Australian Pokies Guide

Australian Pokies GuideIn Australia pokies machines are one of the most popular options available. Pokies are just like slot machines but typically have poker symbols such as card names and numbers as well as some additional picture symbols to make the games more interesting. These electronic machines are strictly games of chance with little to no strategy necessary, but they are still very enjoyable to play.

What to Know About Pokies

  • Pokies is just like slot machines, but typically features poker symbols
  • Pokies is one of the most popular casino games in Australia
  • The game relies on a random number generator to keep the outcome fair and random
  • Players can win massive amounts through pokies progressive jackpots

How Pokies Machines Work

Game of Thrones Scatter SymbolPokies machines work by showing off a selection of colourful symbols that can trigger prize payouts if they are positioned properly. The player pulls a lever or presses a button and a random set of symbols appears in each of the several reels of the machine. These symbols pay out a predetermined prize amount if they line up properly. Symbols must line up in rows diagonally, horizontally or vertically to offer prizes.

Scatter Symbols

Scatter symbols or wild symbols appear in most pokies games. These symbols pay out a predetermined amount of money when they appear anywhere on the machine. Some machines also use the symbols to help complete prizes with other symbols of the machine. They sub in for the necessary symbol serving as a wild symbol. Many times the scatter symbol will trigger an added prize bonus on top of the standard bonus given out.

The History of the Pokies Machine

Liberty Bell - first Slot MachinePokies has a long and rich history, but the very first machine wasn’t founded in Australia, it was created in the United States. Charles Fey, a car mechanic, put together the Liberty Bell slot machine in 1895. It was an all-metal contraption with three reels and just seven different symbols. The first machine was such a hit that slots began production around the country. The first games hit the shores of Australia in the early 1900’s and were exceedingly popular, though very illegal at the time.

The Legalization of Pokies

Aristocrat, an Australian company, saw a rich future in slots and created its first machine, the Clubman, in 1953 starting a long-lasting gaming company that still exists today. A year after Aristocrat came out with its first machine New South Wales legalised slot machine gaming and machines exploded around the country.

Why are They Called Pokies?

Why are They Called Pokies?

The rest of the world knows them as slot machines, but not Australia. It’s interesting to think about why Australia is the only country to call these machines pokies. It’s likely that the name originated in the 1980’s with the rise of video poker machines. At that time most of the machines were called poker machines, even the non-poker slots. To abbreviate the term many people began calling the machines pokies instead. It’s just one of those situations where popular slang catches on and never seems to go away. Now advertisements in Australia almost always call the games pokies, and Australia is the only country.

Video Pokies

Pokies machines remained mostly the same until the 1980’s. They had three reels, didn’t offer much interactivity and were a bit dull in comparison to what players are used to today, but that all changed in the early 1980’s with the release of the very first video slots. These machines offered five reels instead of three. They offered more paylines and special game variations that were simply unheard of until then. They were a wild success and reinvigorated pokies in Australia and around the world.

Pub Pokies

Up until the 1990’s pokies machines were in special casino-type buildings. It wasn’t until 1992 that many Australian States approved pokies in pubs as well. This gave rise to machines all over Queensland in places that you wouldn’t have found them before. South Australia made the same approval in 1994 and New South Wales in 1997. Now the little machines can be found all over the country in a range of pubs, casinos and other venues, which explains why pokies are so popular.

Internet Pokies

When the Internet began increasing in popularity in the 1990’s online casinos started to pop up in a few areas. The Gaming Club, one of the earliest casinos to on the Internet helped increase gaming popularity at the time, and it’s still in operation today. It wasn’t until 2004 that an online version of Australian pokies was released to the public through the game Thunderstruck produced by Microgaming. Since that initial release a bunch of other games also came out, and it’s easy to find a variety of online pokies machines to play today, no matter where you are in the world.

Select the Best Machine

Select the Best MachineBefore you even start playing at a machine it’s up to you to take the time to make sure you have the best pokies machine option available. Some are better than others and you want to pick the very best option to maximize your potential winnings.

Learn the Pay Tables before Starting
It’s up to you to pick out the best pokies game available before you get started. The best way to do this is by looking at the pay tables for each of the different machine options before getting started. By doing this you can easily see which machines pay out the most and which have the easiest jackpots to win of the bunch. Learning all the rules of the game won’t help you influence the final results much, but they will help you get the best machine to begin with.
Always Count up Symbols
Before you start playing count the number of symbols that the game makes use of. The higher this number of symbols is the more difficult it’s going to be for you to win any prizes at all. Think about it. You have more chances to get the symbols that you don’t need when you have a bigger pool of options available.
Decide on the Number of Paylines Right for You
It’s important for you to play with all the paylines full whenever you can. Doing so will help you maximise your winnings each and every time. Unfortunately, some machines have more paylines than others and will be very expensive for you to play at. That’s why you have to decide which machine you can afford to play using all the paylines and avoid the places with too many paylines for your budget.
Pay Attention to Bonus Games
Some pokies machines offer added bonus games that give you yet another chance to win some money. Look out for these machines and try to stick with them whenever you can. They’re a good option just like machines with progressive jackpots because you’ll benefit from yet another way to win additional money.

Pokies Quick Tips

Pokies Quick Tips

Pokies Quick Tips

Keep these quick tips in mind the next time you play a pokies machine and you might just leave with a bit more coin in your pocket.

  • Playing the machine fast or slow doesn’t change how well it pays out.
  • Pubs and casinos can’t alter pokies payouts from how they’re set at the factory without ordering a whole new chip.
  • Pokies that allow greater wagers will likely pay out larger sums of money since they’re taking more in.
  • Pokies machines don’t have hot and cold periods, you have the same chance to win with every press of the button.
  • Hot or cold coins won’t change pokies payout in any way, this is just another one of those myths that won’t seem to go away.
  • No software exists to beat a pokies machine, so save your money and avoid such scams.
  • Pokies machines are the same whether in a pub, club or casino, so expect the same results no matter where you play.

Maximize Your Winnings

There isn’t a whole lot that you can do to influence the outcome of a pokies machine. You’ll either win or lose depending on your luck for that particular spin. You can’t change if you’ll win or lose, but you can change how you bet and which machines you play at. Use those small factors to influence how the game turns out as much as possible.

Play with Free Money
Always make the most of that free money you’re given from the casino when you first start out. This money will make it easier for you to win initially. Use your bonus as soon as you can, but make sure that you use good strategy to play with the money.
Stick to Progressive Jackpot Machines When Possible
You shouldn’t count on a progressive jackpot to get you out of a bunch of losses that you’ve incurred, but it should be seen as an added opportunity instead. When you play at a machine with a progressive jackpot you have another chance to win additional money on top of all the other prizes available. It’s good to take advantage of this chance when you can.
Stay Consistent and Reasonable
You shouldn’t go crazy with your bets thinking that you’re going to win big by betting big. It’s much better to play with a reasonable bet that you can maintain over an hour or two of consistent play with many losses. If you bet too much initially you risk losing it all in a few turns and not having any more money to play with. That’s exactly what you want to avoid when playing pokies.

Important Pokies Terminology

Whether you’re new to pokies and just trying to learn how the machines work, or you’re a seasoned pro with hundreds of hours of gaming behind you, it’s important to understand all these terms to get the most out of your gaming sessions.

  • Hit
    A single win of any size from the machine being played at.
  • Hold Percentage
    The total number of player bets a machine is designed to withhold before paying out much money to the player.
  • Hit Frequency
    An estimate of the ratio of winning spins to losing spins of any one machine.
  • Max Bet
    The highest wager allowed at the machine.
  • Pay out
    The total amount won for a specific set of symbols, this is given in credits most of the time.
  • Primary Jackpot
    The greatest jackpot listed on the pokies table when looking at the machine.
  • Progressive Jackpot
    A jackpot that constantly grows from all the players machines in one given area. This is much higher than the primary jackpot and is given to only one player in the network.
  • Short Pay
    A partial payment of the total primary jackpot, it can be any portion of the jackpot amount but not the whole thing.
  • Scatter Symbol
    Also known as a wild symbol, rewards a player no matter where it appears on the machine, position and other symbols on the screen don’t affect its payout.

Play in Pokies Tournaments

Online Casino Pokies TournamentsPlayers that enjoy standard games of pokies should give pokies tournaments a try as well. They take the excitement of standard pokies and supercharge them by making them into competitive games.

How they work?

In Pokies tournaments each player starts out with the same number of credits to play at a machine. They have a set period of time to win as many credits as possible. The player with the most credits wins the tournament at the end and the grand prize. These tournaments will often include hundreds of players, but there are smaller tournaments as well.

Can Anyone Play?

You don’t have to be a seasoned pro to enjoy pokies tournaments. As long as you get the basics of the game you can start playing in a tournament and try your luck against other players. They are easy to get involved with and play just like the standard machines do.

Pokies is a fun game of strategy and one of the most popular Australian casino games available. There isn’t a great deal of strategy involved when playing one of the games, but understanding how to select the best machine, and how to maintain your bankroll while enjoying the games will lead to more frequent wins and better luck overall.

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