Patent ID: 8172665

Claim:
A gaming system including: at least one input device; at least one display device; at least one processor; and at least one memory device storing 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 input device and the at least one display device for each play of a game, upon an input of a wager, to: (a) randomly determine a plurality of symbols from a set of symbols, the set of symbols including a plurality of different symbols and including at least one evaluation triggering symbol; (b) display the randomly determined symbols; (c) determine if a designated number of the evaluation triggering symbol are displayed, said designated number being at least one; (d) if the designated number of evaluation triggering symbols are not displayed, end the play of the game and provide no awards to the player; (e) if the designated number of evaluation triggering symbols are displayed: (i) for each evaluation triggering symbol: (a) determine if the evaluation triggering symbol has a predefined positional relationship to at least one of a designated symbol, (b) if the evaluation triggering symbol has the predefined positional relationship to at least one of the designated symbol, convert the at least one designated symbol into a different symbol, (c) determine if any newly converted symbols have a predefined positional relationship to at least one of the designated symbol, (d) if any newly converted symbols have the predefined positional relationship to at least one of the designated symbol, convert the at least one designated symbol into the different symbol, and (e) repeat (c) and (d) until no newly converted symbols have the predefined positional relationship to at least one of the designated symbol; (ii) determine if at least one of a plurality of predetermined winning symbol combinations of a paytable are displayed, and (iii) determine any awards associated with any displayed predetermined winning symbol combinations using the paytable; and (f) display and provide any determined awards to the player.