Wagering game with an improved wheel bonus game and method therefor

Abstract

A method for playing a wagering game wherein when a randomly occurring bonus game condition symbol occurs in the base game outcome, the player plays a separate bonus game to a bonus game outcome. When play of the bonus game is successful, a mechanical wheel is then spun to provide an additional award. In a variation, the base game is separately played. When an independent bonus game condition occurs separately from the base game outcome, the wheel is spun to provide an award independent of the base game.

1 . A method for playing a wagering game comprising: 
 receiving a wager in the wagering game from a player to start play of the wagering game, the wager being any wager up to a maximum wager,    playing a base game in the wagering game to a base game outcome in response to receiving said wager,    when a winning combination occurs in the base game outcome, then: 
 (a) awarding the player a base game payoff in the wagering game corresponding to the winning combination,  
 (b) ending the wagering game in response to the aforesaid awarding,  
   when a randomly occurring bonus game condition occurs in the base game outcome and in response only to receiving the wager, then playing a separate bonus game in the wagering game to a bonus game outcome to when at least one play input is received in the wagering came from the player,    when play of the bonus game results in a successful bonus game outcome and in response only to receiving the wager, the method further comprising: 
 (a) spinning a mechanical wheel in the wagering game to land on one of a plurality of wheel awards,  
 (b) awarding the player a bonus wheel payoff based on the one award landed on,  
 (c) ending the wagering game in response to the aforesaid awarding the player a wheel payoff.  
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 when play of the bonus game in the wagering game results in an unsuccessful bonus game outcome, the method further comprising:    awarding the player in the wagering game a consolation payoff wherein the consolation payoff is lower in value than any one of the plurality of wheel, payoffs,    ending the wagering game with said wheel payoff in response to the aforesaid awarding the player a consolation payoff.    
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 when play of the bonus game results in a successful outcome, then displaying a modification graphic in the wagering game, the modification graphic modifying the wheel payoff.    
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the modification graphic is an arithmetic function.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the arithmetic function is a multiplier.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 when play of the bonus game results in a successful outcome, then displaying a modification graphic, the modification graphic controlling how many times said spinning occurs.    
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the wagering game is a casino game.  
     
     
         8 . A method for playing a wagering game comprising: 
 receiving a wager in the wagering game from a player to start play of the wagering game,    playing a base game in the wagering game to a base game outcome in response to receiving said wager,    when a winning combination occurs in the base game outcome, then: 
 (a) awarding to the player a base game payoff corresponding to the winning combination,  
 (b) ending the wagering game in response to the aforesaid awarding,  
   when a randomly occurring bonus game condition occurs in the base game outcome and in response only to receiving the wager, then playing a separate bonus game in the wagering game to a bonus game outcome when at least one play input from the player is received in the bonus game,    when play of the bonus game results in a successful bonus game outcome, then: 
 (a) spinning a mechanical wheel in the wagering game to land on one of a plurality of wheel awards,  
 (b) awarding the player a wheel payoff based on the one award landed on,  
 (c) ending the wagering game in response to the aforesaid awarding the player a wheel payoff,  
   when play of the bonus game results in an unsuccessful bonus game outcome and in response only to receiving the wager, then: 
 (a) awarding the player in the wagering game a consolation payoff wherein the consolation payoff is lower in value than any one of the plurality of wheel, payoffs,  
 (b) ending the wagering game in response to the aforesaid awarding the player a consolation payoff.  
   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising: 
 when play of the bonus game results in said successful outcome, then displaying a modification graphic, the modification graphic modifying the bonus wheel payoff.    
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the modification graphic is an arithmetic function.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the arithmetic function is a multiplier.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising: 
 when play of the bonus game results in a successful outcome, then displaying a modification graphic, the modification graphic controlling how many times spinning the mechanical wheel occurs.    
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the wagering game is a casino game.  
     
     
         14 . A method for playing a wagering game comprising: 
 accepting in the wagering game a wager from a player to start the wagering game, the wager being any wager up to a maximum wager,    playing a base game in a display of the wagering game to a base game outcome in response to accepting the wager,    awarding a base game payoff to the player only when a winning base game outcome occurs,    spinning a mechanical wheel in the wagering game only when a randomly occurring bonus game condition occurs during play of the base game and in response to accepting the wager, the mechanical wheel having a plurality of payoffs, the bonus game condition occurring independently from and not in the base game outcome,    awarding in the wagering game the player one of the plurality of payoffs landed on after the mechanical wheel stops spinning.    
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  in which spinning the mechanical wheel comprises: 
 when the randomly occurring bonus game outcome occurs, playing a separate bonus game in the wagering game to a bonus game outcome by receiving at least one input from the player,    spinning the mechanical wheel when play of the bonus game is successful.    
     
     
         16 . A method for playing a seal card game comprising: 
 revealing, by a player, a base game outcome in a base game play area of the seal card game,    when a winning combination occurs in the base game outcome, awarding the player a base game payoff corresponding to the winning combination,    when a randomly occurring bonus game condition occurs in the base game outcome, then revealing a bonus game outcome, by the player, in a separate bonus game play area of the seal card game,    when play of the bonus game results in a successful bonus game outcome, revealing, by the player, only one of a plurality of hidden bonus awards in a wheel play area of the seal card game and awarding the player a bonus wheel payoff based on the aforesaid one award landed on.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising: 
 when play of the bonus game results in an unsuccessful bonus game outcome, awarding the player a consolation payoff displayed on the seal card game.    
     
     
         18 . A method for playing a seal card game comprising: 
 revealing, by a player, a base game outcome in a base game play area of the seal card game,    awarding a base game payoff to the player only when a winning base game outcome occurs,    revealing, by the player, a randomly occurring bonus game condition in a bonus game condition area of the seal card game,    when a bonus game condition is revealed in the bonus game condition area, revealing, by the player, only one of a plurality of hidden payoffs in a wheel play area and awarding the player the revealed hidden payoff.    
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising: 
 chasing one light in a plurality of lights on the wagering game,    randomly stopping the aforesaid one light during the chase,    when the randomly stopped light stops at a location having a bonus condition, providing the bonus game condition.    
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising: 
 providing the bonus condition when a special bonus graphic randomly appears in the display but not in the base game outcome.    
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising: 
 providing the bonus condition when the accepted wager corresponds to a random wager-in determined by a random number generation.