Wagering game with variable wager denominations

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention, a gaming machine is disclosed comprising a wager-indication element for receiving a wager from a player. The wager-indication element has a plurality of wager amounts arranged along a continuous wager scale. The wager-indication element also has an indicator adapted to visually represent the one of the plurality of wager amounts received from the player.

1 . A gaming machine, comprising: 
 a wager-indication element for receiving a wager from a player, the wager-indication element having a plurality of wager amounts arranged along a continuous wager scale, the wager-indication element further having an indicator adapted to visually represent the one of the plurality of wager amounts received from the player.    
   
   
       2 . The gaming machine of  claim 1 , wherein the wager-indication element further includes an input device, the input device being adapted to select one of the plurality of wager amounts upon player actuation of the input device.  
   
   
       3 . The gaming machine of  claim 2 , wherein the input device includes a slider adapted to visually move along the wager scale in response to the slider being engaged by the player, the slider being further adapted to be stopped at any one of the plurality of wager amounts.  
   
   
       4 . The gaming machine of  claim 3 , wherein the slider is a mechanical slider provided on a button panel of the gaming machine.  
   
   
       5 . The gaming machine of  claim 2 , wherein the input device includes a plurality of soft touch keys located along the wager scale, the indicator being visually represented at one of the plurality of soft touch keys in response to the actuation of the one of the plurality of soft touch keys.  
   
   
       6 . The gaming machine of  claim 1 , wherein the wager-indication element is included within a slots game having a plurality of payliries, the wager being divided equally over the plurality of paylines selected by the player resulting in a fractional-credit wager being placed on each of the plurality of paylines.  
   
   
       7 . A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming machine, comprising: 
 receiving a wager from a player to play the wagering game; and    visually representing the wager on a wager-indication element having a wager scale and an indicator, the wager scale including a plurality of wager amounts between a minimum wager and a maximum wager, the indicator being used to visually represent the wager.    
   
   
       8 . A computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions for directing a gaming machine to perform the method of  claim 7 .  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 7 , the wager-indication element further includeing a decrease-wager button and an increase-wager button, and further including moving the indicator by an increment in response to the decrease-wager button or the increase-wager button being actuated.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the wagering game is a slots game having a plurality of paylines, the wager being divided equally over the plurality of paylines selected by the player.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the wager being divided equally over the plurality of paylines results in a fractional-credit wager being placed on each of the plurality of paylines.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the wagering game is a card game having a plurality of hands, the wager being divided equally over the plurality of hands.  
   
   
       13 . A gaming machine for conducting a wagering game, comprising: 
 one or more displays for displaying the wagering game;    a wager-indication element visually represented on the one or more display, the wager-indication element including a wager scale and an indicator, the wager scale including a plurality of wager amounts between a minimum wager and a maximum wager, the indicator being used to visually represent the wager;    an input device adapted to allow one or more of the plurality of wager amounts to be selected; and    a controller operative to adjust the position of the indicator along the wager scale of the wager-indication element in response to inputs from the input device.    
   
   
       14 . The gaming machine of  claim 13 , wherein a portion of the wager-indication element is provided on a button panel of the gaming machine.  
   
   
       15 . The gaming machine of  claim 14 , wherein a second portion of the wager-indication element is displayed on the one or more displays.  
   
   
       16 . The gaming machine of  claim 13 , wherein the input device includes a decrease-wager button and an increase-wager button, the decrease-wager button being adapted to decrease the wager by one increment upon actuation, the increase-wager button being adapted to increase the wager by one increment upon actuation.  
   
   
       17 . The gaming machine of  claim 13 , wherein the wagering game is a slots game having a plurality of activated paylines, the wager being divided equally over the plurality of activated paylines.  
   
   
       18 . The gaming machine of  claim 17 , wherein the wager being divided equally over the plurality of activated paylines results in a fractional-credit wager being placed on each of the plurality of activated paylines.  
   
   
       19 . The gaming machine of  claim 13 , wherein the input device includes a slider adapted to visually move along the wager scale in response to the slider being directly engaged.  
   
   
       20 . The gaming machine of  claim 13 , wherein the input device includes a plurality of soft touch keys located along the wager scale, the indicator being visually represented at one of the plurality of soft touch keys in response to the actuation of the one of the plurality of soft touch keys.