Patent ID: 7766740

Claim:
A computer implemented gaming method comprising: receiving wager data with a controller that is in communication with a plurality of gaming apparatuses in response to a wager made by persons on a game at the gaming apparatuses, said wager data comprising a first plurality of indicia selected by the person from a first defined pool of indicia; displaying the player's selected first plurality of indicia; subsequent to displaying the player's selected first plurality of indicia from the first pool of indicia, the controller randomly substituting at least one of the player's selected first plurality of indicia with a wild card indicia selected from second pool of a different type of indicia, and displaying the results of the substitution to the player; the controller randomly generating a second plurality of indicia from a third pool of indicia that is coextensive with the first sot pool of indicia and displaying the second plurality of indicia to the player, the second plurality of indicia from the third pool of indicia being greater in number than the player's selected first plurality of indicia from the first pool of indicia; determining matches between the player's selected first plurality of indicia and the randomly generated second plurality of indicia with the controller, the wild card indicia from the second pool of a different type of indicia being deemed a match with any one of the randomly generated second plurality of indicia; and determining a prize payout with the controller as a function of the number of matches between the player's selected first plurality of indicia and the randomly generated second plurality of indicia.