Abstract:
A method and gaming machine for playing a wagering game. In one embodiment, the method comprises providing a wagering game and a plurality of different pay-tables, a player placing a wager in order to play the wagering game, providing predetermined wager criteria, determining which of the predetermined wager criteria the wager fulfills, playing the wagering game, and providing a pay-out to the player in accordance with a predetermined number of the plurality of pay-tables wherein the predetermined number depends upon which of the predetermined wager criteria the wager fulfills.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims the benefit of the filing date of commonly owned and copending U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/278,777, filed Mar. 26, 2001. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention generally relates to video poker gaming machines. 
   DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
   Conventional video poker games generally offer very limited benefits to players. Therefore, the motivation for players to bet more than five (5) coins per play is relatively low. However, one exception is the standard five (5) card draw poker game called “Triple Play Poker”and is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,873. 
   Casinos provide video poker gaming machines in order to be competitive and to offer players a variety of gaming machines so as to stimulate player loyalty. However, video poker gaming machines yield relatively less revenue per-square-foot in comparison to other gaming machines due to the slow play (players have to make decisions of what cards to hold). Furthermore, video poker machines are the only gaming machines that enable players to have an affect on the maximum pay-back percentage. 
   The poor revenue showing is exacerbated when the casino attempts to change video poker games to a higher-percentage pay-back in an effort to attract players. For example, if a casino offers a 5/8 poker program which has a base pay-back of approximately 96%, but then decides to convert to a 6/9 poker program, which has a base pay-back of approximately 98%, the 6/9 poker program would have to double the handle of the 5/8 program to yield the same net win. However, it is highly unlikely that the handle will double because most of the existing video poker gaming machines have a five (5) coin-in maximum per-play because there is very little benefit to the player to bet more than 5 coins. 
   What is needed is a video poker machine that can: 
   a) increase handle (coins and/or credits in); and 
   b) reward players that play a higher number of coin-in per play, with a higher percentage of pay-back (i.e. the more coins and/or credits played per play, the higher the pay-back percentage). 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed to, in one aspect, a method of playing a wagering game, comprising providing a wagering game and a plurality of different pay-tables, a player placing a wager in order to play the wagering game, providing predetermined wager criteria, determining which of the predetermined wager criteria the wager fulfills, playing the wagering game, and providing a pay-out to the player in accordance with a predetermined number of the plurality of pay-tables wherein the predetermined number depends upon which of the predetermined wager criteria the wager fulfills. 
   In a related aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of playing a wagering game, comprising providing a wagering game and a plurality of different pay-tables, assigning wager criteria to each pay-table, a player placing a wager in order to play the wagering game, evaluating the wager to determine which of the wager criteria the wager fulfills, playing the wagering game, and providing a pay-out to the player in accordance with a pay-table that has assigned thereto the wager criterion which the wager fulfills. 
   In a further embodiment, the present invention is directed to a gaming machine, comprising means for providing a wagering game and a plurality of different pay-tables, means for allowing a player to place a wager in order to play the wagering game, means for providing predetermined wager criteria, means for determining which of the predetermined wager criteria the wager fulfills, means for playing the wagering game, means for providing a pay-out to the player in accordance with a predetermined number of the plurality of pay-tables wherein the predetermined number depends upon which of the predetermined wager criteria the wager fulfills. 
   In yet a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a gaming machine, comprising means for providing a wagering game and a plurality of different pay-tables, means for assigning wager criteria to each pay-table, means for allowing a player placing a wager in order to play the wagering game, means for evaluating the wager to determine which of the wager criteria the wager fulfills, means for playing the wagering game, and means for providing a pay-out to the player in accordance with a pay-table that has assigned thereto the wager criteria that the wager fulfills. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing features of the present invention will become more readily apparent and may be understood by referring to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a video poker gaming machine in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a video poker gaming machine that incorporates two or more standard five (5) coin poker programs. Each poker program has a particular pay-table associated therewith. A player is dealt one hand of cards and simultaneously plays for the pay-tables of all the standard poker game programs incorporated into the video poker gaming machine. One example of the video poker gaming machine is described in detail in the ensuing description. 
   There are several embodiments of the present invention. Each one of these embodiments is discussed separately in the ensuing description. 
   In one embodiment of the invention, the number of poker programs actually activated by the video poker gaming machine of the present invention depends upon the amount of coins-in or credit played. In this particular embodiment, the video poker gaming machine of the present invention is configured to utilizes at three (3) poker programs:
         5/7 Double Joker (uses two jokers/95% program)   5/8 Joker (uses one joker/96% program)   6/9 Draw Poker (uses NO jokers/98% program)       

   In this embodiment, a 54 card deck is used (i.e. 52 card standard playing deck plus two jokers). The jokers can be labeled JOKER I and JOKER II, or DOUBLE JOKER and JOKER. Such a video poker game is played in accordance with the following steps:
         a) the player is dealt one hand of cards;   b) the player will play only the 5/7 Double Joker program when the player plays one (1) to five (5) coins and/or credits. Pay-outs are made for specific poker hands on the pay-table corresponding to the 5/7 Double Joker program;   c) the player will play the 5/7 Double Joker program and the 5/8 Joker program when the player plays the 6 th  through 10 th  coins and/or credits. Pay-outs are made for specific poker hands on the pay-tables corresponding to the 5/7 Double Joker program and the 5/8 Joker program. Thus, the player is now simultaneously playing for the pay-tables corresponding to the 5/7 Double Joker program and the 5/8 Joker program for the same five card hand;   d) the player will play the 5/7 Double Joker program, the 5/8 Joker program and the 6/9 Draw Poker program when the player plays the 11 th  through 15 th  coins and/or credits. Pay-outs are made for specific poker hands on the pay-tables corresponding to the 5/7 Double Joker program, the 5/8 Joker program and the 6/9 Draw poker program. Thus, the player is now simultaneously playing for the pay-tables corresponding to the 5/7 Double Joker program, the 5/8 Joker program, and program and the 6/9 Draw poker program for the same five card hand.       

   If a player has played 15 coins and/or credits and after the draw, ends up with a Royal Flush including 2 Jokers, the player is paid on the 5/7 Double Joker pay-table only (because a Royal Flush with 2 Jokers does not exist as pay-outs on the 5/8 and 6/9 pay-tables). 
   If the player plays 15 coins and/or credits and after the draw, ends up with a Royal Flush with just one (1) Joker, the player would be paid on both the 5/7 and 5/8 pay-tables. If the player plays 15 coins and/or credits and after the draw, ends up with a natural Royal Flush (no Jokers), the player would be paid on all the pay-tables, the 5/7, 5/8 and 6/9 pay-tables because a natural Royal Flush pay is on all three pay-tables. 
   In another embodiment of the invention, the player is shifted from one poker game to another depending upon the number of coins-in/credits played. However, pay-outs are based only upon the pay-table that corresponds to the poker program the player is playing at that moment. In this embodiment, video poker gaming machine of the present invention is configured to utilize three poker programs:
         5/7 Double Joker (uses two jokers/95% program)   5/8 Joker (uses one joker/96% program)   6/9 Draw Poker (uses NO jokers/98% program)       

   In this embodiment, a 54 card deck is used (i.e. 52 card standard playing deck plus two jokers). Such a video poker game is played in accordance with the following steps:
         a) the player is dealt one hand of cards;   b) the player will play only the 5/7 Double Joker program when the player plays one (1) to five (5) coins and/or credits. Pay-outs are made for specific poker hands on the pay-table corresponding to the 5/7 Double Joker program;   c) the player will play the 5/8 Joker program when the player plays the 6 th  through 10 th  coins and/or credits. Pay-outs are made for specific poker hands on the pay-tables corresponding to the 5/8 Joker program. Thus, the player is now playing only for the pay-table corresponding to the 5/8 Joker program for the same five card hand;   d) the player will play the 6/9 Draw Poker program when the player plays the 11 th  through 15 th  coins and/or credits. Pay-outs are made for specific poker hands based only on the pay-table corresponding to the 6/9 Draw poker program. Thus, the player is now playing only for the pay-table corresponding to the 6/9 Draw poker program for the same five card hand.       

   It is to be understood that embodiment can be modified so that all poker programs are draw poker programs (i.e. no jokers). 
   In yet a further embodiment of the present invention, the video poker machine is configured so that a player may select at least two poker programs from a larger group of poker programs and play according to any of the methods and embodiments described in the foregoing description. 
   In one embodiment, the video poker gaming machine of the present invention is realized by gaming machine  10  shown in  FIG. 1 . Gaming machine  10  is configured to implement the poker game programs described in the foregoing description. Gaming machine  10  includes electronic data processing circuitry, and data storage components such as random access memory (RAM), read only (ROM), erasable programmable read-only-memory (EPROM) for storing and implementing a plurality of poker programs such as the poker programs described in the foregoing description. Gaming machine  10  generally comprises coin chute  12 , control panel  14 , wager input  16 , credit input  18  and credit meter  20 . Coin chute  14  provides winnings or pay-outs in the form of coins in a manner known in the art. Control panel  14  is configured to include push buttons, touch keys or other suitable interfaces for allowing a player to activate gaming machine  10  and playing the games (e.g. poker) provided by gaming machine  10 . Wager input  16  enables the player to input wagers in the form of coins or paper currency. Credit input  18  enables players to input or insert a player&#39;s card issued by the casino so as to enable the player to play for earned credits in lieu of having to constantly input coins or paper currency into wager input  16 . In an alternate embodiment, credit input  18  enables players to use major credit cards to place wagers. Credit meter  20  provides information concerning the amount of credits wagered and won. 
   Gaming machine  10  further includes game display  22  and pay-table display  24 . Game display  22  displays the hand of cards with which the player plays. Pay-table display  24  displays pay-tables that correspond to the poker programs with which gaming machine  10  is programmed. For example, in one embodiment, pay-table display  24  is configured to display pay-tables that correspond to the poker programs described in the foregoing description, e.g. 5/7/Double Joker poker, etc. Pay-table display  24  is configured to display either just one pay-table or a plurality of pay-tables (i.e. two or more). 
   The following examples illustrates this particular configuration: 
   EXAMPLE 1 
   Pay-Table  24  displays only the pay-table for the 5/7 Double Joker Program. 
   EXAMPLE 2 
   Pay-Table  24  displays only the pay-table for the 5/8 Joker Program. 
   EXAMPLE 3 
   Pay-Table  24  displays only the pay-table for the 6/9 Draw Poker Program. 
   EXAMPLE 4 
   Pay-Table  24  displays simultaneously the pay-tables for 5/7 Double Joker and 5/8 Joker Programs. 
   EXAMPLE 5 
   Pay-Table  24  displays simultaneously the pay-table for the 5/7 Double Joker, the 5/8 Joker Program, and 6/9 Draw Poker Program. 
   Game display  22  and pay-table display  24  can be realized by commercially available display technology that is currently being used in electronic gaming machines such as video poker games or video slot machines. 
   In accordance with the present invention, game display  22  and pay-table  24  are activated when the wagers placed by the player fulfill predetermined wager criteria. The predetermined wager criteria can be the quantity of coins inputted into wager input  16 , the cumulative monetary amount of paper currency inputted into wager input  16 , or the monetary amount of credits wagered. Other wager criteria are possible. 
   The following example illustrates one embodiment of the invention. 
   EXAMPLE 6 
   In one embodiment of the invention, the number of poker programs actually activated by gaming machine  10  depend upon the quantity of coins inputted into wager input  16 . In this particular embodiment, gaming machine  10  is configured to utilize the following three (3) poker programs:
         i) 5/7 Double Joker (uses two jokers/95% program);   ii) 5/8 Joker (uses one joker/96% program); and   iii) 6/9 Draw Poker (uses NO jokers/98% program).       

   In this embodiment, a 54 card deck is used (i.e. 52 card standard playing deck plus two jokers). The jokers can be labeled JOKER I and JOKER II, or DOUBLE JOKER and JOKER. Such a video poker game is played in accordance with the following steps:
         a) the player is dealt one hand of cards which are displayed in game display  22 ;   b) the player will play only the 5/7 Double Joker program when the player wagers one (1) to five (5) coins. Pay-table display  24  displays a pay-table that corresponds to the 5/7 Double Joker program. Pay-outs are made for specific poker hands on the 5/7 Double Joker program pay-table displayed in pay-table display  24 ;   c) the player then wagers the 6 th  through 10 th  coins;   d) pay-table display  24  now displays pay-tables that correspond to the 5/7 Double Joker program and the 5/8 Joker program. Thus, the player is now simultaneously playing for the pay-tables corresponding to the 5/7 Double Joker program and the 5/8 Joker program for the same five card hand displayed in game display  22 . Pay-outs are made for specific poker hands shown on the pay-tables corresponding to the 5/7 Double Joker program and the 5/8 Joker program;   e) the player now plays the 11 th  through 15 th  coins; and   f) pay-table display  24  now displays the pay-tables that correspond to the 5/7 Double Joker program, the 5/8 Joker program and the 6/9 Draw Poker program. Pay-outs are made for specific poker hands on the pay-tables corresponding to the 5/7 Double Joker program, the 5/8 Joker program and the 6/9 Draw poker program. Thus, the player is now simultaneously playing for the pay-tables corresponding to the 5/7 Double Joker program, the 5/8 Joker program, and program and the 6/9 Draw poker program for the same five card hand.       

   If a player has played 15 coins and after the draw, ends up with a Royal Flush including 2 Jokers, the player is paid on the 5/7 Double Joker pay-table only (because a Royal Flush with 2 Jokers does not exist as pay-outs on the 5/8 and 6/9 pay-tables). 
   If the player plays 15 coins and after the draw, ends up with a Royal Flush with just one (1) Joker, the player is paid on both the 5/7 and 5/8 pay-tables. If the player plays 15 coins and after the draw, ends up with a natural Royal Flush (no Jokers), the player is paid on all the pay-tables, the 5/7, 5/8 and 6/9 pay-tables because a natural Royal Flush pay is on all three pay-tables. 
   Gaming machine  10  can be configured to implement other embodiments described in the foregoing description. For example, gaming machine  10  can be configured or programmed to shift the player from one poker game program to another depending upon the quantity of coins inputted into wager input  16  (or amount of credits played). At any given moment, the player is playing only for pay-outs that correspond to a single pay-table displayed in pay-table display  24 . As the cumulative quantity of coins wagered increases (or the cumulative amount of credits wagered increases) and fulfills new wager criteria, pay-table display  24  displays new pay-tables, but never more than one pay-table at a time. The following example illustrates this embodiment. 
   EXAMPLE 7 
   In this embodiment, gaming machine  10  of the present invention is configured to utilize three poker programs:
         i) 5/7 Double Joker (uses two jokers/95% program);   ii) 5/8 Joker (uses one joker/96% program); and   iii) 6/9 Draw Poker (uses NO jokers/98% program).       

   In this embodiment, a 54 card deck is used (i.e. 52 card standard playing deck plus two jokers). This game is played in accordance with the following steps:
         a) the player is dealt one hand of cards which are displayed in game display  22 ;   b) the player will play only the 5/7 Double Joker program when the player plays one (1) to five (5) coins and/or credits. Thus, pay-table display  24  will display only the pay-table that corresponds to the 5/7 Double Joker program and pay-outs are made for specific poker hands on the displayed 5/7 Double Joker pay-table;   c) the player will play the 5/8 Joker program when the player plays the 6 th  through 10 th  coins and/or credits. Thus, pay-table display  24  will display only the paytable that corresponds to the 5/8 Joker program and pay-outs are made for specific poker hands on the displayed 5/8 Joker program pay-table. Thus, the player is now playing only for the pay-table corresponding to the 5/8 Joker program for the same five card hand; and   d) the player plays the 6/9 Draw Poker program when the player plays the 11 th  through 15 th  coins and/or credits. Thus, pay-table display  24  will display only the paytable that corresponds to the 6/9 Draw Poker program and pay-outs are made for specific poker hands on the displayed 6/9 Draw Poker program pay-table. Thus, the player is now playing only for the pay-table corresponding to the 6/9 Draw poker program for the same five card hand.       

   It is to be understood that the previous examples in the foregoing description are merely illustrative of possible embodiments, and that other embodiments and configurations are possible. 
   The principals, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. The invention which is intended to be protected herein should not, however, be construed as limited to the particular forms disclosed, as these are to be regarded as illustrative or exemplary rather than restrictive. Variations in changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, one or more standard 52 playing card decks can be used, with or without wild cards, in any of the embodiments described above. In another example, more than one 5/7 poker program is used, each with a different card format, and each having the same or different pay-back percentages, e.g. 95%, 96%, 98%, etc. In a further example, two 5/8 poker programs are used, each with a different card format. In yet another example, two 6/9 draw poker games are used, each with a different format. 
   Thus, any type of poker program can be utilized in the video poker game of the present invention. It is also to be understood that the present invention can be modified to utilize wagering games other than poker-type games. For example, non-poker card games can be used as well. 
   Accordingly, the foregoing detailed description should be considered exemplary in nature and not limited to the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the attached claims.