Patent ID: 8444465

Claim:
A gaming device comprising: a display device; an input device; a processor; and a memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to operate with the display device and the input device to control each play of a poker game by: (a) upon placement of a wager amount, causing a display of a plurality of playing cards in a primary poker game, wherein different pluralities of playing cards form a plurality of different poker hands, a first triggering event is associated with a first set of said poker hands, said first set of said poker hands including a first quantity of at least one poker hand, a second different triggering event is associated with a different, second set of said poker hands, said second set of said poker hands including at least one different poker hand than said first set of poker hands and said second set of said poker hands including a greater quantity of poker hands than the first set of poker hands; (b) enabling a player to select zero, one or more of said displayed playing cards to discard; (c) for each displayed playing card the player selected to discard, removing said selected playing card and causing a display of another one of said playing cards, wherein said displayed playing cards form one of said poker hands; (d) if the formed poker hand is one of the first set of poker hands associated with the first triggering event, providing a bonus game such that the player has a first probability of being provided a designated award in the bonus game, wherein for each play of the bonus game: (i) a plurality of symbols of the bonus game are each determined regardless of each of the playing cards of the poker game, (ii) a number of said symbols of the bonus game is determined regardless of a total number of the playing cards displayed for the formed poker hand, (iii) the bonus game is separate from the primary poker game, and (iv) the bonus game is a different game than the poker game; and (e) if the formed poker hand is one of the second set of poker hands associated with the second triggering event, providing the bonus game such that the player has a different, second probability of being provided the designated award in the bonus game.