Gaming system and method including symbol conversions based on symbol stacks

1. A gaming system comprising:

a cabinet;

a processor;

a display device supported by the cabinet;

an input device supported by the cabinet;

a value acceptor supported by the cabinet;

a value dispenser supported by the cabinet;

a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

establish a credit balance based at least in part on a monetary value received by the value acceptor;

place a wager following receipt of a wager input via the input device, the credit balance being decreased by the wager;

randomly generate a plurality of symbols from a plurality of symbol sets;

display, on the display device, the plurality of symbols in a plurality of symbol display areas, where the plurality of symbol display areas are arranged in a plurality of columns;

determine that at least two of the plurality of columns include stacked symbols, where stacked symbols comprise at least two of a same symbol in adjacent symbols display areas of one of the plurality of columns;

determine that at least one of the plurality of columns is a sandwiched column, where the sandwiched column comprises one of the plurality of columns that is sandwiched between the at least two of the plurality of columns that include stacked symbols;

randomly generate a plurality of new stacked symbols for the at least two of the plurality of columns that include stacked symbols;

display the plurality of new stacked symbols;

convert, into a different symbol, at least one symbol in the sandwiched column based on the plurality of new stacked symbols;

display, on the display device, the different symbol;

evaluate the plurality of symbols that remain displayed and the different symbol for winning symbol combinations;

display, on the display device, an award based on any winning symbol combinations, the credit balance being increased by the award; and

issue value from the value dispenser based on the credit balance upon receipt of a cash out signal.

2. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the different symbol matches the symbols that comprise the stacked symbols.

3. The gaming system of claim 2 , wherein the processor further converts a plurality of symbols in sandwiched columns into the different symbol, where the different symbol matches the stacked symbols, where a quantity of the converted plurality of symbols is based on the plurality of new stacked symbols.

4. The gaming system of claim 3 , wherein after the processor further converts the plurality of symbols in the sandwiched columns into the different symbol, all displayed symbols are matching symbols.

5. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the processor further converts, into different symbols, a plurality of sandwiched symbols in the sandwiched column.

6. The gaming system of claim 5 , wherein the different symbols are matching symbols.

7. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein stacked symbols are predetermined symbols from the plurality of symbol sets.

8. The gaming system of claim 7 , wherein the predetermined symbols are associated with a higher probability of being generated than other symbols from the plurality of symbol sets.

9. The gaming system of claim 7 , wherein the predetermined symbols are associated with low value awards.

10. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the processor further determines whether more than one column of the plurality of columns are sandwiched columns.

11. The gaming system of claim 10 , wherein the processor further determines that at least three of the plurality of columns each include stacked symbols.

12. The gaming system of claim 11 , wherein the processor further:

converts a first sandwiched column that is sandwiched between a pair of the three of the plurality of columns that include stacked symbols, and

converts a second sandwiched column that is sandwiched between a different pair of the three of the plurality of columns that include stacked symbols.

13. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein when converting at least one symbol in the at least one sandwiched column into a different symbol, the processor determines whether the at least one symbol is in a symbol display area that is in the same horizontal plane as the stacked symbols.

14. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein stacked symbols further comprise all of the same symbol in adjacent symbols display areas of one of the plurality of columns.

15. A method of operating a gaming system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a monetary value acceptor, a monetary value;

establishing, by a processor of the gaming system, a credit balance based at least in part on the received monetary value;

accepting, from an input device in a housing of the gaming system, a wager amount;

decreasing, by the processor, the credit balance by the wager amount;

randomly generating a plurality of symbols from a plurality of symbol sets;

displaying, on a display device of the housing, the plurality of symbols in a plurality of symbol display areas, where the plurality of symbol display areas are arranged in a plurality of columns;

determining, with the processor, that at least two of the plurality of columns include stacked symbols, where stacked symbols comprise at least two of a same symbol in adjacent symbols display areas of one of the plurality of columns;

determining that at least one of the plurality of columns is a sandwiched column, where the sandwiched column comprises one of the plurality of columns that is sandwiched between the at least two of the plurality of columns that include stacked symbols;

randomly generating a plurality of new stacked symbols for the at least two of the plurality of columns that include stacked symbols;

displaying the plurality of new stacked symbols;

converting, into a different symbol, at least one symbol in the sandwiched column based on the plurality of new stacked symbols;

displaying the different symbol;

evaluating the plurality of symbols that remain displayed and the different symbol for winning symbol combinations;

displaying, on the display device, an award based on any winning symbol combinations;

increasing, by the processor, the credit balance; and

issuing another monetary value, by a value dispenser, based on the credit balance upon receipt of a cash out signal via.

16. The method of operating the gaming system of claim 15 , wherein the different symbol matches the symbols that comprise the stacked symbols.

17. The method of operating the gaming system of claim 15 , wherein the processor further converts, into different symbols, a plurality of sandwiched symbols in the sandwiched column.

18. The method of operating the gaming system of claim 17 , wherein the different symbols are matching symbols.

19. The method of operating the gaming system of claim 15 , wherein stacked symbols are predetermined symbols from the plurality of symbol sets.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having machine instructions stored therein, the instructions being executable by a processor to cause the processor to:

establish a credit balance based at least in part on a monetary value received by a value acceptor of a gaming device;

place a wager following receipt of a wager input via an input device, the credit balance being decreased by the wager;

randomly generate a plurality of symbols from a plurality of symbol sets;

display, on the display device, the plurality of symbols in a plurality of symbol display areas, where the plurality of symbol display areas are arranged in a plurality of columns;

determine that at least two of the plurality of columns include stacked symbols, where stacked symbols comprise at least two of a same symbol in adjacent symbols display areas of one of the plurality of columns;

determine that at least one of the plurality of columns is a sandwiched column, where the sandwiched column comprises one of the plurality of columns that is sandwiched between the at least two of the plurality of columns that include stacked symbols;

randomly generate a plurality of new stacked symbols for the at least two of the plurality of columns that include stacked symbols;

display the plurality of new stacked symbols;

convert, into a different symbol, at least one symbol in the sandwiched column based on the plurality of new stacked symbols;

display the different symbol;

evaluate the plurality of symbols that remain displayed and the different symbol for winning symbol combinations;

display, on the display device, an award based on any winning symbol combinations, the credit balance being increased by the award; and

issue value from a value dispenser based on the credit balance upon receipt of a cash out signal.