Gaming apparatus and method of playing a game with a secondary wild symbol matrix

Abstract

A gaming apparatus and method of playing a game with a secondary wild symbol matrix in which the symbols in the secondary matrix determine whether symbols in a primary matrix will be treated as wild symbols. In one embodiment, the secondary and primary matrix symbols must be identical and vertically aligned in order for the primary matrix symbol(s) to be treated as wild. In another embodiment, a particular combination of vertically aligned secondary and primary matrix symbols (not necessarily identical) will result in the primary matrix symbol(s) being treated as wild. In yet another embodiment, a certain number of symbols appearing in the secondary matrix will result in one or more primary matrix symbols being treated as wild.

1 . A gaming apparatus comprising:
 (a) a primary matrix comprising a plurality of symbols displayed in one or more columns and one or more rows; and   (b) a secondary matrix comprising a single row of symbols, each symbol being vertically aligned with one of the columns of the primary matrix;   wherein if a symbol of the secondary matrix matches a symbol in the column of the primary matrix with which the secondary matrix symbol is vertically aligned, ten the primary matrix symbol that matches the secondary matrix symbol is treated as a wild symbol within the primary matrix.   
   
   
       2 . A gaming apparatus comprising:
 (a) a primary matrix comprising a plurality of symbols displayed in one or more columns and one or more rows; and   (b) a secondary matrix comprising a single row of symbols, each symbol being vertically aligned with one of the columns of the primary matrix;   wherein if a symbol of the secondary matrix and a symbol in the column of the primary matrix with which the secondary matrix symbol is vertically aligned constitute a predetermined combination of symbols, then the primary matrix symbol that constitutes the combination with the secondary matrix symbol is treated as a wild symbol within the primary matrix.   
   
   
       3 . A gaming apparatus comprising:
 (a) a primary matrix comprising a plurality of symbols displayed in one or more columns and one or more rows; and   (b) a secondary matrix comprising a single row of symbols;   wherein if a symbol appears a certain number of times in the secondary matrix, then the same symbol is treated as a wild symbol everywhere it appears in the primary matrix; and   wherein a table is provided that indicates the number of times a particular symbol must appear in the secondary matrix in order for the same symbol to be treated as a wild symbol in the primary matrix.   
   
   
       4 . A method of playing a game comprising:
 (a) allowing a player to place a wager based on symbols in a primary matrix and a secondary matrix, wherein the primary matrix comprises a plurality of symbols displayed in one or more columns and one or more rows and the secondary matrix comprises a single row of symbols, each symbol being vertically aligned with one of the columns of the primary matrix;   (b) if a symbol of the secondary matrix matches a symbol in the column of the primary matrix with which the secondary matrix symbol is vertically aligned, treating the primary matrix symbol that matches the secondary matrix symbol as a wild symbol; and   (c) awarding the player an award based on the symbols in the primary matrix.   
   
   
       5 . A method of playing a game comprising:
 (a) allowing a player to place a wager based on symbols in a primary matrix and a secondary matrix, wherein the primary matrix comprises a plurality of symbols displayed in one or more columns and one or more rows and the secondary matrix comprises a single row of symbols, each symbol being vertically aligned with one of the columns of the primary matrix;   (b) if a symbol of the secondary matrix and a symbol in the column of the primary matrix with which the secondary matrix symbol is vertically aligned constitute a predetermined combination of symbols, treating the primary matrix symbol that constitutes the combination with the secondary matrix symbol as a wild symbol within the primary matrix; and   (c) awarding the player an award based on the symbols in the primary matrix.   
   
   
       6 . A method of playing a game comprising:
 (a) allowing a player to place a wager based on symbols in a primary matrix and a secondary matrix, wherein the primary matrix comprises a plurality of symbols displayed in one or more columns and one or more rows and the secondary matrix comprises a plurality of symbols displayed in one or more rows and/or one or more columns;   (b) if a symbol appears a certain number of times in the secondary matrix, treating the same symbol as a wild symbol everywhere it appears within the primary matrix;   (c) providing a table that indicates the number of times a particular symbol must appear in the secondary matrix in order for the same symbol to be treated as a wild symbol within the primary matrix; and   (d) awarding the player an award based on the symbols in the primary matrix.