Gaming machine with win change symbol

A method of gaming in a gaming machine having an electronic controller and offering a spinning reel game on a plurality of paylines, the gaming machine having a first plurality of reels, each of the first plurality of reels having a plurality of standard symbols and at least one win-change symbol thereon, and a second distinct reel having only a plurality of said win-change symbols thereon, and a paytable, the method comprising:

• spinning the first plurality of reels and stopping said first plurality of reels and displaying a random plurality of said symbols on the paylines;
• spinning the second distinct reel and stopping said second distinct reel and displaying a random plurality of said win-change symbols;
• determining via the electronic controller an outcome from a first of said paylines based on the displayed plurality of said symbols;
• determining via the electronic controller that a win-change symbol appears on a second of said paylines;
• in response to said determining that a win-change symbol appears on a second of said paylines, determining via the electronic controller a first winning event based on said win-change symbol and said outcome;
• determining via the electronic controller a second winning event based on said outcome and said displayed win-change symbols on the distinct reel;
• comparing the first and second winning events with respect to the pay-table;
• and
• offering an award based on whether the first winning event pays higher than the second winning event according to said pay-table.