Patent Publication Number: US-2011065492-A1

Title: Gaming device having near-miss configuration

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This disclosure relates generally to gaming devices, and more particularly to gaming devices configured to include near-miss game outcomes during game play of the gaming device. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Game outcomes on gaming devices are typically determined at random where winning outcomes award a player money, credits, promotions, prizes, or other incentives, and losing outcomes typically result only in a lost wager. Player excitement is typically generated by providing the possibility of winning large awards for a relatively meager wager. Business principles require that most outcomes not be large winning outcomes for the player. However, this often times must be balanced with giving the player some incentive to keep playing. Therefore smaller valued winning outcomes are typically included in the game to drive up the hit frequency of winning outcomes while not awarding extremely large prizes too often. 
     It was quickly observed that while these smaller prizes were valued to a player, an outcome associated with a much larger prize that just missed being awarded also strongly incentivized players to keep playing because of the generated excitement of almost walking away with a large prize. For example, on a three reel spinning-reel slot machine, a game that had a jackpot symbol landing on the payline on a first reel, followed by a jackpot symbol landing on the payline of the second reel builds great player excitement because of the possibility of the third reel stopping with ajackpot symbol on the payline. As the reel slows down, ajackpot symbol can be seen coming into view. However, it stops just past the payline so that a blank symbol lines up on the payline. While the player feels like she just missed winning the jackpot, this outcome ultimately does not pay the player anything. Gaming device designers noted the excitement caused by this “near-miss” losing outcome and began developing games that tried to encourage this phenomenon. This was largely accomplished by stacking a large number of virtual reel stops on the symbols directly adjacent to jackpot symbols associated with large awards. This configuration causes several problems, however. First, regulatory agencies became concerned that players were being treated unfairly and in some cases imposed restrictions on the ratio of the number of virtual stops that can be assigned to any two given reel strip positions. Second, excessive use of the near-miss outcomes makes the situation less exciting for the player because they are used to seeing it often. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 1B  is an isometric view of the gaming device illustrated in  FIG. 1A . 
         FIGS. 2A ,  2 B, and  2 C are detail diagrams of exemplary types of gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a functional block diagram of networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIGS. 4A ,  4 B,  4 C, and  4 D are detail diagrams of exemplary near-miss outcomes on a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIGS. 5A and 5B  are illustrated representations of exemplary paytables for a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  are illustrated representations of exemplary near-miss tables for a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIGS. 7A and 7B  are illustrated representations of exemplary paytables and near-miss tables for a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIGS. 8A ,  8 B, and  8 C are detailed diagrams of an exemplary gaming event resulting from a near-miss gaming outcome on a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a flow diagram of a method of implementing a near-miss gaming outcome on a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a detailed diagram of a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate example gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , a gaming device  10  is 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 electromechanical 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 machine  10  shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
     The gaming device  10  includes a cabinet  15  housing components to operate the gaming device  10 . The cabinet  15  may include a gaming display  20 , a base portion  13 , a top box  18 , and a player interface panel  30 . The gaming display  20  may 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 cabinet  15  may also include a credit meter  27  and a coin-in or bet meter  28 . The credit meter  27  may indicate the total number of credits remaining on the gaming device  10  that are eligible to be wagered. In some embodiments, the credit meter  27  may reflect a monetary unit, such as dollars. However, it is often preferable to have the credit meter  27  reflect a number of ‘credits,’ rather than a monetary unit. The bet meter  28  may 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 meter  27  to the bet meter  28 . 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 display  20  is a video monitor, the information indicated on the credit meters may be shown on the gaming display itself  20  ( FIG. 2B ). 
     The base portion  13  may include a lighted panel  14 , a coin return (not shown), and a gaming handle  12  operable on a partially rotating pivot joint  11 . The game handle  12  is traditionally included on mechanical spinning-reel games, where the handle may be pulled toward a player to initiate the spinning of reels  22  after placement of a wager. The top box  18  may include a lighted panel  17 , a video display (such as an LCD monitor), a mechanical bonus device (not shown), and a candle light indicator  19 . The player interface panel  30  may include various devices so that a player can interact with the gaming device  10 . 
     The player interface panel  30  may include one or more game buttons  32  that can be actuated by the player to cause the gaming device  10  to perform a specific action. For example, some of the game buttons  32  may cause the gaming device  10  to 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 meter  27 ), or request assistance from casino personnel, such as by lighting the candle  19 . In addition, the player interface panel  30  may include one or more game actuating buttons  33 . The game actuating buttons  33  may initiate a game with a pre-specified amount of credits. On some gaming devices  10  a “Max Bet” game actuating button  33  may be included that places the maximum credit wager on a game and initiates the game. The player interface panel  30  may further include a bill acceptor  37  and a ticket printer  38 . The bill acceptor  37  may accept and validate paper money or previously printed tickets with a credit balance. The ticket printer  38  may print out tickets reflecting the balance of the credits that remain on the gaming device  10  when a player cashes out by pressing one of the game buttons  32  programmed 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 device  10  may also include one or more speakers  26  to 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 device  10 . For example, a particularly festive sound may be played during a large win or when a bonus is triggered. The speakers  26  may also transmit “attract” sounds to entice nearby players when the game is not currently being played. 
     The gaming device  10  may further include a secondary display  25 . This secondary display  25  may be a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), a plasma screen, or the like. The secondary display  25  may show any combination of primary game information and ancillary information to the player. For example, the secondary display  25  may show player tracking information, secondary bonus information, advertisements, or player selectable game options. 
     The gaming device  10  may 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&#39;s “service window.” Another example is Las Vegas Gaming Incorporated&#39;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 device  10  includes a microprocessor  40  that controls operation of the gaming device  10 . If the gaming device  10  is a standalone gaming device, the microprocessor  40  may 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 display  20  to represent the outcome of a game, communicating with the other peripheral devices (such as the bill acceptor  37 ), and orchestrating the lighting and sound emanating from the gaming device  10 . In other embodiments where the gaming device  10  is coupled to a network  50 , as described below, the microprocessor  40  may have different tasks depending on the setup and function of the gaming device. For example, the microprocessor  40  may be responsible for running the base game of the gaming device and executing instructions received over the network  50  from a bonus server or player tracking server. In a server-based gaming setup, the microprocessor  40  may act as a terminal to execute instructions from a remote server that is running game play on the gaming device. 
     The microprocessor  40  may be coupled to a machine communication interface (MCI)  42  that connects the gaming device  10  to a gaming network  50 . The MCI  42  may be coupled to the microprocessor  40  through a serial connection, a parallel connection, an optical connection, or in some cases a wireless connection. The gaming device  10  may include memory  41  (MEM), such as a random access memory (RAM), coupled to the microprocessor  40  and 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 MCI  42 . The MCI  42  may also facilitate communication between the network  50  and the secondary display  25  or a player tracking unit  45  housed in the gaming cabinet  15 . 
     The player tracking unit  45  may include an identification device  46  and one or more buttons  47  associated with the player tracking unit  45 . The identification device  46  serves 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 device  46  may instead, or additionally, identify players through other methods. Player tracking systems using player tracking cards and card readers  46  are 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 to  FIG. 3 . The player account may include the player&#39;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 device  46  thus 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 display  25  or 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&#39;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 display  25  to 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 device  10 . In other embodiments, the identification device  46  may read other identifying cards (such as driver licenses, credit cards, etc.) to identify a player and match them to a corresponding player tracking account. Although  FIG. 1A  shows the player tracking unit  45  with a card reader as the identification device  46 , other embodiments may include a player tracking unit  45  with 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 device  10 , 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 acceptor  37 . 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 device  10  for credits or other value. For example, a player may convert stored loyalty points to credits or transfer finds from his bank account, credit card, casino account or other source of funding. The selected source of finding 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 meter  27  displays the numeric credit value of the money or other value inserted, transferred, or stored dependent on the denomination of the gaming device  10 . That is, if the gaming device  10  is a nickel slot machine and a $20 bill inserted into the bill acceptor  37 , the credit meter will reflect 400 credits or one credit for each nickel of the inserted twenty dollars. For gaming devices  10  that support multiple denominations, the credit meter  27  will 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 buttons  32 , which may be reflected on the bet meter  28 . That is, the player can generally depress a “bet one” button (one of the buttons on the player interface panel  30 , such as  32 ), which transfers one credit from the credit meter  27  to the bet meter  28 . Each time the button  32  is depressed an additional single credit transfers to the bet meter  28  up to a maximum bet that can be placed on a single play of the electronic gaming device  10 . The gaming session may be initiated by pulling the gaming handle  12  or depressing the spin button  33 . On some gaming devices  10 , a “max bet” button (another one of the buttons  32  on the player interface panel  30 ) may be depressed to wager the maximum number of credits supported by the gaming device  10  and 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 meter  27  by depressing the “cash-out” button (another button  32  on the player interface panel  30 ), which causes the credits on the credit meter  27  to be paid out in the form of a ticket through the ticket printer  38 , 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 display  20 , the award corresponding to the winning combination is immediately applied to the credit meter  27 . For example, if the gaming device  10  is a slot machine, a winning combination of symbols  23  may land on a played payline on reels  22 . If any bonus games are initiated, the gaming device  10  may enter into a bonus mode or simply award the player with a bonus amount of credits that are applied to the credit meter  27 . 
       FIGS. 2A to 2C  illustrate exemplary types of gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.  FIG. 2A  illustrates an example spinning-reel gaming machine  10 A,  FIG. 2B  illustrates an example video slot machine  10 B, and  FIG. 2C  illustrates an example video poker machine  10 C. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2A , a spinning-reel gaming machine  10 A includes a gaming display  20 A having a plurality of mechanical spinning reels  22 A. Typically, spinning-reel gaming machines  10 A have three to five spinning reels  22 A. Each of the spinning reels  22 A has multiple symbols  23 A that may be separated by blank areas on the spinning reels  22 A, although the presence of blank areas typically depends on the number of reels  22 A present in the gaming device  10 A and the number of different symbols  23 A that may appear on the spinning reels  22 A. Each of the symbols  22 A or blank areas makes up a “stop” on the spinning reel  22 A where the reel  22 A comes to rest after a spin. Although the spinning reels  22 A of various games  10 A may have various numbers of stops, many conventional spinning-reel gaming devices  10 A have reels  22 A with twenty two stops. 
     During game play, the spinning reels  22 A may be controlled by stepper motors (not shown) under the direction of the microprocessor  40  ( FIG. 1A ). Thus, although the spinning-reel gaming device  10 A has mechanical based spinning reels  22 A, 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 memory  41  of the gaming device  10 A, where various “virtual stops” are mapped to each physical stop on the physical reel  22 A. This mapping allows the gaming device  10 A 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 machine  10 A typically includes the player pressing the “bet-one” button (one of the game buttons  32 A) to wager a desired number of credits followed by pulling the gaming handle  12  ( FIGS. 1A ,  1 B) or pressing the spin button  33 A to spin the reels  22 A. Alternatively, the player may simply press the “max-bet” button (another one of the game buttons  32 A) to both wager the maximum number of credits permitted and initiate the spinning of the reels  22 A. The spinning reels  22 A 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 display  20 A usually cannot be physically modified, some spinning reel slot machines  10 A include an electronic display screen in the top box  18  ( FIG. 1B ), a mechanical bonus mechanism in the top box  18 , or a secondary display  25  ( FIG. 1A ) to execute a bonus. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2B , a video gaming machine  10 B may include a video display  20 B to display virtual spinning reels  22 B and various other gaming information  21 B. The video display  20 B may be a CRT, LCD, plasma screen, or the like. It is usually preferable that the video display  20 B be a touchscreen to accept player input. A number of symbols  23 A appear on each of the virtual spinning reels  22 B. Although  FIG. 2B  shows five virtual spinning reels  22 B, the flexibility of the video display  20 B allows for various reel  22 B and game configurations. For example, some video slot games  10 B spin reels for each individual symbol position (or stop) that appears on the video display  20 B. 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 display  20 B. On the other hand, other video slot games  10 B 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 reel  22 B. 
     Because the virtual spinning reels  22 B, 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 machines  10 A ( FIG. 2A ) that have a fixed number of physical stops on each spinning reel  22 A. 
     With the possible increases in reel  22 B numbers and configurations over the mechanical gaming device  10 A, video gaming devices  10 B often have multiple paylines  24  that may be played. By having more paylines  24  available to play, the player may be more likely to have a winning combination when the reels  22 B stop and the gaming session ends. However, since the player typically must wager at least a minimum number of credits to enable each payline  24  to 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 payline  24  and be eligible for winning symbol combinations that appear on any of the five played paylines  24 . This gives a total of five credits wagered and five possible winning paylines  24 . If, on the other hand, the player only wagers one credit on one payline  24 , but plays five gaming sessions, the odds of winning would be identical as above: five credits wagered and five possible winning paylines  24 . 
     Because the video display  20 B can easily modify the image output by the video display  20 B, bonuses, such as second screen bonuses are relatively easy to award on the video slot game  10 B. That is, if a bonus is triggered during game play, the video display  20 B may simply store the resulting screen shot in memory and display a bonus sequence on the video display  20 B. After the bonus sequence is completed, the video display  20 B may then retrieve the previous screen shot and information from memory, and re-display that image. 
     Also, as mentioned above, the video display  20 B may allow various other game information  21 B to be displayed. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2B , banner information may be displayed above the spinning reels  22 B to inform the player, perhaps, which symbol combination is needed to trigger a bonus. Also, instead of providing a separate credit meter  27  ( FIG. 1A ) and bet meter  28 , the same information can instead be displayed on the video display  20 B. In addition, “soft buttons”  29 B such as a “spin” button or “help/see pays” button may be built using the touch screen video display  20 B. Such customization and ease of changing the image shown on the display  20 B adds to the flexibility of the game  10 B. 
     Even with the improved flexibility afforded by the video display  20 B, several physical buttons  32 B and  33 B are usually provided on video slot machines  10 B. These buttons may include game buttons  32 B that allow a player to choose the number of paylines  24  he or she would like to play and the number of credits wagered on each payline  24 . In addition, a max bet button (one of the game buttons  32 B) allows a player to place a maximum credit wager on the maximum number of available paylines  24  and initiate a gaming session. A repeat bet or spin button  33 B may also be used to initiate each gaming session when the max bet button is not used. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2C , a video poker gaming device  10 C may include a video display  20 C that is physically similar to the video display  20 B shown in  FIG. 2B . The video display  20 C may show a poker hand of five cards  23 C and various other player information  21 C including a paytable for various winning hands, as well as a plurality of player selectable soft buttons  29 C. The video display  20 C may present a poker hand of five cards  23 C and various other player information  21 C including a number of player selectable soft (touch-screen) buttons  29 C and a paytable for various winning hands. Although the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3C  shows only one hand of poker on the video display  20 C, various other video poker machines  10 C may show several poker hands (multi-hand poker). Typically, video poker machines  10 C 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 games  10 C may give bonus credits for certain combinations received on the first hand before the draw. In the example shown in  FIG. 2C  a player has been dealt two aces, a three, a six, and a nine. The video poker game  10 C 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 game  10 C typically awards any credits won to the credit meter. 
     The player selectable soft buttons  29 C appearing on the screen respectively correspond to each card on the video display  20 C. These soft buttons  29 C allow players to select specific cards on the video display  20 C such that the card corresponding to the selected soft button is “held” before the draw. Typically, video poker machines  10 C also include physical game buttons  32 C that correspond to the cards in the hand and may be selected to hold a corresponding card. A deal/draw button  33 C may also be included to initiate a gaming session after credits have been wagered (with a bet button  32 C, for example) and to draw any cards not held after the first hand is displayed. 
     Although examples of a spinning reel slot machine  10 A, a video slot machine  10 B, and a video poker machine  10 C have been illustrated in  FIGS. 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. 3  is a block diagram illustrating networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. Referring to  FIG. 3 , multiple electronic gaming devices (EGMs)  70 ,  71 ,  72 ,  73 ,  74 , and  75  may be coupled to one another and coupled to a remote server  80  through a network  50 . For ease of understanding, gaming devices or EGMs  70 ,  71 ,  72 ,  73 ,  74 , and  75  are generically referred to as EGMs  70 - 75 . The term EGMs  70 - 75 , however, may refer to any combination of one or more of EGMs  70 ,  71 ,  72 ,  73 ,  74 , and  75 . Additionally, the gaming server  80  may be coupled to one or more gaming databases  90 . These gaming network  50  connections may allow multiple gaming devices  70 - 75  to 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 devices  70 - 75  coupled on the gaming network  50  may resemble the gaming devices  10 ,  10 A,  10 B, and  10 C shown in  FIGS. 1A-1B  and  2 A- 2 C, other coupled gaming devices  70 - 75  may include differently configured gaming devices. For example, the gaming devices  70 - 75  may include traditional slot machines  75  directly coupled to the network  50 , banks of gaming devices  70  coupled to the network  50 , banks of gaming devices  70  coupled to the network through a bank controller  60 , wireless handheld gaming machines  72  and cell phones  73  coupled to the gaming network  50  through one or more wireless routers or antennas  61 , personal computers  74  coupled to the network  50  through the internet  62 , and banks of gaming devices  71  coupled to the network through one or more optical connection lines  64 . Additionally, some of the traditional gaming devices  70 ,  71 , and  75  may 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 devices  71  coupled over an optical line  64  may be remote gaming devices in a different location or casino. The optical line  64  may be coupled to the gaming network  50  through an electronic to optical signal converter  63  and may be coupled to the gaming devices  71  through an optical to electronic signal converter  65 . The banks of gaming devices  70  coupled to the network  50  may be coupled through a bank controller  60  for compatibility purposes, for local organization and control, or for signal buffering purposes. The network  50  may 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 in  FIG. 3 , substantially the entire network  50  may 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 device  70 - 75  may have an individual processor  40  ( FIG. 1A ) and memory  41  to run and control game play on the gaming device  70 - 75 , or some of the gaming devices  70 - 75  may be terminals that are run by a remote server  80  in 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 server  80  based control. 
     Thus, in some embodiments, the network  50 , server  80 , and database  90  may be dedicated to communications regarding specific game or tournament play. In other embodiments, however, the network  50 , server  80 , and database  90  may be part of a player tracking network. For player tracking capabilities, when a player inserts a player tracking card in the card reader  46  ( FIG. 1A ), the player tracking unit  45  sends player identification information obtained on the card reader  46  through the MCI  42  over the network  50  to the player tracking server  80 , where the player identification information is compared to player information records in the player database  90  to provide the player with information regarding their player account or other features at the gaming device  10  where the player is wagering. Additionally, multiple databases  90  and/or servers  80  may be present and coupled to one or more networks  50  to provide a variety of gaming services, such as both game/tournament data and player tracking data. 
     The various systems described with reference to  FIGS. 1-3  can 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. 
     As noted above, gaming outcomes that nearly miss providing the player with a result associated with a large prize can be very exciting for a player. However, conventional methods of encouraging this type of “near-miss” or “near-win” game result are fraught with issues. Many of these issues are caused by the brute-force methods used to generate conventional paytables and reel strips that encourage near-miss game outcomes. As opposed to these brute-force methods, embodiments of this concept provide a gaming device that strategically employs near-miss outcomes to promote player excitement while avoiding over-use or under-use issues associated with conventional techniques. 
       FIGS. 4A ,  4 B,  4 C, and  4 D are detail diagrams of exemplary near-miss outcomes on a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4A , three reel gaming device  100 A includes a gaming display  120  with a single payline  124  on which a combination of symbols  123  must line up to provide a winning outcome. As illustrated in  FIG. 4A , the player of this game received a “7” symbol on reels one and two, but as reel three slowed down and stopped, the third “7” necessary for an award just missed landing on the payline  124 . This is a classic near-miss outcome where a fairly large-valued outcome just misses filling out a payline. Typically, the symbol that misses the payline, and hence ruins the potential win, is the last symbol or one of the last symbols so that anticipation is built during the game play. That is, after all reels are set in spinning motion, reel one typically comes to a stop first, followed by reel two a short time later, and finally followed by reel three stopping to show the complete game outcome. Here, the player sees a symbol  123  stop on the payline  124  for the first reel, and then sees the same symbol  123  stop on the payline  124  for the second reel. At this point, reel three is still spinning, and the player feels that they might be very close to winning a large award. When the third reel stops and the desired symbol is close to, but not on the payline  124 , the player may feel that they just missed the large award. Some gaming devices provide additional emphasis on the third reel if the first and second reels stop with symbols landing on the payline  124 . This may include providing special sounds and lights to alert the player of the possibility of a large award, and may also include an increase in the delay time between the second reel stopping and the third, and deciding, reel stopping. However, although this is a classic near-miss scenario, several other near-miss outcomes are possible. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4B , a gaming device  100 B includes a game display  120  having five reels  122  with five paylines  124  on which game symbols  123  may land. The player may generally select if they want to play one payline, two paylines, up to all five paylines. Some gaming devices have twenty or more paylines on a five reel game and some super spin games, where each symbol position has its own reel or outcome determination, have many more paylines that that. The gaming device  100 B shown in  FIG. 4B  illustrates another type of near miss-outcome. Here, the near-miss occurs because the bonus symbol on the fourth reel  122  fell one spot away from completing a five symbol bonus pay on the third payline (the uppermost horizontal payline). In addition, the player may initially think and/or hope that there is a payline that tracks the landing position of the five bonus symbol combination. Although this may be a little difficult to see when there is only five paylines, when there are nine paylines, twenty paylines, or more, players seeing five similar symbols across the reels may think they have won something only to realize that the positioning of the symbols does not correspond to a payline. 
     Here, because the five bonus symbols do not correspond to a payline, the player does not win the five symbol pay. A similar near-miss embodiment may have four or another number of bonus symbols landing on the reels near a pay-line without displaying the full five symbol combination. With five (or more) reel multi-line games, two, three, or four symbols on a payline (or even a single symbol) sometimes pay something, although this award value is typically much less than the award value for a five symbol pay. This illustrates another type of near-miss outcome. As shown in  FIG. 4B , 3 or more bonus symbols trigger the Lucky Bonus. However, the Lucky Bonus for three bonus symbols may be the paying of an award with a relatively low value, while a five symbol Lucky Bonus may pay much more. As such, while the player may still win something (here a 3 symbol pay), they nearly hit a much richer award (here a 5 symbol pay). Thus, a near-miss outcome may be associated with a prize, but it nearly misses a much larger prize. This concept will be explained in further detail below with reference to  FIGS. 5B and 7B . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4C , a gaming device  100 C again includes a game display  120  having five reels  122  with five paylines  124  on which game symbols  123  may land. In this example, the player has selected to only play the first three paylines  124 , which are the three horizontal paylines. During game play, a five symbol bonus combination appears and falls on a payline, which is highlighted in the drawings for clarity purposes. However, since the player is only playing the first three paylines, they do not receive the award associated with this symbol combination. Hence, this type of near-miss outcome is an outcome that would normal pay a large award, but the player has made a choice to not play a certain element of the game which is then associated with the outcome. In similar embodiments, a four or fewer symbol near-miss outcome may be displayed on a non-played payline. 
     A winning symbol combination appearing on a non-played line is one example of this type of near-miss outcome. In another example, a certain game feature may only be available with a max bet placed or certain threshold bet placed. For example, a bonus may only be available if three coins/credits are wagered during a game. If the player wagers only one or two credits, the bonus symbol or combination of symbols may appear, but is not awarded to the player because they have not made the necessary wager. In another example, a certain feature may only be available to an identified player with a player account. If the player does not have such an account, they would not be eligible for the prize when it appears as part of the game. Near-misses of this type often encourage a player to modify their wagering or gaming habits. For example, a player may always play five lines after receiving the five symbol bonus combination on a non-played payline. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4D , a video poker gaming device  100 D includes a plurality of displayed cards  130  forming a hand, and a plurality of game buttons  132  to interact with the gaming device  100 D. A near-miss in video poker typically includes falling just short of a high paying hand. As shown in  FIG. 4D , the player has received a final hand that is a near miss of a royal flush. That is, the player received four out of the five cards needed to complete a royal flush. The near-miss may also result in a lower paying hand. For example a player may end with a three of a kind instead of a four of a kind, or two pair instead of a full house. However, it is sometimes preferable to have a near-miss be the difference between a large pay and no pay in video poker because small paying hands are relatively common. Thus, four cards of a straight, a flush, a straight flush, and a royal flush may be the most effective near-miss outcomes. Additionally, because video poker involves a player decision in choosing which, if any, cards to hold, a near-miss outcome may be more effective if the near-miss is present during the dealt hand. For example, in the example illustrated in  FIG. 4D , it may be the most effective to have the four cards associated with the royal flush be present when the cards are initially dealt. The player would likely hold each of those cards, the ace, king, queen, and ten of diamonds and draw the fifth card hoping for the jack of diamonds. This builds more player excitement than if the player held only the ace of diamonds from an initial dealt hand and received the king, queen, and 10 on the draw because there is no build up of anticipation. Rather, the player may be hoping for a pair of aces at most when holding a single ace. 
     The appeal of the near-miss outcome is in the anticipation it builds and feeling by the player that they almost won a large award. A near-miss of a large award is often more exciting to a player than the winning of a relatively small award. This is because most players play gaming devices, and in particular slot machines, for the possibility of winning a large award with relatively little wagered. As discussed above, this concept is not limited only to slot machine gaming devices. Rather, the determination and use of near-miss outcomes can be used with a variety of different gaming device types or themes. For example, this concept may be used with keno, video blackjack, video poker, etc. The above figures have set out various embodiments of gaming devices and near-miss outcomes. Selection processes for these near-miss outcomes for use on these gaming devices will now be discussed. Some of these selection processes utilize an outcome selection process described in detail in patent application Ser. No. 12/542,587, filed on Aug. 17, 2009, entitled DETERMINATION OF GAME RESULT USING RANDOM OVERALL OUTCOME SUMMARY (hereinafter referred to as “the Ser. No. 12/542,587 application”), the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     The selection of a near-miss outcome may be associated with a determination of a game outcome or may be the result of a triggering event. In some embodiments, a particular near-miss outcome may be directly selected as the game outcome, while in other embodiments a generic near-miss outcome may be selected or associated with a selected game outcome. Additional details regarding these selection methods are discussed below. In embodiments where the near-miss outcome is the result of a triggering event, the near-miss outcome may replace a determined game outcome or may be presented in addition to a determined game outcome. Where the game outcome is determined by conventional methods, the specified near-miss outcome may either replace the determined game outcome or be held and displayed during a subsequent game. For example, if the near-miss outcome can only replace a game outcome that is determined to be a losing outcome, the near-miss outcome may be held for two or more games that have winning outcomes before replacing a losing outcome in a later game. Where the game outcome is determined by a direct selection of a game outcome, as detailed in the Ser. No. 12/542,587 application, the near-miss outcome may be displayed with a selected game outcome, may replace the selected game outcome, or may be stored for a period before being implemented and displayed. Triggering events that may dictate the selection and display of a near-miss outcome include receiving one or more predetermined game outcomes (e.g., losing ten games in a row), reaching a wagering or play threshold (e.g., triggered by the 500 th  credit wagered in a gaming session), based on game play characteristics of the player (e.g., the player has played less than all possible paylines for 20 consecutive games), based on other gaming events (e.g., the player has a banked nudge that has to be used in the next 10 games), or based on another type of event associated with a player or gaming session. 
       FIGS. 5A and 5B  are illustrated representations of exemplary paytables for a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. These paytables and the paytables shown in  FIGS. 6A ,  6 B,  7 A, and  7 B are similar to the example paytable shown in  FIG. 4  of the Ser. No. 12/542,587 application. As a quick reminder, these paytables list possible game outcomes in the left column of the paytable under the heading “Outcome.” As defined in the Ser. No. 12/542,587 application as well as this application, a winning outcome is any outcome that is associated with an award, prize, or other incentive given to the player as a result of the outcome. On the other hand, a losing outcome is an outcome that is not associated with an award, prize, or other incentive. For the listed outcomes, “X” represents a blank or any symbol. Hence, the outcome “X X X” is a generic losing outcome that encompasses any outcome other than the other listed game outcomes. The pay for each outcome is located in the adjacent column labeled “Pay.” 
     The “Paytable Weight” column provides a number range for each of the outcomes that determines how often that outcome occurs. The “Hit Frequency” column reflects what percentage of spins will result in a corresponding wager. The hit frequency is simply determined by dividing the associated paytable weight by the total of all of the paytable weights, which is “2246” in all of the examples. The “Contribution” column is achieved by multiplying the value in the “Pay” column with the value in the “Hit Freq” column. This contribution relates to the relative or normalized weight each outcome has on the payback percentage of the game. The sum of these contributions results in the overall payback percentage of the game. The hold percentage of a gaming device is simply 100% minus the payback percentage. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5A , the paytable is similar to the paytable shown in  FIG. 4A  of the Ser. No. 12/542,587 application except that three near-miss outcomes have been included in the paytable. These near-miss outcomes include “X X XB,” which is a near miss of the bonus symbol on the third reel. Here, the “X” refers to any symbol while the “XB” refers to a symbol adjacent or close enough to the bonus symbol “BN” to make the bonus symbol visible on the third reel. The “7 7 X7” near-miss outcome includes sevens on the payline of the first two reels and a symbol adjacent or near a “7” on the payline of the third reel. This near-miss outcome may resemble the near-miss shown in  FIG. 4A  of this application. The “JP JP XJ” near-miss outcome includes jackpot symbols shown on the payline of the first two reels and a symbol adjacent or near a jackpot symbol on the payline of the third reel. 
     Note that each of these near-miss outcomes is not associated with any award. As such, the paytable weights used for these near-miss outcomes were taken from the generic losing outcome “X X X” without affecting the overall hit frequency or payback percentage of the game. The only difference in the play of the game would be that one of the three specified near-miss outcomes would appear about 4.45% of the time. During selection of a game outcome using this paytable, one of the near-miss outcomes may be directly selected as the game outcome. For example, the “JP JP XJ” near-miss outcome may be directly selected as the game outcome and displayed on the payline using the outcome display techniques discussed in the Ser. No. 12/542,587 application. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5B , the illustrated paytable is similar to the paytable shown in  FIG. 5A , except that four additional near-miss outcomes are included in the paytable. These near-miss outcomes differ from the previous three near-miss outcomes in that they have an award associated with them. However, they result in a game outcome that is lower than another outcome that they may have been hoping for after the first two reels had stopped. For example, the outcome of “BAR BAR AB” may look like it is heading for a outcome of three single bars and a pay of 5 credits, but a double or triple bar is received on the payline of the third reel rendering this any “any bar” outcome with a 3 credit award. The “DB DB AB” and “TB TB AB” outcomes similarly appear to be heading for a double or triple bar outcome with a 10 or 20 credit award, only to have a different bar symbol land on the third payline to make an “any bar” win of 3 credits. These near-miss outcomes allocate some of the paytable weight previously associated with the “AB AB AB” outcome. The other near-miss outcome included in this paytable, “JP JP BN,” looks like a possible jackpot award only to have it be a bonus award when the third reel finally stops. Again the paytable weight assigned to this near-miss outcome is taken out of the bonus win outcome paytable weight so the game retains the same overall hit frequency and payback percentage. Note though that the near-miss hit frequency jumps up slightly to 8.99%. 
       FIGS. 6A and 6B  are illustrated representations of exemplary near-miss tables for a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6A , is similar to the paytable illustrated in  FIG. 4A  of the Ser. No. 12/542,587 application and the paytable illustrated in  FIG. 5A  of the present application except that it has a generic near-miss outcome (“NM NM NM”) specified in the paytable and separate table of near-miss outcomes. Here if the generic near-miss outcome is selected as the game outcome from the game paytable, another selection process, random or otherwise, may be used to determine which of the near-miss outcomes is to be displayed as the game outcome. The advantage of this system is that the near-miss paytable may be dynamically altered during game play without having to modify the a game paytable of the gaming device. This can be seen when referring to  FIG. 6B , where the near-miss paytable has been altered following a game event. Here, for example, a bonus award may have been hit in a previous game, making a near-miss of another bonus award not as appealing for the next 50 games. In response to this game event, paytable weight of the near-miss outcome of “X X XB” in the near-miss paytable is reduced to make the likelihood of this near-miss outcome coming up in the next 50 games about seven times less likely. After the 50 games has been played, or if the player leaves the gaming device, the paytable weights in the near-miss paytable may return to their default values shown in  FIG. 6A . 
       FIGS. 7A and 7B  are illustrated representations of exemplary paytables and near-miss tables for a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7A , a game paytable and near-miss paytable are shown with default paytable weights. These paytables are similar to the paytables in  FIG. 6A . Referring to  FIG. 7B , an event has occurred that has changed the dynamic of the paytables. For example, a player may have identified themselves to the game device and is about to begin a gaming session on the gaming device. The player may have specific near-miss preferences that have been determined from analyzing the player&#39;s past game play, from a setting preference in the player&#39;s account, or from a poll at the game device that asks the player what symbol combinations they feel lucky about today. Here, for example, it has been determined that the player prefers near-miss outcomes that still have some award associated with the near miss. As such, the near-miss paytable has been dynamically modified upon identification of the player to include three near-miss outcomes that have corresponding pays. Since the addition of these near-miss outcomes to the near-miss paytable have pays that exceed the previously indicated pay of zero (“0”), the game paytable itself also has to be modified to maintain the same overall hit frequency and payback percentage. Here, the paytable weight of the any bar (“AB AB AB”) outcome and the paytable weight of the generic near-miss outcome (“NM NM NM”) in the game paytable has to be modified to account for the additional any bar pays in the near-miss paytable. Note that unlike the paytable illustrated in  FIG. 5B , the modification of the game paytable and near-miss paytable is not a direct paytable substitution because of the frequency of the paying near-miss outcomes within the near-miss paytable must be taken into account. 
       FIGS. 8A ,  8 B, and  8 C are detailed diagrams of an exemplary gaming event resulting from a near-miss gaming outcome on a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8A , a gaming device  200 A includes a gaming display  220  having a five reel  222  slot game with five paylines  224  on which gaming symbols  223  may land. In this example, a player is able to win or earn advantageous items that can be banked or stored for later use. In the illustrated example, the advantageous item is a reel nudge or nudge item. These nudges may be won or earned in a variety of manners as determined by the casino and/or game manufacturer. Nudges or other advantageous items may be tied to an identified player and stored in a player account on a player database. Nudges may also be linked to a single gaming device or type of gaming device. They may have time restrictions in which they must be used or they may be banked indefinitely. 
     Near-miss outcomes may provide ideal opportunities for using nudges or other advantageous items. As such, in some embodiments, they may be tied to an award of a nudge or other item so that a near-miss outcome is triggered a particular number of games after a nudge has been awarded to the player. In this situation, the paytable may fairly value the award of the nudge at the value of the award resulting from its use on a later triggered near-miss outcome. For example, suppose a player is awarded a nudge that must be used in the next 25 games. Nineteen games later, the player is presented with a near-miss outcome, triggered by the earlier nudge award in which the nudge may be used to complete a mid-level symbol combination. The player may choose to use the nudge at this point or may choose to wait and use it in one of the next six games. Essentially, the player is risking losing a sure use of the nudge for the possibility of being able to use it the next six games to achieve a larger award. When a nudge is awarded, a subsequent near-miss outcome may be chosen to be presented during the active period of the nudge. Additionally, a game in the active period of the nudge may be selected for displaying the near-miss outcome. These selections may be made at random from a weighted table, or other selections means, to emphasize certain near-miss outcomes and the most opportune times to present the near-miss outcome. 
     In other embodiments, near-miss outcomes of mid-level symbol combinations may be presented when a player has one or more banked nudges or items to induce the player to use the items rather than holding on to them for use in completing a much larger valued symbol combination. Additionally, near-miss outcomes may simply be part of a gaming device that utilizes banked items. The gaming device, however, may recognize when a near-miss outcome has occurred and encourage the player to use a banked nudge or other item in this situation. Referring again to  FIG. 8A , a player is presented with a near-miss outcome shown on the gaming display  220 . Here, five bonus symbols have almost appeared on a payline. However, the bonus symbol on the four reel  222  has not landed on the payline  224  needed to complete this five-symbol combination. Gaming device  200 A has recognized that the identified player has a banked nudge they may be useful here and presents a player message  221  stating that the player has a banked nudge that may be used by pressing a “Use Nudge” button  227 . The nudge button  227  may only appear when a situation is presented in which a nudge would be useful or may be present during every game when a banked nudge is available for use. A physical game button  232  may also be associated with the nudge button. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8B , the player has realized that this is a great time to use the banked nudge and has pressed the nudge button  227 . As illustrated, when the player pressed the nudge button  227 , the soft buttons on the bottom of the game display  220  have become inactive and a pair of arrow buttons  229  above each reel  222  has appeared. The nudge button  227  may also indicate that a nudge item has been activated. In addition, the game buttons  232  may be deactivated so that the player must choose one of the arrow buttons  229 . Each arrow button  229  may be associated with a directional nudge of each reel by one symbol space. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8C , the player has pressed the up-arrow button  229 B associated with the fourth reel  222  so that the fourth reel is nudged up by one position. Here, the bonus symbol that was previously occupying the middle position of the fourth reel is nudged up to the top position, the seven symbol is nudged up from a bottom position to the middle position, and a partial moon symbol is nudged from off screen to the bottom position. After the up-arrow button  229 B has been pressed by the player, the other arrow buttons  229 A may be deactivated and the selected arrow button  229 B may be highlighted. After the reel is nudged as requested by the player, the soft buttons on the game display  220  and physical game buttons  232  may be reactivated. Here, the player has been awarded 500 credits for the five symbol bonus combination game outcome. 
     Although nudges are discussed above with respect to  FIGS. 8A-8C , many other types of items may be available in other embodiments, such as respins, reel holds/freezes, etc. Another bonus that may be used particularly with near-miss outcomes is a “player-formed payline” bonus. In this bonus, a player may choose one symbol position from each reel to form their own payline. The payline may be formed prior to a game being played and may be active for a certain number of games thereafter. In other embodiments, however, the player may use the bonus to choose a payline after a game outcome has been displayed. Here, when a near-miss outcome is displayed in which a high-paying symbol combination appears on the game display, but does not fall on any payline, this bonus may be used to choose a payline that goes through each of the symbol positions having symbols related to the high-paying symbol combinations. 
       FIG. 9  is a flow diagram of a method of implementing a near-miss gaming outcome on a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , an example flow  300  begins by receiving an indication of a game outcome in process ( 310 ). The game outcome may be determined by an outcome selection process from a list or table of outcomes as described above, or may be determined using conventional game outcome processing techniques. The gaming device determines whether the indicated game outcome is a near-miss outcome in process ( 312 ). If it is determined that the indicated game outcome is a near-miss outcome, the gaming device implements process ( 314 ) to determine if a particular near-miss outcome has been selected with the indication of the game outcome. As described above, near-miss outcomes may be built directly into a table of possible game outcomes (e.g.,  FIGS. 5A and 5B ). Here, when a game outcome is selected by random or otherwise, the selection may directly indicate a particular near-miss outcome. In this instance, the gaming device would follow the “YES” branch from process ( 314 ) to process ( 340 ), where the indicia, such as corresponding symbols or reel stops, and location of the near-miss outcome is selected. The location of the near-miss outcome may include determining symbol positions on a gaming display associated with the near-miss outcome. For example, if the near-miss outcome is a gaming outcome that narrowly misses a large prize, the location of the near-miss outcome may be specified as being on at least one of the played paylines. In another example, if the near-miss outcome includes a large-valued game outcome to be displayed in a non-paying position, the location of the near-miss outcome may be restricted to a non-played payline or symbol positions not associated with any payline. In embodiments associated with multi-line gaming devices or flexible reels process ( 340 ) may also include the step of confirming that the selected location does not fall on another played payline in the instances when a large-valued symbol combination is selected as the near-miss outcome. 
     If process ( 314 ) determines that the selection of a particular near-miss outcome has not yet been selected, such as where the game outcome indicates a generic near-miss outcome, a near-miss outcome is selected in process ( 330 ). The selection of a near-miss outcome in process ( 330 ) may include selecting a near-miss outcome from a table of possible near-miss outcomes, as is illustrated in  FIGS. 6A ,  6 B,  7 A, and  7 B. As described above, the plurality of possible near-miss outcomes may be arranged in a table with associated paytable weights that influence the hit frequency or occurrence of each near-miss outcome. In other embodiments, only a single specified near-miss outcome may be available to be used as the near-miss outcome or the near-miss outcome may be chosen at random. After a near-miss outcome has been selected, the flow  300  proceeds to the selection of the indicia and location of the near-miss outcome for display purposes in process ( 340 ). After the indicia and location for the near-miss outcome has been chosen, process ( 360 ) is followed whereby the gaming device displays the selected near-miss outcome using the specified indicia and location process. 
     If it is determined that the indicated game outcome is not a near-miss outcome, the gaming device then determines if a near-miss triggering event has been received in process ( 320 ). If a near-miss triggering event has not been received, the gaming device displays the indicated game outcome according to the outcome determination methods discussed in the Ser. No. 12/542,587 application or according to conventional techniques in process ( 350 ). 
     If a near-miss triggering event has been received, on the other hand, the gaming device then determines if the triggering event specifies a particular near-miss outcome in process ( 325 ). As discussed above, a near-miss outcome may be triggering even when such an outcome is not originally indicated as a game outcome based on a variety of criteria and/or triggering events. In some embodiments, a near-miss outcome will not be triggered if the indicated game outcome is a winning or preferred game outcome. In other words, only a losing outcome would be modified into a near-miss outcome by a triggering event. In other embodiments, even if a game outcome is indicated as a winning outcome, a near-miss triggering event may cause a near-miss outcome to appear on a different payline, near a payline, or even as part of the indicated winning outcome. 
     If a near-miss outcome is not specified by the triggering event, the gaming device then selects the near-miss outcome in process ( 330 ). After selection of the near-miss outcome, flow  300  proceeds to again to process ( 340 ) to select the indicia and location of near-miss outcome. If the near-miss outcome is specified by the triggering event, flow  300  proceeds directly to process ( 340 ) to select the indicia and location of near-miss outcome. After the indicia and location of the near-miss outcome has been selected, the near-miss outcome is displayed to the player on the gaming device in process ( 360 ). 
       FIG. 10  is a detailed diagram of a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , a gaming device  400  includes a gaming display  420  that includes near-miss meter  427 . Although the gaming device  400  illustrated in this embodiment includes the near-miss meter  427  as part of the gaming display, the near-miss meter may be included on a different display on the gaming device or on a display near the gaming device in other embodiments. The near-miss meter  427  may be used to track a number of near-miss outcomes that a player or gaming device receives in a defined period. In some embodiments, a gaming device  400  may be configured to award a prize or promotion when a player receives one or more near-miss outcomes. For example, five near-miss outcomes in fifty games may result in the player being awarded with extra player points, a free buffet dinner, a 50 credit win, or even a separate near-miss progressive jackpot. The criteria and award schedule associated with the near-miss outcomes is limitless. That is, a gaming device may be configured to provide a player a variety of benefits for receiving one or more near-miss outcomes. 
     In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 10 , the gaming display  420  of the gaming device  400  includes a message display  421  indicating that the collection of ten near-miss outcomes results in a bonus award of 20 extra credits. The near-miss meter  427  indicates that eight near-miss outcomes have been accumulated. A player at this gaming device may be inspired to continue playing this gaming device knowing that they will receive a 20 credit bonus prize if they receive two more near-miss outcomes. Although this relationship between near-miss outcomes and a bonus is expressly explained to a player in this illustrated embodiment, other embodiments may treat the bonus award as a mystery bonus, even if it uses similar rules. In such a situation, when a player receives a tenth near-miss outcome, the gaming device may state, “So close again! Here are 20 extra credits for your effort.” 
     The count of near-miss outcomes may be player specific, game specific, game-type specific, casino specific, etc. In embodiments, where it is player specific, an identified player may be able to store the count of near-miss outcomes in a player account database  90  ( FIG. 3 ) so that the player can access and add to the near-miss count if they change gaming devices or visit the casino at a later date. The near-miss count may be reduced or be eliminated after a specified time period, which may encourage the player to return to the casino at an earlier date. If the near-miss outcome count is game specific, the count may be reset when the credit meter reaches zero, when the player cashes-out, or after a predetermined time period of no play on the gaming device to discourage game-shoppers. If the near-miss count is game-type, bank, or casino specific, a local or remote server may track an overall near-miss count for a plurality of games having a related near-miss count. For example, if a near-miss royal flush count was implemented on all single-play video poker machines, a remote server may keep track of each time a player received 4 out 5 cards needed for a royal flush and provide an award to a player that receives the twentieth near-miss royal flush on a single-play video poker machine. In this case, each single-play video poker machine may have a near-miss meter showing the same near-miss count. 
     In the illustrated embodiment shown in  FIG. 10 , a player has just missed receiving five bonus symbols  423  on a payline  424  in a five reel  422  game. The result of this near-miss outcome may result in the incrementing of the near-miss meter  427 . When a near-miss meter is utilized in an embodiment, it may also be preferable to specify which near miss outcomes are eligible to increment the near-miss meter. In the above example, only near-misses of a royal flush were counted on the near miss meter  427 . However, other embodiments may increment a near-miss meter for a variety of near-miss outcomes. In these cases, the qualifying near-miss outcomes may be specified on the gaming glass or in a help screen page to provide clarification to the player. For example, a near-miss of a three cherry symbol pay may not qualify as a near-miss that increments the near-miss meter while a near-miss of a five symbol jackpot combination may qualify as a near-miss that increments the near-miss meter. 
     In other embodiments, near-miss outcomes that increment the meter may increment the meter by different amounts relating to the quality of the miss. For example, a four symbol cherry combination near-miss may increment the near-miss meter  427  by one while a near-miss of a five symbol bonus may increment the meter by five. An incrementation schedule along with the qualifying near-miss outcomes may be included on the gaming glass or help screen to clarify this difference in incrementation to the player. 
     The near-miss meter  427  may become visible or more prominent as the near-miss count approaches an award threshold. A gaming button  432  or soft button may be used to access the near-miss meter  427  if it is not visible at certain times to the player. The near-miss meter  427  and associated prizes may only be available to certain players, such as identified players or players playing above a certain coin-in threshold. The prizes or promotions awarded for the near-miss outcome meter  427  reaching a certain threshold level may be built into the game paytable, or may be taken out of a marketing or promotional budget. 
     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.