Gaming system and a method of gaming

A gaming system comprising:

• a display including a plurality of display positions;
• a credit input mechanism configured for player interaction to receive a credit input representing a monetary value for establishing a credit balance;
• a memory storing a source symbol set having a plurality of symbols, the source symbol set comprising a plurality of different symbol sets, at least one of the symbols sets comprising at least one designated symbol and at least one removable symbol;
• and
• a game controller configured to:
• (a) select, in accord with said credit input mechanism having established a credit balance, from the memory a plurality of the symbols from the source symbol set to form a selected symbol set for display at the plurality of display positions;
• and
• if a removal condition is met, the removal condition including at least that the selected symbol set includes a designated symbol within a predetermined number of the display positions of a removable symbol;
• (b) determine a closest removable symbol, in response to one or more removable symbols being within a predetermined number of the display positions of a designated symbol, and remove the determined closest removable symbol from the source symbol set and forming a modified source symbol set comprising the plurality of different symbol sets without the removed symbol, thereby increasing a probability of a winning outcome in a subsequent play of the game;
• (c) select in a subsequent game at least one symbol from the modified source symbol set to form a modified selected symbol set;
• and
• (d) determine whether to make an award based on the modified selected symbol set.

A method for play of a gaming machine playing a game and having a display including a plurality of display positions, and a credit input mechanism configured for player interaction to receive a credit input representing a monetary value for establishing a credit balance, a memory storing a source symbol set having a plurality of symbols, the source symbol set comprising a plurality of different symbol sets, at least one of the symbols sets comprising at least one designated symbol and at least one removable symbol, the method comprising:

• establishing a credit balance via said credit input mechanism receiving the credit input;
• (a) in accord with said credit input mechanism having established a credit balance, selecting via said game controller from said memory at least one symbol from each of the plurality of symbol sets to form a selected symbol set;
• (b) displaying via said game controller on said display the selected symbol set at the plurality of symbol positions;
• (c) determining if a removal condition is met, the removal condition including at least that the selected symbol set includes a designated symbol within a predetermined number of the display positions of a removable symbol, determining a closest removable symbol, in response to one or more removable symbols being within a predetermined number of the display positions of a designated symbol, removing via said game controller the determined closest removable symbol from said source symbol set and forming a modified source symbol set comprising the plurality of separate symbol sets without said at least one symbol;
• (d) selecting via said game controller at least one symbol from each of the plurality of symbol sets of the modified source symbol set to form a selected modified symbol set, thereby increasing a probability of a winning outcome in a subsequent play of the game;
• (e) displaying via said game controller the selected modified symbol set on said display at the plurality of display positions in a subsequent game;
• (f) determining via said game controller whether to make an award based on the selected modified symbol set;
• and
• wherein the game is a spinning reel game and each symbol set corresponds to a reel and further including a plurality of designated symbols and at least one removable symbol;
• and wherein a designated symbol belongs to at least one reel that has a pair of neighboring reels.