Method and apparatus for combining symbols in gaming devices

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention set forth systems, apparatuses and methods for combining symbols in gaming devices. Accordingly, a gaming device can be configured to display a plurality of game elements each including a game symbol on a game display in response to a game initiation signal. When one or more predefined game conditions are satisfied, the method further includes combining two or more of the game symbols in a single game element. In some instances, one or more of the symbols that left their respective game elements are replaced with additional game symbols. The resulting game grid may then be evaluated to determine prizes associated with winning symbol combinations, including using one or both of the symbols combined in the single game element in the winning symbol combinations.

1 . A poker gaming device comprising:
 a body structure having a player input device;   a video display device housed in the body structure, the video display including a game portion having a grid of multiple card positions;   a memory device enclosed in the body structure, the memory device storing executable instructions and a plurality of virtual cards each having a rank value and a suit type; and   a processor enclosed in the body structure, the processor arranged to execute the instructions stored in the memory to:
 display a first number of the plurality of virtual cards in the card positions of the grid, the displayed first number of virtual cards forming a poker hand in response to a received game initiation signal; 
 determine whether two or more of the displayed virtual cards meet a combination criterion; 
 combine the two or more determined cards when said cards meet the combination criterion, the cards being combined in a single card position in the grid, wherein the combination of two or more determined cards in the single card position is a multi-indicia card symbol showing each of the combined cards; 
 replace cards combined to a different card position on the grid with replacement cards from the plurality of virtual cards, where each grid position includes either a single virtual card or a multi-indicia card; and 
 identify a plurality of resulting hands for the poker hand when one or more of the card positions of the grid are associated with a multiple-indicia card, each of the plurality of resulting hands including a different subset of a total of the cards by splitting indicia of the multiple-indicia card into individual cards and making combinations using the other cards in the card positions of the grid to generate the plurality of resulting hands. 
   
     
     
         2 . The poker gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein determining whether two or more of the displayed virtual cards meet a combination criterion includes determining whether two or more of the displayed virtual cards are of the same rank value. 
     
     
         3 . The poker gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein determining whether two or more of the displayed virtual cards meet a combination criterion includes determining whether two or more of the displayed virtual cards are of the same suit and have a sequential rank value. 
     
     
         4 . The poker gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the poker hand is a draw poker hand, and wherein the processor is further arranged to execute the instructions stored in the memory to:
 facilitate user identification of which of the displayed virtual cards to hold; and   replace virtual cards in the poker hand that are not held with draw cards from the plurality of virtual cards.   
     
     
         5 . The poker gaming device of  claim 4 , wherein the processor executes the instructions to facilitate user identification of which of the displayed virtual cards to hold and replace virtual cards in the poker hand after the processor executes the instructions to determine whether two or more of the displayed virtual cards meet a combination criterion and combine the two or more determined cards. 
     
     
         6 . The poker gaming device of  claim 4 , wherein the processor executes the instructions to facilitate user identification of which of the displayed virtual cards to hold and replace virtual cards in the poker hand before the processor executes the instructions to determine whether two or more of the displayed virtual cards meet a combination criterion and combine the two or more determined cards. 
     
     
         7 . The poker gaming device of  claim 4 , wherein the processor executes the instructions to facilitate user identification of which of the displayed virtual cards to hold and replace virtual cards in the poker hand both before and after the processor executes the instructions to determine whether two or more of the displayed virtual cards meet a combination criterion and combine the two or more determined cards. 
     
     
         8 . The poker gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further arranged to execute the instructions stored in the memory to provide a payout for any of the plurality of resulting hands that comply with a payout rule. 
     
     
         9 . The poker gaming device of  claim 8 , wherein the processor is further arranged to execute the instructions stored in the memory to display each enumerated resulting hand on the video display device. 
     
     
         10 . The poker gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further arranged to execute the instructions stored in the memory to provide a payout for a best poker hand associated with a largest award of the plurality of resulting hands when the best poker hand complies with a payout rule. 
     
     
         11 . The poker gaming device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further arranged to execute the instructions stored in the memory to repeat the execution steps of determining whether two or more of the displayed virtual cards meet a combination criterion, combining the two or more determined cards, and replacing cards combined to a different card position on the grid until no two displayed virtual cards in the grid meet the combination criterion. 
     
     
         12 . A method comprising:
 displaying a first number of a plurality of first virtual cards in first card positions of a game grid, the displayed first number of virtual cards forming a first poker hand in response to a received game initiation signal;   determining whether two or more of the first displayed virtual cards meet a combination criterion;   combining the two or more determined cards from the first displayed virtual cards when said cards meet the combination criterion, the cards being combined in a single card position in the first card positions of the game grid, wherein the combination of two or more determined cards in the single card position is a multi-indicia card symbol showing each of the combined cards;   replacing cards combined to a different card position in the first card positions of the game grid with replacement cards from the first plurality of virtual cards, where each of the first grid positions includes either a single virtual card or a multi-indicia card; and   identify a plurality of first resulting hands for the first poker hand when one or more of the first card positions of the grid are associated with a multiple-indicia card, each of the plurality of first resulting hands including a different subset of a total of the cards in the first poker hand by splitting indicia of the multiple-indicia card into individual cards and making combinations using the other cards in the first card positions of the grid to generate the plurality of first resulting hands.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the first hand of the poker game is a draw poker game, and wherein the method further comprises:
 facilitating user identification of which of the first plurality of cards in the first poker hand to hold;   replacing the displayed virtual cards in the first poker hand that are not held with first draw poker cards from the first plurality of virtual cards.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising displaying a second number of a second plurality of virtual cards in second card positions of a game grid, the displayed second number of virtual cards forming a second poker hand in response to the received game initiation signal. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein cards held in the first poker hand are automatically displayed and held in the second poker hand at second cards positions in the game grid corresponding to first card positions associated with the held cards in the first poker hand. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising replacing the virtual cards in the second poker hand that are not automatically held with second draw poker cards from the second plurality of virtual cards. 
     
     
         17 . A slot machine apparatus comprising:
 a display device configured to display a game grid; and   a processor configured to:
 spin a plurality of game reels each having a plurality of symbols in response to initiation of a gaming event; 
 stop the plurality of game reels, where at least one symbol of each game reel is displayed in the game grid; 
 determining whether two or more of the displayed symbols in the game grid meet a combination criterion; 
 combining the two or more determined symbols when said symbols meet the combination criterion, the symbols being combined in a single grid position in the grid, wherein the combination of two or more determined symbols in the single grid position is a multi-indicia symbol showing each of the combined symbols; 
 replacing symbols combined to a different grid position on the grid with replacement symbols, where each grid position includes either a single symbol or a multi-indicia symbol; and 
 identifying a plurality of resulting symbol combinations when one or more of the grid positions of the grid are associated with a multiple-indicia symbol, each of the plurality of resulting symbol combinations including a different subset of a total of the symbols by splitting indicia of the multiple-indicia symbol into individual symbol elements and making combinations using the other symbols in the grid positions of the grid to generate the plurality of resulting symbol combinations. 
   
     
     
         18 . The slot machine apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein determining whether two or more of the displayed symbols in the game grid meet a combination criterion includes determining whether two or more predefined symbols having the same indicia appear on a common row in the game grid. 
     
     
         19 . The slot machine apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein replacing symbols combined to a different grid position on the grid with replacement symbols includes respinning game reels that had symbols combined to a different grid position until all game grid positions associated with the respun game reels include at least one of the plurality of symbols. 
     
     
         20 . The slot machine apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein replacing symbols combined to a different grid position on the grid with replacement symbols includes cascading symbols in the game reels that had symbols combined to a different grid position until all game grid positions associated with the game reels include at least one of the plurality of symbols.