Pokies! Everything you Need to Know
Lovers of online gaming, especially slot machine aficionados, will almost certainly have heard the term Pokies thrown about, either online or even when making a visit to a brick-and-mortar casino.
Many of you may be asking yourselves and even scratching your head wondering, “what the heck are pokies?” The simple answer is that pokies are slots and pokie machines are slot machines.
It is the common name for any kind of slot, online slot in online casinos, Las Vegas style slot, progressive slot, video slot, yes, any type of slot, in Australia or New Zealand.
In the USA, they play the reels on slot machines – in Australia they play the reels on pokie machines!
How Did Slot Machines Become Pokie Machines?
The word ‘pokie’ is an Australian abbreviation of the word ‘poker’, however, today it simply refers to poker and slot machines. Australians love to shorten everyday words, so the Poker became Pokies.
In the Land of Oz, people play pokies in clubs, pubs, land-based venues, across their major cities, in small towns all over, and of course, gamble real cash in online casinos.
Online pokies and pokie machines are a super popular form of entertainment in Australia and New Zealand. The gambling industry is a big-time pastime down under, so it really doesn’t matter what you call the game. A jackpot, reel payout, cash wins from a spin, is all about top gambling by any name – slots or pokies!
Pokies or slots have the same reels, spin-to-win mechanism, same symbols, same software, same features – same FUN – and are the perfect medium to place a wager or two and win some random money with a winning combination.
Origins of the Term Pokie
You’d be right in asking yourself just how and why Australians would shorten the already short word of poker and use it most commonly as pokies when we’re talking about slots (already a short word).
Australian historians believe that the term ‘pokie’ and its connection to slot machines originates from the early 1900s with the introduction of the very first Australian slot machines. In Australia, the very first slot machines were incredibly similar to the so-called ‘video poker machines’ of the time.
Often these poker and slot machine games were placed in the same rooms or directly beside one another in the many pubs and early gambling casinos in small towns across the country. This was especially true for the hard-working player from remote areas such as Western Australia, just looking for some relaxing entertainment. Over time it became easier for the local gamblers to refer to both games with the umbrella term of ‘pokies’, which took on its own life, a word that has retained popularity up to the present day.
What are Pokie Machines Today?
The slots machine, or pokie machine, is still wildly popular and trendy among gamblers even today. This is because these types of games are super entertaining and a good source of cash money winnings. People flock to make bets on the enormous selection of spinning reel games every week. In addition, the online slots game offers players different varieties of casino reel games so that they don’t ever get bored of playing.
Modern online reel play games are basically slot machines that you can play on your computer, tablet or smartphone device at any time, anywhere in the world.
Just like the physical version, you set your bet level, hit the play button and have fun trying to win the jackpot by lining up the symbols. The classic play slot is the three reels (although online slots can have more), with generally one winning pay line but online you can have plenty more. Other games have bonus feature symbols (called wilds and scatters) and rounds where you can win other prizes, like free spins.
Best Pokie Machines Attributes
For all the best powerplay attributes you’ll want to take a gander at the pokie machine’s paytable. Here you’ll find the symbols and bonus features involved in gameplay. You’ll then know how much each symbol pays, what it does and how to activate the bonus rounds (more about bonus rounds in just a moment), so you know exactly what to cross your fingers for when you push the spin button.
The paytable will also tell you all about the pay lines and what mechanism has been used to build the slot. Some will also indicate betting strategies and display key stats such as the return to player (how much you could win on average for your wager, known as RTP), hit rate, volatility and max win.
Amazing and Diverse Pokie Machines Themes
Online developers of pokies never cease to innovate. There are always new trends, new themes, new gameplay, and all of this merges into a visually-appealing theme!
Play Classic traditional fruit machine type play with simple 777 symbols on 3 reels. You can find them today with animal themes, sports, jewels and gems, adventures, historical cartoon characters and so much more.
There is so much cutting edge play on Video pokie machines with 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 reels with multiple pay lines! And all this worked around great graphics on popular themes of Wild West, Viking, Egyptian, Roman, Oriental and Irish cultural themes, to name but a few.
How about trying fantastic slot themes such as underwater, mythical, Ice Age, horror plots, Pirate and others? Many popular movies, TV shows, comics and celebrities are now introduced with amazing branded graphics, sounds and pokie machine pyrotechnics.
Finally, there are themes on pokie machines that tie into seasons and help keep the spirit of special holidays alive and fun. Such stories can include Christmas, Winter, Summer and oh so romantic Valentines Day themed games.
About Paylines
Paylines are when you align the symbols on the reels in winning combinations. Just think of that classic image of the three reels of cherries lined up horizontally. Of course, these days, the symbols vary a little bit more, especially online and lines don’t always have to be perfectly horizontal. And remember that different payline symbols can mean different prize amounts. The more paylines online pokies have the more chance you stand of winning.
Pokie Machines Have Features and Boosters
Now here is where things get really interesting! The best pokie machine play will have winning combinations of bonus symbols on their playlines. These features mean that when you line them up in a winning combination, you can increase your winnings or go through to special bonus rounds where you can play cash games to win more money.
The best in today’s video slots offer up varieties of Wilds, Multipliers, Scatters, Re-Spins, Free Spins, Expanding Wilds and exciting Gamble features.
Wilds
Wilds are some of the most common symbol features in a slot game. They can be simple logos or appear as heroes depending on the theme and the developer’s imagination. Wilds are mostly used as symbol substitutions to help you get a winning combination that otherwise wouldn’t be complete. You can find jumping wilds, walking wilds, diagonal wilds, wild overlays and the best are multiplier wilds.
Scatters
Scatters are your best friends. It happens, but it’s rare not to have a scatter symbol. If that’s the case, they can sometimes be replaced with something else, like bonus symbols, which function in a similar or even identical way.
The reason the scatters are such great company is their ability to trigger bonus games, usually free spins, mini-games or any other bonus rounds. Scatters don’t usually have to follow payline rules but can line up on consecutive reels following a winning line combination. Depending on your pokie machine, scatters can award bigger bonuses such as extra Free Spins.
Special features do indeed make slots more exciting, but there’s more to them than just entertainment. They can do what every player wants – significantly boost your winnings, but you have to choose the right game for it to work and the type of feature that best serves your style of play and of course your budget
Progressive Pokie Machines
Progressive pokie machine jackpots are amounts offered as the top payouts on particular games that continue climbing until a really lucky player wins.
Players love Progressive Jackpots because they can run from thousands of dollars all the way up to millions of dollars. Progressive jackpot games are available at online sites, as well as in land-based Las Vegas style venues.
Most progressive jackpot games require maximum wagers to be eligible for the BIG jackpot amount. So if you hit whatever the required combination or hand is to win the progressive but haven’t wagered the max bet amount you won’t win the progressive. See some of our detailed reviews of Progressive Games on Slots Play Casinos.
Play Pokie Machines Across Platforms for Fun!
Many players seem to take for granted that gaming should be fun! The entertainment value of the best spin play is so much a part of the games themselves that many gamers forget that there are thousands of great machines and amazing software that they can access across all platforms!
In order to enhance your playing fun, try out as many options as possible. There are two great ways to do this. First, every casino worth your attention offers unlimited free play. You can’t win when you play for free but you can sample so many pokie machines this way!
Second, instant play is so good these days, with super-sophisticated graphics, that you can sign up at many online sites and play their games through your browser either for free or for real money without taxing your hard drive’s capacity with heavy casino downloads.
So, the combination of instant play without the need to download and free play means that you can check out an endless variety of games and play pokies that you will love!
The top online pokies are those that keep players entertained throughout a playing session. Most players these days love to play on their mobile devices, so their individual gaming sessions could be relatively short. When you are home and can play longer, you want to play at the platform best for you – sitting at your desk on your desktop or on your laptop, phone or tablet, lounging on the sofa or on the veranda – whatever suits your style perfectly.
Slots Play Casinos Detailed Game Reviews
At Slots Play Casinos we ensure that all pokie machines from online casino sites are reviewed. Our job is to keep players up-to-date on all the latest information within the gaming industry online and in general. Check back often to see our review of new games released every month.
We take a close look with our detailed reviews, at each type of reel games and analyse its components, so that you can enjoy the best possible slots play experience. We go into detail regarding the game themes, the game symbols, all the best game bonus features and winning combinations. Play more pokies with our info and you are sure to enjoy more pokies and have the best playing time on the reels!
Slots Play Casinos loves the world of online pokies and our aim is that you get the most out of every deposit, every bet and every moment. It doesn’t matter if you want to play for free or for real money on the table.
You’ll also learn from us how to become the top VIP Lounge player of hot bankrolled Australia-style spinners!
FAQS
What Does “Play Pokies” Mean?
The word ‘pokie’ is an Australian abbreviation of the word poker, however, today it simply refers to playing poker and slots.
What Does Pokies Mean in Australia?
Pokies in the Australian slang term for a slot. Online pokies = online slots. A pokie machine is a slot machine – pokie games are slot games. That is all there is to the term. Most of the casino playing in Australia today tends to use video screens instead of the old-fashioned spinning reels. Online games and gambling are enormous across Australia, generally due to the huge distances between small communities and the need for local entertainment.
What is a pokie in the gambling industry?
Reeled spinning games are the most common casino game in the gambling industry. Throughout the world, gamblers love to look for how to win a jackpot. and pokies offer a perfect and entertaining way to go for some wins. At first pokie games seem so simple to play. You just have to click “spin”, the reels go round and round, and when they stop, if you’re lucky, you could win a lot or a little. Online pokies deliver exactly the same experience. You place a bet, spin the reel and the symbols land in random winning combinations.
Why do people play on a pokie machine?
People play online reel games or pokies because they want to have fun and win money! Pokies are a great form of entertainment that can fit into several categories for those who play for socialization and pure fun, hoping for a few winning combinations, lucky payouts and dollar winnings and also for those looking for more intensive gambling experiences. The spin of the reels causes lots of exciting highs and thrilling anticipation. We always note that although slot or pokie gambling is super fun, it should be enjoyed responsibly. If you think you have a gambling problem, take a break or get help.
Why Are Pokies Called Pokies – And Not Slots?
There are several versions as to why the term pokies became synonymous with slot machines in Australia. The most popular historical theory is simply that the slots gaming machines or one-armed bandits were placed right next to the first video poker machines in the country, across many cities. As all of these games were called poker machines at the time, slot machines were simply bundled under this unified casino term.
Are Pokies Rigged?
One of the most frequently asked questions is whether land-based or online pokies machines are rigged or not. And the simple answer is “NO” because at all good casinos and online sites each spin’s outcome is based on a Random Number Generator (RNG).
Any machine you choose generates thousands of random numbers per second. As soon as you press the spin button, the most recent random number will be used to determine how your symbols are going to line up.