Seal card game with multiple levels of play

Abstract

A “lottery-type” game of chance for a plurality of players employs break open tickets ( 10 ), at least some of the tickets having printed on them one or more instant win awards ( 22 ). The awards are covered, prior to play, with one or more removable cover members ( 34 ) such as flaps or scratch off seals. Some of the tickets include one or more eligible game symbols ( 42 ), which entitle the ticket holder to enter a bonus round of play.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A system for use in playing a game of chance comprising: 
 a plurality of playing cards, each of said playing cards including at least one game symbol displayed thereon, some of said playing cards displaying an eligible game symbol;    a master game card for use in conjunction with said plurality of playing cards, said master game card including: 
 a plurality of identifiers for identifying a plurality of awards,  
 at least one winning game symbol selected from said eligible game symbols associated with each of said identified awards, and  
 at least one cover member configured for sequentially revealing said at least one winning game symbol associated with each of said identified awards.  
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of awards are of increasing monetary value.  
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a first of said plurality of awards is of lesser value than a second of said awards and is associated with a greater number of winning game symbols than said second of said awards.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein at least three cover members are provided for initially concealing each of said at least one winning game symbol associated with said corresponding identified award, each successive cover member revealing a larger award than a prior cover member.  
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein there are at least three awards and wherein each of said awards is associated with different winning game symbols.  
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said eligible game symbols are numbers which have at least one digit in common.  
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each of said eligible game symbols is associated with one of said identified awards.  
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said master game card includes instructions for opening the cover members in a predetermined sequence.  
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each of said cover members includes a flap.  
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said playing cards further include a cover member for initially concealing said at least one game symbol displayed thereon.  
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one game symbol of at least one of said playing cards comprises indicia identifying said game symbol as being an instant winning game symbol.  
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said master game card includes a sign up area for identifying holders of playing cards which include at least one game symbol eligible to be a winning game symbol.  
     
     
         13 . A system for use in playing a game of chance comprising: 
 a plurality of playing cards, each of said playing cards including at least one game symbol displayed thereon,  5  some of said playing cards displaying a game symbol eligible for one of a plurality of awards of increasing value;    a master game card for use in conjunction with said plurality of playing cards, said master game card including a plurality of cover members, each of said plurality of cover members being selectively removable to reveal at least one winning game symbol of said eligible game symbols associated with one of said plurality of awards.    
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein a first of said awards is associated with at least a first of said winning game symbols and a second of said awards is associated with at least a second of said winning game symbols.  
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein all of said eligible game symbols are associated with one of said plurality of awards.  
     
     
         16 . A method of playing a game of chance comprising: 
 a) distributing a set of playing cards to a plurality of players;    b) removing at least one cover member on each of the playing cards to reveal at least one game symbol, some of said playing cards including a game symbol which is eligible for a plurality of bonus rounds of play;    c) in a first bonus round of play, identifying at least a first winning game symbol, selected from said eligible game symbols, associated with a first award; and    d) in at least one successive bonus round of play, identifying at least a second winning game symbol selected from said eligible game symbols associated with a successive award, said at least one winning game symbol associated with said successive award being different from said at least one winning game symbol associated with said first award.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the master game card includes instructions providing an order in which said winning game symbols are uncovered, the method further including steps c) and d) being carried out in the order provided in the instructions, such that an award which is of higher monetary value is uncovered later than an award which is of lesser monetary value.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein step c) includes identifying at least one winning game symbol by identifying eligible game symbols which are not winning game symbols in the first round of play.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein each of said successive rounds of play identifies at least one of said eligible game symbols which are not winning game symbols in the first round of play as winning symbols in the successive round of play.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said first bonus round and said successive bonus rounds in combination identify each of said eligible game symbols as winning game symbols in at least one of said rounds of play.