Gaming system and method for providing modified game components for a predefined quantity of games played

A gaming system comprising:

• an acceptor;
• a processor;
• and
• a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
• responsive to a physical item being received via the acceptor, modify a credit balance based on a monetary value associated with the received physical item,
• for each play of a game of a predefined quantity of plays of the game prior to a last play of the game of the predefined quantity of plays of the game:
• determine if a game component modification event occurs in association with that play of the game, and
• responsive to the game component modification event occurring in association with that play of the game, modify a game component for each remaining play of the game of the predefined quantity of plays of the game, wherein the game component is a paytable generated by replacing a second highest valued award of the paytable with a highest valued award of a paytable utilized in a previous play of the game,
• responsive to a conclusion of the last play of the game of the predefined quantity of plays of the game, unmodify any game components modified in association with the predefined quantity of plays of the game, and
• responsive to a cashout input being received, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

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

• responsive to a physical item being received via an acceptor, modifying a credit balance based on a monetary value associated with the received physical item,
• for a first play of a game of a predefined quantity of plays of the game:
• determining, by a processor, a first game outcome in association with a first paytable,
• displaying, by a display device, the determined first game outcome,
• determining, by the processor and based on the first paytable, a first award associated with the determined first game outcome, and
• displaying, by the display device, the determined first award,
• responsive to a first game component modification event occurring in association with the first play of the game, for a second play of the game of the predefined quantity of plays of the game:
• determining a second paytable by replacing a second highest valued award of the first paytable with a highest valued award of the first paytable,
• determining, by the processor, a second game outcome in association with the second paytable, the second paytable being different from the first paytable,
• displaying, by the display device, the determined second game outcome,
• determining, by the processor and based on the second paytable, a second award associated with the determined second game outcome, and
• displaying, by the display device, the determined second award,
• responsive to a second game component modification event occurring in association with the second play of the game, for a third play of the game of the predefined quantity of plays of the game:
• determining, by the processor, a third game outcome in association with a third paytable, the third paytable being different from the first paytable and different from the second paytable,
• displaying, by the display device, the determined third game outcome,
• determining, by the processor and based on the third paytable, a third award associated with the determined third game outcome, and
• displaying, by the display device, the determined third award,
• responsive to no game component modification event occurring in association with the second play of the game, for the third play of the game of the predefined quantity of plays of the game:
• determining, by the processor, a fourth game outcome in association with the second paytable,
• displaying, by the display device, the determined fourth game outcome,
• determining, by the processor and based on the second paytable, a fourth award associated with the determined fourth game outcome, and
• displaying, by the display device, the determined fourth award,
• modifying the credit balance by one of the determined first, second, third or fourth awards, and
• responsive to a cashout input being received, causing an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.