Magic keno game

Abstract

A method and system plays a side bet wagering game: a wager on a game is received by a wager resolver; a random set of 20 numbers is provided; the random set of numbers is organized into two columns or two rows of number pairs; the wager resolver sums the sets of numbers in the number pairs to form a number pair total outcome; the number pair outcomes are ordered in accordance with an order of highest number pair total outcome to lowest total number pair outcome; and the side bet wager are resolved on correspondence of the ordered number pair outcomes to a preselected number pair outcome associated with the wager on the game.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A gaming system comprising a processor, player input position and a video display system, wherein:
 the processor is configured to execute code to recognize a wager at a player input position on a first wagering game;   the processor is configured to recognize and display on the video display system randomly selected alphanumerics, wherein the randomly selected alphanumerics are used in outcome determination in an underlying wagering game selected from the group consisting of bingo, keno and variants of bingo and keno;   the processor displaying the randomly selected alphanumerics on the screen to display outcome results for the underlying wagering game;   the processor also displaying the randomly selected alphanumerics on the screen in a separate two-row or two-column array of paired individual randomly selected alphanumerics;   the processor ranking paired individual randomly selected alphanumerics on a basis of total summed values for paired individual randomly selected alphanumerics; and   the processor executing code to resolve the wager at the player input position on the first wagering game based upon the ranking paired individual randomly selected alphanumerics.   
     
     
         2 . The gaming system of  claim 1  wherein between 1 and 12 pairs of ranking paired individual randomly selected alphanumerics are displayed and used in determining outcomes for the first game. 
     
     
         3 . The gaming system of  claim 1  wherein between 1 and 12 pairs of ranking paired individual randomly selected alphanumerics are used in determining outcomes for the first game and between 3 and 40 pairs of ranking paired individually selected random alphanumerics are displayed on the video display system. 
     
     
         4 . The gaming system of  claim 1  wherein the underlying game is bingo and physical balls are randomly selected and electronic signals of the physical balls selection outcomes are provided as signals to the processor to enable the processor to recognize balls selected as randomly selected alphanumerics. 
     
     
         5 . The gaming system of  claim 1  wherein the underlying game is keno and physical balls are randomly selected and electronic signals of the physical balls selection outcomes are provided as signals to the processor to enable the processor to recognize balls selected as randomly selected alphanumerics. 
     
     
         6 . The gaming system of  claim 1  wherein the underlying game is bingo and virtual bingo balls are randomly selected by a random number generator and electronic signals of the virtual balls selection outcomes are provided as signals to the processor to enable the processor to recognize balls selected as randomly selected alphanumerics. 
     
     
         7 . The gaming system of  claim 1  wherein the underlying game is keno and virtual keno balls are randomly selected by a random number generator and electronic signals of the virtual balls selection outcomes are provided as signals to the processor to enable the processor to recognize balls selected as randomly selected alphanumerics. 
     
     
         8 . The gaming system of  claim 1  wherein the player input position comprises a terminal with a wager selecting system selected from the group consisting of buttons and touchscreens. 
     
     
         9 . The gaming system of  claim 3  wherein the player input position comprises a terminal with a wager selecting system selected from the group consisting of buttons and touchscreens. 
     
     
         10 . The gaming system of  claim 5  wherein the player input position comprises a terminal with a wager selecting system selected from the group consisting of buttons and touchscreens. 
     
     
         11 . The gaming system of  claim 6  wherein the player input position comprises a terminal with a wager selecting system selected from the group consisting of buttons and touchscreens.  10  and  11  refer to  claims 5  and  6  (physical keno and virtual bingo) but not 4 and 7 (physical bingo and virtual keno)—is that okay? 
     
     
         12 . The gaming system of  claim 4  wherein exactly 20 ball selections are used as the randomly selected alphanumerics and the 20 ball selections are displayed on the video display system as two columns of selections or two rows of selections of from 3 to 10 pairs of ball selection values. 
     
     
         13 . The gaming system of  claim 5  wherein exactly 20 ball selections are used as the randomly selected alphanumerics and the 20 ball selections are displayed on the video display system as two columns of selections or two rows of selections of from 3 to 10 pairs of ball selection values. 
     
     
         14 . The gaming system of  claim 12  wherein the ball selections have number values associated with each ball, the processor executes code to a) display individual number values within racing positions on an array; b) sum number values within each racing position; and c) the processor executes codes to rank racing positions with respect to largest summed number values. 
     
     
         15 . The gaming system of  claim 13  wherein the ball selections have number values associated with each ball, the processor executes code to a) display individual number values within racing positions on an array; b) sum number values within each racing position; and c) the processor executes codes to rank racing positions with respect to largest summed number values. 
     
     
         16 . A method of playing a side bet wagering game comprising:
 a wager on a game is received by a wager resolver;   a random set of 20 numbers is provided by the wager resolver;   the random set of numbers is organized by the wager resolver into two columns or two rows of number pairs;   the wager resolver sums the sets of numbers in the number pairs to form a number pair total outcome;   the wager resolver orders the number pair outcomes in accordance with an order of highest number pair total outcome to lowest total number pair outcome; and   the wager resolver resolves the side bet wager on correspondence of the ordered number pair outcomes to a preselected number pair outcome associated with the wager on the game.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the random set of 20 numbers is provided by random selection of physical balls or random number generator selected virtual balls. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16  wherein physical balls used in an underlying game of keno or bingo are used by the wager resolver to provide the random set of 20 numbers. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16  wherein virtual balls used in an underlying game of keno or bingo are provided by a processor performing as the wager resolver to provide the random set of 20 numbers, and the processor executes code to display the 20 numbers and to resolve the wager on the game. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein an underlying game of keno is played with the processor recognizing an underlying wager on the keno game. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1  wherein
 the processor enables player input at a specific player position where a wager has been recognized so that symbol selections and/or frame selections in the play of the wagering game may be recognized at that specific player position; 
 the processor executing code to display a grid of at least 80 frames to provide frames for display of symbols in the wagering game and displaying a unique symbol within each frame of the grid; 
 the processor recognizing selection of either at least three specific frames or at least three specific symbols at the specific player position from the player input system at that specific player position; 
 the processor executing code to randomly select a) at least 10 symbols from a set of at least 80 separate and distinct symbols or b) at least 10 frames from the grid; 
 the processor executing code to compare recognized at least three symbols or at least three frames at the specific player position with the at least 10 symbols or at least 10 frames randomly selected by the processor; 
 the processor resolving the wager placing value at risk on a basis of degree of correspondence between the at least three symbols or at least three frames at the specific player position with the at least 10 symbols or at least 10 frames randomly selected by the processor; 
 
       wherein A) the processor executes code to display a first arrangement of unique symbols within each frame prior to recognizing selection at the specific player position, and B) the processor executes code to display a second arrangement of the same unique symbols after recognizing selection at the specific player position and before resolving the wager, the first arrangement of symbols being different from the second arrangement of symbols with respect to distribution of symbols among the frames.