Primary wagering games of gaming machines in most jurisdictions are games of luck, not games of skill. For instance, in slot machines, the player must make a wager on the slot game to begin the slot game, and the gaming machine randomly determines the outcome for the slot game. The outcome may be a winning outcome or a losing outcome. The outcome determines whether the player obtains an award according to the paytable of the slot machine.
One reason slot machines are popular is because an amateur, novice or inexperienced player can play most slot machines at the player's own pace, with no required skills, strategy or risk evaluation and perform as well as a seasoned or experienced slot game player. Most slot machines are set to pay back on average between 80 and 99 percent of the amounts that the players wager. In most modern slot machines, a processor controlling the gaming machine randomly determines the outcomes and thus the awards. In other slot machines, a central server determines the awards and sends information or data regarding the awards to the respective gaming machines.
Certain gaming machines such as video poker and blackjack involve certain player strategy or decision-making. The player decides which cards to hold in draw-type poker games and decides whether to take additional cards in blackjack-type card games. These games generally require a certain level of strategy to be successful.
Wagering games of gaming machines in certain jurisdictions are required to involve a skill event such as an event requiring player dexterity to be successful. These games cannot turn purely upon a random outcome. These gaming machines require strategy or timing of inputs by the player to determine success and failure. If the player does not play optimally, the actual payout percentage of the gaming machine will likely decrease accordingly.
Primary wagering games which are purely skill games or partial skill games present certain problems for game designers and gaming establishments. First, skill games can be mastered by players having a high level of skill, substantial practice or both. To combat the mastering of such games and to make the economics work, a game designer may have to make the skill game relatively difficult. The difficulty level may be too great for inexperienced or average players to have a sufficient level of success and enjoyment at the gaming machines. Such players may not have a favorable gaming experience at such gaming machines.
Skill games, on the other hand, are generally interactive and are enjoyable for certain people to play. Many people have especially grown accustomed to and comfortable with playing arcade skill games, home video skill games, computer skill games, handheld device skill games, and data network (e.g., internet) skill games. Many known wagering games do not appeal to such people who have played such skill based games which reward skill and strategy. Some of these people may not want to play wagering games of conventional gaming machines which are purely based on randomly generated outcomes and involve no skill or little skill. Some of these people also enjoy the competitive nature of skill games which are not provided by known conventional wagering games of gaming machines.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need to provide gaming devices and gaming systems which simulate games of skill in a way that enables a player to have some control over the outcome.