Gaming device having multiplier poker game

Abstract

A video poker gaming device, a method of operating a gaming device and a method of playing a poker game including a plurality of cards displayed to a player where the cards are drawn from a deck of fifty-two cards including at least one modifier card. The gaming device deals a first draw of the cards to form a player's hand. Any multiplier cards in the player's hand are replaced by a non-multiplier card. The gaming device enables the player to hold any of the cards in the hand and then determines if any winning card combinations are indicated by the non-multiplier cards in the hand. An award associated with any indicated winning card combinations is provided to the player. The award is multiplied by the multipliers associated with any multiplier cards in the player's hand.

The invention is claimed as follows: 
     
         1 . An electronic gaming machine comprising:
 at least one display device;   a plurality of input devices including a payment acceptor;   an application-specific integrated circuit comprising:
 a first set of instructions which, when executed responsive to a physical item being received via the payment acceptor, cause the application-specific integrated circuit to:
 modify a credit balance based, at least in part, on a first monetary value associated with the received physical item, wherein the physical item is selected from the group consisting of: a first ticket associated with the first monetary value and a unit of currency, and 
 cause the at least one display device to display the credit balance, 
 
 a second set of instructions which, when executed responsive to an amount of the credit balance being at least equal to a minimum amount, cause the application-specific integrated circuit to:
 cause the at least one display device to initially display at least two symbols from a set of symbols to form an initial symbol combination, 
 randomly determine whether to apply any modifiers, said random determination being independent of any placement of any wagers, 
 thereafter and responsive to the random determination being to apply any modifiers:
 randomly select a modifier from a plurality of modifiers, said randomly selected modifier being independent of the set of symbols, 
 cause the at least one display device to display the randomly selected modifier, 
 receive an input, via at least one of the plurality of input devices, of a selection of any of said displayed symbols in said initial symbol combination to be held, 
 replace each of any non-held symbols in said initial symbol combination with another one of the symbols from the set of symbols, 
 cause the at least one display device to display a first replacement symbol combination including any held symbols in said initial symbol combination and any symbols which replace any non-held symbols in said initial symbol combination, and 
 responsive to said first replacement symbol combination forming any winning symbol combinations: 
  determine a first award amount associated with said first replacement symbol combination, 
  determine a total award amount, said total award amount based on said determined first award amount associated with said first replacement symbol combination and the randomly selected modifier, and 
  cause the at least one display device to display the determined total award amount, wherein the amount of the credit balance is increasable based on the determined total award amount, and 
 
 responsive to the random determination being to not apply any modifiers:
 receive an input, via the at least one of the plurality of input devices, of a selection of any of said displayed symbols in said initial symbol combination to be held, 
 replace each of any non-held symbols in said initial symbol combination with another one of the symbols from the set of symbols, 
 cause the at least one display device to display a second replacement symbol combination including any held symbols in said initial symbol combination and any symbols which replace any non-held symbols in said initial symbol combination, and 
 responsive to said second replacement symbol combination forming any winning symbol combinations: 
  determine a second award amount associated with said second replacement symbol combination, and 
  cause the at least one display device to display the determined second award amount associated with said second replacement symbol combination, wherein the amount of the credit balance is increasable based on the determined second award amount associated with said second replacement symbol combination, and 
 
 
 a third set of instructions which, when executed responsive to a ticket cashout input being received, cause the application-specific integrated circuit to cause an initiation of a ticket payout associated with the displayed credit balance, wherein the ticket payout comprises a second ticket associated with a second monetary value of the displayed credit balance when the ticket cashout input is received.