Patent ID: 8030078

Claim:
A method performed by a video gaming device, the method comprising: spinning and stopping virtual reels, having symbols, in a base game to generate an array of symbols; granting awards to a player for winning symbol combinations in the base game; determining whether a bonus game trigger has occurred; if a bonus trigger has occurred, then performing the method comprising: adding a special first symbol to at least one reel, the first symbol representing a playing card to be randomly dealt to the player; granting the player free bonus spins of the virtual reels, in a bonus round, to achieve arrays of randomly selected symbols with each spin; accumulating bonus win awards during the free bonus spins based on at least winning combinations of symbols during the free bonus spins; if the first symbol on the at least one reel appears after a spin at one or more particular positions in an array of symbols, randomly dealing a playing card to the player; accumulating playing cards dealt to the player by the first symbol appearing after a spin at the one or more particular positions in the array of symbols; determining whether the player has accumulated a certain number of playing cards to make a card hand having a predetermined number of cards; associating the card hand with a multiplier based on a value of the hand; multiplying accumulated bonus win awards during the bonus round by the multiplier to identify a final amount to be awarded to the player; granting the final amount to the player; and terminating the bonus round.