Patent ID: 7878899

Claim:
On a gaming machine on which is played a primary game, a method of providing a tournament feature, discreet from said primary game and in which tournament participation scores, resulting from tournament participations, wherein tournament play sequences are played, are stored throughout conduct of said tournament feature to determine a tournament winning score, the method comprising: establishing at least two distinct participation states based on at least one of (a) an event in said primary game; (b) play behavior of a player in said primary game; and (c) a status of said gaming machine during play of said primary game establishing at least two distinct handicaps, each associated with at least one participation state; and for each of said tournament participations: detecting a tournament participation authorization during the conduct of said primary game; evaluating said tournament participation authorization to determine one of said participation states for said tournament participation; assigning via the game machine the handicap associated with said determined participation state to said tournament participation, said handicap being applied during the play of said tournament play sequence; and conducting said tournament participation to determine a tournament score, said score depending at least in part on said assigned handicap applied to said tournament play sequence.