Abstract: Payout methods in a mechanical, an electro-mechanical and/or computer-based slot machine-like games-of-chance enable a series of awards based upon: appearance of predetermined symbol combinations in the symbol matrix; issuance of awards for the predetermined combination of symbols; removal of the winning symbol combinations from the symbol matrix; replacement of removed symbols with other symbols; issuance of awards for predetermined combination of symbols in the symbol matrix; and recurring cycles of award, removal and replacement until no winning symbol combinations appear in the symbol matrix.

Gaming device operating method e.g. for slot machine, involves generating primary set of symbols and virtual set of symbols, and replacing non-matching symbols in primary set with symbols in virtual set. Abstract: A gaming device which displays multiple results wherein subsequently displayed results are formed from previously displayed results...randomly generates and displays a first set of symbols...generates a second set of symbols... The gaming device compares the first and second set of symbols .... The gaming device displays the matching symbols and then displays the second set of symbols.