Gaming device having mahjong elements

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to gaming devices that incorporate various aspects of the traditional Asian game of Mahjong. Mahjong tiles or symbols may be used in various types of games that include a single hand of dealt tiles, hands that use tile drawing and discarding, poker-style game play with a dealt and/or drawn hand of Mahjong tiles, multi-player games with Mahjong tiles, and other types of games that utilize elements from Mahjong. These games may be more favorably received than traditional slot machine games by players with familiarity with Mahjong.

1 . A method of operating a gaming device being played by a player, the method comprising:
 receiving a wager to initiate a gaming event;   displaying a plurality of game indicia having Mahjong symbols;   grouping the game indicia in one or more combinations using at least a portion of the plurality of game indicia;   comparing the one or more combinations of indicia with a prize threshold; and   awarding prizes when the one or more combinations meet the prize threshold.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the prize threshold is a paytable of combinations that are associated with prizes. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the prize threshold is another plurality of displayed game indicia having Mahjong symbols that is grouped into one or more combinations, and   meeting the prize threshold includes having combinations in the displayed plurality of game indicia that are valued more than the combinations of the other plurality of displayed game indicia.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the other plurality of displayed game indicia is received by a dealer. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the other plurality of displayed game indicia is received by another player. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the game indicia is an image of a tile with Mahjong symbols. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 receiving one or more player inputs to hold one or more of the tiles when the player indicates that a corresponding tile is to be held;   discarding any tiles that are not held by the player; and   replacing any discarded tiles with new tiles.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising repeating the steps of receiving one or more player inputs to hold one or more of the tiles, discarding any tiles that are not held by the player, and replacing any discarded tiles with new tiles a predetermined number of times. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , displaying a plurality of game indicia having Mahjong symbols includes:
 displaying the plurality of tiles facedown;   receiving a selection from a player indicating one of the plurality of facedown tiles; and   turning over the facedown tile indicated by the player to reveal the Mahjong symbol associated with the tile.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising repeating the steps of receiving player selections and revealing the Mahjong symbol associated with the selected tile a predetermined number of times. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein selections made after the predetermined number of times has been reached eliminates the eligibility of one of the revealed tiles from being part of combinations compared with the prize threshold. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the tile eliminated from eligibility is the eligible tile that was revealed earliest in the gaming event. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the tile eliminated from eligibility is chosen at random from the eligible revealed tiles. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein displaying a plurality of game indicia having Mahjong symbols includes randomly choosing thirteen Mahjong tiles from a set of one hundred forty four possible Mahjong tiles. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein displaying a plurality of game indicia having Mahjong symbols includes:
 spinning a plurality of game reels each having a plurality of images with Mahjong symbols; and   stopping the plurality of game reels to display the plurality of game indicia.   
     
     
         16 . A gaming device including:
 a gaming display to display game indicia having Mahjong symbols during a gaming event;   a player interface panel having one or more player input mechanisms; and   a processor configured to select a plurality of game indicia having Mahjong symbols to display on the game display, grouping the selected game indicia in one or more combinations using at least a portion of the plurality of game indicia, comparing the one or more combinations of indicia with a prize threshold, and awarding prizes when the one or more combinations meet the prize threshold.   
     
     
         17 . The gaming device of  claim 16 , wherein the gaming display includes a plurality of spinning game reels having a plurality of images with Mahjong symbols. 
     
     
         18 . The gaming device of  claim 17 , wherein number of spinning reels is the same as the number of selected game indicia. 
     
     
         19 . The gaming device of  claim 17 , wherein the number of images displayed on the game reels is the same as the number of selected game indicia. 
     
     
         20 . The gaming device of  claim 16 , wherein the player interface includes a number of game buttons equal to the number of selected game indicia.