Method of conducting a video poker game

1. A method of conducting a video poker game, comprising:

receiving a wager from a player to play the game;

dealing a plurality of face-up cards from a deck into a card hand;

if any of the face-up cards is a predefined special card, conducting a game feature that allows the player to draw a replacement card to replace the special card up to a plurality of times, the replacement card being drawn from a plurality of possible replacement cards; and

determining a poker hand ranking of the card hand.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of face-up cards includes at least five face-up cards.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conducting step includes initially dealing the plurality of possible replacement cards face-down and then successively displaying the replacement cards face-up until the player selects one of the replacement cards, the selected replacement card being the last replacement card displayed face-up prior to the selection.

4. The method of claim 1 , further including prior to the step of determining a poker hand ranking of the card hand:

selecting, indirectly or directly, none or more of the plurality of face-up cards to be replaced; and

replacing each of the selected face-up cards with a face-up card from the deck.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the steps of selecting none or more of the plurality of face-up cards and replacing each of the selected face-up cards with a face-up card from the deck are performed prior to the step of conducting a game feature.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the steps of selecting none or more of the plurality of face-up cards and replacing each of the selected face-up cards with a face-up card from the deck are performed after the step of conducting a game feature.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of selecting none or more of the plurality of face-up cards is performed by the player.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deck is comprised of fifty-two standard playing cards and at least one of the predefined special card.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the replacement card is drawn from the deck.

10. The method of claim 1 , further including providing an award if the poker hand ranking meets a predetermined criterion.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of possible replacement cards are initially presented face-down.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of possible replacement cards are initially presented face-up.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the special card is associated with a color and wherein the plurality of possible replacement cards include any cards remaining in the deck and having a suit of that color.

14. A method of conducting a video poker game, comprising:

receiving a wager from a player to play the game;

dealing a plurality of face-up cards from a deck into a card hand;

if any of the face-up cards is a predefined special card, conducting a game feature including:

dealing a plurality of possible face-down replacement cards from the deck,

successively turning the face-down replacement cards to be face-up until a most recently turned one of the replacement cards is selected by the player, and

replacing the special card in the card hand with the selected replacement card; and

determining a poker hand ranking of the card hand.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of possible replacement cards includes at least five possible replacement cards.

16. The method of claim 14 , further including prior to the step of determining a poker hand ranking of the card hand:

selecting, indirectly or directly, none or more of the plurality of face-up cards to be replaced; and

replacing each of the selected face-up cards with a face-up card from the deck.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the steps of selecting none or more of the plurality of face-up cards and replacing each of the selected face-up cards with a face-up card from the deck are performed prior to the step of conducting a game feature.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the steps of selecting none or more of the plurality of face-up cards and replacing each of the selected face-up cards with a face-up card from the deck are performed after the step of conducting a game feature.

19. The method of claim 14 , further including providing an award if the poker hand ranking meets a predetermined criterion.

20. A method of conducting a video draw poker game, comprising:

receiving a wager from a player to play the game;

dealing a plurality of face-up cards from a deck into a card hand;

in response to the player selecting none or more of the plurality of face-up cards to be replaced, replacing each of the selected face-up cards with a face-up card from the deck;

if, before or after the step of replacing each of the selected face-up cards, any of the face-up cards is a predefined special card, conducting a game feature that allows the player to draw a first replacement card from the deck to replace the special card, the first replacement card being drawn from a plurality of possible replacement cards;

within the game feature, allowing the player to draw a second replacement card to replace the first replacement card if the player is not satisfied with the first replacement card, the second replacement card being drawn from the plurality of possible replacement cards; and

determining a poker hand ranking of the card hand.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the plurality of possible replacement cards are initially presented face-down.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the conducting step allows the player to draw a replacement card, up to a plurality of times, to replace the special card.

23. The method of claim 20 , wherein the plurality of possible replacement cards are initially presented face-up.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the special card is associated with a color and wherein the plurality of possible replacement cards include any cards remaining in the deck and having a suit of that color.

25. A method of conducting a video poker game, comprising:

receiving a wager from a player to play the game;

dealing a plurality of face-up cards from a deck into a card hand;

if any of the face-up cards is a predefined special card, conducting a game feature including:

dealing a plurality of possible face-up replacement cards from the deck, the plurality of possible replacement cards including any cards remaining in the deck and associated with an attribute of the special card,

selecting one of the plurality of possible replacement cards to replace the special card, and

replacing the special card in the card hand with the selected replacement card; and

determining a poker hand ranking of the card hand.

26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the attribute is a color.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein if the color is black the plurality of possible replacement cards include any spades or clubs remaining in the deck, and wherein if the color is red the plurality of possible replacement cards include any hearts or diamonds remaining in the deck.

28. The method of claim 25 , wherein the selecting step is performed by the player.

29. The method of claim 25 , further including prior to the step of determining a poker hand ranking of the card hand:

selecting, indirectly or directly, none or more of the plurality of face-up cards to be replaced; and

replacing each of the selected face-up cards with a face-up card from the deck.

30. The method of claim 29 , wherein the steps of selecting none or more of the plurality of face-up cards and replacing each of the selected face-up cards with a face-up card from the deck are performed prior to the step of conducting a game feature.

31. The method of claim 29 , wherein the steps of selecting none or more of the plurality of face-up cards and replacing each of the selected face-up cards with a face-up card from the deck are performed after the step of conducting a game feature.

32. The method of claim 25 , further including providing an award if the poker hand ranking meets a predetermined criterion.