Patent ID: 9607473
Date: 2017-03-28
CPC Classifications: G07F

Claim:
1. A method of operating a gaming system, the gaming system including one or more controllers and a gaming machine, the gaming machine primarily dedicated to playing at least one casino wagering game, the casino wagering game including a base game in which a player input is received and a wagering game outcome is determined, the gaming machine including an electronic display device and one or more electronic input devices, the method comprising: detecting, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a credit balance; initiating the base game of the casino wagering game in response to an input indicative of a wager covered by the credit balance, the base game having an expected value associated therewith; initiating a secondary game of the base game, the secondary game including a plurality of game episodes, each of the game episodes having predetermined completion criteria capable of being achieved during play of the base game; in response to achieving the predetermined completion criteria for one of the game episodes during play of the base game, awarding a secondary award that is independent of the expected value of the base game; and receiving, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance.