Patent ID: 8162741

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: at least one display device; at least one input device; at least one processor; and at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to: (a) display a plurality of reel sets, each of the reel sets including a plurality of reels wherein at least one of said reels in a first reel set is linked to at least one of said reels in a second reel set; (b) generate and display a plurality of symbols in a plurality of symbol positions am associated with the reels in the first reel set; (c) generate and display a plurality of symbols in a plurality of symbol positions associated with the reels in the second reel set, wherein the generation for each reel set is independent from the generation of any other of said reel sets; and (d) for each of the plurality of reel sets: (i) determine if the displayed symbols form any of a plurality of winning symbol combinations; (ii) provide the player the award associated with the winning symbol combination; (iii) for at least one of any of said winning symbol combinations formed by the displayed symbols: A. remove each of the symbols which form the winning symbol combination; B. for each reel in the first reel set linked to one of the reels in the second reel set, transfer at least one of any of the remaining symbols from the reel in the first reel set to one of any empty symbol positions of the removed symbols on the linked reel in the second reel set; and C. for each reel, transfer at least one of any of the remaining displayed symbols to one of any empty symbol positions on said reel; (iv) for any symbol position that does not display one of said symbols, generate and display a symbol in the symbol position previously occupied by any repositioned or removed symbol; and (v) if the displayed symbols form any of a plurality of winning symbol combinations, provide the player any awards associated with the winning symbol combinations.