Patent ID: 8052514

Claim:
A method of operating a slot machine of the kind that displays a symbol matrix formed by at least one row intersecting a plurality of columns, a symbol location being defined at each row-column intersection, the rows and columns including a plurality of symbols, one symbol being displayed at each symbol location, the slot machine under control of a processor, the method comprising: defining in the processor at least one symbol as an award symbol; selecting in the processor, from among all symbol locations without regard to whether any symbol location has been selected for display of any symbol, at least one first-award symbol location and at least one second-award symbol location for the award symbol; associating in the processor a first value with the first-award symbol location and a second value with the second-award symbol location, wherein the first value is different than the second value based on the location of the award symbol on the symbol matrix regardless of combinations with other symbols in the symbol matrix; randomly rearranging in the processor the plurality of symbols; displaying the rearranged symbols on a display of the slot machine; and under control of the processor, issuing an award having the first value if an award symbol appears in a first-award symbol location without regard to any symbol appearing in any adjacent location and having the second value if an award symbol appears in a second-award symbol location without regard to any symbol appearing in any adjacent location.