AU3025000A - Networked gaming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Our Ref:7480020 P/00/011 Regulation 3:2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT a a a o *o o a Applicant(s): Peter Mavroidis 32 Claribel Street Bankstown New South Wales 2200 Australia DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Level 10, 10 Barrack Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 Networked gaming apparatus Address for Service: Invention Title: The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 5020 -1- NETWORKED GAMING APPARATUS Technical Field The present invention relates to networking of a plurality of gaming machines, being machines of the type typically installed in licensed hotels. In particular, the present invention relates to the networking of a plurality of such gaming machines such that a jackpot may be allocated to a player if a predetermined set of indicia is selected.

10 Description of the Prior Art Video poker or card machines are presently known to be provided in licensed hotels, clubs, and the like.

They provide significant financial gains to manufacturers, establishment operators, S 15 and the Government.

Being such a lucrative industry, there is considerable competition amongst the manufacturers of such machines, with manufacturers including modifications such as "double up", the "black/red", and the "high-low" features. Each of these features gives the 20 player additional incentive to play the machines.

Of monies gambled in such machines, it is requirement in many locations to return a certain percentage to the players. For example, current legislation in the States of New South Wales and Victoria, Australia, require 87% of monies wagered to be returned to the players.

Summary of the Invention The present invention seeks to provide modifications to currently existing gaming machines, such as video poker, and/or card machines, whereby, if a predetermined winning set of indicia is selected, a predetermined percentage of a jackpot is allocated to a player.

00420,p:\wpdocs\amd\speci,575390.mav. I -2- The present invention seeks to provide a networked gaming apparatus, whereby, a plurality of gaming machines are connected to a control means, such that, each time each of the machines is used, a proportion of a bet is allocated to a jackpot, and, if a predetermined winning set or indicia is selected, a predetermined percentage of the jackpot is allocated to the player.

In one broad form, the present invention provides a networked gaming apparatus, including: a plurality of gaming machines, each gaming machine being of a conventional type S. 10 whereby a player wagers a bet, and, if a predetermined set of indicia is selected, wins a predetermined amount; and, •o control means, communicating with each of said machines, to receive information related to the frequency of use and the combination of indicia selected on each machine, whereby, each time each of said machines is used, a proportion of said bet is allocated to S 15 a jackpot, and, if said predetermined winning set of indicia is selected, a predetermined percentage of said jackpot is allocated to said player.

Preferably, said control means transmits jackpot information to each of said machines for display to the respective players.

Also preferably, said indicia are cards, symbols, numerals, etc.

Preferably, said proportion of said bet allocated to said jackpot is less than 50%, and most preferably about 1% to Preferably, if said predetermined set of indicia is selected, more than 50%, and more preferably, more than 90%, of substantially all, of said jackpot is allocated to said player.

Also preferably, each of said machines communicate with said control means by a cable, optical fibre cable, telephone lines, or other hard-wired communications media.

00420,p:\wpdocs\amd\speci,575390.mav,2 -3- Alternatively, but also preferably, each of said machines communicates with said control means by a microwave, UHF, VHF, RF or other wireless communications media.

Preferably, a particular sequence of five indicia (in a particular order) include said predetermined set of indicia.

Also, in a preferred embodiment, said predetermined set of indicia do not necessarily include a 'conventional' winning hand, but may be any random set of indicia.

10 Brief Description of the Drawings The present invention will become more fully understood, from the following S•detailed description of the preferred but non-limiting embodiment thereof, described in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 15 Fig. 1 illustrates the networking of a plurality of gaming machines to a control means, in a typical in-house location, such as a licensed hotel; and, Fig. 2 illustrates the networking of a plurality of gaming machines, where the gaming machines are provided at a remote location from a central control means.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments Throughout drawings, like numerals will be utilised to identify similar features, except where expressly otherwise indicated.

Throughout the specification, when the word 'indicia' is used, it should be understood to incorporate any letter, number, symbol, picture or combination thereof known to be displayed by a video poker or card machine, for example, including 'cards' such as Jack of Spades or Ace of Hearts, a 'Wild Card' or Joker, or any other 'card' having a character/wording/numbering thereon.

As shown in Fig. 1, the network gaming apparatus, generally designated by the 00420,p:\wpdocs\amd\speci575390.mav,3 numeral I, includes a plurality of gaming machines 2, each communication with a control means 3, via communication channels 4. Each of the gaming machines 2 may be of a conventional video poker or card machine, such as those presently provided in licensed hotels, clubs, etc. Such conventional type gaming machines are those where a player wagers a bet, and, if a predetermined set of indicia is selected, the player wins a predetermined amount.

The communication channel may be either a hard wired communication channels such as cables, optical fibre cables, telephone lines, or the like, or, a wireless 10 communication channel, such as microwave, UHF, VHF, or RF.

In accordance with the present invention, each time a player wagers a bet, a proportion of that bet, for example, 1% to 5% of that bet, might be allocated towards a jackpot. Each time the player wagers the bet, information is conveyed from the machine 15 2 via the communication channel 4 to the control means 3, and if a preselected set of indicia, symbols or cards is shown on the machine 2, the player is allocated either a predetermined percentage of the jackpot, or the entire jackpot.

Fig. 2 illustrates a similar system whereby each of the gaming machines 2 might be .i 20 connected to a central control means 3, within a certain locality or establishment 5, and which is then linked via additional communication channels 6 to a central control means 7. Once again, the communication channel 6 may either be a hard wired or a wireless communication channels, as described hereinbefore.

It will be appreciated that the more machines that are linked together, the quicker the jackpot will accumulate, and the more likely the predetermined winning combination will be shown on a particular machine. A suitable display indicating the amount in the jackpot may be displayed on a suitable location on the machine, to entice players to commence/continue playing.

It will be appreciated that depending upon the selection of the predetermined set or 00420,p:\wpdocs\amd\speci,575390.mav.4

S

S winning indicia, different probabilities of a player achieving a winning combination are established.

Perhaps most preferably, a particular combination with extremely low probability of occurrence is chosen as the winning set of indicia, such that the jackpot is likely to increase to significant amounts, consequently making it extremely enticing for players to attempt to win the jackpot.

The typical winning combinations on a conventional card machine is like in a 10 standard 52 deck, together with the probability and chance of showing that combination is as follows: Standard 52 deck Hand Probability Chances 15 Royal Straight Flush 0.104x10 4 96154:1 Straight Flush 0.924x 104 10823:1 Four of a Kind 0.23 Ixl 0 2 433:1 Full House 0.111x10' 90:1 Flush 0.135x10-' 74:1 Straight 0.200x10-' 50:1 Three of a kind 0.705x10-' 14:1 Two pairs 0.121 8:1 00420,p:\wpdocs\.and\speci,575390.mav,S -6- The typical probabilities for a standard gaming machine for a standard deck plus Wild Card is as follows: Standard deck plus Wild Card Hand Probability Chances Royal Straight Flush 1.08x 10- 9225:1 Five of a Kind .962-10- 4 10395:1 Straight Flush 0.535xl0- 3 1869:1 10 Four of a Kind 0.642x10- 2 156:1 Full House 0.0144 69:1 Flush 0.0164 63:1 Straight 0.0202 59:1 Three of a kind 0.130 8:1 Two pairs 0.107 9:1 0* Depending on the set of indicia or symbols or cards which is predetermined to be the winning set, details of the probabilities are as follows.

Two Pair A. Number of ways of choosing 2 pairs when order is not possible 78 x 6 x 6 x 44 123552.

That is, there are 78 possible pairings 2's and 3's, 2's and 4's etc), within each pair there are 6 possibilities ignoring order, and finally there are 44 ways of getting a card different to the pairs (the Wild Card has been excluded because then you would have a full house).

Number of ways of choosing 5 cards from a pack of 53 ignoring order 53 x 52 x 51 x 50 x 49/(5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 2869685.

00420,p:\wpdocs\amd\speci,575390.mav,6 -7- Thus, the probability of any two pair is (123552/2869685)=0.0430542.

B. If order is important, first, consider the specific sequence 10,9,10,9,any. There are 4 x 4 x 3 x 3 x 44 ways of obtaining such as sequence. The number of ways of choosing cards when order is important, is 53 x 52 x 51 x 50 x 49 (that is, there are 53 possibilities for the first card times, 52 possibilities for the second card, and so on). The probability of this specific sequence is (4 x 4 x 3 x 3) x 44/(53 x 52 x 51 x 50 x 49) 1.8399232 x 10-5; 10 that is, there is 1 chance in 54350 of getting this specific sequence.

*i If the particular pattern is of interest, but it does not necessarily have to be specified numbers, like 9 or 10, then, taking into consideration order, there are 13 x 4 x 12 x 4 x 3 x 3 x 44 possibilities, where 13 is the number of ways the first card appearing can be 15 chosen, and, 12 is the number of ways the second card appearing can be chosen. The probability is 13 x 12 x the probability of the specific sequence; that is 2.8702802 x 10 3 There is 1 chance in 348 of getting a particular pattern with any two pairs.

Three of a kind A. If the three-of-a-kind does not contain a Wild Card, there are 13 x 4 x 66 x 4 x 4 54912 possibilities. There are 13 ways of getting three-of-a-kind, 4 combinations of three-of-a-kind, 66 ways of getting two types of card from the remaining 12 kinds left which are of different "number" 2 4 or A and, finally, for each of these two types, there are 4 possibilities. If a wild card appears in the three-of-a-kind, there are 13 x 1 x 6 x 66 x 4 x 4 82368 possibilities. The total number of ways is obtained by adding the above two possibilities together, the answer is 137280. The number of ways of choosing cards ignoring order from before is 2869685, so the probability of three-of-a-kind is 137280/2869685 0.047838; that is, 1 chance in 21.

B. If is now important, consider the specific 3 of a kind sequence 9,9,9, any, any. If no 00420,p:\wpdocs\amd\speci,575390.mav.7 Wild card appears in this sequence, there are 4 x 3 x 2 x 48 x 44 possibilities. If a wild card appears (it would only be used to make up three-of-a-kind) there are 3 x 4 x 3 x 48 x 44 possibilities. Thus, there are 126720 possible ways of getting three-of-a-kind. The probability for this specific sequence is 126720/(53 x 52 x 51 x 50 x 49) 3.6798464 x 104; that is 1 chance in 2718. If we just want this type of pattern but are not particular about the card values, then, the probability is 13 times this probability, that is 4.7838003 x so there is 1 chance in 209 of getting a particular sequence.

Straight A. The number of possible straights, disregarding order, is 10. First consider the case where there is no wild card appearing. There are 4 choices for each of the 5 cards making p up a straight so we get 10 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 10240 possibilities but we have to remove the straight flushes and royal straight flushes. There are 4 x 9 straight flushes that aren't 15 royal and 4 x 1 royal straight flushes, we multiply by 4 because this is the number of suites.

i Hence number of straights which don't have a wild card is 10240- 40 10200.

We now consider the situation where there is a Wild Card. Again we will have to subtract the straight flushes and royal straight flushes. If the wild card appears in the 20 middle, we have 10 x 3 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 7680 possibilities which include straight flushes and royal straight flushes. The 3 denotes the number of positions in which the wild card may appear in the middle. If the wild card appears at the end then we have 11 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 2816 possibilities including straight flushes and royal straight flushes. The eleven refers to the ways we can get a straight when we have a Wild Card (A234, 2345, 3456, 4567, 5678, 6789, 789(10), 89(10)J, 9(10)JQ, (10)JQK, JQKA, these are converted to a straight by adding a wild card). The number of ways of getting a straight flush including royal flush for the middle wild cards is 10 x 3 x 4 120 and for the end Wild cards is 11 x 4 44 so when a wild card appears there are 7680 2816 120 44 10332 possibilities.

The number of straights excluding royal flushes and straight flushes is 00420,p:\wpdocs\amd\spec,575390.mav,8 -9- 10200+10332 =20532. The probability of a straight is 20532/2869685 7.1547923 x that is, 1 chance in 140.

B. If order is now important, ignoring order there are 10 possible straights if a Wild Card is not used. If no Wild Card is used to get this, then there are 2 x 4 x 10 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 20480 ways of getting any straight in running order. We have not excluded Royal straight flushes and straight flushes from this calculation. There are 10 x 4 x 2 ways of getting either Royal straight flushes or straight flushes. If a wild card is required to make it a straight we need to consider the two situations of it being in the middle or at the end.

If it is in the middle there are three ways you can have a particular straight in running order :so weget 2x 10ox 3x 4x 4x 4x4 ssibilitiesad if it is attheend (either first or fift .position) there are I I ways you can do it giving 2 xI x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 possibilities. We need to remove straight flushes and Royal straight flushes occurring in running order. If there is a Wild Card, we have to first look at it being in the middle, here there are 3 x 4 x l0 x 2 possibilities; and the Wild Card occurring at the end I Ix 4 x 2. Any straight in K>running order has 20480 +15360 +5632 -80 -240 -88 possibilities (removing running royal straight flushes and running straights). The probability of a straight in running order (up or down) is 41064/(53 x 52 x 51ix 50 x 49) 1.1924654 x 10-4; that is, 1 chance in 8386. If the running straight must be in ascending order then the probability is half that 20 above; that is, 5.962327 x 10-1, 1 chance in 16772.

Flush A. The number of ways disregarding order that you can get 5 cards in the same suit without using a Wild Card is (4x13x12x1 lxlOx9)f(5x4x3x2xi) 5148, and, with using a Wild Card is (4xi3xl2xl lxI Ox9)/(4x3x2x1) 25740. The number of ways you can get a straight flush or Royal straight flush is 4 x 10 x 6 240. So the number of flushes is 5148 2860 -240 7768. The probability of getting a flush is 7768/286968.5 2.7069173 X 10-3; that is, 1 chance in 369.

B. The probability of a specific flush, for example Hearts, is one quarter the probability 00420,p:\wpdocs\amd\speci,575390.UBv, 9 of any Flush. It is 6.7672933 x 104; that is, 1 chance in 1478.

C. The number of ways of getting 5 cards in the same suit with low cards 2-7 when there is no Wild Card is 4 x 6 where 6 is the number of ways (ignoring order) that you can choose 5 cards from the 6 low cards. With the Wild Card again you have to consider its position. If the Wild Card is in the middle you have 4 x 2 x 3 possibilities, and, if it is at the end, you have 4 x 3 possibilities. We now have to remove straight flushes, there are 4 x 2 if there is no Wild Card, and, with Wild Card, we again consider the Wild Card being in the middle to give 4 x 2 x 3 possibilities; and, at the ends there are 4 x 3 possibilities.

The number of flushes with low cards is 24 24 12-8-18 36 so the probability is 36/286968850 1.2544931 x 10-5; that is, 1 chance of 79713.

Full House A. If there is no Wild Card used to make the full house, there are 78 x 2 x 4 x 6 possibilities where 78 is the number of ways of choosing two cards, 2 is the number of ways two the same and three the same can be organised, 4 is the number ways you can choose 3 cards from 4, and, 6 is the number of ways you can choose 2 cards from 4. If a Wild Card is needed, then you have two pairs plus Wild Card to get the full house; the 20 number of possibilities is 78 x 6 x 6. The number of ways of getting a full house is 3744 2808 6552. The probability of getting a full house is 6552/2869685 2.283177 x 10-3; that is, 1 chance in 438.

B. If order is now important, first, consider the specific full house 10,10,10,9,9. If no Wild card is needed, there are 4 x 3 x 2 x 4 x 3 possibilities. The Wild Card would only be used with 10, so we get 3 x 4 x 3 x 4 x 3 ways. So the number of ways of getting this specific full house is 288 720 1008. The number of ways of choosing 5 cards when order is important is 53 x 52 x 52 x 50 x 49. The probability of a specific full house is 1008/(53 x 52 x 51 x 50 x 49) 2.9271505 x 10-6; that is, 1 chance in 341629. If we don't care about the numbers, but just that the sequence is followed, then the probability of any specified sequence is 13 x 12 x 0.0000029 0.0004566; that is, 1 chance in 2190.

00420,p:\wpdocs\amd\speci,575390.mav, -11 Four of a kind A. If no Wild Card is used, we get 13 x 48 possibilities, and, if a Wild Card is needed, we get 13 x 4 x 48 possibilities, giving us 3120 ways of getting four of a kind. The probability of four of a kind is 3120/2869685 1.0872273 x 10-3; that is, 1 chance in 920.

B. Consider getting the sequence KKKKany. The last card cannot be a wild card.

Assume that a Wild Card may replace any of the K's. If a Wild card is not used there are 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 x 48 ways of getting this sequence (order has been taken into account) and if 10 we need to use a Wild Card there are 4 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 48 ways of getting this particular sequence. The number of ways of choosing 5 cards taking order into consideration is 53 x 52 x 51 x 50 x 49, so the probability of getting KKKKany, allowing the possibility that a Wild Card may stand for K is (1152 4608)/(53 x 52 x 51 x 50 x 49) 1.6726575 x 10-5; that is, 1 chance in 59785. If a Wild Card is not permitted to substitute for a K then the 15 probability of getting KKKKany is 1152/(53 x 52 x 51 x 50) 3.3453149 x 10-6; that is, 1 chance in 298926.

Straight Flush S. 20 A. The number of straight flushes is 4 x 9 x 6 216. The probability is 7.5269586 x 105; that is, 1 chance in 13286.

B. The number of straight flushes in left/right order when the wild card is not used is 4 x 9 x 2 72, and, when it is used is 5 x 9 x 2 90, where the 5 refers to the number of places that the Wild Card can appear in. The probability of a straight flush in left/right order is (72 90)/(53 x 52 x 51 x 50 x 49) 4.7043491 x 10-7; that is, 1 chance in 2125693.

Five of a Kind A. The probability is 1.62 x 10-5; that is, 1 chance in 10395. This probability has 00420,p:\wpdocs'amd\spci,575390.mav, II 12 assumed that strategic poker was played; that is, no throwdown, if a full house, straight, etc., were obtained on first pick up.

B. The probability of Ace Hearts, Any Ace, Any Ace, Any Ace, Any Ace, in this specific order (assuming a Wild Card can substitute for an Ace) is (1 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1)/(53 x 52 x 51 x 50 x 49) 6.969406 x that is, I chance in 14348425.

The probability of Ace Hearts, Ace Diamonds, Any Ace, Any Ace, Any Ace, in this specific order (assuming a Wild Card can substitute for an Ace) is (1 x 1 x 3 x 2 x 2)/(53 x 52 x51 x 50 x49) =3.484703 x 101;that is, I chance in 28696850.

The probability of Ace Hearts, Ace Diamonds, Ace Spades, Any Ace, Any Ace, in this *see specific order (assuming a Wild Card can substitute for an Ace) is (1 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 1)/(53 x 52 x 51 x 50 x 49) 5.8078384 x that is, I chance in 172191100 (rounding to the nearest 100).

fee.

The probability of Ace Hearts, Ace Diamonds, Ace Spades, Wild Card, Ace Clubs, in this specific order is (I x I x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1)/(53 x 52 x 51 x 50 x 49) 2.9039192 x 10-9; that is, I chance in 344362200 (rounding to the nearest 100).

Royal Straight Flush A. If a Wild Card is not used, there are 4 possible royal straight flushes (if order is important; there are 120 possible arrangements of these 5 cards), and, if a Wild Card is needed, there are 5 x 4 possible royal straight flushes (if order is important there are 120 possible arrangements of these 5 cards) The probability of a royal straight flush is 120 x (4 20)/(53 x 52 x 51 x 50 x 49) 8.3632873 x 10-6; that is, I chance in 119570.

B. By suit, ignoring order, there is 1 possibility if a Wild Card is not used, and 5 if it is. There are 120 ways to arrange 5 cards so the probability of a royal straight flush by suite is (120 x 6)/(53 x 52 x 51 x 50 x 49) 2.0908218 x 10.6; that is, 1 chance in 478281.

00420,p:\wpdocs\amd\speci,575390.mav, 12 13 C. The probability of a royal straight flush by suit and sequence is 1/(53 x 52 x 51 x x 49) 2.9039192 x 109; that is, 1 chance in 344362200 (rounding to the nearest 100).

From the above discussion, it will be appreciated that the probability of ajackpot being won by a player is quite low. It is envisaged that only a small percentage of the bet made by each player, say between 1% and but perhaps most preferably about will be allocated towards the jackpot. It will however be appreciated that when a large number of gaming machines are used, particularly if there are several hundred such machines, despite the small proportion of each bet allocated towards the jackpot, the jackpot will increase quite rapidly. Furthermore, in consideration of the fact that the jackpot is unlikely to be won very often, because of the low probabilities, the jackpot amount will increase to oo o a fairly large amount, making it extremely enticing for players to want to place bets. Whilst the invention is not limited to these percentages, typically, the proportion of each bet allocated to the jackpot might typically be less than 50%, more preferably about 1% to but most preferably about Likewise, when a predetermined set of indicia is selected, which is the winning combination, 50%, or more preferably more than 90%, or even more oo preferably, substantially all of the jackpot, is awarded to the player. Due to the existence of legislation in various locations, for instance, that 87% of monies must be returned to the o* 20 players, the in-house machines could be reprogrammed to return, say, 86%, with the 1% shortfall being allocated towards the jackpot prize, consequently satisfying Government Regulations.

It will be appreciated that either a conventional winning combination of indicia, cards, or the like may include the winning set of indicia, but that this is not essential. That is, the winning hand could be selected from any random sequence of indicia.

It will be appreciated that each gaming machine is totally independent of each other gaming machine, as generally required by Government legislation. It will also be appreciated that the player might be able to select whether or not to participate in the jackpot component by means of a suitable selection switch or the like.

00420,p:\wpdocs\amd\speci,575390.mav, 13 -14- The specific electronic circuitry and software associated with the gaming machines and the control means should be easily implemented by a person skilled in the art. Such electronic circuitry and software should however be considered to fall within the scope of the present invention.

Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to persons skilled in the art, and all such variations and modifications should also be considered to fall within the scope of the invention as broadly hereinbefore described, and as claimed hereinafter.

9 9* 9 o 00420p:\wpdocs'amd\speci,575390.mav, 14

Claims (10)

1. A networked gaming apparatus, including: a plurality of gaming machines, each gaming machine being of a conventional type wherein a player wagers a bet, and, if a predetermined set of indicia is selected, wins a predetermined amount; and, control means, communicating with each of said machines, to receive information related to the frequency of use and the combination of indicia selected on each machine, whereby, each time each of said machines is used, a proportion of said bet is allocated to a jackpot, and, if said predetermined winning set of indicia is selected, a predetermined percentage of said jackpot is allocated to said player. 0*

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control means transmits jackpot information to each of said machines for display to the respective players.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claims 1 or 2, wherein said indicia are cards, symbols, numerals, etc. @8

4. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said proportion of said bet allocated to said jackpot is less than 50%, and most preferably about 1% to

5. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, if said predetermined set of indicia is selected, more than 50%, and more preferably, more than 90%, of substantially all, of said jackpot is allocated to said player.

6. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each of said machines communicate with said control means by a cable, optical fibre cable, telephone lines, or other hard-wired communications media.

7. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each of said machines communicate with said control means by a microwave, UHF, VHF, RF or other wireless communications media. 0042,p:\wpdocs\amd~speci,57539.mav, -16-

8. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a particular sequence of five indicia in a particular order are predetermined to be said predetermined set of indicia.

9. A gaming apparatus, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A method of gambling using a gaming apparatus, substantially as herein described.

10 DATED this 1st day of May, 2000 PETER MAVROIDIS *s By His Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON CAVE 0 S* S *055 00420,p:\wpdocs\amd\speci575390.mav, 16