Patent Publication Number: US-7220180-B2

Title: Gaming device having multiple selectable changing awards

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
   This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/825,774, filed on Apr. 16, 2004, entitled “Gaming Device Having Multiple Selectable Changing Awards,” which is a divisional of and claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/960,785, filed on Sep. 21, 2001, entitled “Gaming Device Having Multiple Selectable Changing Awards,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,722,983, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein. 

   CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   The present invention relates to the following co-pending commonly owned U.S. patent applications: “GAMING DEVICE HAVING A BONUS SCHEME WITH MULTIPLE SELECTION GROUPS,” Ser. No. 10/243,047, “GAMING DEVICE HAVING A BONUS SCHEME WITH MULTIPLE SELECTION GROUPS,” Ser. No. 10/623,421, “GAMING DEVICE WITH MULTIPLE LEVELS WHICH DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF INDICATORS OF A SYMBOL GENERATOR,” Ser. No. 10/951,986, “GAMING DEVICE HAVING A GAME WITH MULTIPLE SELECTIONS AND PROGRESSIVE GAME INCREMENTATION,” Ser. No. 11/553,322, “GAMING DEVICE HAVING A WEIGHTED PROBABILITY FOR SELECTING A BONUS GAME,” Ser. No. 11/534,049, “APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MODIFYING GENERATED VALUES TO DETERMINE AN AWARD IN A GAMING DEVICE,” Ser. No. 09/957,018, “GAMING DEVICE HAVING A MULTIPLE SELECTION GROUP BONUS ROUND,” Ser. No. 10/327,538, “GAMING DEVICE HAVING DUAL EVALUATION SCHEME,” Ser. No. 11/277,608, “GAMING DEVICE HAVING A BONUS SCHEME WITH MULTIPLE POTENTIAL AWARD SETS,” Ser. No. 10/652,457, “GAMING DEVICE HAVING A BONUS SCHEME WITH MULTIPLE POTENTIAL AWARD SETS,” Ser. No. 10/949,088, “GAMING DEVICE HAVING A PLAYER SELECTION GAME,” Ser. No. 10/954,132, and “GAMING DEVICE HAVING A PLURALITY OF SYMBOL GENERATORS AND ACCUMULATION GAME WITH MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT TERMINATING CONDITIONS,” Ser. No. 10/941,485. 
   COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
   A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains or may contain material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the photocopy reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure in exactly the form it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
   DESCRIPTION 
   The present invention relates in general to a gaming device, and more particularly to a gaming device having at least two awards that increment upon successive player selections, wherein the player makes a final selection that randomly determines which award the gaming device provides to the player. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Gaming devices provide enjoyment and excitement to players, in part, because they may ultimately lead to monetary awards for the players. Gaming devices also provide enjoyment and excitement to the players because they are fun to play. Bonus games, in particular, provide gaming device manufacturers with the opportunity to add enjoyment and excitement to that which is already expected from a base game of the gaming device. Bonus games provide extra awards to the player and enable the player to play a game that is different than the base game. 
   Gaming devices are typically games of luck, not skill. Primary games are set up to pay back a certain percentage of the amount of money inputted into the machine. The payout percentage in most primary games is set high enough that any player who plays a few hands or spins of the reels wins. That is, in most primary games it is not too difficult to experience some level of success. 
   Bonus games are typically set up for the player to succeed. The player usually wins an award in a bonus game. In bonus game play, the goal is often to maximize the possible award. Winning, at least on some level, is therefore a standard component in gaming devices. Moreover, the payout percentage of any gaming device is ultimately set by the relevant gaming jurisdiction and gaming establishment, not the game designer. 
   A continuing need therefore exists to provide gaming devices that issue awards in an exciting and enjoyable manner. In this respect, it is desirable to enable the player to have an impact on, or a hand in, determining their award. It is further desirable to increase the level of player interaction. Each of these features is desirable in a primary or secondary game. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides a gaming device having a game that may be implemented in a primary or bonus game. More specifically, the present invention provides a processor controlled gaming device that enables the player to build a number of awards by selecting choices from one or more sets of choices and further enables the player to select a final award choice that randomly provides one of the awards when the player finishes building the awards. To this end, in one embodiment of the present invention, the player selects from a first set of choices until the player selects a choice that terminates selection from that set. For purposes of describing the present invention, the choice that ends the player&#39;s selection from the set is called a terminator. In one embodiment, only one set is provided to the player. In this embodiment, the terminator terminates selection from the single set and completes the building of the awards. In other embodiments a plurality of sets are sequentially provided to the player. In these embodiments, the terminator terminates the selection from one set and in turn initiates selection from another set. 
   In each set of one embodiment of the present invention, when the player selects a choice, the game provides an outcome. The sets include any one, combination of or all of the following outcomes: (i) a number of gaming device credits; (ii) a modifier such as a multiplier; and (iii) a terminator. 
   In addition to specifying a number of game credits or a multiplier, the choices also direct which award increments by the number of credits or the multiplier. In one embodiment, a set may include one or more choices that provides a number of credits or a multiplier to both awards or all of the awards. In another embodiment, a choice by the player may yield a number of credits that is subtracted from one or both or all of the awards. 
   The present invention includes at least one and preferably a plurality of sets of choices. The present invention also includes at least two and alternatively any number of awards that the player builds or increments through the selection of the choices. When the player selects a terminator from a set of choices, the game in a preferred embodiment reveals the outcome of any unselected choice in the set. 
   When the player selects a terminator from each set provided by the present invention, the competing awards are complete and a determination is made as to which award the player receives. In a preferred embodiment, the gaming device provides a plurality of award selections. The award selections are separate from the choices displayed in association with their respective sets. The game preferably associates each award with an award selection. The player&#39;s selection of a particular award selection thereby determines which award the player receives. 
   In an alternative embodiment, the gaming device may be adapted to automatically randomly provide one of the awards to the player. This may be done in conjunction with a fun and exciting audio, visual or audio-visual demonstration by the display device. In another alternative embodiment, when the player selects one of the award selections, the gaming device may be adapted to question whether the player wishes to keep or change the initial selection. In yet another alternative embodiment, when the player selects one of the award selections, the gaming device may be adapted to provide one of the awards plus an additional number of credits or a modifier such as a multiplier. 
   It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a gaming device that builds a plurality of potential awards for the player and reveals these awards to the player. 
   It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a gaming device that builds a plurality of potential awards for the player and enables the player to select one of the awards. 
   It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide a gaming device that enables the player to build a plurality of potential awards by selecting choices from a plurality of sets of choices. 
   Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts, elements, components, steps and processes. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  are perspective views of alternative embodiments of the gaming device of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic block diagram of the electronic configuration of one embodiment of the gaming device of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a front elevation view of a display device having one embodiment of an initial screen of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is an elevation view of a display device illustrating the player&#39;s selection of a number of credits for a first award. 
       FIG. 5  is an elevation view of a display device illustrating the player&#39;s selection of a number of credits for a second award. 
       FIG. 6  is an elevation view of a display device illustrating the player&#39;s selection of a multiplier for the first award. 
       FIG. 7  is an elevation view of a display device illustrating the player&#39;s selection of a terminator. 
       FIG. 8  is an elevation view of a display device illustrating the player&#39;s selection of a number of credits for the first and second awards. 
       FIG. 9  is an elevation view of a display device illustrating the player&#39;s selection of a number of credits that are subtracted from the second award. 
       FIG. 10  is an elevation view of a display device illustrating the player&#39;s selection of a terminator having an accompanying multiplier. 
       FIG. 11  is an elevation view of a display device illustrating the player&#39;s selection of a terminator having an accompanying number of credits. 
       FIG. 12  is an elevation view of a display device illustrating a reveal feature of the present invention. 
       FIG. 13  is an elevation view of a display device illustrating the player&#39;s selection of one of the first and second award choices. 
       FIG. 14  is an elevation view of a display device illustrating the player&#39;s receipt of one of the first and second awards. 
       FIG. 15  is an elevation view of a display device illustrating the provision of one of the first and second awards plus an additional number of credits. 
       FIG. 16  is an elevation view of a display device illustrating an alternative initial screen of the present invention. 
       FIG. 17  is an elevation view of a display device illustrating another alternative initial screen of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Gaming Device and Electronics 
   Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , gaming device  10   a  and gaming device  10   b  illustrate two possible cabinet styles and display arrangements and are collectively referred to herein as gaming device  10 . The present invention includes the game (described below) being a stand alone game or a bonus or secondary game that coordinates with a base game. When the game of the present invention is a bonus game, gaming device  10  in one base game is a slot machine having the controls, displays and features of a conventional slot machine, wherein the player operates the gaming device while standing or sitting. Gaming device  10  also includes being a pub-style or table-top game (not shown), which a player operates while sitting. 
   The base games of the gaming device  10  include slot, poker, blackjack or keno, among others. The gaming device  10  also embodies any bonus triggering events, bonus games as well as any progressive game coordinating with these base games. The symbols and indicia used for any of the base, bonus and progressive games include mechanical, electrical, electronic or video symbols and indicia. 
   In a stand alone or a bonus embodiment, the gaming device  10  includes monetary input devices.  FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate a coin slot  12  for coins or tokens and/or a payment acceptor  14  for cash money. The payment acceptor  14  also includes other devices for accepting payment, such as readers or validators for credit cards, debit cards or smart cards, tickets, notes, etc. When a player inserts money in gaming device  10 , a number of credits corresponding to the amount deposited is shown in a credit display  16 . After depositing the appropriate amount of money, a player can begin the game by pulling arm  18  or pushing play button  20 . Play button  20  can be any play activator used by the player which starts any game or sequence of events in the gaming device. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , gaming device  10  also includes a bet display  22  and a bet one button  24 . The player places a bet by pushing the bet one button  24 . The player can increase the bet by one credit each time the player pushes the bet one button  24 . When the player pushes the bet one button  24 , the number of credits shown in the credit display  16  decreases by one, and the number of credits shown in the bet display  22  increases by one. At any time during the game, a player may “cash out” by pushing a cash out button  26  to receive coins or tokens in the coin payout tray  28  or other forms of payment, such as an amount printed on a ticket or credited to a credit card, debit card or smart card. Well known ticket printing and card reading machines (not illustrated) are commercially available. 
   Gaming device  10  also includes one or more display devices. The embodiment shown in  FIG. 1A  includes a central display device  30 , and the alternative embodiment shown in  FIG. 1B  includes a central display device  30  as well as an upper display device  32 . The display devices display any visual representation or exhibition, including but not limited to movement of physical objects such as mechanical reels and wheels, dynamic lighting and video images. The display device includes any viewing surface such as glass, a video monitor or screen, a liquid crystal display or any other static or dynamic display mechanism. In a video poker, blackjack or other card gaming machine embodiment, the display device includes displaying one or more cards. In a keno embodiment, the display device includes displaying numbers. 
   The slot machine base game of gaming device  10  preferably displays a plurality of reels  34 , preferably three to five reels  34 , in mechanical or video form on one or more of the display devices. Each reel  34  displays a plurality of indicia such as bells, hearts, fruits, numbers, letters, bars or other images which preferably correspond to a theme associated with the gaming device  10 . If the reels  34  are in video form, the display device displaying the video reels  34  is preferably a video monitor. Each base game, especially in the slot machine base game of the gaming device  10 , includes speakers  36  for making sounds or playing music. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a general electronic configuration of the gaming device  10  for the stand alone and bonus embodiments described above preferably includes: a processor  38 ; a memory device  40  for storing program code or other data; a central display device  30 ; an upper display device  32 ; a sound card  42 ; a plurality of speakers  36 ; and one or more input devices  44 . The processor  38  is preferably a microprocessor or microcontroller-based platform which is capable of displaying images, symbols and other indicia such as images of people, characters, places, things and faces of cards. The memory device  40  includes random access memory (RAM)  46  for storing event data or other data generated or used during a particular game. The memory device  40  also includes read only memory (ROM)  48  for storing program code, which controls the gaming device  10  so that it plays a particular game in accordance with applicable game rules and pay tables. 
   As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the player preferably uses the input devices  44  to input signals into gaming device  10 . In the slot machine base game, the input devices  44  include the pull arm  18 , play button  20 , the bet one button  24  and the cash out button  26 . A touch screen  50  and touch screen controller  52  are connected to a video controller  54  and processor  38 . The terms “computer” or “controller” are used herein to refer collectively to the processor  38 , the memory device  40 , the sound card  42 , the touch screen controller and the video controller  54 . 
   In certain instances, it is preferable to use a touch screen  50  and an associated touch screen controller  52  instead of a conventional video monitor display device. The touch screen enables a player to input decisions into the gaming device  10  by sending a discrete signal based on the area of the touch screen  50  that the player touches or presses. As further illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the processor  38  connects to the coin slot  12  or payment acceptor  14 , whereby the processor  38  requires a player to deposit a certain amount of money in to start the game. 
   It should be appreciated that although a processor  38  and memory device  40  are preferable implementations of the present invention, the present invention also includes being implemented via one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC&#39;s), one or more hard-wired devices, or one or more mechanical devices (collectively referred to herein as a “processor”). Furthermore, although the processor  38  and memory device  40  preferably reside in each gaming device  10  unit, the present invention includes providing some or all of their functions at a central location such as a network server for communication to a playing station such as over a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), Internet connection, microwave link, and the like. 
   With reference to the slot machine base game of  FIGS. 1A and 1B , to operate the gaming device  10 , the player inserts the appropriate amount of tokens or money in the coin slot  12  or the payment acceptor  14  and then pulls the arm  18  or pushes the play button  20 . The reels  34  then begin to spin. Eventually, the reels  34  come to a stop. As long as the player has credits remaining, the player can spin the reels  34  again. Depending upon where the reels  34  stop, the player may or may not win additional credits. 
   In addition to winning base game credits, the gaming device  10 , including any of the base games disclosed above, also includes bonus games that give players the opportunity to win credits. The gaming device  10  preferably employs a video-based display device  30  or  32  for the bonus games. The bonus games include a program that automatically begins when the player achieves a qualifying condition in the base game. 
   In the slot machine embodiment, the qualifying condition includes a particular symbol or symbol combination generated on a display device. As illustrated in the five reel slot game shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the qualifying condition includes the number seven appearing on, e.g., three adjacent reels  34  along a payline  56 . It should be appreciated that the present invention includes one or more paylines, such as payline  56 , wherein the paylines can be horizontal, diagonal or any combination thereof. An alternative scatter pay qualifying condition includes the number seven appearing on, e.g., three adjacent reels  34  but not necessarily along a payline  56 , appearing on any different set of reels  34  three times or appearing anywhere on the display device the necessary number of times. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a screen  100  of one of the display devices  30  or  32  displays one embodiment of an initial screen of the present invention. The screen  100  includes a plurality of competing awards including Award A and Award B, which are respectively displayed in award display  102  and award display  104 . Each award has a beginning value and an accumulated value. The beginning values may be set at zero or any other value desired by the implemetor. In the initial screen  100 , beginning values of Awards A and B are set to zero. A paid display  108  displays a number of credits that the gaming device  10  downloads to the player. When the player obtains either Award A or B, gaming device  10  moves the award from its respective award display to the paid display  108 , which indicates that the player has actually received the award. 
   The initial screen  100  includes a plurality of sets  110 ,  112  and  114 . Each set includes a plurality of choices. The set  110  includes choices  110   a  through  110   e . The set  112  includes choices  112   a  through  112   e . The set  114  includes choices  114   a  through  114   e . A value or a function is associated with each choice as described in more detail below. 
   The display device  30  or  32  in a preferred embodiment includes a touch screen  50  and a touch screen controller  52 , which communicates with the processor  38  of gaming device  10 , as disclosed in connection with  FIG. 2 . The choices  110   a  through  110   e ,  112   a  through  112   e  and  114   a  through  114   e  in an embodiment are areas of the touch screen  50  that send discrete inputs to the processor  38 . The processor  38  communicates with the memory device  40  that stores a game program, which has been configured to recognize the discrete inputs as the player&#39;s selection of various choices. That is, if the player wants whatever value is associated with a particular choice, the player presses the associated area of the display device  30  or  32 . The touch screen therefore functions as a selector for enabling the player to select the choices. 
   In an alternative embodiment, the choices  110   a  through  110   e ,  112   a  through  112   e  and  114   a  through  114   e  are electromechanical inputs, located on a panel of the gaming device  10 , as hard-wired input devices  44  ( FIG. 2 ). The electromechanical inputs send a discrete input to the processor  38 , as described above. 
   In the illustrated screen  100 , each set includes the same number of choices, however, the sets may be adapted to include different numbers of choices. Each set preferably includes at least two choices. Although the sets are positioned in a grid pattern in the initial screen  100 , the sets may appear in any configuration, so long as the player understands which choices belong to which sets. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a screen  130  of one of the display devices  30  or  32  illustrates the sets  110  through  114 , the award displays  102  and  104  and the paid display  108 . An indicator  120  shown here as a dark bar around the set  114  indicates that the set  114  is the one from which the player should select a choice. The indicator  120  may be any suitable audio, visual or audio-visual display that designates one of the sets for selection. 
   Additionally, an audio, visual or audio-visual message  122 , such as, “Pick One,” informs the player to select one of the choices from the indicated set, here the set  114 . The player  124  selects the choice  114   b  from the set  114 . The selection of the choice  114   b  reveals an award component  131  of five credits that are to be awarded to Award A. The award display  102  increments the Award A appropriately. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 5 , the screen  132  displays one of the display devices  30  or  32 . The indicator  120  informs the player to again select from the set  114  and the message  122  informs the player to pick again. The player  124  selects the choice  114   d , which yields an award component  131  of ten credits to Award B. The award display  104  updates to show the ten credits. The award display  102  still displays the five credits obtained in the screen  130 . The paid display indicates that no award has actually been downloaded to the player at this point in game play. The screen  132  illustrates that the gaming device  10  builds or increments at least two competing awards. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a screen  134  of one of the display devices  30  or  32  illustrates that the indicator  120  still designates the set  114  for selection. The message  122  informs the player to pick again. The player  124  selects the choice  114   a , and gaming device  10  reveals an award component  131  of three times Award A behind choice  114   a . The gaming device  10  multiplies Award A by three and displays the incremented Award A of fifteen in the display  102 . It should be appreciated from the screen  134  that the award components of the present invention can be game credits or game credit multipliers. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 7 , a screen  136  of one of the display devices  30  or  32  illustrates that the indicator  120  still designates the set  114 , the message  122  informs the player to pick again and the player  124  selects the choice  114   e . The selection of the choice  114   e  reveals a selection terminator  137 . In one preferred embodiment, each of the sets including the set  114  includes one or more selection terminators  137 . When the player selects a terminator, the player is no longer enabled to pick from the set that has provided the terminator  137 . Where multiple sets exist, such as the embodiment displayed on the screen  136 , the terminator  137  also initiates selection from another set. In one embodiment, selection of the terminator  137  in the screen  136  does not increment either Award A or Award B and the displays  102  and  104  remain unchanged. In another embodiment, the terminator  137  may increment Award A, Award B or both Award A and B. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 8 , a screen  138  of one of the display devices  30  or  32  illustrates that when the player selects a terminator  137  from a set, e.g., the set  114 , gaming device  10  reveals any previously unrevealed choice. In the screen  138 , the game reveals the unselected choice  114   c , which shows the award component  131  of 2 times B. In an alternative embodiment, gaming device  10  does not reveal unselected choices of a set upon the player&#39;s selection of a terminator  137 . Revealing award components  137  that the player could have selected, however, increases enjoyment and excitement. 
   In the screen  138  of  FIG. 8 , the indicator  120  now designates the set  112  as a set from which the player is to choose. The message  122  informs the player to pick again, and the player  124  selects the choice  112   c . The selection of the choice  112   c  reveals the award component  131  of twenty credits to both Awards A and B. As illustrated in the displays  102  and  104 , both Award A and Award B increment by twenty credits. It should be appreciated from the screen  138 , that any award component  131 , be it a number of credits or a modifier such as multiplier, may increment a single award, a plurality of awards or all of the awards. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 9 , a screen  140  of one of the display devices  30  or  32  illustrates that the indicator  120  still designates the set  112  as the set from which the player is to choose. The player selects the choice  112   a , and gaming device  10  reveals the award component  131  of five credits from Award B. That is, gaming device  10  subtracts five credits from the Award B so that the award display  104  for Award B only displays twenty-five credits. The screen  140  illustrates that any award component  131  may increase or decrease the awards A and B. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 10 , a screen  142  of one of the display devices  30  and  32  illustrates that the indicator  120  still designates the set  112  and the message  122  informs the player to pick again. The player  124  selects the choice  112   e , and gaming device  10  reveals a terminator  137  for the set  112 . The screen  142  illustrates that the terminator  137  also includes a multiplier, here a multiplier of three that multiplies Award B. The award display  104  accordingly increments Award B to seventy-five credits. As with the award components  131 , multipliers provided with a terminator  137  may be adapted to multiply one of, a combination of or all of the awards. 
   Referring to  FIG. 11 , a screen  144  of one of the display devices  30  or  32  illustrates that the indicator  120  now designates the set  110 . Upon the player&#39;s selection of the terminator  137  from the set  112  in the previous screen, the gaming device  10  reveals all unselected choices, namely, choices  112   b  and  112   d . The message  122  informs the player to pick again, and the player  124  selects the choice  110   c . The selection of the choice  110   c  reveals that the player has selected an indicator  137  upon the first selection of the set  110 . In the screen  144 , the terminator  137  is accompanied by an additional number of credits for Award A. The screen  144  illustrates that the terminator  137  may be adapted to add an additional number of credits to one of, a combination of or all of the awards. The award display  102  increments Award A by fifty credits to eighty-five credits. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 12 , a screen  146  of one of the display devices  30  or  32  illustrates that each of the award components  131  and terminators  137 , in a preferred embodiment, is revealed upon the player&#39;s selection of a terminator in the final set. That is, when the player  124  selects the terminator  137  in the set  110 , which is the last available set, the game reveals all unselected choices, namely, choices  110   a ,  110   b ,  110   c  and  110   d . In the illustrated screens, each set only contains one terminator  137 , however, each set may contain zero, one or more terminators  137 . 
   It should be appreciated that while the sets  112  and  114  contain award components  131  and terminators  137  that increment both Award A and Award B, the set  110  only increments Award A. The game designer may provide one or more sets that only increment one of or a percentage of the different awards. The credits and multipliers may be distributed equally among the competing awards, so as to make them both increment roughly equally, on average. The credits and multipliers may alternatively be distributed unequally so as to create one or more desirable awards for the player. 
   It should be appreciated from the foregoing screens that the paid display  108  still shows zero credits. The game has not yet downloaded any award to the player. At this point in the game sequence, Awards A and B are now complete. That is, the player has no more opportunities to build or increment either award. At this point in the game program, it is time for the player or the gaming device  10  to select one of the awards to issue to the player. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 13 , a screen  148  of one of the display devices  30  or  32  illustrates that gaming device  10  displays two award selections to the player, namely, the award selections  150  and  152 . In the illustrated embodiment, the screen  148  no longer displays the sets  110  through  114 , however, in an alternative embodiment the award selections  150  and  152  may be displayed in addition to the sets. A new audio, visual or audio-visual message  154  informs the player to pick one of the selections to receive either Award A or Award B. The selections  150  and  152  can also have indicia prompting the player. As illustrated, the player  124  selects the award selection  152 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 14 , a screen  155  of one of the display devices  30  or  32  illustrates the outcome of the player&#39;s selection of the award selection  152 . The screen  155  provides an audio, visual or audiovisual message  158  that informs the player that gaming device  10  has issued Award A to the player. The paid display  108  accordingly shows the award of eighty-five that has previously been displayed in the display  102 . In an embodiment, a credit roll-up may be employed so that the award display  102  counts backward from eighty-five to zero as the paid display  108  increments from zero to eighty-five. 
   The award provided or downloaded to the player in the paid display  108  is in one embodiment a number of game credits. In another embodiment, the award may be a multiplier that multiplies some other number or amount of game credits such as the player&#39;s total bet, a bet per payline, the number of paylines wagered, a win along a payline, a total win along all wagered paylines, a win in a scatter pay, etc. The award may further alternatively signify a number of picks from a prize pool. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 15 , a screen  160  of one of the display devices  30  or  32  illustrates an alternative embodiment wherein gaming device  10  issues one of the awards and also adds a number of credits to or multiplies the selected award. In this case gaming device  10  provides message  162  via any mode of communication discussed herein and adds thirty credits to the Award B. The award display  104  for Award B no longer displays the seventy-five credits. The paid display  108  indicates that one hundred five credits, i.e., seventy-five credits plus thirty credits, has been issued to the player. 
   The screen  148  of  FIG. 13  illustrates one embodiment wherein the player has an input into which award the player receives. Gaming device  10  also has an input in that it randomly associates via any suitable random generation device each award with one on the award selections  150  and  152 . In an alternative embodiment, the random generation device may simply generate one of the awards displayed in the displays  102  and  104  for the player. Thus, in the screen  156  of  FIG. 14 , the gaming device may alternatively go through a sequence wherein it appears it is determining which award to provide to the player before presenting the message  158  indicating which award the player is to receive. 
   In another alternative, gaming device  10  may provide one or more audio, visual or audio-visual tease sequences (not illustrated). A tease sequence prompts the player, after the player selects one of the award selections  150  or  152 , whether the player wishes to keep or change the player&#39;s selection. The tease sequence adds to the excitement and enjoyment of gaming device  10 . 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 16 and 17 , separate screens  164  and  166  respectively display alternative initial screen embodiments. The screen  164  illustrates that gaming device  10  may present only a single set of choices to the player. In the illustrated embodiment, only the set  110  having choices  110   a  through  110   f  is presented. The set  110  in the screen  164  displays an additional choice  110   f  ( FIGS. 3 to 12  have only choices a to e), which illustrates that the present invention may have different numbers of choices in different sets and in different embodiments. 
   The screen  166  of  FIG. 17  illustrates that gaming device  10  may increment or build any number of awards, e.g., Awards A through C (previous embodiments included only two awards A and B). The screen  166  illustrates five sets, namely, the sets  110  through  118  (previous embodiments included only three sets). The screen  166  therefore illustrates that the gaming device  10  may be adapted to have any number of awards and any number of sets. 
   While the present invention is described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, and is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the claims. Modifications and variations in the present invention may be made without departing from the novel aspects of the invention as defined in the claims, and this application is limited only by the scope of the claims.