Patent ID: 7690986

Claim:
A gaming device comprising: at least one display device; at least one processor; and at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device to: (a) display a plurality of reels, said reels including a plurality of symbols including at least one trigger symbol and at least one other symbol which is different from said at least one trigger symbol, wherein a plurality of awards are associated with different combinations of said symbols, and wherein at least one payline is associated with the reels; (b) cause an activation of the reels, wherein said activation includes randomly generating a plurality of said symbols of the reels; (c) cause the at least one display device to display the randomly generated symbols; (d) initiate an award mode when the at least one trigger symbol is displayed on the payline; and (e) in the award mode: (i) cause a re-activation of the reel on which the at least one trigger symbol is currently displayed while holding in a predetermined position each reel which does not currently display the at least one trigger symbol, wherein said re-activation includes randomly generating any one of the symbols of the re-activated reel, (ii) cause the display device to display said randomly generated one of the symbols of the re-activated reel on the payline, (iii) repeat (i) to (ii) until one of the symbols of the re-activated reel which completes at least one of the combinations of said symbols which is associated with one of said awards is displayed on the payline, (iv) when said one of the symbols of the re-activated reel which completes at least one of the combinations of said symbols which is associated with one of said awards is displayed on the payline, provide a player the award associated with the competed combination, and (v) terminate the award mode when the completed combination is displayed.