Gaming system and method for selectively providing an elimination tournament that funds an award through expected values of unplayed tournament games of eliminated players

Abstract

A gaming system including a central server operable to communicate a plurality of different commands to a plurality of gaming devices to provide non-tournament game play and provide an elimination tournament. The gaming system contributes an average expected payout value of tournament games that were determined to be subsequently played by tournament players but were then not played because the players were eliminated before the end of the tournament to a tournament award. The tournament award is provided to a winner of the tournament.

The invention is claimed as follows: 
     
         1 . A tournament gaming system comprising:
 a plurality of gaming machines each including:
 a housing; 
 a display device supported by the housing; 
 an input device supported by the housing; 
 an acceptor configured to receive a physical item associated with a monetary value to facilitate establishment of a credit balance; 
 a processor; and 
 a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to operate with the display device, the input device, and the acceptor; and 
   a controller configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines to, for a tournament for which the plurality of gaming machines have qualified:   (a) for each of the plurality of gaming machines, track play of a tournament game by a player of that gaming machine during the tournament;   (b) for each tournament game played on one of the plurality of gaming machines during the tournament, randomly generate and cause the display device of that gaming machine to display a tournament game outcome;   (c) if a tournament advantage condition is satisfied for a player of one of the plurality of gaming machines, provide that player an advantage for at least one play of the tournament game;   (d) determine a tournament winner based on the tracked tournament game play; and   (e) cause at least part of a tournament award to be provided to the tournament winner.   
     
     
         2 . The tournament gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines to: (1) for each of the plurality of gaming machines, determine a quantity of tournament games available to be played by a player of that gaming machine in the tournament; (2) when a player elimination event occurs, eliminate at least one but fewer than all of the players from the tournament; (3) after the player elimination event occurs, for each eliminated player, determine any unplayed tournament games that eliminated player has remaining following elimination; and (4) determine a value of the tournament award based at least in part on an average expected payout value of each determined unplayed tournament game. 
     
     
         3 . The tournament gaming system of  claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to operate with the plurality of gaming machines to, if the tournament advantage condition is satisfied for a player of one of the plurality of gaming machines, provide that player the advantage for each play of the tournament game. 
     
     
         4 . The tournament gaming system of  claim 3 , wherein the average expected payout value of a determined unplayed tournament game of a player is larger if the tournament advantage condition is satisfied for that player than if the tournament advantage condition is not satisfied for that player. 
     
     
         5 . The tournament gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the tournament advantage condition is satisfied based on at least one play of a primary game that occurs before the tournament. 
     
     
         6 . The tournament gaming system of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of gaming machines enable the players to accumulate advantage points during plays of the primary game. 
     
     
         7 . The tournament gaming system of  claim 6 , wherein the tournament advantage condition is satisfied for a player when the player redeems a quantity of accumulated advantage points. 
     
     
         8 . The tournament gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the tournament award is variable based on whether the tournament advantage condition is satisfied. 
     
     
         9 . The tournament gaming system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to operate with each gaming machine to enable the player of that gaming machine to play a designated quantity of plays of the tournament game during the tournament. 
     
     
         10 . The tournament gaming system of  claim 9 , wherein the designated quantity of plays is larger for a player when the tournament advantage condition is satisfied for the player that if the tournament advantage condition is not satisfied for the player. 
     
     
         11 . A method of operating a tournament gaming system, the method comprising:
 (a) for each of a plurality of gaming machines, enabling a player to play a primary game on that gaming machine following receipt, by an acceptor of the gaming machine, of a physical item associated with a monetary value and establishment of a credit balance for the player based at least in part on the monetary value associated with the physical item;   (b) responsive to an occurrence of a tournament triggering event, initiating, by a controller, a tournament for which each of the plurality of gaming machines is qualified;   (c) for each of the plurality of gaming machines, tracking, by the controller, play of a tournament game by the player of that gaming machine during the tournament;   (d) for each tournament game played on one of the plurality of gaming machines during the tournament, randomly generating, by at least one processor, and displaying, by a display device of that gaming machine, a tournament game outcome;   (e) if a tournament advantage condition is satisfied for a player of one of the plurality of gaming machines, providing that player an advantage for at least one play of the tournament game;   (f) determining, by the controller, a tournament winner based on the tracked tournament game play; and   (g) causing, by the controller, at least part of a tournament award to be provided to the tournament winner.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , which includes: (1) for each of the plurality of gaming machines, determining, by the controller, a quantity of tournament games available to be played by a player of that gaming machine in the tournament; (2) when a player elimination event occurs, eliminating, by the controller, at least one but fewer than all of the players from the tournament; (3) after the player elimination event occurs, for each eliminated player, determining, by the controller, any unplayed tournament games that eliminated player has remaining following elimination; and (4) determining, by the controller, a value of the tournament award based at least in part on an average expected payout value of each determined unplayed tournament game. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , which includes, if the tournament advantage condition is satisfied for a player of one of the plurality of gaming machines, providing that player the advantage for each play of the tournament game. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the average expected payout value of a determined unplayed tournament game of a player is larger if the tournament advantage condition is satisfied for that player than if the tournament advantage condition is not satisfied for that player. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the tournament advantage condition is satisfied based on at least one play of a primary game that occurs before the tournament. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , which includes enabling the players to accumulate advantage points during plays of the primary game on the plurality of gaming devices. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the tournament advantage condition is satisfied for a player when the player redeems a quantity of accumulated advantage points. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the tournament award is variable based on whether the tournament advantage condition is satisfied. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , which includes, for each gaming machine, enabling the player of that gaming machine to play a designated quantity of plays of the tournament game during the tournament. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the designated quantity of plays is larger for a player when the tournament advantage condition is satisfied for the player that if the tournament advantage condition is not satisfied for the player.