Sudoku-type gaming activity

Abstract

Providing a Sudoku-type gaming experience to a player involves presenting a playing field having a plurality of geometrically linked cells. The playing field has one or more pay regions each including a predefined number of cells of the plurality of cells. Within each of the cells a symbol selected from a plurality of symbols is presented, and a monetary award is provided to the player based on at least one of the pay regions having no two cells with the same symbol

1 . A method of providing a gaming experience to a player, comprising:
 presenting a playing field having a plurality of geometrically linked cells, wherein the playing field has one or more pay regions each comprising a predetermined number of cells of the plurality of cells;   presenting within each of the cells a symbol selected from a plurality of symbols; and   providing a monetary award to the player based on at least one of the pay regions having no two cells that present the same symbol.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of symbols comprise a number of unique symbols, and wherein the number of unique symbols corresponds to the predetermined number of cells in the one or more pay regions. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising generating a known solution where no two cells within any of the pay regions have the same symbol, and wherein presenting the symbols within each of the cells comprises presenting within a subset of the cells the symbols corresponding to the known solution, and randomly assigning the symbols to cells of the plurality of cells that are not contained in the subset. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the monetary award is provided to the player based on all of the randomly assigned symbols corresponding to the known solution within at least one of the pay regions. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the playing field comprises a rectangular grid, and wherein the plurality of cells comprises squares within the rectangular grid. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the playing field comprises a nine-by-nine grid of the squares. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the pay regions comprise lines formed by the squares. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the pay regions comprise square regions formed by the squares. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein one of the plurality of symbols is a wild symbol that results in the monetary award being provided to the player regardless of whether the at least one of the pay regions has two or more of the wild symbols. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising facilitating user selection of the pay regions before the symbols are presented within the cells. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein facilitating user selection of the pay regions comprises facilitating user selection of one or more of a plurality of predefined pay regions. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein facilitating user selection of the pay regions comprises facilitating user selection of an arbitrary shape having the predetermined number of cells. 
   
   
       13 . A casino gaming apparatus, comprising:
 a processor;   a human input and output coupled to the processor; and   a gaming module that causes the processor to,
 present, via the human input and output, a playing field having a plurality of geometrically linked cells, wherein the playing field has one or more pay regions each comprising a predetermined number cells of the plurality of cells; 
 present, via the human input and output, within each of the cells a symbol selected from a plurality of symbols; and 
 provide a monetary award to the player based on at least one of the pay regions having no two cells that present the same symbol. 
   
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the plurality of symbols comprise a number of unique symbols, and wherein the number of unique symbols corresponds to the predetermined number of cells in the one or more pay regions. 
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the gaming module further causes the processor to generate a known solution where no two cells within any of the pay regions have the same symbol, and wherein presenting the symbols within each of the cells comprises presenting within a subset of the cells the symbols corresponding to the known solution, and randomly assigning the symbols to cells of the plurality of cells that are not contained in the subset. 
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the monetary award is provided to the player based on all of the randomly assigned symbols corresponding to the known solution within at least one of the pay regions. 
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the playing field comprises a rectangular grid, and wherein the plurality of cells comprises squares within the rectangular grid. 
   
   
       18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the playing field comprises a nine-by-nine grid of the squares. 
   
   
       19 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein one of the plurality of symbols is a wild symbol that results in the monetary award being provided to the player regardless of whether the at least one of the pay regions has two or more of the wild symbols. 
   
   
       20 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , further comprising facilitating, via the human input and output, player selection of the pay regions before the symbols are presented within the cells. 
   
   
       21 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein facilitating user selection of the pay regions comprises facilitating player selection of one or more of a plurality of predefined pay regions. 
   
   
       22 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein facilitating user selection of the pay regions comprises facilitating player selection of an arbitrary shape having the predetermined number of cells. 
   
   
       23 . A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon and executable by a processing system for performing steps comprising:
 presenting a playing field having a plurality of geometrically linked cells, wherein the playing field has one or more predefined pay regions each comprising two or more cells of the plurality of cells;   presenting within each of the cells a symbol selected from a plurality of symbols; and   providing a monetary award to the player based on at least one of the pay regions having no two cells that present the same symbol.   
   
   
       24 . An apparatus comprising:
 means for presenting a playing field having a plurality of geometrically linked cells, wherein the playing field has one or more predefined pay regions each comprising two or more cells of the plurality of cells;   means for presenting within each of the cells a symbol selected from a plurality of symbols; and   means for providing a monetary award to the player based on at least one of the pay regions having no two cells that present the same symbol.