Patent ID: 7976381

Claim:
A method to play a slot machine, the method comprising: a processing unit operating with an output device, the processing unit executing instructions to perform the following operations: providing a set of at least two different actions for an auxiliary game, the set of actions comprising moving an icon in a left direction and moving the icon in a right direction; associating individual reel stops on reels on the slot machine with a respective direction from the set; receiving a wager from a player; spinning the reels on the slot machine to resultant reel stops; awarding any earned combination award based on a combination of the resultant reel stops; moving the icon in the auxiliary game in a direction associated with at least one of the resultant reel stops; maintaining a state of the auxiliary game and conducting a second spin by repeating the receiving, spinning, awarding, and moving; and further awarding an auxiliary award if earned, based on a position of the icon in the auxiliary game, wherein the auxiliary game is displayed on an output device that is different than the reels.