Patent ID: 8267773

Claim:
A gaming system for playing a wagering game including a base game and a special event, the wagering game having a first expected value attributable to the base game and a second expected value attributable to the special event, the special event occurring in response to a triggering event during play of the base game; the gaming system comprising: at least one input device; at least one display device; at least one controller; at least one memory device storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one controller cause the system to: receive, responsive to inputs via the at least one input device, wagers to play respective initial plays of the base game; display, on the at least one display device, a randomly selected outcome of each initial play of the base game; receive, responsive to inputs via the at least one input device, wagers to play respective subsequent plays of the base game, the subsequent plays being subsequent to the initial plays; and display, on the at least one display device, a randomly selected outcome of each subsequent play of the base game, wherein the first expected value attributable to the base game decreases from the initial plays to the subsequent plays by making a game enhancement parameter available in the initial plays unavailable in the subsequent plays, and the second expected value attributable to the special event increases from the initial plays to the subsequent plays to compensate for decreasing the first expected value attributable to the base game.