Patent ID: 7819735

Claim:
A server for providing a computer gaming tournament, comprising, in combination: a memory for storing program instructions and data; a processor coupled to said memory for executing said program instructions, wherein said program instructions include program instructions for: displaying a browser window; displaying a live game of a poker gaming tournament in said browser window; permitting a plurality of users to enter said game of said gaming tournament to play against one another; forming a plurality of teams of at least one user from said plurality of users entered in said gaming tournament; receiving indications of user input from a plurality of user computers; calculating a placement finish for each said plurality of teams in said gaming tournament in conformity with a predetermined formula having dependence on both a number of users on each said plurality of teams and a performance of each said plurality of users; assigning a finish number to each said plurality players, said finish number being equivalent to an order that each said plurality of users is eliminated from said tournament relative to other said plurality of users; assigning a finish equalization number to each said plurality of teams, said finish equalization number being equivalent to a maximum number of users allowed per each said plurality of teams divided by an actual number of users per each said plurality of teams; assigning an equalization number to each said plurality of users, said equalization number being equivalent to a multiplication of said finish number of each said plurality of users of a team and said finish equalization number of said team; and calculating a placement finish, wherein each said plurality of teams having a placement finish equivalent to a sum of said equalization number for each of said plurality of users of each said plurality of teams, wherein a higher number corresponds to a higher team placement finish.