WO2005124707A1

WO2005124707A1 - Apparatus for playing a game

Info

Publication number: WO2005124707A1
Application number: PCT/GB2005/002416
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Briggs
Original assignee: Ladbrokes E-Gaming Limited
Priority date: 2004-06-17
Filing date: 2005-06-17
Publication date: 2005-12-29
Also published as: GB2415147A; GB0413626D0

Abstract

An apparatus (1) for playing a multi-player game comprises an outcome receiving means (6) that is adapted to repeatedly receive a generated outcome, a prediction input means (4) which is adapted to receive an input constituting a prediction of the generated outcome, a check means (7) for checking the input at the prediction input means (4) against the generated outcome received by the outcome receiving means (6), and a control means (8) which is adapted to respond to an output from the check means (7) to control the continuation or discontinuation of the game, wherein, in each turn of play, an input is received at the prediction input means (4) from a first and/or second player, an outcome is generated, and the check means (7) determines whether the input at the prediction input means (4) matches the generated outcome and sends a corresponding signal to the control means (8), which processes that signal to determine whether or not the game can continue depending on whether the input at the prediction input means (4) matched the generated outcome.

Description

Apparatus for Playing a Game

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus for playing a multi-player game, and in particular to an apparatus for playing a multi-player gambling game.

Background

Gambling games in which a single player plays against a machine or a computer are well-known. However, since such games have a built-in "edge", it is difficult to win the games. Even in cases in which a game is won, there is limited customer satisfaction because the player has only succeeded in overcoming the probability that the machine, which is usually controlled by computer software, will win more often than the player.

Summary of the invention

It is a general aim of the present invention to ameliorate at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art discussed above.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for playing a multi-player game comprising an outcome receiving means that is adapted to repeatedly receive a generated outcome, a prediction input means which is adapted to receive an input constituting a prediction of the generated outcome, a check means for checking the input at the prediction input means against the generated outcome received by the outcome receiving means, and a control means which is adapted to respond to an output from the check means to control the continuation or discontinuation of the game, wherein, in each turn of play, an input is received at the prediction input means from a first and/or second player, an outcome is generated, and the check means determines whether the input at the prediction input means matches the generated outcome and sends a corresponding signal to the control means, which processes that signal to determine whether or not the game can continue depending on whether the input at the prediction input means matched the generated outcome.

Since at least two players are involved in the game, the game has a social element. It is also more enjoyable and more challenging for a player to play against another player, rather than against a computer or a machine.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the generated outcome is adapted to be generated by a randomiser.

Preferably, the apparatus also includes an override means to permit generation of a random outcome by the randomiser in the absence of an input at the prediction input means. This allows a player to generate a new random outcome as a starting point for their prediction, rather than starting from the previously generated random outcome; this could be advantageous when the odds of two possible random outcomes following the previously generated random outcome are substantially equal. By generating a new random outcome, the player's starting position could be improved. In a further preferred embodiment, the apparatus additionally comprises a payment means to allow the first and/or second player to make a payment in exchange for permission to send a signal to activate the override means.

In a yet further preferred embodiment, the randomiser is a random number generator.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the apparatus further comprises a betting means for allowing the first and/or second player to bet a stake prior to sending an input to the prediction input means. This adds to the excitement of the game.

In a further preferred embodiment, the apparatus additionally comprises a selection means for deciding whether play is initiated by the first or second player. Preferably, the selection means is adapted to be controlled by an input from the first and/or second player.

Preferably, the apparatus comprises a termination means that is adapted to be activated by an input received from the first and/or second player to effect termination of the game.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a system for playing a multi-player game having a first and second player terminal and an apparatus for playing a multi-player game comprising an outcome receiving means that is adapted to repeatedly receive a generated outcome, a prediction input means which is adapted to receive an input constituting a prediction of the generated outcome, a check means for checking the input at the prediction input means against the generated outcome received by the outcome receiving means, and a control means which is adapted to respond to an output from the check means to control the continuation or discontinuation of the game, wherein, in each turn of play, an input is received at the prediction input means from a first and/or second player, an outcome is generated, and the check means determines whether the input at the prediction input means matches the generated outcome and sends a corresponding signal to the control means, which processes that signal to determine whether or not the game can continue depending on whether the input at the prediction input means matched the generated outcome.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a method of playing a multi- player game comprising the prediction of a random outcome by a first player, the generation of a random outcome, and the checking of the outcome against the first player's prediction, wherein the game is repeated for a second player if the prediction of the first player was correct.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will be described, by way of example, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of an apparatus in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 shows a flow chart of the steps carried out by a first embodiment of the invention prior to the commencement of the game;

Figure 3 shows a flow chart of the steps carried out by a first embodiment of the invention following commencement of the game, and

Figure 4 shows a flow chart of the steps carried out by a second embodiment of the invention following commencement of the game.

Description of an Embodiment

The embodiment of the invention described below is an apparatus for playing a multi-player fixed odds betting game which relies on the prediction of generated outcomes.

Figure 1 shows an apparatus 1 for a multi-player game. The apparatus 1 includes a betting means 2, a stake verification means 3, a prediction input means 4, a randomiser 5 in the form of a random number generator, an outcome receiving means 6, a check means 7 and a control means 8.

Figure 2 shows a flow chart for the initiation steps of the game. In order to commence play, at least two players must complete the initiation steps, which start with the accessing of a website that is hosting the game. When a first player accesses the website at step 10 to register an interest in playing the game, that player selects a preferred version of the game at 11 and is allocated a virtual "table" at 12 according to their preference. A variety of virtual "tables" with different stakes and different number ranges are available to the player; there are a number of virtual "tables" with stakes of £1 , £10 or £100, for example. In addition, a number of possible number ranges are provided for each of the different stakes, for example, 1-10, 1-100, 1-1000. Allocation of a player to a virtual "table" is carried out automatically, although the player is only allocated to a virtual "table" which is operating with the player's preferred stake and number range.

Once the first player has been allocated a virtual "table" operating with a suitable stake and number range, a stake is bet by the first player via the betting means 2 at step 13. The betting means 2 is essentially an input for payment details, such as credit card details, account details for an account that the player holds with the operator of the game, or any other suitable account details. A stake verification means 3 then verifies the stake at step 14 to ensure that the first player has sufficient funds in the account from which the player has requested that the stake be deducted. Following a positive stake verification, the first player is admitted to the virtual "table" that he was allocated but must wait until a second player has been allocated to the same virtual "table" and the stake verification process has been completed for that player (step 15). In the event that the stake of the first player is not verified, play is refused. However, if the first player is admitted to a virtual "table" and no second player is admitted to that table, the first player's stake is refunded after a predetermined period of time and a suitable message is conveyed to the first player to inform him/her that the game is not playable.

Once two players have been admitted to the virtual "table", the random number generator 5 is initiated automatically so that it generates a first random outcome, i.e. a random number, which constitutes the starting point of the game.

The steps involved in playing a first embodiment of the game are shown in Figure 3.

The order in which the first and second players play the game is decided by a selection means (not shown) which randomly selects the first or second player as the starting player of the game. In the case where the first player is selected as the starting player, the first player must predict whether the next random number to be generated by the random number generator 5 will be higher or lower than the initial random number. Following the prediction of the first player in step 20 of Figure 3, the random number generator 5 generates a further random number at step 21. In step 22, the check means 7 compares the first player's prediction with the random number that has been generated by the random number generator 5 and received by the outcome receiving means 6. If, for example, the first player predicted that the number would be higher than the initial random number and this was the case, the check means 7 sends a corresponding signal to the control means 8, and the control means 8 allows the game to continue. At step 23, the second player is then required to predict whether the next random number generated will be higher or lower than that generated following the prediction of the first player. Once again, a random number is generated by the random number generator 5 at step 24 and a corresponding signal is sent to the outcome receiving means 6; the check means 7 then compares the random number generated with the prediction of the player (step 25). If the second player's prediction is correct, the game is allowed to continue by the control means 8 and the turn of play returns to the first player.

In the event that one of the players makes an incorrect prediction, the control means 8 terminates the game and the player who was not responsible for the incorrect prediction wins the stakes bet by both players, less a commission which is paid to the operators of the game. The commission is in the form of a surcharge paid on both stakes prior to initiation of the game, or it is a percentage of the stakes won. Alternatively, the commission is a surcharge paid on the winner's stake only. In the flow chart shown in Figure 4, further steps 26, 27 that are carried out by a second embodiment of the invention are shown. The steps 26, 27 are incorporated between the switch of play from the first to the second player (step 22) and the prediction made by the second player (step 23), as well as between the second player's turn of play and any subsequent turn of play for the first player; these additional steps 26, 27 effectively provide the second/first player with an opportunity to reject the random number that was generated most recently (at step 21) by making a payment to the first/second player in exchange for obtaining permission to activate the override means (step 26) which causes the random number generator 5 to generate a further random number at step 27 in the absence of a prediction from a player, which is the usual way in which the random number generator 5 is triggered.

In order to simplify matters, the additional steps 26,27 will be explained in the context of the second player only. When the second player wishes to activate the override means, a message is sent to the first player, together with an offer from the second player to pay the first player in exchange for consenting to the activation of the override means. If the first player chooses to consent to the request to activate the override means, a corresponding message is sent to the second player in reply and a payment is made to the first player in line with the offer made by the second player by a payment means. An appropriate signal is also sent to the override means, so that a further random number is generated by the random number generator 5. The generation of a further random number provides the second player with an alternative, and possibly more favourable, starting point for predicting the following random number. The prediction of the second player will trigger the generation of that following random number by the random number generator 5 in the usual way.

On the other hand, if the first player chooses to refuse to consent to the activation of the override means at the request of the second player, the game will only be continued once the second player has predicted the next outcome of the random number generator 5.

In the event that the same number is generated twice in succession, the random number generator 5 is adapted to generate a further number automatically and neither of the players is penalised.

In the event that the game is prolonged because neither the first nor second player makes an incorrect prediction, either player can terminate the game voluntarily by sending a signal to a terminating means.

The first and second players each access the host website remotely using respective personal computer terminals via a computer network, such as the Internet.

It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that a number of modifications can be made to the embodiments described above. Although the game is described above in relation to two players, it would be possible to have more than two players. In this case, a player who made an incorrect prediction would not be allowed to continue participating in the game and the game would continue until only one player was left; that player would be the winner of the game and would collect the stakes of all of the players, less a commission.

Both the first and second player could predict the outcome of the random number generator 5 simultaneously. For example, in the case of the random number generator 5 described above, the first player could predict that a new number would be higher than a preceding number and the second player could predict that the new number would be lower. The player with the correct prediction would win the game. If both players predicted the outcome incorrectly, the stakes could be retained by the operators of the game or the game could be annulled and re-started.

It would be possible to make a payment to the operators of the game, rather than to the other player, to activate the override means and cause the random number generator 5 to generate a further random number in the absence of a prediction from a player. Alternatively, the override means could be adapted to be activated without any payment being made.

In the event that the same number is selected twice in succession, it is possible that no further random number would be generated by the random number generator 5, and that the turn of play would simply pass to the other player as if the player in question had made a correct prediction.

Rather than the game being initiated automatically by the generation of an initial random number, the game could be started actively by the first player, for example, by sending a signal to confirm that play should commence.

The player terminals could be wireless devices, such as mobile telephones, or telephones or television sets. The player terminals could also be two separate user fields on a single personal computer. Furthermore, the players could access the apparatus via a telecommunications or television network, rather than via a computer network. Rather than being accessed via a website, the game could be accessed via other media such as an interactive television channel.

It would be possible for a payment to be required to activate the selection means so that the first and/or second player could choose to start the game or nominate the other player to start the game upon payment of a fee. That fee could then be added to the players' stakes and form part of the winnings of the game or could be paid directly to the other player or to the operators of the game.

The betting means 2 is not essential. In some cases, there will be a registration system for the game which identifies the players' details, including their payment details, automatically, for example, by means of a user name and/or password. In such cases, it is not necessary for payment details to be entered via the betting means 2 because the players' payment details would already be accessible by the game operators. In this case, the selection of a preferred stake and number range would automatically trigger the stake verification process. The stakes could be of any numerical value. Similarly, the randomiser could generate random outcomes within any range. It is also possible that no stake would be bet, but that the players would pay a subscription fee to have repeated access to the game.

Rather than using the random number generator to play a game in which the players predict whether the next outcome of the random number generator 5 will be higher or lower than the previously generated outcome, the random number generator could be used to play roulette, keno or any other suitable game. It would also be possible for the randomiser 5 to generate random outcomes other than random numbers.

Other multi-player games that do not involve the generation of a random outcome could also be played, for example, "Paper/Scissors/Stone" and "Spoof. In the case of "Spoof, both the first and second player would generate a non-random outcome and both the first and second player would make a prediction. The check means 7 would then check each player's prediction against the combined outcome of both players and send a corresponding signal to the control means 8 to determine whether or not the game could continue (as described above). For "Paper/Scissors/Stone", the first player would make a prediction about an outcome to be generated by the second player (for example, by selecting "stone", the first player would be predicting that the second player would generate "scissors" as their outcome); that prediction would then be checked against the generated outcome in the manner described above to determine whether or not the game could be continued.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An apparatus for playing a multi-player game comprising an outcome receiving means that is adapted to repeatedly receive a generated outcome, a prediction input means which is adapted to receive an input constituting a prediction of the generated outcome, a check means for checking the input at the prediction input means against the generated outcome received by the outcome receiving means, and a control means which is adapted to respond to an output from the check means to control the continuation or discontinuation of the game, wherein, in each turn of play, an input is received at the prediction input means from a first and/or second player, an outcome is generated, and the check means determines whether the input at the prediction input means matches the generated outcome and sends a corresponding signal to the control means, which processes that signal to determine whether or not the game can continue depending on whether the input at the prediction input means matched the generated outcome.

2. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 , wherein the generated outcome is adapted to be generated by a randomiser.

3. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the apparatus further comprises an override means to permit generation of a random outcome by the randomiser in the absence of an input at the prediction input means.

4. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the apparatus additionally comprises a payment means to allow the first and/or second player to make a payment in exchange for permission to send a signal to activate the override means.

5. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the payment is made by the first and/or second player to the second and/or first player respectively.

6. An apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 5, wherein the randomiser is a random number generator.

7. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 , wherein the generated outcome is adapted to be generated by the first and/or second player.

8. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus further comprises a betting means for allowing the first and/or second player to bet a stake prior to sending a signal to the prediction input means.

9. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the apparatus further comprises a stake verification means for checking that the at least one player that bets a stake has funds to support the stake in an account.

10. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus further comprises a selection means for deciding whether play is initiated by the first or second player.

11. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the selection means is adapted to be controlled by an input from the first and/or second player.

12. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus additionally comprises a termination means that is adapted to be activated by an input received from the first and/or second player to effect termination of the game.

13. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein inputs from the first and/or second player are received via a computer or telecommunications network.

14. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein inputs from the first and/or second player are received from a computer, telephone, wireless device or television.

15. An apparatus for playing a multi-player game substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

16. A system for playing a multi-player game comprising the apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and a first and second player terminal connected therewith.

17. A system as claimed in Claim 16, wherein the first and second player terminals are located remotely from the apparatus.

18. A system substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

19. A method of playing a multi-player game comprising the prediction of a random outcome by a first player, the generation of a random outcome, and the checking of the outcome against the first player's prediction, wherein the game is repeated for a second player if the prediction of the first player was correct.