Patent ID: 8734225

Claim:
A video gaming machine, comprising: a video display device; and, a game controller for displaying a base instance of the video game on the video display device, initializing the base instance of the video game, and responsively detecting a triggering condition, the triggering condition including a predetermined symbol being utilized within the base instance of the video game, the game controller, in response to detecting the triggering condition, for splitting the base instance of the video game into a plurality of sub-instances of the video game and displaying the sub-instances of the video slot game on the video display device, for establishing an outcome of each of the plurality of sub-instances of the video game and awarding a respective award as a function of the outcome of each of the plurality of sub-instances of the video games and a predetermined paytable, wherein the predetermined symbol is copied into each sub-instance of the video game and is held throughout play thereof.