Patent ID: 8118660

Claim:
A method for controlling a total number of plays for a plurality of players of an electronic game, wherein the total number of plays is less than a predetermined maximum, comprising the steps of: setting a maximum number of plays of the electronic game that can be played at each of a plurality of denominations of play; constructing a field having a plurality of elements for a game display by an electronic game processor wherein each element is filled by a game symbol from a plurality of available game symbols wherein the game symbols for each element are automatically determined for each play of the game such that there is no winning combination without player interaction, wherein constructing the field includes: selecting a number of winning combinations for a play of the game; selecting an orientation of each winning combination for the play of the game; selecting the symbols for each of the winning combinations; randomly selecting symbols for the remaining elements of the field; and testing the field to ensure that a winning combination more valuable than the selected winning combinations is not generated inadvertently in completing the field; presenting the field of game symbols to a player by the electronic game processor for selection of a field element wherein such player selection on the game display turns the symbol displayed in the field element into a wild symbol; receiving the player's selection of the field element as a location for the wild symbol by the electronic game processor and determining each winning combination of symbols that is formed by such selection; displaying each winning combination of symbols on the field of game symbols by the electronic game processor; dynamically determining but not displaying a number of plays of the game remaining to be played by the plurality of players at each denomination of play by the electronic game processor based on an action taken by the player prior to selecting the field element location for the wild symbol, wherein determining the number of plays remaining at each denomination of play is a function of each previous play of the electronic game and the denomination at which each previous game was played; and disabling play of the electronic game for all players by the electronic game processor when the number of plays of the game remaining to be played by the plurality of players is depleted.