Patent ID: 8419524

Claim:
A gaming device comprising: at least one input device; at least one processor; at least one display device; and at least one memory device storing 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 and the at least one input device to: (a) display a game including a plurality of non-wild symbols and at least one wild symbol, said symbols displayable at a plurality of symbol positions in a symbol matrix; (b) display a plurality of selections, each of the displayed selections being associated with a different one of a plurality of different patterns of the symbol positions, each of the different patterns of the symbol positions including at least two predefined symbol positions in the symbol matrix; (c) cause a selection of one of the displayed selections; and (d) for each of a plurality of plays of the game: (i) display the wild symbol at each of the predefined symbol positions in the symbol matrix included in the pattern of the symbol positions associated with the selected displayed selection; (ii) independent from the selection of said displayed selection, randomly generate a plurality of said non-wild symbols; (iii) after the wild symbol is displayed at each of the predefined symbol positions in the symbol matrix included in the pattern of the symbol positions associated with the selected displayed selection, display the generated plurality of non-wild symbols at a plurality of the symbol positions in the symbol matrix; (iv) determine any awards associated with any winning combinations of the displayed symbols; and (v) provide any determined awards to a player.