Gaming devices and methods for enhancing game indicia in random increments

A method of operating a gaming apparatus for facilitating player participation in poker games, the gaming apparatus including a display, a user interface configured to receive at least player input to facilitate player participation in the poker game, a wager input device structured to identify and validate player assets and to permit the player to participate in the poker games in which the player assets are provided, and a processor, the method comprising:

• randomly selecting cards to present in a first multi-hand poker game where a plurality of poker hands are concurrently played, and present the randomly selected cards via the display;
• randomly designating zero, one or more card positions of the plurality of poker hands of the first multi-hand poker game;
• if any of the card positions of the plurality of poker hands of the first multi-hand poker game was randomly selected, assigning count values thereto, wherein the count values are displayed on the display in connection with the respective selected card positions;
• advancing the count values towards a threshold on each of the multi-hand poker games played, wherein the displayed count values associated with the respective selected card positions are updated to reflect the advance in the count values;
• determining when any of the count values reach the threshold;
• and
• in response to any of the count values reaching the threshold, providing an enhanced card at a location based on the randomly designated card position of the first multi-hand poker game, and facilitating completion of the multi-hand poker game in which the count value reached the threshold using the enhanced card.