Patent ID: 8795055

Claim:
A method of playing a game at a gaming machine having at least one video display, at least one player input device and a controller configured to execute machine-readable code to cause said gaming machine to implement the steps of: accepting a wager from a player; spinning a plurality of reels displayed on said at least one video display, each reel having a plurality of symbols associated therewith, said plurality of symbols including one or more non-wild nudge triggering symbols; stopping said plurality of reels to cause each of said reels to display one or more base symbols, said reels collectively displaying a base set of symbols by said at least one video display; evaluating an outcome of said game with reference to said base set of symbols; determining if said base set of symbols includes a triggering condition comprising at least one non-wild nudge triggering symbol on each of at least two of said plurality of reels; if said triggering condition has not occurred, awarding winnings for winning outcomes relative to said base set of symbols; and if said triggering condition has occurred: (a) locking each of said reels which displays at least one of said non-wild nudge triggering symbols so that said one or more locked reels continue to display said base symbols during a remainder of the game; (b) converting each non-wild nudge triggering symbol in said base set of symbols to a wild symbol; (c) evaluating an outcome of said game with reference to said base symbols including any wild symbols and awarding winnings for any winning outcomes; (d) nudging one of said plurality of reels that is not locked to a new position which causes said nudged reel to display one or more new symbols which, in combination with said base symbols, including any wild symbols, displayed by said one or more locked reels, causes said plurality of reels to display a modified set of symbols; (e) if said one or more new symbols comprises a non-wild nudge triggering symbol, locking said nudged reel and converting said non-wild nudge triggering symbol to a wild symbol; (f) evaluating an outcome of said game with reference to said modified set of symbols, including any wild symbols; (g) awarding winnings for winning outcomes relative to said modified set of symbols; and (h) repeating steps (d) - (g) until at least each reel which is not locked is nudged at least one time.