REFERENCE TO PRIORITY PATENT APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) application of
U.S. Appl. No. 17/588,329, filed Jan. 30, 2022; which is a continuation application of
U.S. Appl. No. 16/665,684, filed Oct. 28, 2019, now
U.S. Patent No. 11,270,556; which is a continuation application of
U.S. Appl. No. 15/437,125, filed Feb. 20, 2017, now
U.S. Patent No. 10,460,568; which is a continuation application of
U.S. Appl. No. 14/981,408, filed Dec. 28, 2015, now
U.S. Patent No. 9,589,418; which is a non-provisional continuation-in-part patent application claiming priority
to application Serial No.
14/684,160, filed on April 10, 2015; which is a non-provisional continuation-in-part patent application claiming priority
to application Serial No.
13/945,628, filed on July 18, 2013; which is a non-provisional patent application claiming priority to Serial No.
61/741,463, filed on July 19, 2012. The present patent application claims priority to the referenced patent applications,
which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0002] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject
to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction
by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright
rights whatsoever. The following notice applies to the disclosure herein and to the
drawings that form a part of this document: Copyright 2012-2022, Philip Paul Givant,
All Rights Reserved.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] This patent application relates to gaming machines, slot machines, computer-implemented
software, networked systems, and gaming systems according to one embodiment, and more
specifically to a specialized slot machine for conducting a wagering game using a
card system for real time or live action event content.
BACKGROUND
[0004] The gaming industry, casinos, and gambling venues have used gaming machines, such
as slot machines, video poker machines, and the like for many years. Slot machines
have proven to be very popular with players and profitable for the venue. Generally,
the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the possibility of winning
money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative
to other available gaming options. Players are usually attracted to the most entertaining
and exciting machines, which are constructed with features and enhancements to attract
frequent play and increase profitability for the operator. Therefore, there is a continuing
need for slot machine manufacturers to continuously develop new games and improve
gaming enhancements that will attract frequent play through enhanced entertainment
value to the player. However, current gaming systems are based on the use of pre-defined
sets of cards or displays (e.g., types of fruit, symbols, etc.) that form the content
used in the wagering games implemented by the gaming systems. Casinos have been unable
use these gaming systems to implement wagering games that are based on the use of
variable content, real-time content, or live action content. Additionally, casinos
have been unable to exploit an opportunity to enter the exploding fantasy sports market
via traditional slot machines or other gaming systems that are designed to create
games of intense, skill-based strategy.
[0005] Gaming systems with cards or card displays can be used like traditional decks of
cards at a table or they can be virtual decks of cards that are played on slot machines,
video games, and/or Internet games. One of the features of these cards should be to
provide as many players as possible the opportunity to play these types of games.
However, traditional card games or gaming systems with cards or card displays have
created impediments for a significant portion of the population.
[0006] One out of every twelve men in the world are color blind. This represents eight percent
of the male population. This issue is not nearly as prevalent with women where only
one out of 200 suffer from this affliction. This represents only one half of one percent
of the female population. Nevertheless, traditional card games or gaming systems with
cards or card displays have largely ignored the needs of these players.
SUMMARY
[0007] In various embodiments described herein, specialized slot machines for conducting
wagering games using a card system for real time or live action event content via
a computer system and/or a data network are disclosed. In other embodiments described
herein, specialized slot machines for conducting fantasy sports tournaments via a
computer system and/or a data network are disclosed. In general, this patent application
relates to computer or network implemented specialized gaming systems and/or fantasy
sports tournaments.
[0008] In various example embodiments, the computer or network implemented gaming system
as described herein can be in data network communication with a plurality of user
platforms. The user platforms can be client computing devices, mobile computing devices,
mobile communication devices, or the like operated by gaming contestants or administrators.
A host site or server can be used to execute the software and systems implementing
the gaming structure as described herein. As such, the host site and the networked
system become a special purpose computing platform particularly configured to support
the computer or network implemented gaming system as described herein. The host site
and the user platforms may communicate and transfer data and information in a data
network environment via a wide area data network (e.g., the Internet). Various components
of the host site can also communicate internally via a conventional intranet or local
area network (LAN).
[0009] In the example embodiments, the computer or network implemented gaming system as
described herein can be in data network communication with a plurality of contestants
and other network resources. Contestants can represent the network locations of clients
or client computing systems being managed by contestants, teams, gaming players, or
other client users operating an embodiment as described herein. As described in more
detail below, contestants or other users at a user platform can interact with a computer-generated
user interface provided by the gaming system to participate in and communicate with
the gaming system.
[0010] In the example embodiments, the computer or network implemented gaming system as
described herein can implement card games or gaming systems with cards or card displays,
which can be easily read and used by color blind people.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The various embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation,
in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a free standing slot machine embodying the example
embodiment;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a handheld slot machine embodying the example embodiment;
Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a control system in an example embodiment suitable for
operating the slot machines of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 illustrates an example embodiment of a gaming system in a network-enabled environment;
Fig. 5 illustrates another example embodiment of a networked system in which various
embodiments may operate;
Fig. 6 through Fig. 9 illustrate an example embodiment, implemented as a specialized
slot machine, which shows the basic elements of the user interface for implementing
a fantasy sports tournament with virtual playing card representations and multi-contestant
small group rounds on the specialized slot machine;
Fig. 10 through Fig. 14, illustrate example embodiments showing the basic elements
of the new playing cards for various types of games;
Fig. 15 is a processing flow chart illustrating an example embodiment of gaming processing
logic for conducting a fantasy sports game with virtual playing cards; and
Fig. 16 shows a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the example form of a
stationary or mobile computing and/or communication system within which a set of instructions
when executed and/or processing logic when activated may cause the machine to perform
any one or more of the methodologies described and/or claimed herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details
are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments.
It will be evident, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that the various
embodiments may be practiced without these specific details.
An Example Embodiment Implemented as a Specialized Slot Machine, a Specialized Lottery
Machine, or Other Specialized Gaming System for Conducting Wagering Games Using a
Card System for Real Time or Live Action Event Content
[0013] Referring now to Fig. 1, a slot machine 10 can be used in gaming venues such as casinos.
With regard to the example embodiments described herein, the slot machine 10 may be
any type of slot machine and may have varying structures and methods of operation.
For example, the slot machine 10 may be an electromechanical gaming machine configured
to play mechanical slots, or it may be an electronic gaming machine configured to
play a video casino game, such as slots, keno, poker, blackjack, roulette, etc. The
slot machine 10 may also be an electromechanical lottery machine in an alternative
embodiment.
[0014] The slot machine 10 comprises a housing 12 and includes input devices, including
a value input device 18 and a player input device 24. For output the slot machine
10 includes a primary display 14 for displaying information about the basic wagering
game. The primary display 14 can also display information about a bonus wagering game
and a progressive wagering game. The slot machine 10 may also include a secondary
display 16 for displaying game events, game outcomes, and/or signage information.
While these typical components found in the slot machine 10 are described below, it
should be understood that numerous other elements may exist and may be used in any
number of combinations to create various forms of a slot machine 10.
[0015] The value input device 18 may be provided in many forms, individually or in combination,
and is preferably located on the front of the housing 12. The value input device 18
receives currency and/or credits that are inserted by a player. The value input device
18 may include a coin acceptor 20 for receiving coin currency (see Fig. 1). Alternatively,
or in addition, the value input device 18 may include a bill acceptor 22 for receiving
paper currency. Furthermore, the value input device 18 may include a ticket reader,
a barcode scanner, or a QR code scanner for reading information stored on a credit
ticket, a card, or other tangible portable credit storage device. The credit ticket
or card may also authorize access to a central account, which can transfer money to
the slot machine 10.
[0016] The player input device 24 comprises a plurality of push buttons 26 on a button panel
for operating the slot machine 10. In addition, or alternatively, the player input
device 24 may comprise a touch screen 28 mounted by adhesive, tape, or the like over
the primary display 14 and/or secondary display 16. The touch screen 28 contains soft
touch keys 30 denoted by graphics on the underlying primary display 14 and used to
operate the slot machine 10. The touch screen 28 provides players with an alternative
method of input. A player enables a desired function either by touching the touch
screen 28 at an appropriate touch key 30 or by pressing an appropriate push button
26 on the button panel. The touch keys 30 may be used to implement the same functions
as push buttons 26. Alternatively, the push buttons 26 may provide inputs for one
aspect of the operating the game, while the touch keys 30 may allow for input needed
for another aspect of the game. In another implementation, a lever or handle on the
side of the slot machine can be used by a user to provide input to the slot machine
10.
[0017] The various components of the slot machine 10 may be connected directly to, or contained
within, the housing 12, as seen in Fig. 1, or may be located outboard of the housing
12 and connected to the housing 12 via a variety of different wired or wireless connection
methods. Thus, the slot machine 10 comprises these components whether housed in the
housing 12, or outboard of the housing 12 and connected remotely.
[0018] The operation of the basic wagering game is displayed to the player on the primary
display 14. The primary display 14 can also display the bonus game associated with
the basic wagering game. The primary display 14 may take the form of a cathode ray
tube (CRT) display, a high resolution liquid-crystal display (LCD), a plasma display,
an LED (light emitting diode) display, or any other type of display suitable for use
in the slot machine 10. As shown, the primary display 14 includes the touch screen
28 overlaying the entire display (or a portion thereof) to allow players to make game-related
selections. Alternatively, the primary display 14 of the slot machine 10 may include
a number of mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic reels to display the outcome
in visual association with at least one payline 32. In the illustrated embodiment,
the slot machine 10 is an "upright" version in which the primary display 14 is oriented
vertically relative to the player. Alternatively, the slot machine may be a "slant-top"
version in which the primary display 14 is slanted at about a thirty-degree angle
toward the player of the slot machine 10.
[0019] A player begins play of the basic wagering game by making a wager via the value input
device 18 of the slot machine 10. A player can select a type of play by using the
player input device 24, via the buttons 26 or the touch screen keys 30. The basic
game consists of a plurality of symbols arranged in an array, and includes at least
one payline 32 that indicates one or more outcomes of the basic game. Such outcomes
can be randomly selected in response to the wagering input by the player. As described
in more detail below for various example embodiments, the outcomes can also be based
on player input and real time or live action content retrieved by the slot machine
10 from a network information source. At least one of the plurality of outcomes determined
by the slot machine 10 may be a start-bonus outcome, which can include any variations
of symbols or symbol combinations triggering a bonus game.
[0020] In some embodiments, the slot machine 10 may also include a player information reader
52 that allows for identification (ID) of a player by reading a card with information
indicating his or her true identity. The player information reader 52 is shown in
Fig. 1 as a card reader, but may take on many forms including a ticket reader, barcode
scanner, QR code scanner, RFID (radio-frequency identification) transceiver or computer
readable storage medium interface. Currently, identification is generally used by
casinos for rewarding certain players with complimentary services or special offers.
For example, a player may be enrolled in the gaming establishment's loyalty club and
may be awarded certain complimentary services as that player collects points in his
or her player-tracking account. The player inserts his or her card into the player
information reader 52, which allows the casino's computers to register that player's
wagering at the slot machine 10. The slot machine 10 may use the secondary display
16 or other dedicated player-tracking display for providing the player with information
about his or her account or other player-specific information. Also, in some embodiments,
the information reader 52 may be used to restore game assets that the player achieved
and saved during a previous game session.
[0021] Referring now to Fig. 2, a handheld or mobile slot machine 610 is illustrated. Like
the free standing slot machine 10, the handheld slot machine 610 is preferably an
electronic gaming machine configured to play a video casino game such as, but not
limited to, blackjack, slots, keno, poker, blackjack, and roulette. The handheld slot
machine 610 comprises a housing or casing 612 and includes input devices, including
a value input device 618 and a player input device 624. For output the handheld slot
machine 610 includes, but is not limited to, a primary display 614, a secondary display
616, one or more speakers 617, one or more player-accessible ports 619 (e.g., an audio
output jack for headphones, a video headset jack, etc.), and other conventional input/output
(I/O) devices and ports, which may or may not be player-accessible. In the embodiment
depicted in Fig. 2, the handheld slot machine 610 comprises a secondary display 616
that is rotatable relative to the primary display 614. The optional secondary display
616 may be fixed, movable, and/or detachable/attachable relative to the primary display
614. Either the primary display 614 and/or secondary display 616 may be configured
to display any aspect of a non-wagering game, wagering game, secondary games, bonus
games, progressive wagering games, group games, shared-experience games or events,
game events, game outcomes, scrolling information, text messaging, emails, alerts
or announcements, broadcast information, subscription information, and handheld slot
machine status.
[0022] The player-accessible value input device 618 may comprise, for example, a slot located
on the front, side, or top of the casing 612 configured to receive credit from a stored-value
card (e.g., casino card, smart card, debit card, credit card, etc.) inserted by a
player. In another aspect, the player-accessible value input device 618 may comprise
a sensor (e.g., an RF, radio frequency sensor) configured to sense a signal (e.g.,
an RF signal) output by a transmitter (e.g., an RF transmitter) carried by a player.
The player-accessible value input device 618 may also or alternatively include a ticket
reader, barcode scanner, or QR code scanner for reading information stored on a credit
ticket, a card, or other tangible portable credit or funds storage device. The credit
ticket or card may also authorize access to a central account, which can transfer
money to the handheld slot machine 610.
[0023] Still other player-accessible value input devices 618 may require the use of touch
keys 630 on the touch-screen display (e.g., primary display 614 and/or secondary display
616) or player input devices 624. Upon entry of player identification information
and, preferably, secondary authorization information (e.g., a password, personal identification
number (PIN), stored value card number, predefined key sequences, etc.), the player
may be permitted to access a player's account. As one potential optional security
feature, the handheld slot machine 610 may be configured to permit a player to only
access an account the player has specifically set up for the handheld slot machine
610. Other conventional security features may also be utilized to, for example, prevent
unauthorized access to a player's account, to minimize an impact of any unauthorized
access to a player's account, or to prevent unauthorized access to any personal information
or funds temporarily stored on the handheld slot machine 610.
[0024] The player-accessible value input device 618 may itself comprise or utilize a biometric
player information reader, which permits the player to access available funds on a
player's account, either alone or in combination with another of the aforementioned
player-accessible value input devices 618. In an embodiment wherein the player-accessible
value input device 618 comprises a biometric player information reader, transactions
such as an input of value to the handheld device, a transfer of value from one player
account or source to an account associated with the handheld slot machine 610, or
the execution of another transaction, for example, could all be authorized by a biometric
reading, which could comprise a plurality of biometric readings, from the biometric
device.
[0025] Alternatively, to enhance security, a transaction may be optionally enabled only
by a two-step process in which a secondary source confirms the identity indicated
by a primary source. For example, a player-accessible value input device 618 comprising
a biometric player information reader may require a confirmatory entry from another
biometric player information reader 652, or from another source, such as a credit
card, debit card, player ID (identification) card, fob key, PIN (personal identification
number), password, hotel room key, etc. Thus, a transaction may be enabled by, for
example, a combination of the personal identification input (e.g., biometric input)
with a secret PIN, or a combination of a biometric input with a fob input, or a combination
of a fob input with a PIN, or a combination of a credit card input with a biometric
input. Essentially, any two independent sources of identity, one of which is secure
or personal to the player (e.g., biometric readings, PIN, password, etc.) could be
utilized to provide enhanced security prior to the electronic transfer of any funds.
In another aspect, the value input device 618 may be provided remotely from the handheld
slot machine 610.
[0026] The player input device 624 comprises a plurality of push buttons on a button panel
for operating the handheld slot machine 610. In addition, or alternatively, the player
input device 624 may comprise a touch screen 628 mounted to a primary display 614
and/or secondary display 616. In one aspect, the touch screen 628 is matched to a
display screen having one or more selectable touch keys 630 selectable by a user's
touching of the associated area of the screen using a finger or a tool, such as a
stylus pointer. A player enables a desired function either by touching the touch screen
628 at an appropriate touch key 630 or by pressing an appropriate push button 626
on the button panel. The touch keys 630 may be used to implement the same functions
as push buttons 626. Alternatively, the push buttons may provide inputs for one aspect
of the operating the game, while the touch keys 630 may allow for input needed for
another aspect of the game. The various components of the handheld slot machine 610
may be connected directly to, or contained within, the casing 612, as seen in Fig.
2, or may be located outboard of the casing 612 and connected to the casing 612 via
a variety of hardwired (tethered) or wireless connection methods. Thus, the handheld
slot machine 610 may comprise a single unit or a plurality of interconnected parts
(e.g., wireless connections) which may be arranged to suit a player's preferences.
[0027] The operation of the basic wagering game on the handheld slot machine 610 is displayed
to the player on the primary display 614. The primary display 614 can also display
the bonus game associated with the basic wagering game. The primary display 614 preferably
takes the form of a high resolution LCD, a plasma display, an LED, or any other type
of display suitable for use in the handheld slot machine 610. The size of the primary
display 614 may vary from, for example, about a 2-3" display to a 15" or 17" display.
In at least some aspects, the primary display 614 is a 7"-10" display. As the weight
of and/or power requirements of such displays decreases with improvements in technology,
it is envisaged that the size of the primary display may be increased. Optionally,
coatings or removable films or sheets may be applied to the display to provide desired
characteristics (e.g., anti-scratch, anti-glare, bacterially-resistant and antimicrobial
films, etc.). In at least some embodiments, the primary display 614 and/or secondary
display 616 may have a 16:9 aspect ratio or other aspect ratio (e.g., 4:3). The primary
display 614 and/or secondary display 616 may also each have different resolutions,
different color schemes, and different aspect ratios.
[0028] As with the free standing slot machine 10, a player begins play of the basic wagering
game on the handheld slot machine 610 by making a wager (e.g., via the value input
device 618 or an assignment of credits stored on the handheld slot machine via the
touch screen keys 630, player input device 624, or buttons 626) on the handheld slot
machine 610. In at least some aspects, the basic game may comprise a plurality of
symbols arranged in an array, and includes at least one payline 632 that indicates
one or more outcomes of the basic game. Such outcomes can be randomly selected in
response to the wagering input by the player. As described in more detail below for
various example embodiments, the outcomes can also be based on player input and real
time or live action content retrieved by the slot machine 610 from a network information
source. At least one of the plurality of outcomes determined by the slot machine 610
may be a start-bonus outcome, which can include any variations of symbols or symbol
combinations triggering a bonus game.
[0029] In some embodiments, the player-accessible value input device 618 of the handheld
slot machine 610 may double as a player information reader 652 that allows for identification
of a player by reading a card with information indicating the player's identity (e.g.,
reading a player's credit card, player ID card, smart card, etc.). The player information
reader 652 may alternatively or also comprise a bar code scanner, RFID transceiver
or computer readable storage medium interface. In one presently preferred aspect,
the player information reader 652, shown by way of example in Fig. 2, comprises a
biometric sensing device.
[0030] Turning now to Fig. 3, the various components of the slot machine 10 are controlled
by a central processing unit (CPU) 34, also referred to herein as a controller or
processor (such as a microcontroller or microprocessor). To provide gaming functions,
the controller 34 executes one or more game programs stored in a computer readable
storage medium, in the form of memory 36. The controller 34 can perform the random
selection (using a random number generator (RNG)) of an outcome from the plurality
of possible outcomes of the wagering game. Alternatively, the random event may be
determined at a remote controller. The remote controller may use either an RNG or
pooling scheme for its central determination of a game outcome. It should be appreciated
that the controller 34 may include one or more microprocessors, including but not
limited to a master processor, a slave processor, and a secondary or parallel processor.
[0031] The controller 34 is also coupled to the system memory 36 and a money/credit detector
38. The system memory 36 may comprise a volatile memory (e.g., a random-access memory
(RAM)) and a non-volatile memory (e.g., an EEPROM). The system memory 36 may include
multiple RAM and multiple program memories. The money/credit detector 38 signals the
processor that money and/or credits have been input via the value input device 18.
Preferably, these components are located within the housing 12 of the slot machine
10. However, as explained above, these components may be located outboard of the housing
12 and connected to the remainder of the components of the slot machine 10 via a variety
of different wired or wireless connection methods.
[0032] As seen in Fig. 3, the controller 34 is also connected to, and controls, the primary
display 14, the player input device 24, and a payoff mechanism 40. The payoff mechanism
40 is operable in response to instructions from the controller 34 to award a payoff
to the player in response to certain winning outcomes that might occur in the basic
game or the bonus game(s). The payoff may be provided in the form of points, bills,
tickets, coupons, cards, etc. For example, in Fig. 1, the payoff mechanism 40 includes
both a ticket printer 42 and a coin outlet 44. However, any of a variety of payoff
mechanisms 40 well known in the art may be implemented, including cards, coins, tickets,
smartcards, cash, etc. The payoff amounts distributed by the payoff mechanism 40 can
be determined by one or more pay tables stored in the system memory 36.
[0033] Communications between the controller 34 and both the peripheral components of the
slot machine 10 and external systems 50 occur through input/output (I/O) circuits
46, 48. More specifically, the controller 34 controls and receives inputs from the
peripheral components of the slot machine 10 through the input/output circuits 46.
Further, the controller 34 communicates with the external systems 50 via the I/O circuits
48 and a communication path (e.g., serial, parallel, IR, RC, 10bT, etc.). The external
systems 50 may include a gaming network, other gaming machines, a gaming server, a
central server, a central server database, Internet nodes/sites, communications hardware,
or a variety of other interfaced systems or components. Although the I/O circuits
46, 48 may be shown as a single block, it should be appreciated that each of the I/O
circuits 46, 48 may include a number of different types of I/O circuits.
[0034] Controller 34, as used herein, comprises any combination of hardware, software, and/or
firmware that may be disposed or resident inside and/or outside of the slot machine
10 that may communicate with and/or control the transfer of data between the slot
machine 10 and a bus, another computer, processor, or device and/or a service and/or
a network. The controller 34 may comprise one or more controllers or processors. In
Fig. 3, the controller 34 in the slot machine 10 is depicted as comprising a CPU,
but the controller 34 may alternatively comprise a CPU in combination with other components,
such as the I/O circuits 46, 48 and the system memory 36. The controller 34 may reside
partially or entirely inside or outside of the machine 10. The control system for
a handheld slot machine 610 may be similar to the control system for the free standing
slot machine 10 except that the functionality of the respective on-board controllers
may vary.
[0035] The slot machines 10, 610 may communicate with external systems 50 (in a wired or
wireless manner) such that each machine operates as a "thin client," having relatively
less functionality, a "thick client," having relatively more functionality, or through
any range of functionality therebetween (e.g., a "rich client"). As a generally "thin
client," the slot machine 10, 610 may operate primarily as a display device to display
the results of gaming outcomes processed externally, for example, on a server as part
of the external systems 50. In this "thin client" configuration, the server executes
game code and determines game outcomes (e.g., with a random number generator), while
the controller 34 on board the slot machine 10, 610 processes display information
to be displayed on the display(s) of the machine. In an alternative "rich client"
configuration, the server determines game outcomes, while the controller 34 on board
the slot machine 10, 610 executes game code and processes display information to be
displayed on the display(s) of the machines. In yet another alternative "thick client"
configuration, the controller 34 on board the slot machine 10, 610 executes game code,
determines game outcomes, and processes display information to be displayed on the
display(s) of the machine. Numerous alternative configurations are possible such that
the aforementioned and other functions may be performed onboard or external to the
slot machine 10, 610 as may be necessary for particular applications. It should be
understood that the slot machines 10, 610 may take on a wide variety of forms such
as a free standing machine, a portable or handheld device primarily used for gaming,
a mobile telecommunications device such as a mobile telephone or personal digital
assistant (PDA), a counter top or bar top gaming machine, or other personal electronic
device such as a portable television, MP3 player, entertainment device, etc.
[0036] The above-described slot machines 10, 610 may be used to interact with a wagering
game having outcomes that are based, at least in part, on real time or live action
event content and related real time features. Various embodiments of these real time
or live action wagering games implemented with real time features on slot machines
10, 610 are described in more detail below. The above-described slot machines 10,
610 may also be used to interact with wagering games having fantasy sports gaming
features. Various embodiments of these fantasy sports wagering games implemented on
slot machines 10, 610 are described in more detail below. The real time features and
the fantasy sports gaming features may relate to, for example, a sporting event, a
live event, a news event, a political event, social media trending topics, or any
other real time or live action event or activity having statistical information that
can be tracked. In the wagering games with real time features and fantasy sports gaming
features as described herein, the decisions the players are making with the wagering
game itself are based on events that are happening at the time the wagering game is
being played. In embodiments in which the fantasy sports gaming feature relates to
sporting events, various types of game play and wagering options may be provided as
described in more detail below. For example, a user may be prompted to select particular
players, positions, teams, etc. or to select from particular divisions, conferences,
leagues, etc. In these embodiments, the fantasy sports gaming feature can monitor
one or more tracked statistics and determine a resultant winner or winners as will
be described in greater detail below with respect to Fig. 6 through Fig. 9.
[0037] The tracked statistics can be utilized to resolve the user's wager and may be tracked
over a period of time. For example, the statistics used to resolve the user's wager
may be tracked over a period of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or even
years. The statistics may be tracked over a single play or group of plays, or over
one or more innings, quarters, periods, halves, or races. Additionally or alternatively,
the statistics may be tracked over a single game or group of games, a season or portion(s)
thereof, or any time period desired by the operator.
[0038] Fig. 4 illustrates an example embodiment 100 of a gaming system 200 in a network-enabled
environment. Referring now to Fig. 4, in an example embodiment, the network-enabled
gaming system environment 100 is disclosed. In various example embodiments, an application
or service, typically provided by or operating on a host site (e.g., a website) 110,
is provided to simplify and facilitate the downloading or hosted use of the gaming
system 200 of an example embodiment. In a particular embodiment, the gaming system
200, or a portion thereof, can be downloaded from the host site 110 by a user at a
user platform 140. Alternatively, the gaming system 200 can be hosted by the host
site 110 for a networked user at a user platform 140. The details of the gaming system
200 of an example embodiment are provided herein.
[0039] Referring again to Fig. 4, the gaming system 200 can be in network communication
with a plurality of user platforms 140. The user platforms 140 can be implemented
as the slot machines 10, 610 described above. A client version of the gaming system
200 can also be implemented within each specialized slot machine 10, 610 itself. As
such, the above-described slot machines 10, 610 may be used to interact with a wagering
game, implemented within the slot machine 10, 610 itself or implemented by the gaming
system 200, wherein the wagering game determines outcomes that are based, at least
in part, on real time or live action event content and related real time features.
Various embodiments of these real time or live action wagering games implemented with
real time features on slot machines 10, 610 are described in more detail below. The
above-described slot machines 10, 610 may also be used to interact with wagering games
having fantasy sports gaming features. Various embodiments of these fantasy sports
wagering games implemented on slot machines 10, 610 are described in more detail below.
The host site 110 and user platforms 140 may communicate and transfer data and information
in the data network environment 100 shown in Fig. 4 via a wide area data network (e.g.,
the Internet) 120. Various components of the host site 110 can also communicate internally
via a conventional intranet or local area network (LAN) 114.
[0040] In an example embodiment, the gaming system 200 can also be in network communication
with a plurality of contestants 150 and a plurality of network resources 155. Contestants
150 can represent the network locations of clients or client computing systems being
managed by contestants, players, teams, tournament players, or other client users
operating an embodiment described herein. For example, in a particular embodiment
of the fantasy sports tournament platform as shown in Fig. 4, contestants 150 can
represent the network locations of clients or client computing systems of tournament
participants, contestants, teams, tournament players, brokers, dealers, agents, or
the like. Contestants 150 can participate using the user platforms 140, which can
be implemented as the slot machines 10, 610 described above. Contestants 150 can interact
with the user interface provided by the gaming system 200 to participate in a real
time or live action wagering game and/or a fantasy sports tournament. Network resources
155 can represent the network locations of sources of information related to the real
time or live action wagering game and/or the fantasy sports tournament, such as real
time event information, real time news information, real time political or social
media information, actual team or athlete information, document sources, photos, maps,
reviews, statistics, venue information, publications, articles, or other related information
associated with the real time or live action wagering game and/or the fantasy sports
tournament of the example embodiment.
[0041] Networks 120 and 114 are configured to couple one computing device with another computing
device. Networks 120 and 114 may be enabled to employ any form of computer readable
media for communicating information from one electronic device to another. Network
120 can include the Internet in addition to LAN 114, wide area networks (WANs), direct
connections, such as through an Ethernet port or a universal serial bus (USB) port,
other forms of computer-readable media, or any combination thereof. On an interconnected
set of LANs, including those based on differing architectures and protocols, a router
and/or gateway device can act as a link between LANs, enabling messages to be sent
between computing devices. Also, communication links within LANs may include optical
fiber data lines, twisted wire pairs or coaxial cable, while communication links between
networks may utilize analog telephone lines, full or fractional dedicated digital
lines including T1, T2, T3, and T4, Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDNs),
Digital Subscriber Lines (DSLs), optical fiber, wireless links including satellite
links, or other communication links known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore,
remote computers and other related electronic devices can be remotely connected to
either LANs or WANs via a wireless link, WiFi, BLUETOOTH
™, satellite, or modem and temporary telephone link.
[0042] Networks 120 and 114 may further include any of a variety of wireless sub-networks
that may further overlay stand-alone ad-hoc networks, and the like, to provide an
infrastructure-oriented connection. Such sub-networks may include mesh networks, Wireless
LAN (WLAN) networks, cellular networks, and the like. Networks 120 and 114 may also
include an autonomous system of terminals, gateways, routers, and the like connected
by wireless radio links or wireless transceivers. These connectors may be configured
to be moved freely and randomly and to organize themselves arbitrarily, such that
the topology of networks 120 and 114 may change rapidly and arbitrarily.
[0043] Networks 120 and 114 may further employ a plurality of access technologies including
2nd (2G), 2.5, 3rd (3G), 4th (4G) generation radio access for cellular systems, WLAN,
Wireless Router (WR) mesh, and the like. Access technologies such as 2G, 3G, 4G, and
future access networks may enable wide area coverage for mobile devices, such as one
or more of client devices 141, with various degrees of mobility. For example, networks
120 and 114 may enable a radio connection through a radio network access such as Global
System for Mobile communication (GSM), General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), Enhanced
Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), CDMA2000,
and the like. Networks 120 and 114 may also be constructed for use with various other
wired and wireless communication protocols, including TCP/IP, UDP, SIP, SMS, RTP,
WAP, CDMA, TDMA, EDGE, UMTS, GPRS, GSM, UWB, WiFi, WiMax, IEEE 802.11x, and the like.
In essence, networks 120 and 114 may include virtually any wired and/or wireless communication
mechanisms by which information may travel between one computing device and another
computing device, network, and the like. In one embodiment, network 114 may represent
a LAN that is configured behind a firewall (not shown), within a business data center,
for example.
[0044] The gaming system in various example embodiments can be implemented using any form
of network transportable digital data. The network transportable digital data can
be transported in any of a group of data packet or file formats, protocols, and associated
mechanisms usable to enable a host site 110 and a user platform 140 to transfer data
over a network 120. In one embodiment, the data format for the user interface can
be HyperText Markup Language (HTML). HTML is a common markup language for creating
web pages and other information that can be displayed in a web browser. In another
embodiment, the data format for the user interface can be Extensible Markup Language
(XML). XML is a markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding interfaces
or documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. In another
embodiment, a JSON (JAVASCRIPT
™ Object Notation) format can be used to stream the interface content to the various
user platform 140 devices. JSON is a text-based open standard designed for human-readable
data interchange. The JSON format is often used for serializing and transmitting structured
data over a network connection. JSON can be used in an embodiment to transmit data
between a server, device, or application, wherein JSON serves as an alternative to
XML. The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or secure HTTP (HTTPS) can be used as
a network data communication protocol.
[0045] In a particular embodiment, a user platform 140 with one or more client devices 141
enables a user to access data and provide data and/or instructions for the gaming
system 200 via the host 110 and network 120. Client devices 141 may include virtually
any computing device that is configured to send and receive information over a data
network, such as network 120. Such client devices 141 may include portable devices
144, such as, cellular telephones, smart phones, display pagers, radio frequency (RF)
devices, infrared (IR) devices, global positioning devices (GPS), Personal Digital
Assistants (PDAs), handheld computers, wearable computers, tablet computers, integrated
devices combining one or more of the preceding devices, and the like. Client devices
141 may also include other computing devices, such as personal computers 142, multiprocessor
systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PC's,
and the like. Client devices 141 may also include other processing devices, such as
consumer electronic (CE) devices 146 and/or mobile computing devices 148, which are
known to those of ordinary skill in the art. As such, client devices 141 may range
widely in terms of capabilities and features. For example, a client device configured
as a cell phone may have a numeric keypad and a few lines of monochrome LCD (liquid-crystal
display) display on which only text may be displayed. In another example, a web-enabled
client device may have a touch sensitive screen, a stylus, and many lines of color
LCD display in which both text and graphics may be displayed. Moreover, the web-enabled
client device may include a browser application enabled to receive and to send wireless
application protocol messages (WAP), and/or wired application messages, and the like.
In one embodiment, the browser application is enabled to employ HyperText Markup Language
(HTML), Dynamic HTML, Handheld Device Markup Language (HDML), Wireless Markup Language
(WML), WMLScript, JAVASCRIPT
™, EXtensible HTML (xHTML), Compact HTML (CHTML), and the like, to display and/or send
digital information. In other embodiments, mobile devices can be configured with applications
(apps) with which the functionality described herein can be implemented.
[0046] Client devices 141 may also include at least one client application that is configured
to send and receive content data or/or control data from another computing device
via a wired or wireless network transmission. The client application may include a
capability to provide and receive textual data, graphical data, video data, audio
data, and the like. Moreover, client devices 141 may be further configured to communicate
and/or receive a message, such as through an email application, a Short Message Service
(SMS), direct messaging (e.g., TWITTER
™), Multimedia Message Service (MMS), instant messaging (IM), internet relay chat (IRC),
mIRC, JABBER, Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS), text messaging, Smart Messaging, Over
the Air (OTA) messaging, or the like, between another computing device, and the like.
[0047] As one option, the gaming system 200, or a portion thereof, can be downloaded to
a user device 141 of user platform 140 and executed locally on a user device 141.
The downloading of the gaming system 200 application (or a portion thereof) can be
accomplished using conventional software downloading functionality. As a second option,
the gaming system 200 can be hosted by the host site 110 and executed remotely, from
the user's perspective, on host system 110. In one embodiment, the gaming system 200
can be implemented as a service in a service-oriented architecture (SOA) or in a Software-as-a-Service
(SAAS) architecture. In any case, the functionality performed by the gaming system
200 is as described herein, whether the application is executed locally or remotely,
relative to the user.
[0048] Referring again to Fig. 4, the host site 110 of an example embodiment is shown to
include a gaming system database 103. The network-accessible central database 103
is used in an example embodiment for data storage of real time event data, tournament
data, player or contestant data, group data, award or prize data, configuration data,
scheduling data, reporting data, and the like. Database 103 can be in data communication
with the gaming system 200 directly or via intranet 114. It will be apparent to those
of ordinary skill in the art that the database 103 can represent multiple datasets
and can be used for the storage of a variety of data in support of the gaming system
200 of an example embodiment.
[0049] Referring again to Fig. 4, host site 110 of an example embodiment is shown to include
the gaming system 200. The gaming system 200 can include a User Interface Processing
Module 210, a Gaming Processing Module 220, a User Account Management module 230,
and an Administrative Management module 240. Each of these modules can be implemented
as software components executing within an executable environment of the gaming system
200 operating wholly or in part on host site 110 or user platform 140. Each of these
modules of an example embodiment is described in more detail herein in connection
with the figures provided herein.
[0050] Referring again to Fig. 4, the gaming system 200 of an example embodiment is shown
to include a User Interface Processing Module 210. The User Interface Processing Module
210 is responsible for receiving input from a user, contestant, player, tournament
player, team, or a network-connectible device, the input corresponding to the selections,
parameters, commands, or other wagering game or tournament inputs received from a
contestant 150, and for displaying wagering game or tournament data to a user, contestant,
player, tournament player, team, or other client user via any of the user interface
platforms 141 described above. From the contestants 150, the User Interface Processing
Module 210 can receive their contestant-specific information, wagering game selections,
athlete or fantasy player selections, and other contestant information associated
with the wagering game or tournament and particular rounds in which the contestant
is playing. The details of the interactions between the contestants in the wagering
game or tournament are described in more detail herein. This contestant-related information
can be used to create contestant status records for each contestant of a plurality
of contestants 150. The contestant status records can be retained in the network-accessible
central data repository 103 and shared with the Gaming Processing Module 220.
[0051] Although the various user interface displays provided by the example embodiments
described herein are nearly infinitely varied, the descriptions of the user interface
displays and sequences are provided herein to describe various features of the disclosed
embodiments. These user interface displays and sequences are described herein with
reference to example embodiments. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in
the art in view of the disclosure herein that equivalent user interface displays and
sequences can be implemented within the scope of the inventive subject matter disclosed
and claimed herein.
[0052] Referring again to Fig. 4, the gaming system 200 of an example embodiment is shown
to include a Gaming Processing Module 220. The Gaming Processing Module 220 is responsible
for managing the operation of the wagering game or fantasy sports tournament and the
plurality of rounds played therein. The Gaming Processing Module 220 manages the wagering
game contestants and groups of contestants in the fantasy sports tournament, obtains
real time and live action event data via the network, calculates contestant standings,
records contestant statistics, promotes winning contestants to advanced rounds, and
determines the overall winner of the wagering game or fantasy sports tournament. The
Gaming Processing Module 220 can also provide notifications to contestants of the
wagering game or fantasy sports tournament. The details of the wagering game and fantasy
sports tournament operation, the provisioning of contestant groups, the management
of multi- contestant rounds, and the management of contestants in the wagering game
or fantasy sports tournament are described in more detail herein.
[0053] Referring again to Fig. 4 and as described above, a user platform 141 can include
a mobile device on which a mobile application (app) can be executed. An example embodiment,
implemented as a mobile device app, can be used to support a mobile device user interface
for the gaming system 200 of an example embodiment. It will be apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments can also be implemented as a web
application (app) with one or more webpages or other types of user interfaces. A mobile
version of an example embodiment provides a user-friendly interface from which the
user can easily view the relevant contestant/client information from a mobile device.
As described in more detail herein, a mobile software application (app) embodying
a mobile version of an example embodiment as described herein can be installed and
executed on a mobile device, such as a smart phone, laptop computer, tablet device,
or the like. In an example embodiment, a splash screen appears whenever the user opens
or launches the mobile application on the mobile device. This splash screen can display
a host logo and wallpaper image while opening the login screen or a live feed of processed
client information.
[0054] User log-in functionality in the web application or the mobile app provides a user-friendly
user interface in which the user can provide identifying information (e.g., an email
address and password) associated with the user account. If the user does not have
an account, the user can create an account from this user interface. The process of
creating a user account in an example embodiment only requires the user to provide
the identifying information (e.g., name, surname, e-mail address, and password). By
completing this information, the user can create an account and get access to tournament
and contestant information.
[0055] Referring again to Fig. 4, the gaming system 200 of an example embodiment is also
shown to include a user account management module 230. The user account management
module 230 can be used to create and maintain a user account on the host site 110.
The user account management module 230 can also be used to configure user settings,
create and maintain a client/user profile on host site 110, and otherwise manage user
data and operational parameters on host site 110. In the example embodiment described
herein, a user can register as an identified contestant in order to share wagering
game or fantasy sports tournament information, receive wagering game or fantasy sports
tournament information and communications, or interact with other wagering game or
fantasy sports tournament-related content or other contestants. The registered user
can enter their identifying information during a log-in phase and thereafter can share
wagering game or fantasy sports tournament-related content and interact with other
contestants.
[0056] Referring again to Fig. 4, the gaming system 200 of an example embodiment is shown
to include an administrative management module 240. The administrative management
module 240 can be used by an agent or administrator of the gaming system 200 to manage
user accounts, configure system features, and to manage the operation and configuration
of the gaming system 200. The administrative management module 240 can also be used
to enforce privacy protections and tournament controls for contestants. Moreover,
the administrative management module 240 can also be used to generate and/or process
a variety of analytics associated with the operation of the gaming system 200. For
example, the administrative management module 240 can generate various statistical
models that represent the activity of the community of contestants throughout the
wagering game or fantasy sports tournament. These analytics can be shared, licensed,
or sold to others.
[0057] Referring now to Fig. 5, another example embodiment 101 of a networked system in
which various embodiments may operate is illustrated. In the embodiment illustrated,
the host site 110 is shown to include the gaming system 200. The gaming system 200
is shown to include the functional components 210 through 240, as described above.
In a particular embodiment, the host site 110 may also include a web server 404, having
a web interface with which users may interact with the host site 110 via a user interface
or web interface. The host site 110 may also include an application programming interface
(API) 402 with which the host site 110 may interact with other network entities on
a programmatic or automated data transfer level. The API 402 and web interface 404
may be configured to interact with the gaming system 200 either directly or via an
interface 406. The gaming system 200 may be configured to access a data storage device
103 and data 408 therein either directly or via the interface 406.
> Processes, Formats, and User Interfaces with Virtual Playing Card Representations
Used in a Fantasy Sports Tournament on the Specialized Slot Machine of Example Embodiments
[0058] Fig. 6 through Fig. 9 illustrate an example embodiment, implemented as a specialized
slot machine, which shows the basic elements of the user interface for implementing
a fantasy sports tournament with virtual playing card representations and multi-contestant
small group rounds on the specialized slot machine. The user interface can be used
to implement the fantasy sports slot machine format of an example embodiment. The
following description provides a general overview of the specialized slot machine
format in an example embodiment.
• Fantasy sports specialized slot machines, as described herein, are placed in casinos
or other venues throughout the world. These specialized slot machines can be programmed
to play whatever fantasy sport a contestant desires to play.
• These specialized slot machines are linked to a central network-accessible database
so that contestants competing in a given "group game" can be playing in different
casinos/venues throughout the world. In other words, if a person sits down in the
MGM
™ in Las Vegas, they don't have to sit and wait until their group of six people is
filled by people sitting in that particular MGM
™ casino. The other five players competing against them can be sitting in casinos/venues
anywhere in the world.
• Contestants sit at their own individual fantasy sports specialized slot machine/terminal
as described herein. They are given the choice to enter for $1, $5, $20, $50 and $100
contests (or any other entry amount that casinos/venues find attractive for a slot
machine).
• When a contestant looks at the display screen of the fantasy sports specialized
slot machine/terminal, they will see an image on the display screen, as presented
by the user interface logic of an example embodiment described herein, showing a virtual
card table with six places (e.g., see Fig. 9). The contestant at the fantasy sports
specialized slot machine/terminal will be one of the players occupying one of these
six places at the virtual card table presented by the specialized slot machine/terminal.
• The contestant puts an amount of money into the specialized slot machine/terminal
corresponding to the level of play at which they want to participate. For example,
the contestant might put $1 in for the dollar game, $10 in for the ten dollar game,
or $20 in for the twenty dollar game, to enter the game.
• The contestant then pulls down the handle (or activates a lever or pushes a button
on the user interface of the specialized slot machine/terminal) and the specialized
slot machine/terminal starts generating a variety of enticing and entertaining graphics
that flash around until the contestant has a full group of six other players to play
against (who are also playing for the same entry amount). Because the game will fill
quickly with players, the graphic display generations, which take about five seconds,
will take longer than the time needed to fill a live group of players, which will
happen immediately, because the game and the players are linked to casinos/venues
throughout the country/world (e.g., geographically distributed).
• Groups are always comprised of six contestants in an example embodiment.
• The other five contestants, who will fill the remaining five places at the virtual
card table presented by the specialized slot machine/terminal, will be anonymous on
the display screen in front of a given contestant. The user interface logic will configure
the user interface of the example embodiment for each player to identify the different
player positions as "YOU", "Contestant #1", "Contestant #2", etc. (see Fig. 9).
• The contestants will be instructed by the user interface of the example embodiment
that they will see three fantasy sports athletes.
• The contestants will be advised that in lieu of live action scoring, each athlete's
current fantasy sports points per game average will be used as the fantasy score benchmark
for each one of them. If these athletes are competing in a sport not in season, their
fantasy point game average from the previous season will be used.
• For every group of six competing contestants, the top scoring two contestants in
each of these groups are considered winners. There is no distinction between finishing
first and second. The top scoring two contestants are both winners and are eligible
for the same prize if they choose to cash out.
• These two top scoring winners for each group have one of two options. The two top
scoring winners can either: 1) cash out by pressing a button (or activating a virtual
object on the user interface of the specialized slot machine/terminal) that cashes
them out and automatically doubles their money, or 2) they can choose to "let it ride"
by pulling the handle (or activating a lever or pushing a button on the user interface
of the specialized slot machine/terminal) to form a new group with five other new
contestants and try to re-double their money by playing in a new round.
• The bottom scoring four contestants of a group are eliminated and lose their money.
The bottom scoring four contestants can either leave the specialized slot machine
or put more money into the specialized slot machine to play again by playing in a
new group of six contestants.
• The casino/venue provides powerful motivation in two directions for winning contestants
to stay in for another round instead of cashing out. First, winning contestants can
"let it ride" and attempt to redouble their money each time they stay in instead of
cashing out. Secondly, the specialized slot machine experience of the example embodiment
offers another huge incentive for people to stay in. Any contestant who advances ten
consecutive times will play in a Tournament of Champions (TOC) sponsored by the casino/venue
in which they are playing.
• The TOC usually occurs during the playoffs during a given sports real live action
playoffs. The TOC's format can use traditional live action fantasy sports or can be
conducted the same way that the specialized slot machines operate by using fantasy
point per game averages.
• The rationale for offering TOC is to provide a huge incentive for contestants to
not cash out and to continue playing on the specialized slot machines. The TOC pays
out millions of dollars to the winner and other top finishers and is a very attractive
incentive for people to try and qualify for (and therefore not cash out).
• For clarification purposes, even though contestants might be playing people assigned
by a managing entity from other casinos/venues, this doesn't mean that this is a coordinated
multi-casino TOC. Each casino/venue hosts their own TOC, which can be run directly
from their website, off their own slot machines, or could even be live action in their
casino/venue.
• The reason casinos are motivated to have contestants NOT cash out is because each
time the contestant lets it ride into another round, the percentage of the money the
casino/venue takes in goes up significantly. For example, if the two winners from
every group always cashed out, the casino would receive a standard 33% of the revenue.
If, however, players never cashed out and always let it ride, by round ten the casinos/venues
would always receive a staggering 98.3% of the revenue.
• The following table shows an example of the casino vs. contestant revenue split
depending on the round from which contestants decide to cash out:
Round |
Casino Take |
Player Take |
1 |
33% |
67% |
2 |
55.6% |
44.4% |
3 |
70.4% |
29.6% |
4 |
80.2% |
19.8% |
5 |
86.8% |
13.2% |
6 |
91.2% |
8.8% |
7 |
94.1% |
5.9% |
8 |
96.1% |
3.9% |
9 |
97.4% |
2.6% |
10 |
98.3% |
1.7% |
Note: It does not matter at what dollar amount a contestant enters the competition.
The percentages that each party receives are the same. |
• Contestants can play up to 15 rounds on a specialized slot machine as they attempt
to double their money each new round. This means they can continue to try and re-double
their money even after qualifying for the TOC by successfully winning ten consecutive
times. If a TOC qualifier loses in rounds 11 to 15, they do not forfeit their TOC
seat.
> Specialized Slot Machine for Conducting a Wagering Game Using a Card System and
a Fantasy Sports Deck of Cards for Color Blind Players
[0059] Fantasy sports have exploded over the past 40 years and has become a mainstream activity
that has helped boost the popularity of the sports that these games are based on.
There is a novel way to play fantasy sports games that has not been introduced to
the public yet. This format uses fantasy point per game averages instead of traditional
live action scoring for these card games. This allows the games to flow without having
to wait for the sports action to happen so the games can be immediately scored. This
implies that the card values are already known BEFORE the card game commences. These
novel card games can mimic traditional card games like Hearts, Spades, Old Maid, Solitaire,
Gin Rummy, Euchre and Crazy Eights while using fantasy sports type of rules and guidelines.
These games are fun because they include both traditional card game rules while also
incorporating fantasy sports gaming features.
[0060] The cards used for these types of games are NOT the cards from a traditional deck
of cards. They require a completely different look and feel to them. These cards can
be used for non-fantasy sports games as well. These cards must have certain features
that are critical for game play. Referring to the example embodiments of the game
cards disclosed herein as shown in Figs. 10 through 14, the features of these new
game cards include the following:
- 1) An understood value for each card that is either on the card or can easily be accessed
through a database. For example, a fantasy sports card can use the fantasy sports
average of the athlete as its value. For a star from the world of music, the point
system can involve record sales, awards and longevity as the point system. For television
and movie actors, these cards can have longevity, sales and awards to score the cards.
- 2) A color scheme for the cards. Instead of suits, the cards are split into different
color groups consisting of four to six colors.
- 3) An identifying mark that links them to other cards. For example, with sports cards,
it might be the city they play in, for rock bands, it might be the group name they
perform under, for television and movie stars it might be the movie or show they appear
in. For a political figure, it might be the party they affiliate themselves with or
the state (such as California) they represent.
- 4) A sketch picture on the card, that is NOT a pictorial representation of the athlete/entertainer/politician
on the card that speaks to their craft. For example, a sketch of a baseball player
swinging a bat. These pictures help identify the cards and the people they are purposed
to depict, without violating trademark laws.
[0061] These cards can be used like traditional decks of cards at a table or they can be
virtual decks of cards that are played on slot machines, video games and/or Internet
games. One of the features of these cards is to provide as many players as possible
the opportunity to play these types of games. For this reason, these cards must be
displayed in a manner so that color blind players have an opportunity to play as well.
[0062] One out of every twelve men in the world are color blind. This represents eight percent
of the male population. This issue is not nearly as prevalent with women where only
one out of 200 suffering from this affliction. This represents only one half of one
percent of the female population.
[0063] A traditional deck of cards is marked in a way where color blind people are not at
a disadvantage. The four suits are represented by clubs, hearts, diamonds and spades
in a manner that does not hinder a color blind player. They simply look for these
markers and understand what they mean in a way where they can accurately identify
every single card in the deck.
[0064] Unfortunately, the ability to distinguish between every card in the deck is not a
universal truth for all decks of cards-at least for color blind people. There are
some decks of cards, that work much better for certain types of games than a traditional
deck, that use colors to distinguish between suits. Card games that use colors to
represent suits, instead of these aforementioned symbols, are very difficult to play
for color blind players. Anyone who has played the world's most popular color card
game, Uno
™, has seen how this issue causes problems. Color blind people struggle with this game.
The creators of Uno have never come up with a solution to address this problem.
[0065] A card game with colors as the identifying markers for suits has tremendous potential
for fantasy sports contests. This is due to the enormous popularity of fantasy sports.
Even though fantasy sports games are immensely popular, nobody has come up with a
format that uses a virtual or traditional deck of cards. This disclosure considers
the concept of playing fantasy sports games with a novel deck of cards.
[0066] Referring again to the example embodiments of the fantasy sports game cards disclosed
herein as shown in Figs. 10 through 13, the fantasy sports game deck of cards of particular
example embodiments can include cards related to particular sports, including football
(e.g., see Fig. 10), basketball (see Fig. 11), baseball or soccer (see Fig. 12), hockey
or golf (see Fig. 13), or any other sport or activity. The fantasy sports game deck
of cards of various example embodiments can include particular characteristics, which
facilitate the playing of a fantasy sports game by a variety of players, including
color blind players.
[0067] The fantasy sports game deck of cards of a particular example embodiment can have
the following characteristics:
- 1) Each card would typically not display the likeness of the athlete or any trademarked
information such as the specific team's name that they play on; and
- 2) Identifying markers displayed on each individual card include some or all of the
following information: 1) Athlete name 2) City or state where they play 3) Point value
associated with a given card determined by the fantasy points they are worth 4) Position
the athlete plays on the field 5) A bonus point system that can use bonuses such as
multipliers on athletes increasing their fantasy point value commensurate with the
multiplier (such as twice the fantasy points a card is currently worth), matching
similar colors or matching similar traits such as athletes being on the same professional
or amateur team or playing the same field position as an athlete on another card.
[0068] Fantasy sports games are designed where people select the athletes they want--either
via a draft or an auction. In either case, it is the contestant who decides which
individual athlete they wish to add to their team. A card game changes this dynamic
significantly because it introduces the concept of REVEALING a small subset of athletes
as singletons or in BLOCS that are available for selection as opposed to the universally
followed process where players select INDIVIDUAL athletes from a LIST.
[0069] Fantasy sports games are played primarily by men. This fact creates a significant
problem for the deck of cards that are disclosed in this discussion. Since eight percent
of all men have an issue with color blindness, it is imperative to have a deck of
cards that provides solutions for this issue. This is especially true because the
ideal fantasy sports deck of cards will divide suits by colors as they do with the
card game Uno.
[0070] The best solution for color blind people is to have the color of the card written
on the card that displays a given color. For example, as shown in Figs. 10 through
13, a red card would have the word "red," or some other indicia of a particular color
of the card, written directly on the card. This solution has not been used in traditional
card decks, either physical cards or virtual cards. Because traditional card decks
don't provide indicia of a particular color of the card, there are many people who
struggle playing card games. When playing a fantasy sports card game using technology
from the virtual world, it is very helpful to have the cards laying on the table instead
of moving them to a "selected" pile like traditional card games use. This allows participants
the opportunity to analyze different combinations in close proximity to one another.
A novel feature that allows this to happen is to give the players the ability to click
on the card and have a colored sleeve cover the card so the player can see the contrast
between a selected card and a card that is not selected. This novel feature needs
an additional component in order for it to be practical for color blind people. The
bottom (or top) of the card needs to either have a very light or very dark background.
When the card is selected, this background has a dramatic shift from light to dark
(or dark to light) so the color blind person can see the obvious contrast in shading
in order to differentiate between selected cards and non-selected cards. This technical
feature goes a long way towards leveling the playing field between people suffering
from color blindness and those who don't.
[0071] This novel fantasy sports deck of cards would not use the likeness of any athlete
or trademarked team names that they play for. This deck of fantasy sports playing
cards has five basic properties included on each card. These markers consist of the
following items: 1) Athlete name 2) Athlete's city they play in 3) Value of the card
determined by the fantasy points they are worth 4) Position the athlete plays on the
field (e.g., a "quarterback" vs "wide receiver in football") 5) Bonus points such
as multipliers, similar colors or matching similar traits such as being on the same
team or position.
[0072] Referring to Fig. 14, an example embodiment of a card game can be used for non-sports
personalities as well, assuming a fantasy points system is established ahead of time.
For example, a fantasy rock and roll card game can be created where the card has the
name of the performer, the group they are in (which would be the "team" in sports
vernacular) and the point system that these musician cards are based on their overall
success (including awards they have won) as a group.
[0073] This fantasy sports deck of cards in an example embodiment can include, but is not
limited to, the following features:
- Card decks can be virtual decks, decks that are an integral part of slot machines
or are actual physical decks of cards.
- Card decks can be used for fantasy sports games featuring one or more players using
one or more decks.
- Specific card decks of various sizes (number of cards per deck) can be configured
for a card game where the cards randomly selected are a subset of the entire available
set of cards for a given sport or profession (such as rock musicians).
- Cards are dealt where participants can see the cards displayed both as singletons
or blocs (2 or more at a time).
- Cards can be dealt as a subset of the deck where various players in the game have
their own unique hand.
- Cards can be dealt as a subset of the deck where some of the cards function as communal
cards that are available to all players in the contest.
- Cards can be utilized in a manner in which players can discard certain cards and have
them replaced with new cards.
- Cards can be utilized in a manner in which players can discards certain cards and
not have them replaced.
- Cards can be utilized in a manner where players have the option of selecting a new
card(s) or selecting from a set of discarded cards.
- Cards can be dealt in a manner in where some are face up while others may be face
down.
- Card games are scored where combinations of cards where the points are added where
the final scores are ranked.
- Undesirable cards can be passed in some of the game play variations from one player
to another.
- Cards can be grouped for bonuses for such things as sharing the same colors, athletes
sharing the same teams, point multipliers that are associated with them and athletes
playing the same positions.
- Cards can be used to play fantasy sports games where folding, bidding, betting, bluffing,
holding, having trump suits (via card color) and trump cards are features of the contest.
- Cards can be used to play fantasy sports games where different hands are scored individually
and their combined fantasy point score along with any bonuses determines the hand
score.
- Cards can be used to play fantasy sports games where different hands are scored individually
and combined with the scores from previous hands to determine an overall score.
- Cards can be used to create fantasy sports games that mimic classic card games such
as hearts, poker and euchre or fantasy sports games that are unique and don't follow
any previously known card game.
- Cards can be used in games where rankings are displayed on a virtual screen and payouts
for these rankings are also displayed on this screen.
- Cards can be played in a fantasy sports game where tricks or runs of cards are laid
down to be scored.
- Cards can be played in a fantasy sports games where certain cards of a predetermined
color have the fantasy sports points of the given athlete counts for negative points
(such as all red colored cards) whereas the other colors in the deck count as positive
fantasy points (such as the yellow, green, blue and purple cards).
- Certain cards can be designated as cards to avoid (similar to the queen of spades
in the game of hearts) because their fantasy points are scored as negative points
and may even have a multiplier making that card even more toxic to have.
- Certain cards can have either a positive or negative value depending on how they are
combined with other cards (such as the queen of spades in hearts taking on positive
virtues if a player shoots the moon).
- The individual cards of a certain color in a fantasy sports game can be considered
to be a "suit." Within these suits the cards can be ranked according to their fantasy
points value.
- Fantasy sports card games can have decks with a predetermined number of cards where
each deck also splits the cards into a predetermined number of suits. For example,
a deck of 50 cards can be established for a contest where there are ten cards per
suit for a given color and there are a total of five suits with five different types
of colors. For example, there might be 10 green, 10 blue, 10 red, 10 yellow and 10
purple cards in the deck.
- Fantasy sports card games can be played where everyone in the contest is playing from
the same predetermined deck of cards or from different decks of cards where everyone
is playing with their own unique deck (such as a double solitaire type of game).
- Fantasy sports card games can be played where the values of the fantasy point values
of the cards diminish based on how many other people select a given card(s) from a
communal set of cards. For example, if only one person selects a given card, this
card might be worth 100% of its fantasy point value whereas if three people select
the same card(s) its fantasy point value might reduce to 70% where all three players
who selected that card receive that card at a 70% value.
- Fantasy sports card games where the fantasy point value of the entire bloc (2 or more
cars) is determined by a percentage bid. For example, a player might win a bloc of
cards with a 40% bid. This means that EACH athlete's fantasy point total from that
bloc is worth 40% of their actual fantasy point total.
[0074] This patent application discloses various example embodiments showing how a novel
deck of cards (physical or virtual) can be used to create compelling games in the
very popular genre of fantasy sports games. This disclosure also introduces some novel
technical ideas that enhance the ability of color blind people to participate in these
games. In particular, the various embodiments disclosed herein provide at least the
following advantages and technical improvements:
- 1) A fantasy sports deck of cards that has technical features included in it that
allow color blind people the ability to play any game associated with the deck in
a manner where they aren't at a significant disadvantage. This deck of cards has the
following identifying markers on it from a fantasy sports perspective: 1) An athlete
name is on each individual card 2) The city they play in is on each card 3) A fantasy
point value is associated with each card. 4) The position the athlete plays are listed
on each card 5) A bonus system that employs multipliers, colors and similar traits
(like same football team) are a prominent feature of this card system.
- 2) A fantasy sports deck of cards where the athletes have an identifying color on
the card and also WRITTEN on the card. For example, a red card will have the word
"red" written on it to assist color blind people.
- 3) A colored sleeve for a virtual card deck used on computers that contrasts in color
(either light to dark or dark to light) with either the top half or the bottom half
of the card. This colored sleeve helps all players compare potentially selected cards
with undesirable cards without moving the cards and confusing the other players. It
also serves a second purpose by giving an invaluable shading contrast to a color blind
player.
Card Game Format in an Example Embodiment
[0075] Let's assume nine players competing at a table. To understand how a contest with
this deck of cards works, the format for Texas Hold 'Em serves as an instructive example.
Any of the novel decks of cards described above can be used. Each of the nine players
at the table receives two different hole cards that they uniquely own. Five remaining
cards, shared by all players, are then placed down in a manner that mimics Texas Hold
'Em (3 flop cards, followed by 1 turn card and finally 1 river card). After seeing
their hole cards, players can either fold and receive 80% of their entry fee back
or play on. If they play on, they receive a smaller portion of their entry fee back
if they choose to fold later on. If they decide to play on, this initial decision
is based almost entirely on the fantasy sports value of the two athletes on the cards.
They will then see a 3-card flop. If they fold, they receive 60% of their money back.
If they play on, they will, again, receive less money back if they fold later on.
The scoring rubric also expands in the decision-making process, because the game is
not simply structured around the player who gets the best athletes. This is because
players also receive points for matching teammates and creating color combinations.
These two additional scoring metrics complement the primary scoring rubric, which
is the fantasy point value of the athletes.
[0076] An overview of how this structure works is helpful to understand the concept. Let's
assume somebody is playing a Spoker football Texas Hold 'Em contest and they have
chosen to stay in after seeing their river card. The seven cards they see on the table,
for example, are the following athletes, teams, colors and point values:
- 1) Patrick Mahomes KC-Green Card-27 fantasy points per game average (their hole card)
- 2) Devin Singletary Buff-Red Card-15 points (their hole card)
- 3) George Kittle SF -Red Card-16 points (a community card issued during the flop)
- 4) Brandon Aiyuk SF-Red Card-11 points (a community card issued during the flop)
- 5) Aaron Rodgers GB-Purple Card-25 points (a community card issued during the flop)
- 6) Jimmy Garoppolo SF-Red Card-18 points (a community card issued during the turn)
- 7) Tyreek Hill Mia-Blue Card-20 points (a community card issued during the river)
[0077] Players select the best 5-card combo they can put together. Their primary goal is
to know the fantasy point values of the athletes since they are NOT listed directly
on the cards. Players can utilize a cheat sheet, but because they only have ten seconds
to pick their hand, using a cheat sheet may not be a sound strategy. Good players
will memorize the fantasy point values of the athletes.
[0078] If a given player always selected the five best scoring athletes, this strategy would
fail most of the time. For example, it wouldn't be a wise choice to take the five
best athletes from the aforementioned hand. If they did, they would end up selecting
Mahomes (27 pts), Rodgers (25 pts), Hill (20 pts), Garoppolo (18 pts) and Kittle (16
points). This comes out to 106 points-but the hand has still not been fully scored.
Because there are two red cards (Garoppolo & Kittle) this is called a "color pair"
and it is worth four additional points. Also, in this example, there are two teammates
on the San Francisco 49ers (also Garoppolo & Kittle). This is called a "teammates
pair" worth eight bonus points. This player would have a final total of 118 points
if they submitted this hand for scoring.
[0079] Let's now try a different strategy to select the five cards. A savvy player would
know that four red cards is a "4 of a Kind" color bonus worth 24 points and would
at least consider trying to build the hand around that fact. In this case, they would
select all the red cards-namely, Garoppolo (18 pts), Aiyuk (11pts), Kittle (16 points)
and Singletary (15 points). This comes out to a total of 60 points with one card left
to select. On the surface, it seems absurd to leave the best three scoring cards,
Mahomes (27 pts), Rodgers (25 points) and Hill (20 points) completely out of the picture
with only one spot left to select. However, this would not be the case though as we
explore this option a bit more.
[0080] Let's assume they selected the top scoring card (Mahomes) for that final position.
These additional 27 points, when added to the 60 points the other four are worth,
brings the overall total to 87 points-a far cry from the 118 points the first way
to select the hand is worth. Keep in mind they still receive a 24-point bonus for
having four red cards. This now brings their total to 111 points. They also have the
same 8-point Garoppolo/Kittle teammate bonus that the first hand had and this gives
them 119 points for the hand. But, because Aiyuk is also in the mix, this is a "3
of a Kind" teammates bonus of three San Francisco 49er athletes which is worth 24
points instead of the 8. This brings their total to 135 points, which is a much better
option than the 118 points for taking the best five cards. One further point: if the
person with this hand had the highest overall score of the nine players still remaining
(some will fold) in their group, they win the pot of money from all of the entry fees.
The Specialized Slot Machine Tournament Structure in an Example Embodiment
[0081] The following description provides a general overview of the specialized tournament
structure in an example embodiment:
- There are five bidding sessions for each round of play.
- Contestants bid on three athletes at a time. These groups of three athletes are called
"blocs".
- Contestants only get one bloc of three athletes for their entire fantasy lineup.
- The first time a contestant wins a bid, they receive all three athletes that they
bid on which completes their lineup. They no longer are allowed to bid on anymore
blocs of athletes. A black circle will be placed by their position on the specialized
slot machine display screen indicating that they are done trying to secure a bloc.
- The specialized slot machine begins the selection process by shuffling the deck and
laying down the first three cards.
- All six contestants have the option of making a percentage bid (the maximum range
is from 1% to 100%) on the three athletes or passing on them with a "No Bid".
- Contestants have 30 seconds to make a bid. In order to make the bid official, a contestant
pulls the lever of the specialized slot machine (or otherwise activates a button or
an object displayed on the display screen of the specialized slot machine). If a contestant
fails to make a bid during the allotted time, the contestant automatically receives
a "No Bid". Bids are time stamped based on the time when the lever was pulled (or
other object was activated) to break ties.
- Because contestants only have 30 seconds to bid for each of the five rounds, the entire
game only takes two minutes and thirty seconds for the bidding process.
- The percentage bid cannot be a decimal or a fraction. It must be a whole percent.
- Contestants will either have a green, red or black circle by their spot on the display
screen at all times. A green circle denotes that they have turned in their bid. A
red circle denotes that they have not yet submitted their bid. A black circle denotes
that they have already secured their bloc from a previous round.
- The lowest bid wins the entire bloc of three athletes. If there is a tie amongst two
or more contestants for the best bid, the contestant who submitted their bid first
receives the bloc.
- If none of the contestants bid on a bloc, this bloc will be reintroduced later as
a "mulligan" (see below for a more detailed explanation on a mulligan). In other words,
there will not be a new group of three athletes that replaces a bloc that has no bidders.
- Once a contestant wins a bloc of three athletes, they have a complete lineup and are
ineligible to bid anymore. A black circle will be placed by their spot on the card
table to indicate they are no longer eligible to bid anymore.
[0082] Why doesn't a contestant just bid 1% on the first bloc of athletes that they really
like? If the lowest bid wins, this seems like a no-brainer strategy that will automatically
secure the athletes that they desire by submitting the lowest percentage which is
1%. However, this strategy would be counter-productive and would virtually guarantee
that the contestant would come in last place. The reason for this is because the percentage
bid serves two purposes. The bid not only secures athletes by having the lowest bid,
but the bid also severely penalizes contestants for making unreasonably low bids.
For example, a 1% bid will undoubtedly win a contestant the athletes that they desire,
but this bid also represents the percentage of each athlete's fantasy points that
they are eligible for in the game itself. For example, if someone bids 1% to win a
fantasy football group they desire such as Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson and Marshawn
Lynch, they will be terribly disappointed to learn that they also only get 1% of the
fantasy points that each of these three athletes scored in their respective games.
As a result, a value of the contestant's bid, as represented by the percentage bid,
is used to discount or reduce the contestant's score or quantity of points received
by a corresponding amount. In this manner, a contestant bidding at a minimal level
will also only receive a score or quantity of points at a correspondingly minimal
level.
[0083] In the example embodiment, the setup may not seem fair in one critical way. For example,
a bloc of three athletes could potentially have three duds like all kickers for a
football contest while another bloc of three athletes has all high value athletes
like quarterbacks for the same competition. Isn't this absurd since quarterbacks are
much more valuable than kickers? In the example embodiment, the described format actually
turns the selection process into a riveting high wire exercise where skill becomes
a major factor. Think of these groups of athletes as stocks. The more valuable the
stock, the more aggressive the bidding will be. The correct price will be set by the
bids. Three kickers at 95% of their fantasy points might be more valuable than three
quarterbacks at 12% of their fantasy points. This bidding process creates a tremendous
amount of strategy for participants to consider.
[0084] In the example embodiment, two additional rules heighten the drama of the tournament
format implemented on the specialized slot machine. These additional rules are described
below:
- Blocs can have multipliers on them for each athlete in a bloc. The ranges of multipliers
for the entire blocs will vary from 6X (read "6 times") all the way to 10X. They aren't
assigned uniformly to each athlete in the bloc, though. The multipliers will be split
up and have different levels of intensity on individual athletes. For example, the
specialized slot machine might flash that the multiplier is 7X, which means that the
three athletes shown (e.g., see Fig. 9) will have multipliers that have a sum total
of 7X; however, their placement will be random as will their intensity (or value)
on each athlete. For the 7X example, this means that the total on the multipliers
for the 3 athletes must add up to seven. It could be that the first athlete is worth
1X their fantasy point total, the second athlete 5X and the third athlete 1X. It could
also be 2X, 2X and 3X respectively. Using the later example, this means that the first
card turned over would mean the athlete would be worth double their fantasy score.
The second card turned over would mean the athlete would be worth double their fantasy
score. The third card turned over would mean the athlete would be worth triple their
fantasy score. (Note: Fantasy score is defined as the percentage of fantasy points
a group of athletes is eligible for that was determined by the bid for which the bloc
was secured.)
- For each new round, the maximum bid possible will be 8% less than the previous round.
The specialized slot machine will show the bidding range for each round. For example,
for the first round, the specialized slot machine will give the range as 1% to 100%.
By the fourth round, this range will be down to 1% to 76%. This creates an urgency
to get involved in the bidding process for each round, but also have enough skill
to know what a proper bid is for a given bloc so that it isn't secured with an unreasonably
low bid. After five rounds of bidding have occurred, the last person remaining in
the group without a bloc automatically gets the last bloc that wasn't bid on for 60%
of the fantasy points for each athlete in the bloc.
Table Showing Max and Min Bidding Percentages Allowed Each Round
|
Maximum Bid Allowed |
Minimum Bid Allowed |
Round 1 |
100% |
1% |
Round 2 |
92% |
1% |
Round 3 |
84% |
1% |
Round 4 |
76% |
1% |
Round 5 |
68% |
1% |
Last Contestant Remaining |
No Bid-Automatically receives bloc at 60% |
No Bid-Automatically receives bloc at 60% |
[0085] Given the description of the example embodiment as provided above, one might think
that the game is unfair if some blocs might have as low as a 6X multiplier while others
might be as high as a 10X multiplier. However, this feature of an example embodiment
makes the game even more strategic. Now, contestants will have to factor into the
calculus the fact that a bloc of strong athletes might be diminished in value because
they have a smaller multiplier and a more mediocre group might be increased in value
because they are more valued by a higher multiplier. Even if a strong group of athletes
has a 10X multiplier, this won't be a problem. The appropriate percentage bid for
this bloc will be significantly lower than the norm. Conversely, a mediocre bloc of
athletes with a small multiplier should be able to be secured with a bid considerable
higher than the norm.
[0086] In the example embodiment as described, somebody is going to eventually get a bloc;
because, there is exactly one bloc every contestant --- everybody is going to eventually
need a lineup. All blocs not bid on are called "mulligans" and will be reintroduced
after all the blocs have been revealed. If there is more than one bloc for which a
bid is not received, the blocs are reintroduced in the order that they first appeared.
Also, the maximum bid for a new round does not go down 8% if the previous bloc was
a mulligan. When the blocs not bid on are reintroduced and all six blocs have been
shown and either bid on or passed on, the maximum bid for the reintroduced blocs go
down 8% each time a new one is reintroduced and bid on. If there is a tie for a final
position, amongst tied players, the person who secured their bloc in the lowest or
latest round advances.
[0087] Once the bids are received from the contestants in a group for a particular round,
the six contestants in the group are scored for final positions. The specialized slot
machine of an example embodiment can gather the data for all athletes in the contest
and then compute the final positions. This computation will take no more than five
seconds after all contestants have secured their blocs. The specialized slot machine
can tabulate the scores for all of the athletes and then add the three scores together
for each bloc of athletes. Each contestant will then be ranked 1-6 (one through six)
on the specialized slot machine user interface screen (e.g., see Fig. 7 through Fig.
9). For example, to tabulate the score of a single athlete, three components of information
are required. First, the athlete's average fantasy game score has to be a part of
the database linked to the managing entity website for easy retrieval. The second
component of information needed is the bid with which the athlete was secured. Finally,
the multiplier on the athlete has to be included in the computation. Using football
as an example, let's assume Tom Brady has a running fantasy game point total of 10.
Then assume he is secured at 68% of his fantasy points and the multiplier on him is
3X. Since 68% of 10 is 6.8 and when 6.8 is multiplied by 3, the result is 20.4. This
means that Brady's score would be added to the other two athletes in his bloc for
a final score to be posted for that contestant. Finally, tied positions always are
broken by awarding the person who secured their bloc in the later round the higher
spot.
The Specialized Slot Machine Tournament Structure in an Alternative Example Embodiment
[0088] The following description provides a general overview of the specialized slot machine
tournament structure in an alternative example embodiment. In an alternative embodiment
of the specialized fantasy sports slot machine as described above, the alternative
slot machine embodiment includes everything described above, but adds one more variable.
This alternative embodiment calls for contestants to create the groups upon which
the contestants bid. The process for this alternative embodiment is described below.
• There are 18 cards in a deck.
• Contestants see all 18 of the cards on the user interface screen ahead of time.
• Each contestant creates one of the six blocs that will be introduced in the bidding
process.
• Contestants select three of the 18 athletes to represent the bloc that they created
for the bidding process. They have 30 seconds to make their picks.
• The selection process is "blind" so none of the six contestants in a group knows
what the other members of the group are selecting.
• Once a contestant creates their bloc of three for the bidding process, they pull
the specialized slot machine's lever (or otherwise activate a button or displayed
object).
• If a contestant does not select a bloc of three athletes within the 30 second time
limit, a bloc of three will be selected for them by the specialized slot machine.
• Once all six contestants have created a bloc, the game is set to begin.
• It is important to note that just because a contestant creates one of the six blocs,
that doesn't necessarily mean that this bloc will be the bloc that they end up securing
for the fantasy sports contest. The bloc that they do receive will be determined by
the bidding process.
• This process creates the possibility that some of the 18 athlete cards were not
selected while others were selected more than once.
• These six blocs that were created by contestants are introduced randomly and follow
all of the rules of the process that was described previously --- with one notable
exception. The athletes in a given bloc might not all be worth 100% of their fantasy
point per game value to begin with. This value is determined by how much a given athlete
is duplicated.
• When a bloc of three athletes is introduced, if a given athlete was selected only
once for a bloc, they will be worth 100% of their fantasy sports point per game value.
If on the other hand they are duplicated and the given athlete was selected more than
once for a bloc, each time they are duplicated, they will be worth 20% less of their
fantasy point per game average for each time this duplication occurs.
• The percentage of each individual athlete's fantasy points that are available at
any given time (based on this duplication penalty) will be prominently displayed on
each athlete card as the blocs of three athletes are introduced during the bidding
process.
• The way an individual athlete is scored in the alternative embodiment is as follows:
Let's assume Drew Brees fantasy points per game average is 19.7 points per game. Let's
also assume that Brees is introduced by two of the six members of the group for a
bloc that they submitted. This means Brees fantasy points available is at 80% or 15.8
points. The final two components are computed as follows: Let's assume the entire
bloc was secured by someone who bid 68% and the multiplier on Brees is a four. Because
68% of 15.8 is equal to 10.7, this represents Brees total score before his multiplier
is factored in. With the multiplier factored in, the score comes out to 42.8.
• The table below shows the duplication penalties for each time an athlete is duplicated
during the formation of the blocs.
|
1X |
2X |
3X |
4X |
5X |
6X |
% |
100% |
80% |
60% |
40% |
20% |
0% |
Note: "3X" is read as "three times" which represents the number of times an athlete
is selected by one of the six members of the group. In this case, the duplicated athlete
would appear in three of the six blocs that are introduced for bidding and each time
they appear this athlete would only be worth 60% of their fantasy point value - a
strong point to consider when contestants make their bids. |
[0089] The fantasy sports slot machine embodiments as described herein provide a unique
idea that has never been seen in the market. In order to make the fantasy sports slot
machine embodiments possible, there are four key elements that are new to the fantasy
sports genre that these embodiments introduce and that support the implementation.
These four key elements include the following:
- 1) The fantasy sports slot machine of an example embodiment provides a novel format
of contestants playing in small groups of three or more participants - Fantasy sports
contests have always been contested in one of two ways - both of which mimic real
life sports. They either are conducted using a head-to-head format or they are configured
where the entire field plays against each other simultaneously. Again, the reason
why these two formats have emerged is because these are the formats for how real live
sporting events are contested and fantasy sports contests have always tried to come
as close as possible to mimicking reality. Of the two, the head-to-head format is
the most common way real life sports are contested -- for both team and individual
competitions. For example, in team sports competitions, there are never three (or
more) baseball teams playing each other simultaneously. That would be unheard of.
There are always two teams competing against one another on the baseball diamond.
Similarly, this structure applies to hockey, soccer, basketball, football, and quite
frankly, most other sports. The same head-to-head format also is also quite prevalent
for individual sports such as tennis (both singles and doubles), bowling, fencing,
table tennis, boxing, wrestling, etc.
The other real live sports format that fantasy sports tournament organizers have copied
is the "entire field" concept. An entire field event is when real live sports are
contested in a manner where individuals or teams have to compete against the entire
field at one time. While this is not nearly as prevalent as the head-to-head format,
it is still quite often used. Examples of this are golf, cycling, gymnastics, swimming,
track and field, etc. Teams or individuals compete in one huge event and they are
then ranked according to either their finish or their final scores. Fantasy sports
tournament organizers have tried to re-create the real live action formats that are
used in sports to appeal to those who like to participate in fantasy sports events.
For this reason, they have always configured their offerings to mimic these real live
sporting events by either using a one-on-one format or an "entire field" format. However,
as described herein, there is another way that makes the specialized slot machine
format work and it is a concept that is unique to the industry. This unique format
is also counter-intuitive to how real life sporting events are contested and is why
nobody has ever done this before. The novel method of a fantasy sports slot machine
format as described herein is to have small groups of three or more contestants competing
against one another at the same time. Again, this is counter-intuitive to real live
sports because it makes no sense in real life for the Dolphins, 49ers and Jets to
be playing each other in the same football game. For this exact reason, nobody has
thought about having Bob, Steve and Mary compete against each other in the same fantasy
sports match because this configuration doesn't mimic real life sports.
- 2) The fantasy sports slot machine of an example embodiment provides a novel format
wherein a portion of an athlete's fantasy points are or can be scored. Fantasy sports
games have always been an all or nothing proposition. Contestants who "own" a certain
athlete have always received all of the fantasy points that their athlete scored in
their real live sports competition. Conversely, contestants who don't own an athlete
receive nothing or zero points for them. This is a very valuable tool that helps make
a fantasy sports slot machine implementation possible. This method involves giving
contestants a portion or fraction of the fantasy points that a given athlete that
they have secured scores. This fractional scoring method of an example embodiment
can be implemented in two different ways as described below.
- a. Percentage Bids-This is a bidding process where the bids involve taking a percentage of the athlete's
fantasy points. In accordance with this method, contestants, in order to secure an
athlete, make a percentage bid on a given athlete. The rules dictate that the contestant
who submits the lowest percentage bid secures that athlete for their lineup. For example,
if three contestants bid, 68%, 81% and 98% for a given athlete, then two things happen.
First, the contestant who made the 68% bid receives that athlete in their fantasy
sports lineup. Secondly, the contestant only receives 68% of the fantasy points that
this athlete scores in the competition. As a result, a value of the contestant's bid,
as represented by the percentage bid, is used to discount or reduce the contestant's
score or quantity of points received by a corresponding amount. In this manner, a
contestant bidding at a minimal level will also only receive a score or quantity of
points at a correspondingly minimal level.
- b. Duplication Penalties-This format allows fantasy contestants to share athletes instead of owning them exclusively,
but there is a price to pay when duplication occurs. Each time an athlete is duplicated,
their fantasy point value goes down a set predetermined percentage.
- 3) The fantasy sports slot machine of an example embodiment provides a novel format
wherein fantasy sports matches are contested using fantasy game point averages instead
of always using real live action scoring - People love fantasy sports because the
games are fun. Who says though that fantasy sports games have to solely be based on
live competitions in the real world? Why can't contests be based on averages that
athletes already have with their fantasy point per game averages? Using point per
game averages helps open the door for a fantasy sports slot machine to work. Instead
of having to wait until a real live sports game is actually on or actually in season,
people can go to a fantasy sports slot machine anytime and play.
- 4) The fantasy sports slot machine of an example embodiment provides a novel format
wherein blocs of athletes for a lineup can be selected through an auction process.
Fantasy sports contests have always operated one of two ways, either: a) contestants
select their entire lineup and submit it, or b) they draft athletes individually to
create their "team". As provided by the example embodiments as described herein, there
is another way that makes the fantasy sports slot machine work. Under this example
embodiment, contestants are shown groups of two or more athletes to be evaluated simultaneously.
The contestants who are interested in this "bloc" have to evaluate the comparative
strength of the entire unit over other potential ones. This process creates a new
twist because contestants are now forced to put a value on a unit that has multiple
moving parts. This is not a part of traditional fantasy sports play, but creates a
critical gaming component for a fantasy sports slot machine.
> An Example Embodiment Providing a Specialized Slot Machine for Implementing: A Fantasy
Music Legends Tournament
[0090] Fig. 6 through Fig. 9 illustrate an example embodiment, implemented as a specialized
slot machine, which shows the basic elements of the user interface for implementing
a tournament with multi-contestant small group rounds on the specialized slot machine.
The specialized slot machine and the user interface thereon can be used to implement
a variety of different tournament formats on the specialized slot machine of an example
embodiment. The following description provides a general overview of one such tournament
format in an example embodiment.
[0091] A Fantasy Music Legends Tournament is a tournament format for any genre of music.
A given tournament can be designed for a specific genre like Rock & Roll, Pop, Rhythm
& Blues, Country, Rap, etc. There can also be an "Open" tournament that allows all
genres to be incorporated into one tournament. This concept can be a marketing tool
for a company or it can be a standalone tournament that charges an entry fee and offers
cash prizes for the top finishers of the Tournament of Champions (TOC). If it is used
as a marketing tool, the tournament can offer interesting music perks for the top
finishers. For a Rap tournament, the overall winner might win an all-expenses paid
trip somewhere to see Jay Z perform and also hang out with him before and after the
show. A top overall winner might have a different kind of top prize, such as winning
a rare guitar for their efforts. The key components as a marketing tool are to allow
contestants special perks. These perks will allow them to compete in a smaller group
size than is normally required or skip a round(s) entirely. Contestants can take advantage
of these perks by purchasing something off a particular website. When they do so,
they are allowed to skip a round (or two) or play in a smaller group for the next
round. For example, someone might be able to play the next round against only 9 people
instead of the standard 12 if they purchase a song. They might be able to skip 2 rounds
if they buy concert tickets. Legendary musicians eligible to be picked for a Fantasy
Music Legends Tournament are any people who have played in a group with two or more
people who had at least 1 hit in the top 40 in the United States in their genre of
expertise. For example, Adam Ridgeley would be eligible because he was a member of
Wham and has had at least one hit song that made the Billboard Hot 100 chart for his
genre in the U.S. In the example embodiment, the tournament does not disqualify someone
if their "band" is missing a piece (like a drummer) that is usually associated as
a key component of a typical band. For example, the Carpenters are considered a "band"
by the definitions of this game. Some legendary musicians have played in more than
one band. For example, Paul McCartney played with The Beatles and with Paul McCartney
and Wings. For this reason, Legendary Musicians score fantasy points for all bands
in which they participated.
The Fantasy Music Legends Tournament Structure in an Example Embodiment
[0092] The following description provides a general overview of the Fantasy Music Legends
Tournament structure in an example embodiment.
- Fantasy players are placed in groups of twelve players
- Fantasy players submit four starters-one Lead Singer, one Drummer, one Guitar Player,
one Wildcard (can be anyone)
- Top three scores in a group advance to the next round-the rest are eliminated
Tiebreakers
[0093] Fantasy players that tie for a top three position will use the following tiebreaker
process in an example embodiment:
- 1st tiebreaker - Fantasy Player with the higher ranking in their profile.
- 2nd tiebreaker - Contestant with the highest ever Fantasy Band Legends score from
the IP address involved in the tie.
- 3rd tiebreaker - Contestant who has submitted the most entries ever from the IP address
involved in the tie.
- 4th tiebreaker - Computer generated coin flip.
Fantasy Band Point Values
[0094]
- All fantasy players in a group will submit their lineups via a blind submission process
(i.e., submissions won't be known to players until ALL players in a group have submitted
their lineups).
- Duplication is permitted.
- The more duplication that occurs for a given Legendary Musician the LESS their actual
fantasy points they scored will be worth.
- Contestants will be given a percentage of the fantasy points their Legendary Musician
scored depending on how many other fantasy players selected that SAME Legendary Musician.
This is called their Adjusted Fantasy Score. Each time a Legendary Musician is duplicated,
he/she will be worth 9% LESS of their fantasy points. For example, using the table
below, if 12 fantasy players in a group are playing in a match and 4 of them select
Keith Richards to be their guitarist, then each of them will receive 73% (see box
highlighted in yellow below) of the fantasy points that Richards scores.
- Scores for individual Legendary Musicians will be rounded to the nearest hundredth.
[0095] Below is a grid that shows what percentage of Legendary Musician's points a given
contestant receives depending on how many other competitors selected that Legendary
Musician.
Table 1 Percentage of Fantasy Points a Legendary Musician is Worth Based on Duplication of Legendary Musicians Selected
|
Rock Legend selected 1X∗ |
2X |
3X |
4X |
5X |
6X |
7X |
8X |
9X |
10X |
11X |
12X |
12 player Group |
100% |
91 % |
82 % |
73 % |
64% |
55 % |
46 % |
37 % |
28 % |
19% |
10% |
1% |
∗ Note: 1X is read as "one time" which means a given Legendary Musician was selected
by exactly 1 of the 12 competitors |
[0096] The table below shows the starting Legendary Musicians in the Pop/Rock category that
a 12 person group selected. The percentage under each musician's name represents the
percentage that the fantasy player will get to keep of the actual fantasy points that
their given Legendary Musician scored. This percentage is based on the number of times
a Legendary Musician was duplicated and is taken directly from the above table (Table
1). It is important to note that if a Legendary Musician performed in more than one
band and also had a solo career (e.g., Eric Clapton-The Yardbirds and Cream and a
distinguished solo career), all of their works and honors will be computed in their
fantasy score.
Table 2 Percentage Values Legendary Musicians Keep Based on Duplication for Groups
of 12
|
Vocals 1960's |
Guitar 1960's |
Drummer 1980's |
Wildcard 1970's |
Fantasy |
Mick Jagger |
Keith Richards |
Rick Allen |
Clarence Clemmons |
Player 1 |
The Rolling Stones |
The Rolling Stones |
Def Leppard |
E Street Band |
|
91% |
73% |
82% |
73% |
Fantasy |
Paul McCartney |
Angus Young |
Ringo Starr |
Mary Wilson |
Player 2 |
The Beatles |
AC/DC |
Beatles |
Heart |
|
82% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
Fantasy |
Eric Clapton |
Bob Weir |
Rick Allen |
Barry Gibb |
Player 3 |
Cream |
Grateful Dead |
Def Leppard |
Bee Gees |
|
73% |
91% |
82% |
100% |
Fantasy |
Paul McCartney |
Keith Richards |
Phil Collins |
Clarence Clemmons |
Player 4 |
The Beatles |
The Rolling Stones |
Genesis |
E Street Band |
|
82% |
73% |
91% |
73% |
Fantasy |
Michael Jackson |
Deen Castronovo |
Gina Schock |
Daryl Dragon |
Player 5 |
The Jackson 5 |
Journey |
Go Go's |
Captain & Tennille |
|
91% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
Fantasy |
Annie Lennox |
Eric Clapton |
Keith Moon |
Alec John Such |
Player 6 |
Eurythmics |
Cream |
The Who |
Bon Jovi |
|
100% |
73% |
100% |
100% |
Fantasy |
Brian Wilson |
Jimmy Page |
Phil Collins |
Dennis DeYoung |
Player 7 |
Beach Boys |
Led Zeppelin |
Genesis |
Styx |
|
100% |
100% |
91% |
91 % |
Fantasy |
Eric Clapton |
Keith Richards |
Rick Allen |
Steven Tyler |
Player 8 |
Cream |
The Rolling Stones |
Def Leppard |
Aerosmith |
|
73% |
73% |
82% |
100% |
Fantasy |
Mick Jagger |
Vivian Campbell |
Neil Peart |
Clarence Clemmons |
Player 9 |
The Rolling Stones |
Def Leppard |
Rush |
E Street Band |
|
91% |
100% |
91% |
73% |
Fantasy |
Paul McCartney |
Slash |
John Panozzo |
Eric Clapton |
Player 10 |
The Beatles |
Guns N' Roses |
Styx |
Cream |
|
82% |
100% |
100% |
73% |
Fantasy |
John Lennon |
Bob Weir |
John Bonham |
Dennis DeYoung |
Player 11 |
The Beatles |
Grateful Dead |
Led Zeppelin |
Styx |
|
100% |
91% |
100% |
91 % |
Fantasy |
Michael Jackson |
Keith Richards |
Neil Peart |
Clarence Clemmons |
Player 12 |
The Jackson 5 |
The Rolling Stones |
Rush |
E Street Band |
|
91% |
73% |
91% |
73% |
Scoring System in an Example Embodiment
[0097] The scoring system for Fantasy Band Legends in an example embodiment is described
below.
- 10 points - For giving the name of a person who was involved with a band when their
first U. S. top 40 hit is in the same decade asked for by the DECADE MATCHER that
is listed in each of the four band categories on the chart above. For example, the
DECADE MATCHER for the Lead Vocal category is the 1960's on the chart above. One of
the contestants (contestant #11) selected John Lennon as their lead vocal. Because
the indicator asks for a musician who had their first hit song in the 1960's, John
Lennon would score 5 points for this (note: the indicator changes from match to match).
Annie Lennox, selected by contestant #6, would not receive the 5 points because her
first hit song was in the 1980's.
- 5 Points - If the musician is deceased.
- 5 points - If the musician played in a band that had siblings in it (or had a sibling
themselves)
- 5 points - If the musician played in a band with at least one female (or is female
themselves)
- 5 points - For every Grammy this musician has ever earned.
- 5 points - If the musician is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- 5 points - For the Wildcard position entry if that person is not primarily associated
with being a lead singer, guitarist or drummer. For example, Clarence Clemons of the
E Street Band would earn an extra 5 points if he were submitted for this category
because he was best known as a saxophonist.
- 2 points - For every platinum record of which this musician has been a part.
- 1 point - For every top 10 single this artist has been a part of on the Pop/Rock charts
in the U.S.
Profile Ranking in an Example Embodiment
[0098] Profile rankings are achieved by how many consecutive times a contestant advances
out of group play by finishing in the top 3 of their group. Some basic profile ranking
rules for the example embodiment are provided below.
- Once someone has a ranking, they can never lose it.
- If someone skips a round by purchasing something, they don't get the ranking of the
round that they skipped; however, if they advance from the group that they played
in, they get the ranking that this new round is worth. For example, if a contestant
has a Level 2 ranking and skips over both a Level 3 and 4 competition to compete in
a Level 5 match (because they bought something), they will become a Level 5 player
if they finish in the top 3 of that Level 5 match. They will revert back to a Level
2 if they don't finish in the top 3.
- Contestants can always skip rounds or have their groups reduced from 12 all the way
down to 6 by purchasing items.
The 11 Levels of Fantasy Band Legends in the Example Embodiment
[0099] A plurality of levels can be defined for the Fantasy Band Legends. An example of
these various levels for the example embodiment are provided below.
- Level 1-No Talent-This is a person who has never finished in the top 3 of group play
for even one single competition.
- Level 2-Video Game Guitar Hero Champ-This is a person who has advanced one time, but
has never advanced two consecutive times, by finishing in the top 3 in group play
in a national competition.
- Level 3-High School Air Band Winner-This is a person who has advanced two consecutive
times by finishing in the top 3 in group play in a national competition.
- Level 4-Garage Band Wannabe- This is a person who has advanced three consecutive times
by finishing in the top 3 in group play in a national competition.
- Level 5-Local Bar Circuit- This is a person who has advanced four consecutive times
by finishing in the top 3 in group play in a national competition.
- Level 6-One Hit Wonder- This is a person who has advanced five consecutive times by
finishing in the top 3 in group play in a national competition.
- Level 7-Platinum Album- This is a person who has advanced six consecutive times by
finishing in the top 3 in group play in a national competition.
- Level 8-Concert Headliner- This is a person who has advanced seven consecutive times
by finishing in the top 3 in group play in a national competition.
- Level 9-Grammy Award Winner- This is a person who has advanced eight consecutive times
by finishing in the top 3 in group play in a national competition.
- Level 10-Rock and Roll Hall of Famer- This is a person who has advanced nine consecutive
times by finishing in the top 3 in group play in a national competition.
- Level 11-Mount Rushmore of Rock- This is a person who has advanced ten consecutive
times by finishing in the top 3 in group play in a national competition. They automatically
win a seat in the TOC and get a chance to compete for the Grand Prize.
The Tournament of Champions (TOC) Format for Fantasy Band Legends
[0100] The managing entity presents the Tournament of Champions (TOC) format for Fantasy
Band Legends designed for contestants who advance 10 consecutive rounds during a qualifying
competition. The TOC is six rounds with the final round culminating with the top 8
contestants remaining vying for final positions. The same Fantasy Band Legends scoring
system described above can be used for the TOC.
The Fantasy Music Legends TOC Structure for Rounds 1-6 in an Example Embodiment
[0101] An example of the TOC Structure for Rounds 1-6 for the example embodiment are provided
below.
- Up to 10,000 players can participate.
- Contestants compete in groups of 10 (or less).
- The top contestants in each group advance to the next round. This is called an "advancing"
position. Those not finishing in an "advancing" position are eliminated from the TOC.
- The number of contestants advancing from each group varies depending on which round
they are playing in.
- To advance out of Round 1, contestants have to finish in the top 3 of their group
of 10. This means 10,000 entries is narrowed down to 3,000 remaining.
- To advance out of Round 2, contestants have to finish in the top 3 of their group
of 10. This means 3,000 contestants who started the round are narrowed down to 900
remaining.
- To advance out of Round 3, contestants have to finish in the top 2 of their group
of 10. This means 900 contestants who started the round are narrowed down to 180 remaining.
- To advance out of Round 4, contestants have to finish in the top 2 of their group
of 10. This means 180 contestants who started the round are narrowed down to 36 remaining.
- To advance out of Round 5, contestants have to finish in the top 2 of their group
of 9 to qualify for the final round. This means 36 contestants who started the round
are narrowed down to 8 remaining for the last round.
- Each round consists of decks of cards with exactly 30 Fantasy Band Legends.
- All 10 contestants in each group (nine contestants per group for round 5 and eight
contestants in round 6) are allowed to study the deck before the selection process
begins.
- Each contestant is told by a dealer that they only get 3 "Legends" in their entire
fantasy lineup. The dealer also tells them that they don't select one Legend at a
time. They, instead, bid on groups of 3 Legends called "blocs".
- The first time a contestant wins a bid, they receive all three Legends that they bid
on which completes their lineup. They no longer are allowed to bid on anymore blocs
of Legends.
- The dealer begins the selection process by shuffling the deck and laying down the
first three cards. The presentation of cards can also be implemented electronically
in the specialized slot machine as described above.
- All 10 contestants (nine contestants for round 5 and eight for round 6) have the option
of making a percentage bid (the maximum range is from 1% to 100%) on the three Legends
or passing on them with a "No Bid".
- The percentage bid cannot be a decimal or a fraction. It must be a whole percent.
- The lowest bid wins the entire bloc of three Legends. If there is a tie amongst two
or more contestants for the best bid, the person who submitted their entry in first
(time stamped by computer) gets the bloc of Legends.
- If ALL contestants opt out so that no bid is made, this bloc will be reintroduced
later as a "mulligan" (see above for a more detailed explanation of a mulligan).
- Once a contestant wins a bloc of three Legends, they will have the Legends laid on
the table in front of them which signals everyone that they have a complete lineup
and are ineligible to bid anymore.
[0102] Why doesn't a contestant just bid 1% on the first bloc of Legends that they really
like? If the lowest bid wins, this seems like a no-brainer strategy that will automatically
secure the Legends that they desire by submitting the lowest percentage which is 1%.
However, it would be suicidal and would virtually guarantee them coming in last place.
The reason for this is because the percentage bid serves two purposes. It not only
secures Legends by having the lowest bid, but it also severely penalizes contestants
for making absurdly low bids. A 1% bid will undoubtedly win a contestant the Legends
that they desire, but it also represents the percentage of each Legend's fantasy points
that they are eligible for in the game itself. For example, if someone bids 1% to
win a group they desire such as Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson and Keith Richards,
they will be terribly disappointed to learn that they also only get 1% of the fantasy
points that EACH of these three musicians scored.
[0103] In the example embodiment, the setup may not seem fair in one critical way. For example,
a bloc of three could potentially have three second tier artists and another have
three icons. It is possible and yet it is not as absurd as one might think. In the
example embodiment, the described format actually turns the selection process into
a riveting high wire exercise where skill becomes a major factor. Think of these groups
of Legends as stocks. The more valuable the stock, the more aggressive the bidding
will be. The correct price will be set by the bids. Three second tier artists at 95%
of their fantasy points might be more valuable than three icons at 12% of their fantasy
points.
[0104] In the example embodiment, three additional rules heighten the drama of the tournament
format implemented on the specialized slot machine. These additional rules are described
below:
- The order in which the cards are turned over for each bloc of three is very important.
This is because the order they appear in is weighted. The first card turned over for
each bloc will be worth triple their fantasy score. The second card turned over for
each bloc will be double their fantasy score. The third card turned over for each
bloc will be weighted face value of what their fantasy score is. (Note: Fantasy score
is defined as the percentage of fantasy points for which a group of Legends is eligible.)
The reason why this rule is so important is because a trio of Legends such as Mick
Jagger, Robert Cray and Jimmy James (from Tommy Tutone)---in that order--will generate
much more aggressive bidding than if they came out in the order of James, Cray and
Jagger.
- For each new round, the maximum bid possible will be 5% less than the previous round.
The dealer will announce the highest bid possible before the start of each round.
For example, for the first round, the dealer will announce the max bid at 100%. By
the sixth round, they will announce the highest possible bid at 75%. This creates
an urgency to get involved in the bidding process for each round, but also have enough
skill to know what a proper bid is for a given bloc so that it isn't secured with
a ridiculously low bid.
- Fantasy Eliminator is added to the mix. This is the actual "gaming" piece where the
match is decided. The game process will be broken into intervals. At the end of each
interval, the lowest remaining contestant in a given interval is eliminated. This
process continues until there are only advancing positions left for a given group.
[0105] In the example embodiment as described, somebody is going to eventually get a bloc;
because, there are exactly three cards for every contestant --- everybody is going
to eventually need a lineup. What may happen, though, is that all blocs not bid on
are called "mulligans" and will be reintroduced after all the blocs have been revealed.
If there is more than one bloc for which a bid is not received, the blocs are reintroduced
in the order that they first appeared. Also, the maximum bid for a new round does
not go down 5% if the previous bloc was a mulligan. When they are reintroduced though
at the end, they go down 5% each time a new one is reintroduced. If there is a tie
during fantasy eliminator for last place, from the tied players (two or more), the
one who secured their bloc in the latest round automatically is declared the advancing
contestant.
> An Example Embodiment Providing a Specialized Slot Machine for Implementing: A Slot
Machine for Fantasy Sports
[0106] Fig. 6 through Fig. 9 illustrate an example embodiment, implemented as a specialized
slot machine, which shows the basic elements of the user interface for implementing
a tournament with multi-contestant small group rounds on the specialized slot machine.
The specialized slot machine and the user interface thereon can be used to implement
a variety of different tournament formats on the specialized slot machine of an example
embodiment. The following description provides a general overview of one such tournament
format in an example embodiment.
[0107] In various example embodiments described below, real time/live events and related
tournament formats are implemented on a specialized slot machine. These example embodiments
bring slot machines into the 21st century and use real life events to transform the
specialized slot machine from a static entity, that is currently based solely on canned
information, into a real time/live event gaming apparatus.
[0108] It is important to distinguish what is meant by a real time/live event for the purposes
of this example embodiment. An example of what is not meant by a real time/live event
format is having a bunch of poker players playing in an online slot tournament. This
might be a real time/live event, but that designation only refers to the participants
who are playing-not the gaming material itself they are using for the tournament.
The example embodiments describe real time/live action events that constitute the
gaming material itself. No longer are slot machines simply based on predefined sets
of cards that show up, lining up three consecutive cherries or even spinning a wheel
in hopes of creating a fortune. This specialized slot machine and the particular tournament
formats of the various example embodiments described herein are based on real time/live
event data. In other words, the decisions the players are making with the game itself
are based on events that are happening at the time the game is being played.
[0109] This real time/live event slot idea can be used for all types of real life events.
For the purposes of this example embodiment, the described example embodiment uses
the specialized slot machine with real time/live sporting events to create a new type
of slot machine. Even more specifically, the described example embodiment is used
for fantasy sports by modifying some of the current ways fantasy sports games are
played to enhance the real time/live event slot machine embodiment as described herein.
- The specialized slot machines, as described herein, are placed in casinos or other
venues throughout the world. These specialized slot machines can be programmed to
provide a competition related to any real time/live event contestants may desire to
play.
- These specialized slot machines are linked to a central network-accessible database
so that contestants competing in a given "group game" can be playing in different
casinos/venues throughout the world. In other words, if a person sits down in the
MGM™ in Las Vegas, they don't have to sit and wait until their group of six people is
filled by people sitting in that particular MGM™ casino. The other five players competing against them can be sitting in casinos/venues
anywhere in the world.
- Contestants sit at their own individual specialized slot machine/terminal as described
herein. They are given the choice to enter for $1, $5, $20, $50 and $100 contests
(or any other entry amount that casinos/venues find attractive for a slot machine).
- When a contestant looks at the display screen of the specialized slot machine/terminal,
they will see an image on the display screen, as presented by the user interface logic
of an example embodiment described herein, showing a virtual card table with six places
(e.g., see Fig. 9). The contestant at the specialized slot machine/terminal will be
one of the players occupying one of these six places at the virtual card table presented
by the specialized slot machine/terminal.
- The contestant puts an amount of money into the specialized slot machine/terminal
corresponding to the level of play at which they want to participate. For example,
the contestant might put $1 in for the dollar game, $10 in for the ten dollar game,
or $20 in for the twenty dollar game, to enter the game.
- The contestant then pulls down the handle (or activates a lever or pushes a button
on the user interface of the specialized slot machine/terminal) and the specialized
slot machine/terminal starts generating a variety of enticing and entertaining graphics
that flash around until the contestant has a full group of six other players to play
against (who are also playing for the same entry amount). Because the game will fill
quickly with players, the graphic display generations, which take about five seconds,
will take longer than the time needed to fill a live group of players, which will
happen immediately, because the game and the players are linked to casinos/venues
throughout the country/world (e.g., geographically distributed).
- Groups are always comprised of six contestants in an example embodiment.
- The other five contestants, who will fill the remaining five places at the virtual
card table presented by the specialized slot machine/terminal, will be anonymous on
the display screen in front of a given contestant. The user interface logic will configure
the user interface of the example embodiment for each player to identify the different
player positions as "YOU", "Contestant #1", "Contestant #2", etc. (see Fig. 9).
- The contestants will be instructed by the user interface of the example embodiment
that they will see three fantasy sports athletes.
- The contestants will be instructed that the game will be based on live action scoring
from some sporting event(s) that is currently in progress.
- For every group of six competing contestants, the top scoring two contestants in each
of these groups are considered winners. There is no distinction between finishing
first and second. The top scoring two contestants are both winners and are eligible
for the same prize if they choose to cash out.
- These two top scoring winners for each group have one of two options. The two top
scoring winners can either: 1) cash out by pressing a button (or activating a virtual
object on the user interface of the specialized slot machine/terminal) that cashes
them out and automatically doubles their money, or 2) they can choose to "let it ride"
by pulling the handle (or activating a lever or pushing a button on the user interface
of the specialized slot machine/terminal) to form a new group with five other new
contestants and try to re-double their money by playing in a new round.
- The bottom scoring four contestants of a group are eliminated and lose their money.
The bottom scoring four contestants can either leave the specialized slot machine
or put more money into the specialized slot machine to play again by playing in a
new group of six contestants.
- The casino/venue provides powerful motivation in two directions for winning contestants
to stay in for another round instead of cashing out. First, winning contestants can
"let it ride" and attempt to redouble their money each time they stay in instead of
cashing out. Secondly, the specialized slot machine experience of the example embodiment
offers another huge incentive for people to stay in. Any contestant who advances ten
consecutive times will play in a Tournament of Champions (TOC) sponsored by the casino/venue
in which they are playing.
- The TOC format in an example embodiment uses the same real time/live action live fantasy
sports format either on a specialized slot machine, online, or in a casino/venue ballroom.
- The rationale for offering TOC is to provide a huge incentive for contestants to not
cash out and to continue playing on the specialized slot machines. The TOC pays out
millions of dollars to the winner and other top finishers and is a very attractive
incentive for people to try and qualify for (and therefore not cash out).
- For clarification purposes, even though contestants might be playing people assigned
by a managing entity from other casinos/venues, this doesn't mean that this is a coordinated
multi-casino TOC. Each casino/venue hosts their own TOC, which can be run directly
from their website, off their own slot machines, or could even be live action in their
casino/venue.
- The reason casinos are motivated to have contestants NOT cash out is because each
time the contestant lets it ride into another round, the percentage of the money the
casino/venue takes in goes up significantly. For example, if the two winners from
every group always cashed out, the casino would receive a standard 33% of the revenue.
If, however, players never cashed out and always let it ride, by round ten the casinos/venues
would always receive a staggering 98.3% of the revenue.
- The table set forth above showing an example of the casino vs. contestant revenue
split depending on the round from which contestants decide to cash out again illustrates
the benefit for the casino/venue if players decide to remain in the game.
- Contestants can play up to 15 rounds on a specialized slot machine as they attempt
to double their money each new round. This means they can continue to try and re-double
their money even after qualifying for the TOC by successfully winning ten consecutive
times. If a TOC qualifier loses in rounds 11 to 15, they do not forfeit their TOC
seat.
The Specialized Slot Machine Tournament Structure for Real time/Live Sporting Events
in an Example Embodiment
[0110] The following description provides a general overview of the specialized slot machine
tournament structure for real time/live sporting events in an example embodiment:
- There are five bidding sessions for each round of play.
- Contestants bid on three athletes at a time. These groups of three athletes are called
"blocs".
- Contestants only get one bloc of three athletes for their entire fantasy lineup.
- The first time a contestant wins a bid, they receive all three athletes that they
bid on which completes their lineup. They no longer are allowed to bid on anymore
blocs of athletes. A black circle will be placed by their position on the specialized
slot machine display screen indicating that they are done trying to secure a bloc.
- The specialized slot machine begins the selection process by shuffling the deck and
laying down the first three cards.
- All six contestants have the option of making a percentage bid (the maximum range
is from 1% to 100%) on the three athletes or passing on them with a "No Bid".
- Contestants have 30 seconds to make a bid. In order to make the bid official, a contestant
pulls the lever of the specialized slot machine (or otherwise activates a button or
an object displayed on the display screen of the specialized slot machine). If a contestant
fails to make a bid during the allotted time, the contestant automatically receives
a "No Bid". Bids are time stamped based on the time when the lever was pulled (or
other object was activated) to break ties.
- Because contestants only have 30 seconds to bid for each of the five rounds, the entire
game only takes two minutes and thirty seconds for the bidding process.
- Once everyone has their blocs, the specialized slot machine computes the final score
of the match immediately based on the real time/live action fantasy point totals each
athlete in the respective blocs has in progress.
- The percentage bid cannot be a decimal or a fraction. It must be a whole percent.
- Contestants will either have a green, red or black circle by their spot on the display
screen at all times. A green circle denotes that they have turned in their bid. A
red circle denotes that they have not yet submitted their bid. A black circle denotes
that they have already secured their bloc from a previous round.
- The lowest bid wins the entire bloc of three athletes. If there is a tie amongst two
or more contestants for the best bid, the contestant who submitted their bid first
receives the bloc.
- If none of the contestants bid on a bloc, this bloc will be reintroduced later as
a "mulligan" (see below for a more detailed explanation on a mulligan). In other words,
there will not be a new group of three athletes that replaces a bloc that has no bidders.
- Once a contestant wins a bloc of three athletes, they have a complete lineup and are
ineligible to bid anymore. A black circle will be placed by their spot on the card
table to indicate they are no longer eligible to bid anymore.
[0111] Why doesn't a contestant just bid 1% on the first bloc of athletes that they really
like? If the lowest bid wins, this seems like a no-brainer strategy that will automatically
secure the athletes that they desire by submitting the lowest percentage which is
1%. However, this strategy would be counter-productive and would virtually guarantee
that the contestant would come in last place. The reason for this is because the percentage
bid serves two purposes. The bid not only secures athletes by having the lowest bid,
but the bid also severely penalizes contestants for making unreasonably low bids.
For example, a 1% bid will undoubtedly win a contestant the athletes that they desire,
but this bid also represents the percentage of each athlete's fantasy points that
they are eligible for in the game itself. For example, if someone bids 1% to win a
fantasy football group they desire such as Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson and Marshawn
Lynch, they will be terribly disappointed to learn that they also only get 1% of the
fantasy points that each of these three athletes scored in their respective games.
As a result, a value of the contestant's bid, as represented by the percentage bid,
is used to discount or reduce the contestant's score or quantity of points received
by a corresponding amount. In this manner, a contestant bidding at a minimal level
will also only receive a score or quantity of points at a correspondingly minimal
level.
[0112] In the example embodiment, the setup may not seem fair in one critical way. For example,
a bloc of three athletes could potentially have three duds like all kickers for a
football contest while another bloc of three athletes has all high value athletes
like quarterbacks for the same competition. Isn't this absurd since quarterbacks are
much more valuable than kickers? In the example embodiment, the described format actually
turns the selection process into a riveting high wire exercise where skill becomes
a major factor. Think of these groups of athletes as stocks. The more valuable the
stock, the more aggressive the bidding will be. The correct price will be set by the
bids. Three kickers at 95% of their fantasy points might be more valuable than three
quarterbacks at 12% of their fantasy points. This bidding process creates a tremendous
amount of strategy for participants to consider.
[0113] In the example embodiment, two additional rules heighten the drama of the tournament
format implemented on the specialized slot machine. These additional rules are described
below:
- Blocs can have multipliers on them for each athlete in a bloc. The ranges of multipliers
for the entire blocs can vary from 6X (read "6 times") all the way to 10X. They aren't
assigned uniformly to each athlete in the bloc, though. The multipliers can be split
up and have different levels of intensity on individual athletes. For example, the
specialized slot machine might flash that the multiplier is 7X, which means that the
three athletes shown (e.g., see Fig. 9) will have multipliers that have a sum total
of 7X; however, their placement will be random as will their intensity (or value)
on each athlete. For the 7X example, this means that the total on the multipliers
for the 3 athletes must add up to seven. It could be that the first athlete is worth
1X their fantasy point total, the second athlete 5X and the third athlete 1X. It could
also be 2X, 2X and 3X respectively. Using the later example, this means that the first
card turned over would mean the athlete would be worth double their fantasy score.
The second card turned over would mean the athlete would be worth double their fantasy
score. The third card turned over would mean the athlete would be worth triple their
fantasy score. (Note: Fantasy score is defined as the percentage of fantasy points
a group of athletes is eligible for that was determined by the bid for which the bloc
was secured.)
- For each new round, the maximum bid possible will be 8% less than the previous round.
The specialized slot machine will show the bidding range for each round. For example,
for the first round, the specialized slot machine will give the range as 1% to 100%.
By the fourth round, this range will be down to 1% to 76%. This creates an urgency
to get involved in the bidding process for each round, but also have enough skill
to know what a proper bid is for a given bloc so that it isn't secured with an unreasonably
low bid. After five rounds of bidding have occurred, the last person remaining in
the group without a bloc automatically gets the last bloc that wasn't bid on for 60%
of the fantasy points for each athlete in the bloc. See the, "Table Showing Max and
Min Bidding Percentages Allowed Each Round" set forth above for an example embodiment.
[0114] Given the description of the example embodiment as provided above, one might think
that the game is unfair if some blocs might have as low as a 6X multiplier while others
might be as high as a 10X multiplier. However, this feature of an example embodiment
makes the game even more strategic. Now, contestants will have to factor into the
calculus the fact that a bloc of strong athletes might be diminished in value because
they have a smaller multiplier and a more mediocre group might be increased in value
because they are more valued by a higher multiplier. Even if a strong group of athletes
has a 10X multiplier, this won't be a problem. The appropriate percentage bid for
this bloc will be significantly lower than the norm. Conversely, a mediocre bloc of
athletes with a small multiplier should be able to be secured with a bid considerable
higher than the norm.
[0115] In the example embodiment as described, somebody is going to eventually get a bloc;
because, there is exactly one bloc every contestant --- everybody is going to eventually
need a lineup. All blocs not bid on are called "mulligans" and will be reintroduced
after all the blocs have been revealed. If there is more than one bloc for which a
bid is not received, the blocs are reintroduced in the order that they first appeared.
Also, the maximum bid for a new round does not go down 8% if the previous bloc was
a mulligan. When the blocs not bid on are reintroduced and all six blocs have been
shown and either bid on or passed on, the maximum bid for the reintroduced blocs go
down 8% each time a new one is reintroduced and bid on. If there is a tie for a final
position, amongst tied players, the person who secured their bloc in the lowest or
latest round advances.
[0116] Once the bids are received from the contestants in a group for a particular round,
the six contestants in the group are scored for final positions. The specialized slot
machine of an example embodiment can gather the data for all athletes in the contest
and then compute the final positions. This computation will take no more than five
seconds after all contestants have secured their blocs. The specialized slot machine
can tabulate the scores for all of the athletes and then add the three scores together
for each bloc of athletes. Each contestant will then be ranked 1-6 (one through six)
on the specialized slot machine user interface screen (e.g., see Fig. 7 and Fig. 8).
For example, to tabulate the score of a single athlete, three components of information
are required. First, the athlete's average fantasy game score has to be a part of
the database linked to the managing entity website for easy retrieval. The second
component of information needed is the bid with which the athlete was secured. Finally,
the multiplier on the athlete has to be included in the computation. Using football
as an example, let's assume Tom Brady has a running fantasy game point total of 10.
Then assume he is secured at 68% of his fantasy points and the multiplier on him is
3X. Since 68% of 10 is 6.8 and when 6.8 is multiplied by 3, the result is 20.4. This
means that Brady's score would be added to the other two athletes in his bloc for
a final score to be posted for that contestant. Finally, tied positions always are
broken by awarding the person who secured their bloc in the later round the higher
spot.
The Specialized Slot Machine Tournament Structure in an Alternative Example Embodiment
[0117] The following description provides a general overview of the specialized slot machine
tournament structure in an alternative example embodiment. In an alternative embodiment
of the specialized fantasy sports slot machine as described above, the alternative
slot machine embodiment includes everything described above, but adds one more variable.
This alternative embodiment calls for contestants to create the groups upon which
the contestants bid. The process for this alternative embodiment is described below.
- There are 18 cards in a deck.
- Contestants see all 18 of the cards on the user interface screen ahead of time.
- Each contestant creates one of the six blocs that will be introduced in the bidding
process.
- Contestants select three of the 18 athletes to represent the bloc that they created
for the bidding process. They have 30 seconds to make their picks.
- The selection process is "blind" so none of the six contestants in a group knows what
the other members of the group are selecting.
- Once a contestant creates their bloc of three for the bidding process, they pull the
specialized slot machine's lever (or otherwise activate a button or displayed object).
- If a contestant does not select a bloc of three athletes within the 30 second time
limit, a bloc of three will be selected for them by the specialized slot machine.
- Once all six contestants have created a bloc, the game is set to begin.
- It is important to note that just because a contestant creates one of the six blocs,
that doesn't necessarily mean that this bloc will be the bloc that they end up securing
for the fantasy sports contest. The bloc that they do receive will be determined by
the bidding process.
- This process creates the possibility that some of the 18 athlete cards were not selected
while others were selected more than once.
- These six blocs that were created by contestants are introduced randomly and follow
all of the rules of the process that was described previously --- with one notable
exception. The athletes in a given bloc might not all be worth 100% of their fantasy
point per game value to begin with. This value is determined by how much a given athlete
is duplicated.
- When a bloc of three athletes is introduced, if a given athlete was selected only
once for a bloc, they will be worth 100% of their fantasy sports point per game value.
If on the other hand they are duplicated and the given athlete was selected more than
once for a bloc, each time they are duplicated, they will be worth 20% less of their
fantasy point per game average for each time this duplication occurs.
- The percentage of each individual athlete's fantasy points that are available at any
given time (based on this duplication penalty) will be prominently displayed on each
athlete card as the blocs of three athletes are introduced during the bidding process.
See the table set forth above showing the duplication penalties for each time an athlete
is duplicated during the formation of the blocs.
[0118] The fantasy sports slot machine embodiments based on real time/live action events
as described herein provide a unique idea that has never been seen in the market.
In these example embodiments, the contestants themselves do not constitute the real
time/live action event(s), rather it is the game itself that uses real time/live action
events as the competition unfolds. These example embodiments fundamentally change
the way slot machines are currently used. Slot machine players are suddenly playing
with the outcomes that are based on events that are unfolding as they are playing.
This adds a dimension to slot machines that has never been provided before.
[0119] In order to make these fantasy sports slot machine embodiments possible, there are
three key elements that are new to the fantasy sports genre that these embodiments
introduce and that support the implementation. These three key elements include the
following:
- 1) The fantasy sports slot machine of an example embodiment provides a novel format
of contestants playing in small groups of three or more participants - Fantasy sports
contests have always been contested in one of two ways - both of which mimic real
life sports. They either are conducted using a head-to-head format or they are configured
where the entire field plays against each other simultaneously. Again, the reason
why these two formats have emerged is because these are the formats for how real live
sporting events are contested and fantasy sports contests have always tried to come
as close as possible to mimicking reality. Of the two, the head-to-head format is
the most common way real life sports are contested -- for both team and individual
competitions. For example, in team sports competitions, there are never three (or
more) baseball teams playing each other simultaneously. That would be unheard of.
There are always two teams competing against one another on the baseball diamond.
Similarly, this structure applies to hockey, soccer, basketball, football, and quite
frankly, most other sports. The same head-to-head format also is also quite prevalent
for individual sports such as tennis (both singles and doubles), bowling, fencing,
table tennis, boxing, wrestling, etc.
The other real live sports format that fantasy sports tournament organizers have copied
is the "entire field" concept. An entire field event is when real live sports are
contested in a manner where individuals or teams have to compete against the entire
field at one time. While this is not nearly as prevalent as the head-to-head format,
it is still quite often used. Examples of this are golf, cycling, gymnastics, swimming,
track and field, etc. Teams or individuals compete in one huge event and they are
then ranked according to either their finish or their final scores. Fantasy sports
tournament organizers have tried to re-create the real live action formats that are
used in sports to appeal to those who like to participate in fantasy sports events.
For this reason, they have always configured their offerings to mimic these real live
sporting events by either using a one-on-one format or an "entire field" format. However,
as described herein, there is another way that makes the specialized slot machine
format work and it is a concept that is unique to the industry. This unique format
is also counter-intuitive to how real life sporting events are contested and is why
nobody has ever done this before. The novel method of a fantasy sports slot machine
format as described herein is to have small groups of three or more contestants competing
against one another at the same time. Again, this is counter-intuitive to real live
sports because it makes no sense in real life for the Dolphins, 49ers and Jets to
be playing each other in the same football game. For this exact reason, nobody has
thought about having Bob, Steve, and Mary compete against each other in the same fantasy
sports match because this configuration doesn't mimic real life sports.
- 2) The fantasy sports slot machine of an example embodiment provides a novel format
wherein a portion of an athlete's fantasy points are or can be scored. Fantasy sports
games have always been an all or nothing proposition. Contestants who "own" a certain
athlete have always received all of the fantasy points that their athlete scored in
their real live sports competition. Conversely, contestants who don't own an athlete
receive nothing or zero points for them. This is a very valuable tool that helps make
a fantasy sports slot machine implementation possible. This method involves giving
contestants a portion or fraction of the fantasy points that a given athlete that
they have secured scores. This fractional scoring method of an example embodiment
can be implemented in several different ways as described below.
- a. Percentage Bids-This is a bidding process where the bids involve taking a percentage of the athlete's
fantasy points. In accordance with this method, contestants, in order to secure an
athlete, make a percentage bid on a given athlete. The rules dictate that the contestant
who submits the lowest percentage bid secures that athlete for their lineup. For example,
if three contestants bid, 68%, 81% and 98% for a given athlete, then two things happen.
First, the contestant who made the 68% bid receives that athlete in their fantasy
sports lineup. Secondly, the contestant only receives 68% of the fantasy points that
this athlete scores in the competition. As a result, a value of the contestant's bid,
as represented by the percentage bid, is used to discount or reduce the contestant's
score or quantity of points received by a corresponding amount. In this manner, a
contestant bidding at a minimal level will also only receive a score or quantity of
points at a correspondingly minimal level.
- b. Duplication Penalties-This format allows fantasy contestants to share athletes instead of owning them exclusively,
but there is a price to pay when duplication occurs. Each time an athlete is duplicated,
their fantasy point value goes down a set predetermined percentage.
- c. Partial Scoring-This format allows the actual fantasy sports contests to begin and end before the
related real time/live sporting event has finished. This means that a given athlete
now has only a portion of their fantasy points scored. Only the points that the athlete
scored in their real time/live action game up to the point that the fantasy contest
ends will count.
- 3) The fantasy sports slot machine of an example embodiment provides a novel format
wherein blocs of athletes for a lineup can be selected through an auction process.
Fantasy sports contests have always operated one of two ways, either: a) contestants
select their entire lineup and submit it, or b) they draft athletes individually to
create their "team". As provided by the example embodiments as described herein, there
is another way that makes the fantasy sports slot machine work. Under this example
embodiment, contestants are shown groups of two or more athletes to be evaluated simultaneously.
The contestants who are interested in this "bloc" have to evaluate the comparative
strength of the entire unit over other potential ones. This process creates a new
twist because contestants are now forced to put a value on a unit that has multiple
moving parts. This is not a part of traditional fantasy sports play, but creates a
critical gaming component for a fantasy sports slot machine of the various embodiments
described herein.
[0120] Fig. 15 is a processing flow diagram illustrating an example embodiment of slot machine
processing logic for conducting wagering games using a card system for real time or
live action event content as described herein. The method 1300 of an example embodiment
includes: providing, by use of the data processor, a virtual deck of cards, wherein
a plurality of virtual cards in the deck have been selected from a virtual pool of
cards, wherein each of the plurality of virtual cards comprise identifying information
and real-life statistics related to an athlete's actions in real-life sporting events,
wherein each of the plurality of virtual cards further comprise information indicative
of: 1) an athlete's name, 2) a name of a team for which an athlete plays, 3) a value
of the virtual card determined by fantasy points a corresponding athlete is worth,
4) a position played by an athlete, and 5) bonus points or multipliers corresponding
to the virtual card, the plurality of virtual cards in the deck have been selected
from the virtual pool of cards to maintain a probability of the virtual cards in the
deck generating a winning total based on real-life statistics of selected virtual
cards in the deck within a pre-determined range, each of the plurality of virtual
cards further comprise readable information indicative of a color of the card (processing
block 1310); randomly presenting, via a display device, at least three virtual cards
in a bloc face up from the virtual deck of cards to a plurality of players (processing
block 1320); prompting, by use of the data processor, the plurality of players to
bid on the presented bloc of virtual cards or fold and exit a current round (processing
block 1330); accepting bids from the plurality of players (processing block 1340);
and awarding the presented bloc of virtual cards to a winning player of the plurality
of players with a best bid (processing block 1350).
[0121] Fig. 16 shows a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the example form of a
stationary or mobile computing and/or communication system 700 within which a set
of instructions when executed and/or processing logic when activated may cause the
machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies described and/or claimed herein.
In alternative embodiments, the machine may operate as a standalone device or may
be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine
may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in server-client network
environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.
The machine may be a personal computer (PC), a laptop computer, a tablet computing
system, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a smartphone, a
web appliance, a set-top box (STB), a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine
capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) or activating
processing logic that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while
only a single machine is illustrated, the term "machine" can also be taken to include
any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple
sets) of instructions or processing logic to perform any one or more of the methodologies
described and/or claimed herein.
[0122] The example stationary or mobile computing and/or communication system 700 includes
a data processor 702 (e.g., a System-on-a-Chip (SoC), general processing core, graphics
core, and optionally other processing logic) and a memory 704, which can communicate
with each other via a bus or other data transfer system 706. The stationary or mobile
computing and/or communication system 700 may further include various input/output
(I/O) devices and/or interfaces 710, such as a monitor, touchscreen display, keyboard
or keypad, cursor control device, voice interface, and optionally a network interface
712. In an example embodiment, the network interface 712 can include one or more network
interface devices or radio transceivers configured for compatibility with any one
or more standard wired network data communication protocols, wireless and/or cellular
protocols or access technologies (e.g., 2nd (2G), 2.5, 3rd (3G), 4th (4G) generation,
and future generation radio access for cellular systems, Global System for Mobile
communication (GSM), General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment
(EDGE), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), LTE, CDMA2000, WLAN, Wireless
Router (WR) mesh, and the like). Network interface 712 may also be configured for
use with various other wired and/or wireless communication protocols, including TCP/IP,
UDP, SIP, SMS, RTP, WAP, CDMA, TDMA, UMTS, UWB, WiFi, WiMax, BLUETOOTH, IEEE 802.11x,
and the like. In essence, network interface 712 may include or support virtually any
wired and/or wireless communication mechanisms by which information may travel between
the stationary or mobile computing and/or communication system 700 and another computing
or communication system via network 714.
[0123] The memory 704 can represent a machine-readable medium on which is stored one or
more sets of instructions, software, firmware, or other processing logic (e.g., logic
708) embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described and/or
claimed herein. The logic 708, or a portion thereof, may also reside, completely or
at least partially within the processor 702 during execution thereof by the stationary
or mobile computing and/or communication system 700. As such, the memory 704 and the
processor 702 may also constitute machine-readable media. The logic 708, or a portion
thereof, may also be configured as processing logic or logic, at least a portion of
which is partially implemented in hardware. The logic 708, or a portion thereof, may
further be transmitted or received over a network 714 via the network interface 712.
While the machine-readable medium of an example embodiment can be a single medium,
the term "machine-readable medium" should be taken to include a single non-transitory
medium or multiple non-transitory media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,
and/or associated caches and computing systems) that store the one or more sets of
instructions. The term "machine-readable medium" can also be taken to include any
non-transitory medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions
for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more
of the methodologies of the various embodiments, or that is capable of storing, encoding
or carrying data structures utilized by or associated with such a set of instructions.
The term "machine-readable medium" can accordingly be taken to include, but not be
limited to, solid-state memories, optical media, and magnetic media.
[0124] It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the disclosure
herein that other concepts described herein can also be implemented in particular
embodiments. It will also be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view
of the disclosure herein that the various concepts and features described herein can
be combined in various permutations in particular embodiments.
[0125] The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain
the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that
it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition,
in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped
together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This
method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the
claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim.
Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than
all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby
incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as
a separate embodiment.
APPENDIX
[0126]
Table 1
Qualifying Tournaments |
Example Based on the 2012 NFL™ Football Season |
|
Qualifie r #1 |
Qualifie r #2 |
Qualifier #3 |
Qualifie r #4 |
Qualifie r #5 |
Qualifie r #6 |
Qualifie r #7 |
Qualifie r #8 |
Qualifie r #9 |
Roun ds |
9 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 1 |
Round 1 Sept 9 |
---------- --- |
----------- -- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
Week 2 |
Round 2 Sept 16 |
Round 1 Sept 16 |
----------- -- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
Week 3 |
Round 3 Sept 23 |
Round 2 Sept 23 |
Round 1 Sept 23 |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
Week 4 |
Round 4 Sept 30 |
Round 3 Sept 30 |
Round 2 Sept 30 |
Round 1 Sept 30 |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
Week 5 |
Round 5 Oct 7 |
Round 4 Oct 7 |
Round 3 Oct 7 |
Round 2 Oct 7 |
Round 1 Oct 7 |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
Week 6 |
Round 6 Oct 14 |
Round 5 Oct 14 |
Round 4 Oct 14 |
Round 3 Oct 14 |
Round 2 Oct 14 |
Round 1 Oct 14 |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
Week 7 |
Round 7 Oct 21 |
Round 6 Oct 21 |
Round 5 Oct 21 |
Round 4 Oct 21 |
Round 3 Oct 21 |
Round 2 Oct 21 |
Round 1 Oct 21 |
--------- --- |
--------- --- |
Week 8 |
Round 8 Oct 28 |
Round 7 Oct 28 |
Round 6 Oct 28 |
Round 5 Oct 28 |
Round 4 Oct 28 |
Round 3 Oct 28 |
Round 2 Oct 28 |
Round 1 Oct 28 |
--------- --- |
Week 9 |
Round 9 Nov 4 |
Round 8 Nov 4 |
Round 7 Nov 4 |
Round 6 Nov 4 |
Round 5 Nov 4 |
Round 4 Nov 4 |
Round 3 Nov 4 |
Round 2 Nov 4 |
Round 1 Nov 4 |
Table 2
Qualifying Tournament Caps for Groups of 12 |
Top 3 in Each Group Advance per Round |
Playing for 4,096 Available Main Event Seats |
|
# of Rounds |
Cap (# of entries allowed) |
# of Main Event Seats |
Qualifier #1 |
9 |
272,105,472∗∗ |
1,038 |
Qualifier #2 |
8 |
53,477,376 |
816 |
Qualifier #3 |
7 |
11,698,176 |
714 |
Qualifier #4 |
6 |
2,088,960 |
510 |
Qualifier #5 |
5 |
313,344 |
306 |
Qualifier #6 |
4 |
52,224 |
204 |
Qualifier #7 |
3 |
13,056 |
204 |
Qualifier #8 |
2 |
1,632 |
102 |
Qualifier #9 |
1 |
408 |
102 |
Direct Entry to Main Event∗ |
----- |
100 |
100 |
Totals |
|
339,750,748 |
4,096 |
∗ Fantasy player does not have to qualify via a satellite tournament and goes directly
into the Main Event.
∗∗ To calculate the cap for Qualifier #1, a decision must be made on how many of the
4,096 Main Event seats will be assigned to this particular qualifier. The number 1,038
has arbitrarily been selected. Because three of the twelve fantasy players advance
from each group, this is a 4 to 1 ratio, which can be written as 4/1, which equals
4. Now raise this number 4 to the power of how many rounds the round has. In this
case, satellite #1 has 9 rounds. The number 4 raised to the power of 9 equals 262,144.
This means that 262,144 fantasy players compete over 9 rounds for one Main Event seat.
Because there are 1,038 Main Event seats that we arbitrarily assigned to Qualifier
#1, this means 262,144 times 1,038 is the number of fantasy players that can play
in Qualifier #1. This number comes out to 272,105,472, which is why the cap was set
on this number. |
Table 4
Adjusted Fantasy Points |
Based on How Many Fantasy Players Selected a Given Athlete |
Example from NFL™ Football |
Athlete |
Actual Fantasy Points an Athlete Scored |
Number of Times Selected by a Fantasy Player |
Percentage of Fantasy Points Kept - Based on Duplication of Athletes |
∗Adjusted Fantasy Points |
Vick, Phila |
31 |
2 |
91% |
28.21 |
Bradv, NE |
25 |
6 |
55% |
13.75 |
P. Manning, Ind |
40 |
3 |
82% |
32.80 |
Brees, NO |
28 |
1 |
100% |
28.00 |
Gore, SF |
16 |
2 |
91% |
14.56 |
Peterson, Min |
33 |
11 |
10% |
3.30 |
Mendenhall, Pit |
15 |
1 |
100% |
15.00 |
C. Johnson, Ten |
29 |
4 |
73% |
21.17 |
Foster, Hou |
21 |
1 |
100% |
21.00 |
Jones-Drew, Jax |
9 |
1 |
100% |
9.00 |
Bradshaw, NYG |
13 |
1 |
100% |
13.00 |
Turner, Atl |
31 |
1 |
100% |
31.00 |
Rice, Bait |
17 |
1 |
100% |
17.00 |
S. Jackson, STL |
24 |
1 |
100% |
24.00 |
Welker, NE |
21 |
2 |
91% |
19.11 |
C. Johnson, Det |
18 |
6 |
55% |
9.90 |
A. Johnson, Hou |
27 |
5 |
64% |
17.28 |
Bowe, KC |
11 |
1 |
100% |
11.00 |
Austin, Dal |
15 |
1 |
100% |
15.00 |
White, Atl |
13 |
1 |
100% |
13.00 |
Wallace, Pitt |
25 |
1 |
100% |
25.00 |
Jennings, GB |
17 |
1 |
100% |
17.00 |
Marshall, Mia |
16 |
1 |
100% |
16.00 |
Fitzgerald, Az |
22 |
3 |
82% |
18.04 |
Wavne, Ind |
10 |
1 |
100% |
10.00 |
D. Jackson, Phila |
12 |
1 |
100% |
12.00 |
Table 5
Final Scores for Hypothetical 12 |
Fantasy Player Football Group |
(Top 2 Fantasy Players Advancing) |
|
NFL™ Player #1 TRIPLE PTS |
NFL™ Player #2 DOUBLE PTS |
NFL™ Player #3 FACE VALUE |
Totals |
Fantasy Player 1 |
Rodgers QB Green Bay 3.90 × 3 = 11.70 ∗∗ |
Roethlisberger QB Pittsburgh 23.78 X 2 = 47.56 |
Nelson WR Green Bay 19.20 |
78.46∗ 2nd Place |
Fantasy Player 2 |
Rodgers QB Green Bay 3.90 X 3 = 11.70 |
Green Bay Defense 20.00 X 2 = 40.00 |
Mendenhall Pitt 9.84 |
61.54 8th Place |
Fantasy Player 3 |
Randle El WR Pittsburgh 9.00 X 3 = 27.00 |
Rodgers QB Green Bay 3.90 X 2 = 7.80 |
Driver WR Green Bay 2.00 |
36.80 12th Place |
Fantasy Player 4 |
Wallace WR Pittsburgh 15.47 X 3 = 46.41 |
Rodgers QB Green Bay 3.90 X 2 = 7.80 |
Pittsburgh Defense 10.92 |
65.13 6th Place |
Fantasy Player 5 |
Crosby K GB 7.00 X 3 = 21.00 |
Pittsburgh Defense 10.92 X 2 = 21.84 |
Rodgers QB Green Bay 3.90 |
46.74 11th Place |
Fantasy Player 6 |
Roethlisberger QB Pittsburgh 23.78 X 3 = 71.34 |
Jennings WR Green Bay 17.22 X 2 =34.44 |
Rodgers QB Green Bay 3.90 |
109.68 1st Place |
Fantasy Player 7 |
Ward WR Pittsburgh 13.00 X 3 = 39.00 |
Mendenhall RB Pittsburgh 9.84 X 2 = 19.68 |
Rodgers QB Green Bay 3.90 |
62.58 7th Place |
Fantasy Player 8 |
Jones WR Green Bay 5.00 X 3 =15.00 |
Wallace WR Pittsburgh 15.47 X 2 = 30.94 |
Starks RB Green Bay 5.00 |
50.94 10th Place |
Fantasy Player 9 |
Rodgers QB Green Bay 3.90 × 3 = 11.70 |
Roethlisberger QB Pittsburgh 23.78 X 2 = 47.56 |
Nelson WR Green Bay 19.20 |
78.46∗ 3rd Place |
Fantasy Player 10 |
Rodgers QB Green Bay 3.90 × 3 = 11.70 |
Nelson WR Green Bay 19.20 X 2 = 38.40 |
Jennings WR Green Bay 17.22 |
67.32 4th place |
Fantasy Player 11 |
Rodgers QB Green Bay 3.90 × 3 = 11.70 |
Jennings WR Green Bay 17.22 X 2 = 34.44 |
Nelson WR Green Bay 19.20 |
65.34 5th Place |
Fantasy Player 12 |
Rodgers QB Green Bay 3.90 × 3 = 11.70 |
Nelson WR Green Bay 19.20 X 2 = 38.40 |
Mendenhall RB Pittsburgh 9.84 |
59.94 9th Place |
∗ Advances to next round or qualifies for Main Event.
∗∗ In the example above, athlete Rodgers adjusted fantasy score is 3.90. This score
is tripled because he is slotted first. |
[0127] Aspects of the invention are also set out in the following numbered clauses:
- 1. A specialized slot machine comprising:
a data processor;
a network interface, in data communication with the data processor, for communication
on a data network;
a display device in data communication with the data processor, wherein the display
device serves as a gaming surface; and
a gaming system, executable by the data processor, to transform the data processor
and network interface into a specialized slot machine configured to implement a client
version of a wagering tournament game using a virtual deck of cards, the gaming system
being further configured to:
provide, by use of the data processor, a virtual deck of cards, wherein a plurality
of virtual cards in the deck have been selected from a virtual pool of cards, wherein
each of the plurality of virtual cards comprise identifying information and real-life
statistics related to an athlete's actions in real-life sporting events, wherein each
of the plurality of virtual cards further comprise information indicative of: 1) an
athlete's name, 2) a name of a team for which an athlete plays, 3) a value of the
virtual card determined by fantasy points a corresponding athlete is worth, 4) a position
played by an athlete, and 5) bonus points or multipliers corresponding to the virtual
card, the plurality of virtual cards in the deck have been selected from the virtual
pool of cards to maintain a probability of the virtual cards in the deck generating
a winning total based on real-life statistics of selected virtual cards in the deck
within a pre-determined range, each of the plurality of virtual cards further comprise
readable information indicative of a color of the card;
randomly present, via the display device, at least three virtual cards in a bloc face
up from the virtual deck of cards to a plurality of players;
prompt, by use of the data processor, the plurality of players to bid on the presented
bloc of virtual cards or fold and exit a current round;
accept bids from the plurality of players; and
award the presented bloc of virtual cards to a winning player of the plurality of
players with a best bid.
- 2. The specialized slot machine of clause 1 wherein the gaming system being further
configured to display, by use of the display device, a virtual card table with one
or more player positions.
- 3. The specialized slot machine of clause 1 or 2 wherein the gaming system being further
configured to score the plurality of players based on values of virtual cards held
by each player.
- 4. The specialized slot machine of clause 1, 2 or 3 wherein colors for each of the
plurality of virtual cards in the deck correspond to at least one trait corresponding
to an athlete represented on a virtual card.
- 5. The specialized slot machine of any of clauses 1 to 4 wherein at least one of the
plurality of virtual cards in the deck has a particular color and a name corresponding
to an athlete represented on the virtual card.
- 6. The specialized slot machine of any of clauses 1 to 5 wherein the gaming system
being further configured to receive, by use of the data processor, from the plurality
of players credits corresponding to a player bid via a value input mechanism of a
handheld device, the value input mechanism including a reader and a touch key interface
to enable a player to authorize access to a central account of the player and authorize
transfer of credits of the player from the central account to the specialized slot
machine, the reader being a card reader, a barcode scanner, or a QR code scanner.
- 7. The specialized slot machine of any of clauses 1 to 6 wherein the gaming system
being further configured to score, by use of the data processor, each of the players
based on their bids and a completed hand of virtual cards of each player.
- 8. The specialized slot machine of any of clauses 1 to 7 wherein the gaming system
being further configured to award bonus points to each of the players based on whether
multiple virtual cards corresponding to the awarded bloc of virtual cards identify
a same athlete.
- 9. The specialized slot machine of any of clauses 1 to 8 wherein the gaming system
being further configured to enable a pre-determined quantity of highest ranked players
from each of a plurality of player groups to remain for a next round and automatically
increasing bids of the highest ranked players.
- 10. The specialized slot machine of any of clauses 1 to 9 wherein the gaming system
being further configured to enable players from each of a plurality of player groups
to bid on a plurality of content categories in a bloc.
- 11. The specialized slot machine of any of clauses 1 to 10 wherein the gaming system
being further configured to display, by use of the display device, an indication of
a bidding status of each player in each of a plurality of player groups.
- 12. The specialized slot machine of any of clauses 1 to 11 wherein each of the plurality
of virtual cards in the deck are color coded.
- 13. The specialized slot machine of any of clauses 1 to 12 wherein the gaming system
is further configured to award bonus points to each of the players based on a same
color of virtual cards.
- 14. The specialized slot machine of any of clauses 1 to 13 wherein each of the plurality
of virtual cards in the deck can be represented with a colored sleeve to indicate
a selected card.
- 15. A specialized slot machine comprising:
a data processor;
a network interface, in data communication with the data processor, for communication
on a data network;
a display device in data communication with the data processor, wherein the display
device serves as a gaming surface; and
a gaming system, executable by the data processor, to transform the data processor
and network interface into a specialized slot machine configured to implement a client
version of a wagering tournament game using a virtual deck of cards, the gaming system
being further configured to:
prompt, by use of the data processor, a plurality of users at a plurality of geographically
distributed user platforms to each submit a wager for entry as players into the wagering
tournament game;
divide, by use of the data processor, the plurality of players of the wagering tournament
game into player groups, the player groups each having a pre-determined quantity of
players, the players in each player group competing with other players of a same player
group to advance through a pre-determined number of rounds in the wagering tournament
game, the players in each player group only playing against other members of the same
player group during a given round;
obtain, by use of the data processor, a set of real-life statistics related to an
athlete's actions in real-life sporting events, the gaming system using the network
interface to establish a data connection with a network resource located at a remote
venue at which a real-life sporting event is occurring;
provide, by use of the data processor, a virtual deck of cards, wherein a plurality
of virtual cards in the deck have been selected from a virtual pool of cards, wherein
each of the plurality of virtual cards comprise identifying information and real-life
statistics related to an athlete's actions in real-life sporting events, wherein each
of the plurality of virtual cards further comprise information indicative of: 1) an
athlete's name, 2) a name of a team for which an athlete plays, 3) a value of the
virtual card determined by fantasy points a corresponding athlete is worth, 4) a position
played by an athlete, and 5) bonus points or multipliers corresponding to the virtual
card, the plurality of virtual cards in the deck have been selected from the virtual
pool of cards to maintain a probability of the virtual cards in the deck generating
a winning total based on real-life statistics of selected virtual cards in the deck
within a pre-determined range, each of the plurality of virtual cards further comprise
readable information indicative of a color of the card;
randomly present, via the display device, at least three virtual cards in a bloc face
up from the virtual deck of cards to a plurality of players;
prompt, by use of the data processor, the plurality of players to bid on the presented
bloc of virtual cards or fold and exit a current round;
accept, by use of the data processor, bids from the plurality of players;
assign, by use of the data processor, the presented bloc of virtual cards to a particular
player of the plurality of players with the best bid;
randomly select, by use of the data processor, a statistic from among the real-life
statistics related to an athlete's actions in real-life sporting events for each virtual
card in a player's hand and display the selected statistic on the virtual card as
a score;
evaluate, by use of the data processor, a completed hand of each player and determine
a winning player based on a winning total; and
display, via the display device, any awards or payout values associated with any winning
player.
- 16. The specialized slot machine of clause 15 wherein each of the plurality of virtual
cards in the deck are color coded.
- 17. The specialized slot machine of clause 15 or 16 wherein the gaming system is further
configured to award bonus points to each of the players based on a same color of virtual
cards.
- 18. The specialized slot machine of any of clauses 15 to 17 wherein the gaming system
being further configured to award bonus points to each of the players based on whether
athletes corresponding to the awarded bloc of virtual cards are teammates in real
life sports.
- 19. The specialized slot machine of any of clauses 15 to 18 wherein at least one of
the plurality of virtual cards in the deck has a particular color and a name corresponding
to an athlete represented on the virtual card.
- 20. The specialized slot machine of any of clauses 15 to 19 wherein each of the plurality
of virtual cards in the deck can be represented with a colored sleeve to indicate
a selected card.