Patent ID: 8485885

Claim:
A video gaming machine, comprising: a video display device; and, a game controller for displaying a first instance of the video slot game on the video display device, playing the first instance of the video slot game and awarding an award to a player as a function of an outcome of the first instance of the video slot game and a predetermined paytable, and detecting a triggering condition in the outcome of the first instance of the video slot game, the triggering condition including a predetermined symbol located within at least one triggering cell of the video slot game, the game controller, in response to detecting the triggering condition, for simultaneously displaying second and third instances of the video slot game on the video display device, for playing the second instance of the video slot game and awarding a second award to the player as a function of an outcome of the second instance of the video slot game and a second predetermined paytable, and for playing the third instance of the video slot game and awarding a third award to the player as a function of an outcome of the third instance of the video slot game and a third predetermined paytable, wherein the predetermined symbol is copied into the at least one triggering cell of the second and third instances of the video slot game and is held throughout the play thereof, wherein the first instance of the video slot game is split into the second and third instances of the video slot game.