Multiple stop indicator bonus game

1. A method for operating a game including the steps of:

initiating a primary game whose outcome is based at least partially on a random event;

triggering a bonus game when a pre-selected event occurs in said primary game;

selecting a subset of a plurality of bonus game elements, said bonus game elements comprising a plurality of end-game elements and non-end-game elements;

enabling player selection of a series of the subset bonus game elements; and

ending said bonus game upon player selection of a predetermined number of end-game elements, said predetermined number being a plurality.

2. The method of claim 1 where said ending further comprises

ending upon a first occurrence of either said predetermined number of end-game elements or upon a second stop-game event.

3. The method of claim 2 where said second stop-game event comprises player selection of a predetermined maximum number of elements.

4. The method of claim 1 where said subset selecting step includes variably determining the number of bonus game elements.

5. The method of claim 1 including the step of associating an award with one or more of the player selected elements.

6. A method for operating a bonus game, the bonus game being entered upon an occurrence of a bonus game event in a primary game, the primary game being a game whose outcome is based at least partly on chance, the method including the steps of:

a) enabling a player to select a bonus game element from a set of bonus game elements;

if a selected bonus game element is an end-game element,

incrementing an end-game element count;

d) if the selected element has an associated value, incrementing a value count accordingly;

e) repeating steps (a)-(d) until the

end-game element count reaches a pre-selected number, said number being at least two.

7. The method of claim 6 including the step of increasing the pre-selected number based on a player associated value.

8. The method of claim 6 the repeating step occurring until

a first occurrence of the end-game element, or, a predetermined plurality of bonus game elements being selected.

9. The method of claim 6 , the enabling step including providing the set of bonus game elements from a pool of elements having a plurality of end-game elements therein.

10. A gaming machine comprising:

gaming machine logic operably disposed in said gaming machine providing;

a display in operable communication with said game machine logic;

said gaming machine logic configured to allow play of a primary game and a bonus game,

said primary game's outcome based at least partly on chance, said primary game including a bonus triggering outcome to initiate the bonus game;

said bonus game comprising a set of player selectable bonus game elements, said elements further comprising a subset of elements that are designated as game-end elements where no single end-game element can end said bonus game, such that the selection of a predetermined plurality of end-game elements by the player terminates said bonus game.

11. The gaming machine of claim 10 the bonus game including a first bonus game level and a second bonus game level; the first bonus game level including a second bonus game level triggering event, one or more of the player selectable bonus game elements having respectively associated bonus values; the associated bonus values being accumulated through the gaming machine logic in accordance with the player selection of various of the bonus game elements; the second bonus game level triggering event comprising a predetermined accumulated bonus value amount.

12. The gaming machine of claim 10 where the bonus game is further configured to terminate if a second stop-game event occurs after a predetermined plurality of bonus game elements has been selected including at least one end-game element.

13. The gaming machine of claim 10 where said set of player selectable bonus game elements are determined by the gaming machine logic from a pool of elements having a plurality of end-game elements therein.