Gaming systems, apparatuses and methods employing partial winning combination features

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention set forth systems, apparatuses and methods for employing techniques used in providing a mid-game enhancement feature(s) in response to a presented subset of virtual cards. Here, a gaming device may involve a video poker game having at least one poker hand with a predetermined number of card positions. During play of the gaming device, cards are dealt to each of the card positions in the poker hand, where it is determined if a minimum win criterion is met after each subset combination of cards is dealt. If a minimum win criterion is determined to be satisfied, an enhancement feature is triggered. Thereafter, additional cards are individually dealt to the remaining card positions in the poker hand.

1 . A gaming device comprising:
 a display operable to display a first game grid and a second game grid, where the first game grid includes a first plurality of card positions, and where the second game grid includes a second plurality of card positions, where the first plurality of card positions includes N number of card positions;   a wager input device configured to accept physical items associated with a currency value;   a memory configured to store a credit amount and a plurality of virtual playing cards; and   a processor operable to:
 receive a signal indicating that a physical item associated with a currency value has been received at the wager input device; 
 increase the credit amount stored in memory based on the credit value associated with the received physical item; 
 receive a signal to initiate a poker game in response to placement of a wager, the wager decreasing the credit amount; 
 deal a plurality of virtual playing cards to the first plurality of card positions on the display, where after each card is dealt until a card is dealt to the N−1 card position, determining if the currently dealt subset of cards satisfies a predefined minimum win criteria; 
 when it is determined that the currently dealt subset of cards satisfies a minimum win criteria:
 pause dealing additional virtual playing cards to the first game grid on the display, 
 activate an enhanced feature to randomly determine a bonus multiplier while maintain the pause in dealing additional virtual playing cards, 
 display the randomly determined bonus multiplier on the display, and 
 deal additional virtual player cards to the remaining card positions in the first game grid to form a first dealt poker hand; 
 facilitate zero, one, or more of the virtual playing cards in the first dealt poker hand to be held; 
 copying any of the held virtual playing cards from the first game grid to the second game grid; 
 replacing any non-held virtual playing cards in the first game grid to form a first final poker hand; 
 dealing additional virtual playing cards to the remaining card positions in the second game grid to form a second final poker hand; 
 evaluate the first final poker hand and the second final poker hand using a predetermined poker paytable; 
 provide awards based on the evaluated first final poker hand and the evaluated second final poker hand, where any provided awards are multiplied by the bonus multiplier; and 
 increase the credit amount stored in memory based on any provided awards. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein activating the enhanced feature includes presenting a visual anticipation event. 
     
     
         3 . The gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the minimum win criteria includes a combination of virtual playing cards that is associated with a payout amount in a poker paytable. 
     
     
         4 . The gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the minimum win criteria includes a combination of virtual playing cards that is one card away of a straight or flush poker hand. 
     
     
         5 . The gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the minimum win criteria includes receiving a wild card. 
     
     
         6 . A gaming device comprising:
 a display operable to display a first game grid and a second game grid, where the first game grid includes a first plurality of card positions, and where the second game grid includes a second plurality of card positions, where the first plurality of card positions includes N number of card positions;   a wager input device configured to accept physical items associated with a currency value;   a memory configured to store a credit amount and a first deck of virtual playing cards; and   a processor operable to:
 receive a signal indicating that a physical item associated with a currency value has been received at the wager input device; 
 increase the credit amount stored in memory based on the credit value associated with the received physical item; 
 receive a signal to initiate a poker game in response to placement of a wager, the wager decreasing the credit amount; 
 deal randomly selected virtual playing cards to the first plurality of card positions on the display, where after each card is dealt until a card is dealt to the N- 1  card position, determining if the currently dealt subset of cards satisfies a predefined minimum win criteria; 
 when it is determined that the currently dealt subset of cards satisfies a minimum win criteria:
 pause dealing additional virtual playing cards to the first game grid on the display, 
 activate an enhanced feature on the display, and 
 deal additional virtual player cards to the remaining card positions in the first game grid to form a first dealt poker hand; 
 
 facilitate zero, one, or more of the virtual playing cards in the first dealt poker hand to be held; 
 copy any of the held virtual playing cards from the first game grid to the second game grid; 
 replace any non-held virtual playing cards in the first game grid to form a first final poker hand; 
 deal additional virtual playing cards to the remaining card positions in the second game grid to form a second final poker hand; 
 evaluate the first final poker hand and the second final poker hand using a predetermined poker paytable; 
 provide awards based on the evaluated first final poker hand and the evaluated second final poker hand; and 
 increase the credit amount stored in memory based on any provided awards. 
   
     
     
         7 . The gaming device of  claim 6 , wherein activating the enhanced feature includes replacing the first deck of virtual playing cards with a second premium deck of virtual playing cards from which cards will be dealt for the remainder of the poker game. 
     
     
         8 . The gaming device of  claim 6 , wherein activating the enhanced feature includes replacing predefined poker pays in the predetermined poker paytable with enhanced poker pays. 
     
     
         9 . The gaming device of  claim 6 , wherein activating the enhanced feature includes activating a third game grid having a third plurality of card positions on the display for which an additional poker hand can be dealt. 
     
     
         10 . A gaming device comprising:
 a game display operable to display a game grid representing a first poker hand having N number of card positions;   a wager input device configured to accept physical items associated with a currency value;   a memory configured to store a credit amount and a poker paytable; and   a processor operable to:
 receive a signal indicating receipt of physical item associated a currency value from the wager input device; 
 increase the credit amount based on the received signal indicating receipt of the physical item associated with a currency value; 
 receive a signal to initiate a poker game in response to placement of a wager, the wager decreasing the credit amount; 
 deal virtual playing cards to a subset of the N number of card positions in the first poker hand on the game display, where the number of dealt virtual playing cards is less than the number N; 
 determine if the dealt virtual playing cards in the subset of card positions satisfies a minimum win condition based on the poker paytable; 
 when the dealt virtual playing cards in the subset of card positions satisfies the minimum win condition:
 initiate an enhanced feature by randomly determining a bonus multiplier, and 
 deal additional virtual playing cards to complete a dealt poker hand on the game display; 
 
 facilitate zero, one, or more of the virtual playing cards in the dealt poker hand to be held; 
 replace any non-held virtual playing cards in the game grid to form a final poker hand; 
 evaluate the final poker hand for awards; and 
 increase the credit amount based on any awards multiplied by any bonus multiplier associated with the evaluated final poker hand.