Online Gaming System Flexible Multi-Tournament Participation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing online poker systems lack flexibility in allowing players to manage their time effectively in tournaments, as they are required to play continuously with periodic increasing antes, and do not allow simultaneous participation in multiple tournaments, limiting player convenience and gameplay experience.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for online gaming that enables players to enter multiple tournaments simultaneously, allowing them to play at their own pace and come-and-go as desired, with flexible seating and chip management across tournaments, and the ability to review past hands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If players are required to play continuously in tournaments with periodic increasing antes, then the tournament structure maintains integrity and competitive balance, but player flexibility and convenience are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the tournament experience into independent modular units that can be paused and resumed. Players can pause tournaments and rejoin later without penalty, effectively dividing the continuous play requirement into flexible segments that accommodate player schedules while maintaining tournament integrity through automated chip management and position preservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts tournament participation rules to allow players to enter and exit tournaments flexibly. The automated system dynamically manages chip distribution, ante collection, and player positioning when players return, enabling dynamic participation without requiring continuous presence while maintaining competitive balance.
2Adaptability or versatility
If players are allowed to play multiple tournaments simultaneously, then player convenience and time management are improved, but system complexity and chip management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements virtual chip copies that can be allocated across multiple tournament instances. When a player enters multiple tournaments, the system creates virtual representations of chip stacks for each tournament context, allowing simultaneous participation without physical chip constraints. These virtual copies are managed independently but can be reconciled automatically when players cash out or are eliminated.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary chip management layer that mediates between a player's actual chip balance and their participation in multiple tournaments. This intermediary layer tracks virtual chip allocations across tournaments, ensures sufficient balances for ante requirements, and automatically reconciles chip positions when players exit or are eliminated from any tournament, simplifying multi-tournament management.
3Productivity
If tournament antes are increased periodically to squeeze out players, then tournament progression and winner determination are accelerated, but player retention and gameplay duration are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically preserving player positions, chip stacks, and tournament state when players pause or leave. When players return, their state is restored without requiring them to replay hands or risk chip loss from missed antes. This preliminary preservation action allows players to participate in longer durations across multiple sessions without penalty, counterbalancing the aggressive ante structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for providing a card game is provided. Players are provided an option to enter one or more tournaments (for real monies or play monies). In an embodiment, a tournament lasts for a predetermined number of hands for a predetermined duration. As an example, a tournament duration is defined by the number of players who bust out or complete a requisite number of hands by a predetermined date and time, or is defined by a specified number of players who bust out or complete the requisite number of hands. A tournament payout pool is determined based on the number of players who busted out or played in the tournament for a predetermined number of hands and duration.