiple play game buttons136-138or had accidentally wagered more than she had expected on each game of a multiple game set, the player may have the chance to stop or pause a multiple game set that is in progress. For instance, if the player pressed the “Play 20 Games” button138and automatic play initiated on the gaming device100, but then the player realized that she actually intended to press the “Bet 3” button134, the player could halt play by pressing the stop button129. In such a case, the gaming device100could display a message to the player in the game display120to determine the player's desire. For instance, a message could be displayed that says:You pressed the STOP button. Press the STOP button again to cancel the requested games, or press the REPEAT BET button to resume the requested games.

In other embodiments, the stop button129could instead be a pause button (not illustrated), the pressing of which would cause the game currently executing on the gaming device100to temporarily pause. A similar message could be presented to the player to determine the player's desired action after pressing the pause button. In some embodiments, the stop or pause button129may only allow the player to alter a portion of the multiple game set. For example, if a pause button129was pressed during a multiple game set, the player may be given the option of altering the wagers made on future games in the multiple game set, but may be required to play the remaining games of the multiple game set. In this example, the player could use the pause button129as a tool to modify wagers during a multiple game set.

FIGS. 5A,5B,5C,5D, and5E are detail diagrams of the gaming device ofFIG. 4that together illustrate a game set according to embodiments of the invention. In particular, each figure ofFIGS. 5A-5Eillustrates a detail diagram of a gaming device after the sequential completion of a single game (gaming event) in a five game set. In this example, each of the automatically played games has a 2 credit wager placed on it. For example, referring back toFIG. 4, assume that there are 100 credits on the credit meter121and that the player has pressed the “Bet 2” wager button134and the “Play 5 Games” button136. The discussion with reference toFIGS. 5A-5Edescribes in detail each of the steps taken by the gaming device200to implement this request made by the player.

Referring toFIG. 5A, the first gaming event of the requested set of game events is triggered by the player pressing the “Play 5 Games” button136, as described above. Because the player had previously pressed the Bet 2″ button134, 2 credits are deducted from the credit meter221aand are used as the wager on the first gaming event. Once the credits are deducted from the credit meter, the reels222spin, coming to a rest as illustrated inFIG. 5A. As illustrated inFIG. 5A, the first game is a losing game (e.g., it does not result in a winning combination of symbols appearing on the payline224). The first game of the five game set is completed after the game result has been shown to the player. The credit meter221areflects that two credits have been wagered (on the first game) and no credits have been won. After the result of the first game is displayed for a short duration as illustrated inFIG. 5A, the gaming device200automatically proceeds to the second game, as illustrated inFIG. 5B.

Referring toFIG. 5B, the second game proceeds by again deducting 2 credits from the credit meter221bas a wager on the second gaming event, thereby dropping the total credits remaining on the credit meter to 96 credits. The reels222spin, and come to a rest as illustrated inFIG. 5B. Again this game result is a losing outcome, and no further action is taken by the gaming device with respect to the second game of the five game set. Note that the credit meter221breflects that a total of 4 credits have been wagered on the first and second gaming events and no credits have been awarded from the either of these gaming events. After waiting for another short duration, the gaming device200automatically proceeds to the third game of the set, as illustrated inFIG. 5C.

Referring toFIG. 5C, the third game of the game set is automatically initiated when the second game completes and 2 credits are again deducted from the credit meter221cas a wager on the third game. The credit meter thus temporarily reflects that 94 credits (not illustrated) remain at this point in the game set. After the reels222spin and come to rest, the gaming device200recognizes that the payline224includes a winning combination of symbols (e.g., double bars) that is associated with a 10 credit award. The 10 credits won from the third game are automatically added to the 94 credits that were present after the wager had been deducted from the third game and are rolled up on the credit meter221cto a total of 104 credits, as illustrated. After the credits are added to the credit meter221c, the third game is complete, and the fourth game automatically starts, as illustrated inFIG. 5D.

Referring toFIG. 5D, the fourth game of the game set is automatically initiated when the third game completes and 2 credits are again deducted from the credit meter221das a wager on the fourth game. The credit meter thus temporarily reflects that 102 credits (not illustrated) remain at this point in the game set. After the reels222spin and come to rest, the gaming device200recognizes that the payline224includes a combination of bonus symbols that is associated a bonus award. Because a bonus has been won as part of the fourth gaming event, the gaming device200automatically plays the bonus event without further player interaction after displaying the game result. In this example, assume that the bonus was a free spin of a bonus wheel having several available prizes. During the bonus spin, further assume that the bonus wheel stops on a 25 credit award. At the conclusion of the bonus event, the 25 credits won by the player in the bonus are added to the credit meter221d, which is rolled up to 127 credits. The fourth game is completed at this point, and after a short pause, the fifth game in the game set is automatically initiated as illustrated inFIG. 5E.

Referring toFIG. 5E, the fifth game proceeds by again deducting 2 credits from the credit meter221eas a wager on the fifth gaming event, thereby dropping the total credits remaining on the credit meter to 125 credits. The reels222spin, and come to a rest as illustrated inFIG. 5E. This time the game result is a losing outcome, and no further action is taken by the gaming device200with respect to the fifth game of the five game set. Because this is the fifth and final game of the five game set, the gaming device200will remain in this state as illustrated inFIG. 5Euntil further player input is received.

The above description with reference toFIGS. 5A-5Eis a relatively straightforward implementation of an embodiment of the invention. There are multiple variations possible without deviating from the scope of the invention. For instance, the above embodiment has been discussed where each wager on a game within a multiple game set is made immediately prior to the play of the corresponding game. However, in other embodiments, the entire amount wagered during a multiple game set may be immediately deducted from the credit meter121at the beginning of a multiple game set. For instance, in the above example illustrated inFIGS. 5A-5E, the entire wager of ten credits could have been deducted prior to the play of the first game in the five game set. In this case, the credit meter221ainFIG. 5Awould have shown 90 credits, the credit meter221binFIG. 5Bwould have shown 90 credits, the credit meter221cinFIG. 5Cwould have shown 100 credits, the credit meter221dinFIG. 5Dwould have shown 125 credits, and the credit meter221einFIG. 5Ewould again show 125 credits. Note that the final credit values on the credit meter221ewould be the same in either scenario. However, in the example described above, only wins would be added to the credit meter during the play of the games in the multiple game set. In yet other embodiments, the win amounts won during the multiple game set may not be added to the credit meter221until after the final game of the game set has been played.

Recall that the bonus in the fourth game (FIG. 5D) automatically initiated at the end of the fourth game in the embodiment described above. This configuration maintains the tie between the game or game event triggering the bonus and the bonus play itself while not slowing down game play or requiring player interaction with the gaming device. However, in other embodiments, the bonus may request that a player to press a “SPIN” button to initiate the bonus wheel, or may specify a variety of player interactions as necessitated by the other bonus types. Requiring some player interaction may be favorable in certain situations because the player may feel more “connected” to the bonus experience. Additionally, since players are typically excited about receiving bonuses, having player interaction during the bonus may provide an opportunity to let the player spend a little extra time in the bonus as well as extra excitement. Certain embodiments may include gaming devices that are configured to automatically play and/or pay minor bonuses awarded during a game set, while requiring player interaction for larger valued and/or more complicated bonuses awarded during the game set.

In an alternate embodiment, all bonuses are held until the end of the last game in the game set. For instance, if the player selected a set of 10 games and bonuses were won on the third, sixth, and seventh games, the bonus games would all be held until the end of the tenth game of the set. At that time, the gaming device200could indicate to the player that the player had won 3 bonuses during the game set, especially if the bonuses were not readily apparent from the game play itself (e.g., mystery bonuses). In one version of this embodiment, the three bonus games would automatically start at the conclusion of the tenth game, and would also complete automatically. Thus, in this version, after the player had pressed the bet 10 button, the game 200 would play all 10 games and all 3 bonus games automatically without further input from the player. In another version, the gaming device200informs the user how many bonus games he or she has won at the conclusion of the tenth game. Then, the gaming device200could request a separate player input, for example, pressing a spin button, to initiate all or each one of the 3 bonus games.

In another alternate embodiment, the gaming device200may be configured to automatically “rearrange” the outcomes of the games in the game set to provide a more scripted play sequence for the player. In the previous embodiments, the gaming device200may have been configured to randomly determine the outcome of each gaming event individually at the beginning of each game (e.g., randomly determine the outcome of the first game, play the first game, randomly determine the outcome of the second game, play the second game, etc.), or the gaming device200may have been configured to determine all of the game outcomes for the game set immediately after the player had pressed one of the multiple game set initiation buttons (e.g., randomly determine the outcome of games 1-10, play the first game using the first determined outcome, play the second game using the second determined outcome, etc.). In either case, each of the games are presented to the player in the natural order of the selection of the random outcomes by the gaming device200.

In a rearrangement embodiment, the gaming device200would begin by determining the outcomes of the games in the game set i.e., determining all of the game outcomes prior to playing any of the games. However, instead of simply matching the first determined outcome to the first game displayed and so on, this rearrangement configuration would analyze the determined game outcomes and rearrange them in certain sequences dictated by design criteria. For game speed and ease, this analysis and rearrangement may be done at the game device level, for example, by the game processor40ofFIG. 1A. However, the analysis and rearrangement may be done by a remote controller or server, for example, by the game network server80ofFIG. 3, when using certain game configurations such as server based gaming, or when using certain design criteria, such as those controlled by details of a player account.

The design criteria used to rearrange the game outcomes may emphasize different sequence characteristics based on the time of day, day of the week, and/or stored information about the player (e.g., from a player account or immediately preceding game play), etc. For instance, the design criteria may specify that wins occurring in the game set should be pushed to the beginning of the game set so the player has an early feeling of success that carries through the game set. Alternatively, the design criteria may specify that wins occurring in the game set should be pushed to the end of the game set so that the player finishes the set on a winning note. The design criteria may specify splitting wins, bunching wins, or any other variety of arranging the game outcomes in the game set to emphasize some feel of the gaming experience. For example, referring to the embodiment inFIGS. 5A-5E, assume a design criteria specified that the game outcomes should be arranged so that the winning outcomes appeared near the end of the game sequence to build excitement; the casino or game device may even advertise this feature. In this example, the symbol win inFIG. 5Cmay be moved to the fourth game, the bonus win shown inFIG. 5Dmay be moved to the last (fifth) game, and the loss shown inFIG. 5Emay be moved to the third game. If the player is aware of the game configuration, the player may become excited when he receives a 10 credit win on the fourth game (illustrated inFIG. 5C) because the player knows that in addition to this win he will have another, and possibly better, win in the last (fifth) game.

In another example, assume that the player presses the “Play 10 Games” button to request a multiple game set of 10 games on the gaming device200. If the gaming device200was configured to use the automatic rearrangement option, the gaming device200determines the outcome of all 10 of the requested games before or simultaneously with spinning the reels for the first game. The gaming device200then determines in which order it will present the 10 automatically played games to the player. For instance, the gaming device200may be configured such that a design criteria specifies that all of the games with losing outcomes are to be grouped at the beginning of the ten game set. As with the example above, the player would see each of the losing outcomes before the first winning outcome is shown. For example, if there are three winning outcomes in games 2, 6, and 7, and all of the rest of the games having losing outcomes, the gaming device may rearrange the presentation of the games so that the first seven games indicate a losing outcome to the player and save the winning outcomes for the final three game presentations. As noted above, such rearranging may build excitement for the player by ending on a positive note.

In yet another embodiment, the gaming device200may be configured to include design criteria that specifies that the winning and losing games of the requested set of automatic games is to be rearranged to split wins and weight the end of the game set with more wins. Again such a design criteria may be created to build player excitement while preventing the player from having multiple consecutive losing outcomes. For example, assume that the player has requested 10 games and the winning games were originally games 1, 5, and 6. The gaming device may rearrange the wins so that they appear in games 3, 8, and 10. This embodiment may differ from the embodiment addressed directly above because the player realizes at least one win early in the set of games, and still ends up on a winning note. Note that the gaming device200has not altered any of the outcomes of the set of games. It merely alters the order in which the game outcomes are presented to the user.

In yet another embodiment, which may be used for a gaming device200configured to “rearrange” the game order or configured to play the games in their “original” order, the gaming device200is configured to play games with certain outcomes at a different speed than games having other outcomes. To activate this feature, the player may press the “Fast Forward” button128(FIG. 4). Once activated, subsequent sets of games may use varying speeds of play between preferred outcomes and non-preferred outcomes. The player may have the option to de-select this feature after a game set has completed, or may be able to select or de-select the feature during a pause or stop in the game set initiated by the activation of the “Stop” button129.

In one example, the games with losing outcomes may be played at a much faster rate than games having winning outcomes. For instance, games with winning outcomes may take 2-5 seconds to spin the reels and stop on a winning payline, while losing outcomes may spin the reels faster so that the losing outcomes can be displayed in less than 1 or 2 seconds. In some embodiments, losing games may not include spinning the reels at all. For example, if there are seven losing outcomes, the gaming device200may group all of the losses as the first seven games, debit the credit meter221the appropriate amount, then only spin the reels for the three winning games. In such an embodiment, the only indication to the player that the games have been played is that the credit meter221is decremented. Because this may discourage the player, the gaming device200may include some notice or feedback to the player, such as a quick spin of the reels including a simultaneous stop of all the reels, as opposed to the more typical sequentially stopping, for each of the games. Such a system would give notice to the player that the game had a losing outcome, but may be less abrupt than simply removing credits from the meter. Multiple variations of this concept are described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/204,633, filed Sep. 4, 2008, entitled GAMING DEVICE HAVING VARIABLE SPEED OF PLAY, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 6is a detail diagram of another gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.FIGS. 7A and 7Bare detail diagrams of a game display of the gaming device ofFIG. 6that illustrate exemplary configurations screens according to embodiments of the invention.

Referring toFIGS. 6 and 7Aa gaming device300includes a multiple game initiation button (“Multiple Play” button)339. Unlike, the embodiment described with reference toFIG. 4that included several multiple game initiating buttons136-138, each corresponding to game sets with specific and unique numbers of included games, the gaming device300illustrated in this embodiment provides only a single multiple game initiation button339. The use of a single multiple game initiation button339on a player interface panel330may reduce the clutter of the player interface panel and be less confusing to new players. The player interface panel330may still include a “Play 1 Game” game initiation button335, one or more wager buttons334, a “Repeat Bet” button340, and one or more game buttons332, which may be similar to the corresponding buttons described above with reference toFIG. 4.

In some embodiments, the “Multiple Play” button339may play a predetermined number of games that is set by a casino. For example, the gaming device300may set up and advertised as including a play 10 game feature that has a better payback percentage than the payback percentage of a single game play. In this example, the label of the multiple game initiation button339may be altered to reflect the number of games played in a game set (such as the “Play 10 Games” button137illustrated inFIG. 4). If the casino modifies the number of games included in a multiple game set, the label may simply be replaced by switching out the printed label or instructing the gaming device300to dynamically alter a display screen (not shown) in the multiple game initiation button339. The casino may decide to modify the number of games included in a multiple game set based on general player response to the game, the time of day, day of the week, or as part of another promotion. Additionally, the number of games may be set automatically by the gaming device300in response to predetermined triggering events. These triggering events may relate to environmental factors (e.g., time of day), may relate to game play (e.g., consecutive game sets including all losing games), or may relate to the identification of a player (e.g., identified player generally prefers game sets with 20 games played per game set).

In other embodiments, the “Multiple Play” button may be configurable by a player so that the player can set the number of games played in each game set. In some embodiments, the player may be asked how many games she wants to play after the player presses the “Multiple Play” button339prior to initiating the first game of the game set. In alternate embodiments, the player would use a “Change Multiple Play” button327located on the player interface panel330or on the game display320as illustrated inFIG. 6. When the player presses the “Change Multiple Play” button327, the gaming device300brings up a display screen, such as display screen350ofFIG. 7A, to receive player input. Of course, the display screen350can be embodied in many different formats, such as being a complete second screen on the game display320or appearing on a secondary screen25(FIG. 1A), player tracking screen, etc.

The display screen350includes a query box360to determine how many games the player wishes to have the gaming device300automatically play. A number box365or some other feedback mechanism is pre-populated with a number representing the present number of games that will be included in a game set upon activation of the “Multiple Play” button339. The user can use adjustment buttons370,375to increase or decrease the number within the number box365. After the number in the number box equals the number of games that the player wishes the gaming device300to automatically play, the player presses a return button390(“Return to Game” button) to return to the main game display. The player may then either press the “Multiple Play” button339or the “Repeat Bet” button340to cause the gaming device300to automatically play the selected number of games. Although the embodiment shown inFIG. 7Aillustrate a query box360having a single number box365, other embodiments may include a display screen having a series of selectable numbers, such as 5, 10, 15, 20, that the player can select as the desired number of automatically repeated games. Numerous other variations exist for receiving a player selection of a number of games to automatically play in a game set, such as using a physical key pad, a soft key pad in the display screen350, scrollable lists of numbers, etc., which are all contemplated by this concept.

In other embodiments, a player may store a preconfigured number in a player account associated with the player. Here, the preconfigured number is downloaded to the gaming device300and set as the number of games to automatically play in a game set in response to the game device identifying the player. A confirmation screen (not shown) may appear to confirm that the player would like to keep this preconfigured number as the number of games to play in a multiple game set. The confirmation screen may also allow the player to set or modify a preferred game number for future use. Additionally, the desired number of games stored in the player account can be set or modified over the Internet, a casino kiosk, or using other methods that allow players to set and modify player account preferences.

Referring toFIGS. 6 and 7B, a further variation of a gaming device300is illustrated where the player may set both the number of games to play in a game set and the wager to place on each game within that game set. Recall that in the previously discussed embodiments, the player selected one particular wager, such as bet 2, which was used for all the games that were automatically played by the gaming device. The embodiment illustrated inFIG. 7Bmay be preferable to players that want additional control over how much they wager on each game of a game set. For example, suppose a player has a gut feeling that the first few games and last few games of a game set are going to be higher paying than the games in the middle of a game set. This player may wish to allocate additional wagers on the games they feel have a better chance of winning and reduce the wagers on other games in the game set.

InFIG. 7B, a display screen351includes both a inquiry box360to ascertain the number of games the player wishes to have in a multiple game set and provides the player with the option to control the amount wagered on each of the specified games in the game set. The inquiry box360may be manipulated by the player to input the desired number of games as described above with respect toFIG. 7A. The display screen351, however, further includes a “Set Wagers” button380. The player may press the “Set Wagers” button380to bring up a game wager portion382of the display screen351. The game wager portion382of the display screen351may include a list of games388and an indication of the wagers385currently corresponding to each game. AlthoughFIG. 7Billustrates the game list and wagers in a column style format, any display technique may be used to display this information and receive a player's wager selections for each game in a multiple game set.

In operation, the wagers385may reflect the wager amount previously used on the game device300, or a default wager value. The player may press one of the wager buttons334on the player interface panel330to set the wager amounts for each of the games to a particular amount between game sets. To set the wager value for an individual game, the player may press the wager value385to cycle between different available wager amounts. For example, if the player pressed the wager value385corresponding to the first game, the wager amount may change from “3” to “1.” If the player pressed the same wager value again, the wager amount would change from “1” to “2.” In other embodiments, the player may touch the wager value385and another display screen (not shown) may appear with a number box and adjustment buttons so that the player can modify the wager amount. Alternatively, the wager values385in the wager display portion382may include corresponding adjustment buttons (not shown) to modify the wager amounts. Additionally, a “Default Wagers” button389may be present in the wager display portion382. The “Default Wagers” button389may restore a basic wagering scheme for all of the games of the game set, such as one credit wagered for each game, or may restore a player-specified default wagering scheme. InFIG. 7B, a player has selected 10 games to be played in a game set and has specified that the first 2 games will have 3 credits wagered, games 3 and 4 will have 2 credits wagered, games 5 and 6 will have 1 credit wagered, games 7 and 8 will have 2 credits wagered, and games 9 and 10 will have 3 credits wagered.

FIG. 8is a flow diagram illustrating an example method of operating a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.

Referring toFIG. 8, an example flow400begins by displaying credits available to the player to wager in a process410. Typically the credits are displayed on a credit meter, such as the credit meter121ofFIG. 4, but other methods may be used. In most embodiments, the credit meter is continuously shown to the user to indicate how many credits are available on the gaming device. In a process420, the gaming device accepts input from the player indicating that the player wishes to have the gaming device automatically play a set of games or gaming events. Typically a player would press a particular button on the gaming device indicating how many games the player wishes to play. For example, the player may press a “Play 5 Games” button or a “Play 10 Games” button to indicate that the player wishes the gaming device to automatically play 5 or 10 games respectively. In the process420, the first gaming event is activated.

In a process430, a wager is deducted from the available credits that were displayed to the player in the process410above. In a process440, the gaming device plays a gaming event and displays an outcome of the gaming event corresponding to the wager from process430. The outcome may be a losing outcome or a winning outcome. In some cases, the winning outcome may also include a bonus round or bonus outcome. In such a case, as described above, playing the bonus may be held until the end of the set of game events, or may be immediately played after the particular gaming event. In a process450, any prizes associated with the gaming event displayed in the process440are delivered to the player. Typically, this means credits are added to the credit meter, although other prizes are possible, such as free plays, non-game bonuses such as free meals or tickets, discount coupons or others as is known in the art. In a process460, the flow400determines whether the final game event in the set of multiple games has been played. If not, then the flow400returns to the process430to play the next game in the set. The processes430,440,450, and460, are repeated until the final game of the set has been played. A final process470awards further prizes, if any, associated with the game event set.

The process470may include bonus awards for certain occurrences that happen during the game set. For example, a consolation award may be given to a player that receives no wins in a game set. Alternatively, a bonus award may given to a player that receives a large number of wins in a game set. In another embodiment, a special symbol may be counted each time it appears in a game result on the game display during a game set. At the end of the game set, the special symbol count may be analyzed to see if it reaches above one or more thresholds that trigger a bonus value. For example, the player may be awarded a point each time the BONUS symbol appeared in a game result on the gaming display120(FIG. 4) or on the payline124regardless of whether or not the game result was associated with an award. At the end of a 10 game set the player may have accumulated 8 Bonus points. If a Bonus point paytable paid 1 credit for 5 or more Bonus points, 2 credits for 10 or more Bonus points, and 5 credits for 15 or more Bonus points, the player would have earned an extra 1 credit times the number of credits wagered per game. This embodiment may encourage players to play game sets with higher numbers of games since they would have an increased chance of accumulating enough Bonus points to be awarded extra credits. Other incentives provided to the player to play multiple game sets may include higher paying paytables for games played in multiple game sets, bonuses only available in the multiple game sets, additional player points awarded for playing multiple game sets, etc., which may be implemented using conventional techniques in the art using the description of the inventive concepts described above.

In other embodiments, a bonus may be triggered during the gaming events in the multiple game set that automatically initiates another multiple game set. This bonus multiple game set may not require in further wagers from the player. Hence, no wagers would be deducted before each of the gaming events in the bonus game set. In some embodiments, the player would be given the same number of gaming events in the bonus game set as they choose with the prior multiple game set. Hence, the more games played in the multiple game set, the more free games would be given in the bonus game set. The paytable in the bonus game set may also be changed from the paytable used in the multiple game set. By lowering the payback percentage in the paytable used in the bonus game set, the gaming device may be able to award the bonus game set more often while maintaining profits for the casino. By increasing the payback percentage in the paytable used in the bonus game set, the gaming device may be able to provide a richer and more exciting bonus to the players, even if the bonus game set was awarded less frequently. Some embodiments may further provide a means to re-trigger another bonus game set during a present bonus game set. Hence, a player may be awarded more than one bonus game set either from multiple bonus triggering events occurring during the multiple game set or from one or more re-triggering events occurring during the bonus game sets.

Some embodiments of the invention have been described above, and in addition, some specific details are shown for purposes of illustrating the inventive principles. However, numerous other arrangements may be devised in accordance with the inventive principles of this patent disclosure. Further, well known processes have not been described in detail in order not to obscure the invention. Thus, while the invention is described in conjunction with the specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings, it is not limited to these embodiments or drawings. Rather, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that come within the scope and spirit of the inventive principles set out in the appended claims.