Patent ID: 7695365

Claim:
A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming machine, comprising: receiving a wager from a player to initiate a play of the wagering game; using a wager detector of a gaming machine to signal a processor that the wager has been received from the player; using the processor to execute a game program that causes a display of the gaming machine to display successive arrays of symbols during the play of the wagering game, each array of the successive arrays being comprised of a plurality of rows and columns and being generated by a plurality of symbol-bearing reels that are rotated and stopped to place symbols on the reels in visual association with a display area; respinning all the reels of the plurality of symbol-beating reels to generate a respective array of a subsequent plurality of the successive arrays; in response to multiple predetermined symbols of one type being randomly displayed, altering a function of at least one symbol of the symbols on the reels and maintaining the function for the at least one symbol for one or more of the subsequent plurality of the successive arrays resulting from the respinning, the function for the at least one symbol being retained for one or more of the subsequent plurality of the successive arrays resulting from successive respinning of the reels; and awarding payouts for the successive arrays according to a pay table.