Patent ID: 8882578

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: at least one display device; at least one input device; at least one processor; and at least one memory device which stores 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, for a play of a game, to: (a) generate one of a plurality of different symbols at each of a plurality of symbol display positions, wherein the plurality of symbol display positions form at least three columns and at least three rows including a first row, a second row positioned adjacent to the first row and a third row positioned adjacent to the second row, (b) display the generated symbols, (c) determine if any of the displayed symbols form any winning symbol combinations, (d) if a plurality of the displayed symbols form at least one winning symbol combination: (i) display an award for each displayed winning symbol combination, (ii) remove at least one displayed symbol from at least one displayed winning symbol combination, (iii) for at least one of the removed symbols, display said removed symbol along a bonus payline, wherein a determination of if the removed symbol is displayed along the bonus payline occurs distinct from which of the plurality of symbol display positions the removed symbol was displayed at, (iv) for each of any symbols removed from the first row of the symbol display positions, reposition at least one of the displayed symbols to another one of the symbol display positions to create at least one empty symbol display position, (v) for each of any symbols removed from the second row of the symbol display positions, reposition at least one of the displayed symbols to another one of the symbol display positions to create at least one empty symbol display position, (vi) for each created empty symbol display position, display one of the plurality of symbols, and (vii) repeat (c) to (d) until no winning symbol combinations are displayed, and (e) when no winning symbol combinations are displayed: (i) determine any bonus award, said determination based on any symbols displayed on the bonus payline, and (ii) display any determined bonus award.