Patent ID: 9373225
Filing Date: 2016-06-21
CPC Classification: G07F

Claim Text:
1. A gaming device, comprising: an input device which accepts physical media associated with a monetary value to establish a credit balance; a display unit for displaying a game, the game including a plurality of reels being displayed in a display grid, each reel being adapted to display one of a plurality of symbols; a database including a list of reel configurations, each reel configuration in the list of reel configurations including a selection probability, a predefined number of reel groups, and an associated number of game instances, each reel group of the predefined number of reel groups including at least two reels, each reel included in the corresponding reel group being displayed at a predefined position within the display grid to form a predefined reel pattern, each reel of the plurality of reels being included in only one of the reel groups, the list of reel configurations including a first reel configuration having a first number of reel groups and a second reel configuration having a different number of reel groups; and a controller coupled to the display unit, the controller configured to: allow a player to make a wager on the game with the input device and adjust the credit balance by an amount of the wager; initiate the game including each of the plurality of reels being used to generate an outcome of the game, randomly select a reel configuration from the list of reel configurations included in the database as a function of each associated selection probability; determine a number of reels groups included with the selected reel configuration; determine a number of reels included in each of the corresponding number of reel groups and the corresponding reel pattern; determine the number of game instances associated with the selected reel configuration; randomly determine an outcome for each of the number of game instances as a function of the selected reel configuration including selecting a single random symbol for each reel group, each of the selected single random symbols being displayed in each reel of the corresponding reel group in the corresponding outcome; display the game including the determined number of reel groups having the corresponding reels being displayed in the corresponding reel patterns; spin and stop each reel of the corresponding reel groups to display each of the outcomes of the number of game instances including displaying the same symbols in each reel of the corresponding reel group during rotation; and provide an award to the player as a function of the outcomes and responsively adjust the credit balance as a function of the award.