Patent ID: 7967681

Claim:
A non-transitory computer readable media embodied in a non-transient memory device having stored thereon instructions executable by a processing device, the instructions performing steps for conducting a multiple player tournament utilizing an amusement game, comprising: for each of the multiple players playing the amusement game during the tournament: firstly comparing a game playing score achieved by a current player of the amusement game against game playing scores achieved by previous players of the amusement game during the tournament to determine if the game playing score achieved by the current player of the amusement game qualifies the current player of the amusement game as a potential high game playing score prize recipient; and secondly comparing the game playing score achieved by the current player of the amusement game against a threshold game playing score for the tournament to determine if the current player of the amusement game has achieved a game playing score that qualifies the current player of the amusement game as a potential threshold game playing score prize recipient only in response to it being determined that the current player of the amusement game failed to achieve a game playing score that qualifies the current player of the amusement game as a potential high game playing score prize recipient; wherein the threshold game playing score for the tournament has a non-zero value that is initially established prior to the tournament and prior to game playing scores being achieved by any of the multiple players of the amusement game during the tournament.