Patent ID: 7803041

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: a display device; an input device; a processor; and a memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to operate with the display device and the input device, for each play of a poker-style game, to: (a) display to a player five playing cards dealt for the poker-style game from a single deck of playing cards; (b) permit said player to hold a desired number of said dealt five playing cards; (c) permit said player to draw replacement playing cards for each dealt playing card that said player elects not to hold from the playing cards remaining in the single deck; and (d) if said player is only one playing card away from achieving a royal flush poker hand: (i) return each of said dealt playing cards that said player elected not to hold to the single deck; and (ii) provide said player with at least one option to receive a winning poker hand by: (A) displaying to said player an indication of a plurality of supplemental playing cards from said playing cards in the single deck, said plurality of supplemental playing cards being less than a quantity of playing cards remaining in the single deck, at least one of said plurality of supplemental playing cards being randomly determined, and ensuring another one of said plurality of supplemental playing cards being a playing card which when combined with said player's replacement playing cards and the playing cards said player elected to hold, form the royal flush poker hand; and (B) selecting one of said plurality of supplemental playing cards to try to form the royal flush poker hand without requiring said player to place any additional wagers.