A gaming system that provides a player symbol set selection feature including a plurality of simultaneously displayed separate player selectable symbol sets for a play of a game. For the play of the game, enables the player to select one of the displayed symbol sets and after the player selection, the gaming system determines and causes each of the symbol sets (including the player selected symbol set and the other non-player selected symbol sets) to display a separate randomly determined outcome for that symbol set for that play of the game. The gaming system provides the player any determined awards for the player selected symbol set and additionally compares any determined awards for the player selected symbol set and any determined awards for the other (non-player selected) symbol sets for that play of the game. Based on that comparison, the gaming system can provide the player one or more comparison awards.

A gaming system displays one of a plurality of symbols in each of a plurality of symbol positions, at least one of the plurality of symbols being a target symbol for establishing a direction of shifting and at least one of the plurality of symbols being a magnetic symbol for shifting toward a target symbol. If any generated magnetic symbol is associated with a generated target symbol, the gaming system shifts that magnetic symbol toward the associated target symbol, resulting in an empty symbol position. The gaming system fills the empty symbol position by shifting a displayed symbol or by generating one of the plurality symbols and repeats until no magnetic symbol is associated with a target symbol. The gaming system provides an award for any displayed winning symbol combination. The gaming system removes symbols from each winning combination, fills the empty symbol positions, and repeats as above.

Gaming systems, methods, and machines provided herein may be used to provide bonus games that are associated with two different classes of awards, e.g., one or more first awards and one or more second awards. The first award(s) may generally be much more desirable to players than the second award(s), e.g., the first awards may be large-denomination jackpot awards, whereas the second awards may be small-denomination credit awards, e.g., non-jackpot awards. During play of such bonus games, selection of a stop position associated with a second award may cause that stop position to be instead associated with one of the one or more first awards for future play of the bonus game, thereby increasing the opportunities to win a first award in subsequent play of the bonus game.

In an electronic gaming device, a linked reel strip mechanism uses one or more data structures for multiple reel strips of a reel strip group. Each of the reel strips is logically linked, in the data structure(s), with one or more other reel strips of the reel strip group. User input is received that indicates a start to a re-spin series, and the linked reel strip mechanism is initialized. As part of backend processing, in each of one or more iterations of the re-spin series, for a current reel strip selected by traversing the data structure(s), a spin result is determined for a spin that uses the current reel strip, and an outcome associated with the spin result is determined. In corresponding frontend processing, the current reel strip is displayed as spinning in a reel area on a display screen, and an indicator of the outcome is displayed.

A method for providing a persistent feature in an electronic game includes: (A) simulates spinning of a plurality of reels; (B) generating a first spin result; (C) triggering a value feature based on the occurrence of at least one feature symbol appearing on the first reel and at least one feature symbol appearing on the second reel in first spin result, causing the electronic game to award value feature symbols that appear on the other reels; (D) during a second spin, displaying an animation of moving the first and second feature symbols one or more positions of the reel upon; (E) overlaying the moved feature symbols during the second spin of the plurality of reels; and (F) triggering the value feature for the second spin when at least one feature symbol appears on both the first reel and on the second reel.

The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for providing sliding symbol operations in grid-base games. The sliding symbol operations allow a player of the gaming device to move, by sliding or dragging, a particular symbol from one cell to another in an array of cells between plays of the grid-based game. Movement of the particular symbol from one cell to another allows a player to control their chances of winning and alter the proposed payouts for winning sequences of symbols for at least one subsequent play of the grid-based game.

Some implementations may involve presenting a feature game round that includes a hold and spin stage and a free game stage. The free game stage may be presented after the hold and spin stage. In some examples, the number of free game instances may correspond to the number of configurable symbols accumulated by the conclusion of the hold and spin stage. In some instances, at least one of the configurable symbols accumulated by the conclusion of the hold and spin stage may indicate a modifier for the free game stage. The modifier may correspond with a modification of one or more reels that are used during a free game instance. In some examples, at least one of the configurable symbols accumulated during the hold and spin stage may indicate a multiplier for an award that is determined during a first free game instance.

A gaming machine comprises game-logic circuitry and a display device that presents a plurality of symbol positions. The game-logic circuitry causes the display device to: in response to a trigger event, present a multiplier region including a subset of the symbol positions, present one or more multiplier selectors that are associated with at least one symbol position of the subset and include a respective set of multipliers, present one or more game outcomes by populating the plurality of symbol positions with randomly selected symbols, select a multiplier for each multiplier selector associated with symbol positions being occupied by value-bearing symbols through the game outcomes, and update the award indicia for each of the value-bearing symbols associated with the multiplier selectors to indicate a respective updated award value at least partially as a function of an initial award value of the value-bearing symbol and the corresponding selected multiplier.

A gaming machine includes a player interface, a display system, and a control system. For a play of a base game, the control system holds configurable symbols in a persistent symbol display matrix, presents symbols in a base game display matrix, updates display positions of the persistent symbol display matrix that are without configurable symbols, and triggers a feature game based on configurable symbols in the base game display matrix. For each spin of a feature game, the control system holds configurable symbols in the base game display matrix and in the persistent symbol display matrix, selects replacement symbols for each display position in the base game display matrix and the persistent symbol display matrix that is without a held symbol, and presents a feature game award based on configurable symbols in the base game display matrix and the persistent symbol display matrix.

Embodiments of the present invention set forth systems, apparatuses and methods for implementing poker games with a hand improvement feature on gaming devices. Accordingly, a gaming device can be configured to operate a poker game by randomly determining a poker hand to deal on a game grid of the display, determining if the dealt poker hand satisfies an upgrade criterion, and implementing an upgrade feature to improve the dealt poker hand when the dealt poker hand satisfies the upgrade criterion. Thereafter, the improved poker hand, or just the dealt poker hand if it did not satisfy the upgrade criterion, may be played.