Patent Publication Number: US-11037405-B2

Title: Group dynamic wagering system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES 
     The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/517,787, entitled “GROUP DYNAMIC WAGERING SYSTEM,” filed on Jun. 9, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates generally to a system of wagering for an online game, and specifically, to wagering involving a group dynamic where the results of the wager are determined by the actions of other players. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  depicts a screenshot of an embodiment of a graphical user interface depicting a step of a method for a group dynamic wagering system; 
         FIG. 2  depicts an embodiment of a method for a group dynamic wagering system; 
         FIG. 3  depicts an embodiment of a method for a group dynamic wagering system; 
         FIG. 4  depicts an embodiment of a method for a group dynamic wagering system; 
         FIG. 5  depicts embodiments of a graphical user interface and a method for a group dynamic wagering system; 
         FIG. 6  depicts an exemplary network diagram for the server infrastructure for implementing embodiments of a group dynamic wagering system; 
         FIG. 7  depicts a simplified block diagram of an embodiment of a distributed computer system for implementing embodiments of a group dynamic wagering system; 
         FIG. 8  depicts a more detailed diagram of an example of a computing device from a system for implementing embodiments of a group dynamic wagering system; and 
         FIG. 9  depicts a simplified block diagram of an embodiment of a system for implementing embodiments of a group dynamic wagering system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     This disclosure contemplates embodiments of a wagering system that accounts for group dynamics. In the embodiments, the group dynamic of player actions as a whole will influence the outcome of individual wagers. 
     Wagering Assessment 
     In an embodiment, players may make a selection from among a set of choices. The selection is noted and associated with the player and stored by the server. To determine whether the player wins, all the stored answers are retrieved by the server and processed according to the method to determine the popularities of the potential choices. The player&#39;s choice is then compared to determine where it fits in a popularity-based ranking of the potential choices. 
       FIG. 1  depicts a screenshot of an embodiment of a graphical user interface  100  (or “selection interface”) depicting a step of a method for a group dynamic wagering system. A player profile  101  indicates the player&#39;s name, available bankroll, and the player&#39;s status level at the top of the screen. An opinion question  102  is shown with a certain time left (0:11) to make a choice. Four available opinion choices  103  are displayed. 
       FIG. 2  depicts an embodiment of a method  200  for a group dynamic wagering system. In step  210 , a player starts and is shown a list of choices. In step  220 , the player selects their preference from among the choices. The player places an associated wager (not shown). In step  230 , the method predicts and reveals how the choices are trending by calculating the total number of players who have responded up to that time with an answer divided by the total number of all answers for each question. The method also reveals the guaranteed payouts (e.g., $1000, $500, $200, and $100 for the top through fourth ranked answer). In step  240 , a real-time check is performed on the servers after an arbitrary amount of time has passed (e.g., an hour, or a day) to determine the ranking of the choices and how the player&#39;s choice ranks among the most popular choices by other players per the method. The particular player&#39;s answer of “Karate” resulted in a Bonus of $2000 as a result of the player&#39;s choice of “Karate,” which ranked first of choices 1-4 and which paid $1000, and the player having purchased VIP level according to step  250 . In step  250 , a check is performed on the server to award double the payout if the player has purchased a VIP level. In step  260 , a payout check is performed and the server updates the player&#39;s bankroll. If the player doesn&#39;t participate then the payout is zero. 
       FIG. 3  depicts an embodiment of a method  300  for a group dynamic wagering system. In the embodiment, there is one correct answer to a question, e.g., a trivia question, and bonuses are given by predicting the relative popularity of the responses selected from among a list of potential responses. In the embodiment, a graphical user interface is used that is similar to graphical user interface  100  (“selection interface”), but the question, e.g., a trivia question, has a correct answer—one of the choices presented. In the embodiment, in step  310 , the player is shown a list of choices, e.g., categories of sports trivia, from which to select. After choosing one category, e.g., golf, in step  320  the player is provided with a list of potential answers to the question, and the player chooses one answer from the list within the time allotted. In step  330 , the player selects whether the player thinks the correct answer is also the popular choice as determined by a real-time check of the total responses. In step  340 , the player makes a wager  340  based on the players selection of whether the correct answer is also the popular choice. In step  350 , a real-time check by the server is performed on the total number of responses received up to that time to determine if the correct answer is also the most popular choice made by the players. In other words, the real-time check is performed on the choices of players who have responded to the same question earlier than the current player, or at the same time as the current player. In step  360 , the player&#39;s choice from step  330  is compared to the determination from step  350  and a payout or loss check is performed by the server and the player&#39;s bankroll is updated. In this example, because the player was correct that the popular choice was also the correct choice, a payout was made and $50,000 added to the player&#39;s bankroll. In step  370 , the group dynamic results from the real-time check are displayed in descending order showing the popularity of the choices as determined using the method from step  230  ( FIG. 2 ), described above. In an embodiment, an IQ bonus may be awarded for picking the correct answer for each question and the bonus may increase each subsequent round. In an embodiment, a speed bonus may be given for quicker answers related to the time remaining on the clock at one or more of the steps of the embodiment of  FIG. 3 . 
     In embodiments, the stakes may vary based on the player&#39;s VIP status level. In embodiments, wins may be awarded from an artificial bank in the game. And, in embodiment, payouts may be even, except when the embodiment involves rolling a standard 6-sided cube die that varies payouts from 1:1 to 6:1. 
       FIG. 4  depicts an embodiment of a method  400  for a group dynamic wagering system. In an embodiment, there is one correct answer to a question, e.g., a trivia question, and bonuses may be awarded based on a player&#39;s prediction of how an opponent answered the question. In the embodiment, a graphical user interface is used that is similar to graphical user interface  100  (“selection interface”), but the question, e.g., a trivia question, has a correct answer—one of the choices presented. In step  410 , the player (e.g., Keith) starts. The display reflects a selected topic (e.g., Sports/Hockey) and a selected opponent (e.g., Barry). In step  420 , the player is shown a list of potential answers. In step  430 , the player is shown the correct answer (e.g., 1917) and asked to select whether the correct answer was also their opponent&#39;s choice. In step  440 , the player makes a wager based on their selection from step  430 . In step  450 , a real-time check is performed by the server to determine if the correct answer is also the opponent&#39;s choice. If the player&#39;s selection from step  430  matches the check from step  450 , the player wins. If the selection from step  430  does not match the check from step  450 , the player loses. The server updates the player&#39;s bankroll based on the win or loss in step  450 . In an embodiment, in step  420 , the player may also select what the player thinks is the correct answer. In an embodiment, an IQ bonus may be awarded for picking the correct answer in step  420  and the bonus may increase each subsequent round. In an embodiment, a speed bonus may be given for quicker answers related to the time remaining on the clock at one or more of the steps of the embodiment of  FIG. 4 . In an embodiment, stakes and bonus amounts are based on the player with the lower VIP level. In an embodiment, the real-time check may be made after both players have made their choices, or after a timer expires an arbitrary amount of time after step  440 . For example, the opponent (Barry) may not yet have made any selection and the real-time check may be made when the allotted time expires and before Barry makes a selection, preventing Barry from participating in Keith&#39;s wager. The player&#39;s (Keith&#39;s) selections in steps  430  and  440  would not be affected by Barry&#39;s not participating, e.g., should the selection also apply to a different wager. 
       FIG. 5  depicts embodiments of a graphical user interface  500  and a method  505  for a group dynamic wagering system. In the embodiment, players select a limited number of their preferred options from a larger pool, and a player&#39;s results are based on the popularity of their choices compared to the choices of the total number of players. In the embodiment, a graphical user interface (or “selection interface”)  500  displays a first line  501  with a player&#39;s profile, including the player&#39;s bankroll and status level, at the top of the display. In a second line  502 , the user interface displays the time left and number of picks completed, indicating the player&#39;s progress toward selecting their preferred options. In a third line  503 , the player is presented with an option to indicate a positive or negative preference for the displayed material, or the player may move on to the next option to review (e.g., by swiping left or right). 
     In method  505  for a group dynamic wagering system, in step  510  the player begins and is presented with a first option to review. In step  520 , the player either casts their opinion one at a time by tapping either thumbs up or thumbs down on an option, or moves on to another option, with 6:41 left of an initial 10 minutes allotted for completing the selections. By swiping their device&#39;s screen left or right to view all of the daily choices the player continues picking their choices until an arbitrary number of selections has been made (six, in this example). In step  530 , a summary of the player&#39;s selections is shown before wagering, with 0:11 remaining of an initial 15 seconds allotted for completing this task. In step  540 , the player makes a wager (wagered dollar amount not shown) of how many of their picks (six, in this example) will make it into the top results (e.g., 0-1, 2-3, 4-5, or All 6), with 0:23 remaining of an initial thirty seconds allotted for completing this task. The payoffs for each wager are shown. In step  550 , the player may make a wager of how many of their opinions (0-1, 2-3, 4-5, or All 6) will be in the majority (where the majority of participating players votes either thumbs up or thumbs down on that option). In step  560 , a real-time check is made on the servers after an arbitrary amount of time has passed (e.g., an hour, or a day) to determine a ranking of choices based on their popularity among the collective group of participating players. The single player&#39;s opinions are also compared to the ranking of choices to determine the number of the player&#39;s opinions that made the top results (in the example, a check-mark is placed next to each player opinion that made the top results). In step  570 , the number of the player&#39;s opinions in the top results is compared to the player&#39;s wager from step  550 , with the player winning when the number of the player&#39;s opinions that made the top results equals the player&#39;s wager. In step  555 , it is determined whether the player&#39;s wager from step  540  was a winning wager. In step  570 , it is determined whether the player&#39;s wager from step  550  was a winning wager. In step  575 , the player is shown how their selections in step  550  compared with respect to the majority. In step  580 , the server provides a Final Score with the results of this round as determined in steps  570  and  555 , and also updates the player&#39;s bankroll. 
     In embodiments, a real-time check may be performed immediately, or may be delayed an arbitrary amount of time following a step. Thus, a real-time check regarding a first player&#39;s selection(s) may allow for additional players to participate and their selections included in calculating results—even where those additional players&#39; selections were made after the first player&#39;s selections. 
     Server Assessment 
       FIG. 6  depicts an exemplary network diagram for the server infrastructure for implementing embodiments of a group dynamic wagering system. In  FIG. 6 , game clients running on mobile devices  600 , desktop computers  601 , or laptop computers  602  may all connect to any one of two load balancers  603  using a round-robin DNS. When the game server domain name is resolved, e.g., game.lottopinion.com, the two IP addresses of load balancers  603  are returned in a random order, ensuring equal distribution of clients. Load balancers  603  will then distribute the requests to a game server  604 , which is selected based on the current server load. At higher loads, new game servers may easily be added to the server pool by notifying the load balancers  603  of a new server. During the processing of the requests, game servers  604  will each access a common master database  605 . Master database  605  will connect to a slave database  606  for backup and redundancy. Once a game server  604  has finished processing the request, the response is returned to the same load balancer  603  and back to the original game client  600 - 602 . During scheduled times, game servers  604  will access social media servers  607  using their public APIs to retrieve and process recent posts. 
       FIG. 7  shows a simplified block diagram of an embodiment of a distributed computer system  700  for implementing embodiments of a group dynamic wagering system. Computer network  700  includes a number of client systems  705 ,  710 , and  715 , and a server system  720  coupled to a communication network  725  via a plurality of communication links  730 . Communication network  725  provides a mechanism for allowing the various components of distributed network  700  to communicate and exchange information with each other The embodiments discussed with reference to  FIGS. 1-6  may benefit from being implemented using a distributed computer system  700 . Aspects of the server infrastructure described with reference to  FIG. 6  may be combined with or substituted for aspects of computer network  700 . 
     Communication network  725  may itself be comprised of many interconnected computer systems and communication links. Communication links  730  may be hardwire links, optical links, satellite or other wireless communications links, wave propagation links, or any other mechanisms for communication of information. Various communication protocols may be used to facilitate communication between the various systems shown in  FIG. 7 . These communication protocols may include TCP/IP, HTTP protocols, wireless application protocol (WAP), vendor-specific protocols, customized protocols, and others. While in one embodiment, communication network  725  is the Internet, in other embodiments, communication network  725  may be any suitable communication network including a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless network, an intranet, a private network, a public network, a switched network, Internet telephony, IP telephony, digital voice, voice over broadband (VoBB), broadband telephony, Voice over IP (VoIP), public switched telephone network (PSTN), and combinations of these, and the like. 
     System  700  in  FIG. 7  is merely illustrative of an embodiment and does not limit the scope of the systems and methods as recited in the claims. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize other variations, modifications, and alternatives. For example, more than one server system  720  may be connected to communication network  725 . As another example, a number of client systems  705 ,  710 , and  715  may be coupled to communication network  725  via an access provider (not shown) or via some other server system. An instance of a server system  720  and a computing device  705  may be part of the same or a different hardware system. An instance of a server system  720  may be operated by a provider different from an organization operating an embodiment of a system for wagering, or may be operated by the same organization operating an embodiment of a system for wagering. 
     Client systems  705 ,  710 , and  715  typically request information from a server system which provides the information. Server systems by definition typically have more computing and storage capacity than client systems. However, a particular computer system may act as both a client and a server depending on whether the computer system is requesting or providing information. Aspects of the system may be embodied using a client-server environment or a cloud-cloud computing environment. 
     Server  720  is responsible for receiving information requests from client systems  705 ,  710 , and  715 , performing processing required to satisfy the requests, and for forwarding the results corresponding to the requests back to the requesting client system. The processing required to satisfy the request may be performed by server system  720  or may alternatively be delegated to other servers connected to communication network  725 . 
     Client systems  705 ,  710 , and  715  enable users to access and query information or applications stored by server system  720 . Some example client systems include portable electronic devices (e.g., mobile communication devices) such as the Apple iPhone®, the Apple iPad®, the Palm Pre™, or any device running the Apple iOS™, Android™ OS, Google Chrome OS, Symbian OS®, Windows Mobile® OS, Palm OS® or Palm Web OS™ In a specific embodiment, a “web browser” application executing on a client system enables users to select, access, retrieve, or query information and/or applications stored by server system  720 . Examples of web browsers include the Android browser provided by Google, the Safari® browser provided by Apple, the Opera Web browser provided by Opera Software, the BlackBerry® browser provided by Research In Motion, the Internet Explorer® and Internet Explorer Mobile browsers provided by Microsoft Corporation, the Firefox® and Firefox for Mobile browsers provided by Mozilla®, and others. 
       FIG. 8  shows a more detailed diagram of an example of a computing device from a system for implementing embodiments of a group dynamic wagering system. In an embodiment, a user interfaces with the system through a client system, such as shown in  FIG. 8 . Mobile client communication device or portable electronic device  800  includes a display, screen, or monitor  805 , housing  810 , and input device  815 . Housing  810  houses familiar computer components, some of which are not shown, such as a processor  820 , memory  825 , battery  830 , speaker, transceiver, network interface  835 , microphone, ports, jacks, connectors, camera, input/output (I/O) controller, display adapter, network interface, mass storage devices  840 , and the like. Computer system  800  may include a bus or other communication mechanism for communicating information between components. Mass storage device (or devices)  840  may store a user application and system software components. Memory  825  may store information and instructions to be executed by processor  820 . 
     Input device  815  may also include a touchscreen (e.g., resistive, surface acoustic wave, capacitive sensing, infrared, optical imaging, dispersive signal, or acoustic pulse recognition), keyboard (e.g., electronic keyboard or physical keyboard), buttons, switches, stylus, gestural interface (contact or non-contact gestures), biometric input sensors, or combinations of these. 
     Mass storage device  840  may include flash and other nonvolatile solid-state storage or solid-state drive (SSD), such as a flash drive, flash memory, or USB flash drive. Other examples of mass storage include mass disk drives, floppy disks, magnetic disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, fixed disks, hard disks, CD-ROMs, recordable CDs, DVDs, recordable DVDs (e.g., DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, HD-DVD, or Blu-ray Disc), battery-backed-up volatile memory, tape storage, reader, and other similar media, and combinations of these. 
     System  700  may also be used with computer systems having different configurations, e.g., with additional or fewer subsystems. For example, a computer system could include more than one processor (i.e., a multiprocessor system, which may permit parallel processing of information) or a system may include a cache memory. The computer system shown in  FIG. 8  is but an example of a computer system suitable for use. Other configurations of subsystems suitable for use will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, in a specific implementation, the computing device is mobile communication device such as a smartphone or tablet computer. Some specific examples of smartphones include the Droid Incredible and Google Nexus One@, provided by HTC Corporation, the iPhone@ or iPad®, both provided by Apple, BlackBerry ZIO provided by BlackBerry (formerly Research In Motion), and many others. The computing device may be a laptop or a netbook. In another specific implementation, the computing device is a non-portable computing device such as a desktop computer or workstation. 
     A computer-implemented or computer-executable version of the program instructions useful to practice the present subject matter may be embodied using, stored on, or associated with computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium may include any medium that participates in providing instructions to one or more processors for execution. Such a medium may take many forms including, but not limited to, nonvolatile, volatile, and transmission media. Nonvolatile media includes, for example, flash memory, or optical or magnetic disks. Volatile media includes static or dynamic memory, such as cache memory or RAM. Transmission media includes coaxial cables, copper wire, fiber optic lines, and wires arranged in a bus. Transmission media can also take the form of electromagnetic, radio frequency, acoustic, or light waves, such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications. 
     For example, a binary, machine-executable version, of the software useful to practice the present subject matter may be stored or reside in RAM or cache memory, or on mass storage device  840 . The source code of this software may also be stored or reside on mass storage device  840  (e.g., flash drive, hard disk, magnetic disk, tape, or CD-ROM). As a further example, code useful for practicing the subject matter may be transmitted via wires, radio waves, or through a network such as the Internet. In another specific embodiment, a computer program product including a variety of software program code to implement features of the subject matter is provided. 
     Computer software products may be written in any of various suitable programming languages, such as C, C++, C#, Pascal, Fortran, Perl, Matlab (from MathWorks, www.mathworks.com), SAS, SPSS, JavaScript, CoffeeScript, Objective-C, Objective-J, Ruby, Python, Erlang, Lisp, Scala, Clojure, and Java. The computer software product may be an independent application with data input and data display modules. Alternatively, the computer software products may be classes that may be instantiated as distributed objects. The computer software products may also be component software such as Java Beans (from Oracle) or Enterprise Java Beans (EJB from Oracle). 
     An operating system for the system may be the Android operating system, iPhone OS (i.e., iOS), Symbian, BlackBerry OS, Palm web OS, bada, MeeGo, Maemo, Limo, or Brew OS. Other examples of operating systems include one of the Microsoft ‘Windows family of operating systems (e.g., Windows 95, 98, Me, ‘Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows XP x64 Edition, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows CE, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone  7 ), Linux, HP-UX, UNIX, Sun OS, Solaris, Mac OS X, Alpha OS, AIX, IRIX32, or IRIX64. Other operating systems may be used. 
     Furthermore, the computer may be connected to a network and may interface to other computers using this network. The network may be an intranet, internet, or the Internet, among others. The network may be a wired network (e.g., using copper), telephone network, packet network, an optical network (e.g., using optical fiber), or a wireless network, or any combination of these. For example, data and other information may be passed between the computer and components (or steps) of a system useful in practicing the subject matter using a wireless network employing a protocol such as Wi-Fi (IEEE standards 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11e, 802.11g, 802.11i, and 802.11n, just to name a few examples). For example, signals from a computer may be transferred, at least in part, wirelessly to components or other computers. 
       FIG. 9  is a simplified block diagram of an embodiment of a system  900  for implementing embodiments of a group dynamic wagering system. System  900  includes one or more user computing devices  905  (e.g., mobile device  600 , desktop computer  601 , laptop computer  602 , computing system  800 , and clients  705 ,  710 ,  715 ), and a server  920 , coupled to a communication network  925  via a plurality of communication links  930 . Computing device  905  may be used to run a user application  910  for deferring the sale of a service provider. User application  910  may use computing device  905  and network  925  to access server  920 . Communication network  925  (or “network  925 ”) provides a mechanism for allowing the various components of system  900  to communicate and exchange information with each other via communication links  930 . Server  920  may run a wagering system component  940  (e.g., a component for providing a wagering service to a customer), which itself may be comprised of sub-components (e.g.,  942   a ,  942   b ,  942   c , . . . ,  942   n ). Such sub-components may include one or more databases. Computing device  905  may itself run a wagering system component  915 , which may perform as a wagering system component  940 , or as one of sub-components  942   a ,  942   b ,  942   c , . . . ,  942   n  in communication with server  920  through network  925 . Aspects of the server infrastructure described with reference to  FIG. 6  may be combined with or substituted for aspects of computer network  900 . 
     Network  925  may be any suitable communications network. Communication network  925  may itself be comprised of many interconnected computer systems and communication links. As an example, and not by way of limitation, one or more portions of network  925  may include an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellular telephone network, another suitable network, or a combination of two or more of these. Network  925  may include one or more networks  925 . 
     Connections  930  may connect computing device  905  and server  920  to communication network  925  or to each other. Communication links  930  may be hardwire links, optical links, satellite or other wireless communications links, wave propagation links, or any other mechanisms for communication of information. This disclosure contemplates any suitable connections  925 . In particular embodiments, one or more connections  925  include one or more wireline (such as for example Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS)), wireless (such as for example Wi-Pi or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)) or optical (such as for example Synchronous Optical Network (SO NET) or Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH)) connections. In particular embodiments, one or more connections  930  each include an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a VPN, a LAN, a WLAN, a WAN, a WWAN, a MAN, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the PSTN, a cellular telephone network, another suitable connection  930 , or a combination of two or more such connections  930 . Connections  930  need not necessarily be the same throughout system  900 . One or more first connections  930  may differ in one or more respects from one or more second connections  930 . 
     Server  920  may be a network-addressable computing system that can host one or more wagering system components  940 . Server  920  may be responsible for receiving information requests from computing device  905  via user application 9 j 0, for performing the processing required to satisfy the requests, for generating responses to received inquiries, and for forwarding the results corresponding to the requests back to requesting computing device  905 . Server  920  may store, receive, or transmit data and software, and information associated with the data and software (including user data). The processing required to satisfy the requests may be performed by server  920  or may alternatively be delegated to other servers connected to communication network  925 . For example, other servers may host wagering system component  940 , or have additional wagering system components. Server  920  may be an intermediary in communications between a computing device  905  and another server system, or a computing device  905  may communicate directly with another server system. Server  920  may be accessed by the other components of system  900 , for example, directly or via network  925 , In particular embodiments, one or more users  901  may use one or more computer devices  905  to access, send data to, and receive data from server  920 . 
     Computing device  905 , connections  930 , and network  925 , enable user  901  to access and query information stored and applications run by server  920 , such as wagering system component  940 . Some example computer devices  905  include desktop computers, portable electronic devices (e.g., mobile communication devices, smartphones, tablet computers, laptops) such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab®, Google Nexus devices, Amazon Kindle@, Kindle Fire@, Apple iPhone@, the Apple iPad®, Microsoft Surface®, the Palm Pre™, or any device running the Apple iOS@, Android® as, Google Chrome® OS, Symbian OS®, Windows Mobile® OS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry® as, Embedded Linux, Tizen, Sailfish, webOS, Palm OS (ID or Palm Web OS®. 
     In an embodiment, user application  910  may be run or executed by a different system. For example, computing device  905 , or server  920 , or both, may run user application  910 . That is, user application  910  may be run by computing device  905 , or the application may be run on server  920  and accessed by computing device  905  through a browser and network  925 . For example, computing device  905  could be operated as a terminal, with user application  910  being run on a server, e.g., server  920 , In an embodiment, aspects or functionalities of user application  910  are run by server  920 , or another computing system or server. In an embodiment, the steps of the methods described herein may be performed, at least in part, in cloud-computing environment. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a particular arrangement of user  901 , computing device  905 , and server  920 , but this is an example arrangement. Any other suitable arrangement of user  901 , computing device  9 ˜ 5 , server  920 , and network  925  may be used. For example, computing device  905  may be connected directly to server  920 . Also, computing device  905  and server  920  may appear to be distinct yet operate on the same hardware. In addition, any number of users  901 , clients  905 , and server  920  may be used in embodiments. 
     In an embodiment, a method for wagering comprises, in a first step, receiving, by a software component executing on a server, a selection from among a set of choices by each of a plurality of users, each selection being associated with the selecting user and stored by the software component. In a second step, the software component determines a first group dynamic by: retrieving the selections and the associated users at a first time, and determining a first ranking of the set of choices based on the number of each choice in the selections retrieved at the first time, with the ranking providing a most-selected choice. In a third step, the software component determines a degree to which a first user of the plurality of users matches the first group dynamic by determining where the selection associated with the first user, and retrieved at the first time, placed in the first ranking of the set of choices. And in a fourth step, the software component determines that the first user is due a first award based on the determined degree to which the first user matches the first group dynamic. An embodiment may further include the software component providing a question to the plurality of users, where one of the set of choices is a correct answer to the question. An embodiment may further include the software component determining that the first user is due a bonus award when: the selection associated with the first user matches the most-selected choice, and the most-selected choice matches the correct answer. An embodiment may further include the software component providing a question to the plurality of users, where each choice includes one of an opinion and a preference. In an embodiment, the software component&#39;s receiving of a selection from among a set of choices by each of a plurality of users may be an on-going process such that additional users may be added to the plurality of users with time, and the method may further include: 1) the software component determining a second group dynamic by: retrieving the selections and associated users at a second time, and determining a second ranking of the set of choices based on the number of each choice in the selections retrieved at the second time; 2) the software component determining a degree to which a second user of the plurality of users matches the second group dynamic by determining where the selection associated with the second user, and retrieved at the second time, placed in the second ranking of the set of choices; and 3) the software component determining that the second user is due a second award based on the determined degree to which the second user matches the second group dynamic. In an embodiment, the second user and the first user may be the same user. 
     In an embodiment, a method for wagering comprises, in a first step, a software component executing on a server receiving a first selection from among a set of choices by each of a plurality of users, each first selection being associated with the selecting user and stored by the software component, the set of choices including a correct choice. In a second step the software component determines a first group dynamic by: retrieving the first selections and the associated users at a first time, determining a first most-selected choice from the set of choices based on the number of each choice in the first selections retrieved at the first time, and comparing the first most-selected choice to the correct choice to determine whether the first most-selected choice is the same as the correct choice. In a third step the software component determines a degree to which a first user of the plurality of users matches the first group dynamic by: receiving from the first user a second selection of whether the first most-selected choice is the same as the correct choice, and comparing the second selection to the determination of whether the first most-selected choice is the same as the correct choice. And, in a fourth step, when the comparison determines that the second selection matches the determination of whether the first most-selected choice is the same as the correct choice, the software component determines that the first user is due a first award. In an embodiment, the correct choice may correspond to a question provided by the software component to the plurality of users. An embodiment may further include the software component determining that the first user is due a bonus award when: the second selection matches the determination of whether the first most-selected choice is the same as the correct choice, and the most-selected choice matches the correct answer. In an embodiment, the software component&#39;s receiving a first selection from among a set of choices by each of a plurality of users may be an on-going process such that additional users may be added to the plurality of users with time, and the method may further include: 1) determining, by the software component, a second group dynamic by: retrieving the first selections and the associated users at a second time, determining a second most-selected choice from the set of choices based on the number of each choice in the first selections retrieved at the second time, and comparing the second most-selected choice to the correct choice to determine whether the second most-selected choice is the same as the correct choice; 2) determining, by the software component, a degree to which a second user of the plurality of users matches the second group dynamic by: receiving from the second user a third selection of whether the second most-selected choice is the same as the correct choice, and comparing the third selection to the determination of whether the second most-selected choice is the same as the correct choice; and 3) when the comparison determines that the third selection matches the determination of whether the second most-selected choice is the same as the correct choice, determining, by the software component, that the second user is due a second award. In an embodiment, the second user and the first user may be the same user. 
     In an embodiment a method for wagering comprises, in a first step, a software component executing on a server receiving a first selection from among a set of choices by a first user, the first selection being associated with the first user and stored by the software component, the set of choices including a correct choice. In a second step the software component determines a target response by comparing the first selection to the correct choice to determine whether the first selection is the same as the correct choice. In a third step the software component determines a degree to which a second user matches the target response by: receiving a second selection by the second user of whether the first selection is the same as the correct choice, and comparing the second selection to the target response. And in a fourth step, when the second selection is determined to match the target response, the software component determines that the second user is due a first award. In an embodiment, the correct choice may corresponds to a question provided by the software component to the first and second users. An embodiment may further include the software component determining that the second user is due a bonus award when: the first selection associated with the first user matches the correct choice, and the second selection is determined to match the target response. 
     In an embodiment a method for wagering comprises, in a first step, a software component executing on a server receiving a first set of selections from among a set of choices by each of a plurality of users, each first set of selections being associated with the selecting user and stored by the software component. In a second step the software component determines a first group dynamic by: retrieving the first sets of selections and the associated users at a first time, and determining a first plurality of most-selected choices from the set of choices based on the number of each choice in the first sets of selections retrieved at the first time. In a third step the software component determines a degree to which a first user of the plurality of users matches the first group dynamic by: receiving from the first user a first estimation of the number of selections from the first user&#39;s first set of selections retrieved at the first time that are also contained in the determined first plurality of most-selected choices, comparing the first user&#39;s first set of selections retrieved at the first time to the determined first plurality of most-selected choices to determine a first number of matches, and comparing the first number of matches to the first estimation. And, in a fourth step, when the determined first number of matches is equal to or greater than the first estimation, the software component determines that the first user is due a first award. An embodiment may further include the software component providing a question to the plurality of users, where each of the set of choices is a potential answer to the question. An embodiment may further include the software component providing a plurality of questions to the plurality of users, where the set of choices includes a plurality of potential answers to each question of the plurality of questions. In an embodiment the software component&#39;s receiving a first set of selections from among a set of choices by each of a plurality of users may be an on-going process such that additional users may be added to the plurality of users, and the method may further include: 1) the software component determining, by the software component, a second group dynamic by: retrieving the first sets of selections and the associated users at a second time, and determining a second plurality of most-selected choices from the set of choices based on the number of each choice in the first sets of selections retrieved at the second time; 2) the software component determining a degree to which a second user of the plurality of users matches the second group dynamic by receiving from the second user a second estimation of the number of selections from the second user&#39;s first set of selections retrieved at the second time that are also contained in the determined second plurality of most-selected choices, comparing the second user&#39;s first set of selections retrieved at the second time to the determined second plurality of most-selected choices to determine a second number of matches, and comparing the second number of matches to the second estimation; and 3) when the determined second number of matches is equal to or greater than the second estimation, the software component determining that the second user is due a second award. In an embodiment, the second user and the first user may be the same user. 
     In an embodiment, group dynamics are used to determine the outcome of a wager based on the popularity of a personal preference. The results of the wager may be based entirely on the relative popularity of the choice compared to the group as a whole. The result of the wager may change dynamically based on real-time answers of others in the group. 
     In an embodiment, group dynamics are used to determine the outcome of a wager based on an answer to a trivia question and the believed most popular answer to that question. The base winnings may be determined by a correct answer, and bonus winnings may be added if the most popular answer was chosen correctly and timely. The base result of the wager may dynamically based on real-time answers of others in the group. 
     In an embodiment, group dynamics are used to determine the outcome of a wager based on an answer to a trivia question and the believed answer of a player&#39;s opponent. The base winnings may be determined by a correct answer and bonus winnings may be added if the opponent&#39;s answer was chosen correctly and timely. 
     In an embodiment, group dynamics are used to determine the outcome of a wager based on the popularity of a chosen number of personal preferences out of a larger pool. The base winnings may be determined by the popularity of the personal choices compared to the group, as well as by a player correctly guessing the number of their opinions that were popular. 
     In the description above and throughout, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of an embodiment of this disclosure. It will be evident, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art, that an embodiment may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to facilitate explanation. The description of the preferred embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto. Further, in the methods disclosed herein, various steps are disclosed illustrating some of the functions of an embodiment. These steps are merely examples, and are not meant to be limiting in any way. Other steps and functions may be contemplated without departing from this disclosure or the scope of an embodiment.