Pokies

Pokies are the most beloved of Aussie players and one can find these glamorous machines in  Australian pubs, clubs and land-based casinos. With over 200000 pokies machines throughout the country Australian punters always want more and new pokies, which is now being fulfilled by online casinos. This has made it easier now for every player to play for free or for real money with mobile or PC whenever and wherever one wants only with a proper internet or WIFI connection.

Why Aussies love pokies?

Pokies are popular because they require almost zero skill, making them perfect for beginners, and thanks to the nature of the industry there are thousands of different pokies to enjoy. Whether you enjoy the retro-feel of classic 3-reel pokies, or more graphics intensive 5-reel+ video pokies online casinos have it all. Not only are there various types of pokies, but the range of themes is comprehensive and there is something for everyone. These pokies are developed by top notch gaming developers like Betsoft, Real Time Gaming, Microgaming, Playtech, NetEnt and many others with loads of wonderful features.

As most of the online casinos accept players from Australia with open arms and many of them even allow players to enjoy their favourite games in AU$ or Bitcoins, playing pokies is now a very common thing.

Types of pokies

There are many types of pokies to play at online casinos. Some of the popular ones are:

3-reel online pokies

This is a traditional pokie machine featuring three rotating reels and 1, 3 or 5 paylines; the lines on which the symbols on the reels need to fall to create a winning spin. These machines offer straightforward and uncomplicated gaming action with a limited range of wager sizes, meaning they tend to be low volatility games  as payouts are awarded relatively frequently but they are generally quite modest, with big wins occurring fairly rarely.

5-reel online pokies

These pokies form a majority of games at online casinos and actually covers a huge variety of game types and enormous variety when it comes to stake size and the number of paylines, meaning that games can be played for a little as 5¢ or as much as $500 per spin, and this is a big part of their appeal as anybody can afford to play. The range of themes and designs are a vital element of these games’ aesthetic appeal, and the look and feel of a game is considered by some to be just as important as the gameplay.

Where video pokies have gone to another level is in the way they have introduced special features and bonus rounds which combine to add another dimension to the gameplay. You can find expanding wilds, paylines that run both ways, rolling reels and many other features that enhance the gaming action and create more payout opportunities as well.

243 and 1024 ways-to-win  online pokies

The 243 and 1024 ways-to-win pokies, in fact have no paylines at all. Instead, a winning spin is when 3 or more symbols appear on adjacent reels left to right in any combination, rather than in the set patterns paylines require. However, even though there are no physical paylines, for wagering purposes a set number of ‘lines’ usually 30 are automatically in play on every spin. Although both versions of the game have 5 reels, 243 ways-to-win games have 3 rows of symbols, while there are 4 rows on 1024 ways-to-win games.

Video themed pokies

Video themed pokies are amongst the most popular type of game and where there has been the most significant innovation in recent years. Games take as their themes hit TV shows, films, video games and music performers, and successfully adapt their characters, songs, look and storylines.

Some of the most popular themed pokies  games of recent years have been based on US and UK TV shows, with international hit Game of Thrones being one of the most successful releases of recent years, but the genre also includes long-running series like The Sopranos, animated shows such as South Park, comedy programmes such as Little Britain, as well as shows from the past like The Love Boat and The Six Million Dollar Man.

Movies too get a good airing, with a wide range of hit films being adapted into pokies, with Gladiator, Jurassic Park and Aliens proving to be some of the most popular releases of recent years. Superheroes also make for popular themed games, and you can play games based on DC Comic figures, including Spiderman, Superman, Batman, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk.

Themed pokies based on popular bands and musicians have also proved to be hits, with games based on Guns N’ Roses, Jimi Hendrix and Motorhead being amongst the most successful titles to hit the market in recent times.

Progressive jackpot online pokies

Progressive jackpot online pokies are highly popular, primarily due to the fact that the payouts can be truly enormous that reach tens of millions of dollars. The reason that the jackpots are so large and grow so quickly is because the games are networked, meaning the prize pool is made up a percentage of every losing spin at every online casino around the world where the game is played. Most progressive jackpots have a minimum size but there is no limit as to how much they can increase, and they continue to grow until they are won. Some games feature multi-level jackpots, and once a jackpot it has been hit, it re-sets and then begins growing once more.

In most games, the progressive jackpot is randomly triggered, while in others it is won by hitting symbols on a payline, as in a conventional pokies game. However, in both instances your chances of winning a progressive jackpot are increased if you play the maximum coin size and number, although it should also be noted that most progressive jackpot pokies have small and very limited coin sizes so most players will find playing these games affordable.

Play for free or with real money

Online pokies can be either played for free at fun casino or with real money. When you enter the online casino you find so many pokies listed in the games section or casino lobby. All you need is to select the one you wish to play with your mobile or web browser. Simply tap on the selected pokie and the game opens for you to spin and play. These pokies are also known as demo games or freeplay or practise mode for players to understand about the game before betting with real money.

Also if you wish to play with your real AU$ then same way you select a pokie to play and go to the cashier online to make real money deposit at the casino with Australian friendly deposit  options and within few seconds or hours(according to the payment mode you have selected) you are ready to place your real money bets. Finally it’s your choice to play for real or free online pokies.

Instant Play or Download Online pokies

Almost all the online casino offer both instant play or download online pokies and even few online gambling sites also have their own casino or pokies app as one of the options to play pokies. Instant Play or HTML 5 or Flash version of these games are compatible to almost all of the gaming devices be it your smart phone, PC ,Mac or any other device. Only thing you need is to select the pokie and play at once.

If you choose the download option you have to download the pokies games on your device to play these can be in the form of game app or just a game and requires space on your gaming device.

On the other hand you have to note that whichever option you choose you first need to get yourself registered at the casino, open a casino account to get started with playing pokies online with real money.

How Pokies Games Works?

The main aim when playing a pokies it to create winning combinations along one of the paylines. You place your bet and spin the reels. If the winning combination appears, you win. Your winnings depend on the winning combination that you’ve managed to create.

Paylines

To increase your chances of winning, you can bet your money on multiple paylines. You’ll only receive points when a combination of symbols falls on a payline. The more paylines you bet on, the greater the chance is that a combination will land on one. The number of paylines differs from pokies to pokies. This can range from one to dozens of paylines.

Bonus symbols

Bonus symbols make playing pokies even more enjoyable. These, as the name suggests, offer extra bonuses. Different pokies machines may have different bonus symbols. There are two standard symbols: the wild, and the scatter symbol.

Wild Symbol

This symbol can replace another symbol. This means that the chances of a forming a winning combination are higher. The way this symbol looks differs from pokies to pokies. A wild symbol cannot, however, replace another bonus symbol.

Scatter Symbol

This symbol can initiate free spin modes.  Depending on the pokies machine and the number of scatter symbols, you can sometimes receive up to 50 free spins. This means you’ll be gambling for free! Scatter symbols can also yield big wins by multiplying your bet with other factors.

Bonus games

Video pokies often contain a bonus game. These enable you to win more points by playing a game in an interactive manner. To get to the bonus game, you need to collect bonus symbols. These can be the scatter symbols, or another bonus symbol. The number of bonus symbols requires differs from slot to slot. Sometimes it’s possible during a bonus game to win a progressive jackpot.

Online pokies tips

The gameplay in pokies online is very simple, but thought does need to be given to the stakes you play for and how you manage your bankroll if you want to maximise your enjoyment.

It’s important when selecting pokies games to note the number of paylines, the different coin sizes and how many coins can be played per line, as these will determine the size of the maximum bet. Betting the max is important as it opens more possibilities for a large jackpot win, and is essential if you want to be in the running to land a progressive jackpot payout.

In order to determine what coin size is right for you, first work out how much you want to play for per spin. If you decide that your stake is AU$2.00 per spin, and you’re playing a 20 payline game where you can bet between 1-10 coins per line, you should select a coin size of AU$0.01. If you want to play the same game, but only for AU$1.00 stake per spin, then you should reduce the number of coins you play per line so that you can keep the maximum number of lines in play e.g., 5 coins x $0.01 = $0.05 x 20 paylines = $1.00.

When choosing which online pokies game you want to play, it’s important to remember that you are better off playing all the lines with a reduced number of coins per line rather than reducing the total number of lines you have in play on each spin. Your chances of winning on any type of game are always enhanced when you play the maximum number of lines.

While pokies online are simple and straightforward to play, there is huge variety in the styles of game you can enjoy. Whether it’s a classic pokies machine, a visually stunning video pokie, or a progressive jackpot game with the chance to win a life-changing payout, you’ll be able to find a game to suit.

Now choose the pokies you wish to play and enjoy yourself with these online outstanding games which have payouts that are a lot higher compared to anything else out there. For example the online pokies AU payout is situated around 95%, while the land based ones only have payouts around 70% – 80%. The huge difference comes from the costs of the online pokies at casinos. This way winning will occur a lot more often by playing online but you do have to make sure that you are registering for trusted and reliable pokies online casinos.