Patent ID: 7883413

Claim:
A method in a server for customizing a game play according to one or more player preferences, the method comprising: creating a preference account; receiving a communication request from an external device situated at a remote location with respect to the server and in communication with the server though a network, the external device not controlled by a gaming operator; determining capabilities of the external device; generating a user interface on a video display of the external device formatted for the capabilities of the external device, said user interface configured 1) to display preferences to the video display, 2) to receive preference selections via an input device associated with the external device, 3) to display simulated game presentations on the video display for a plurality of different games of chance available for wagering game play on gaming machines controlled by the gaming operator, and 4) to display information regarding one or more preferences in a group of available preferences, wherein the user interface is further configured to allow a user to select from among the plurality of different games of chance, and for each selected game of chance, adjust game feature settings associated with the selected game of chance, and play the selected game of chance to determine effects of different game feature settings on a simulated game presentation for the selected game of chance prior to initiating the wagering game play on the gaming machines controlled by the gaming operator wherein a wager is not required to view the simulated game presentation; receiving, via the user interface, one or more preference selections associated with a first game of chance simulated with said one or more preference selections on said user interface; storing the one or more preference selections as preference account information to the preference account; receiving from a gaming machine controlled by the gaming operator a request for the preference account information wherein the first game of chance is available for wager-based game play on the gaming machine; and sending the preference account information to the gaming machine to allow the gaming machine to be configured to generate the wager-based game play of the first game of chance using the one or more preference selections previously simulated on said user interface generated on the external device.