Pokies is the Australian term for what are more commonly known as Slots games, and there are a number of different types of these games available at the online casinos in operation today.
The more popular versions of the games include those featuring 5 reels and multiple paylines, offering various kinds of Bonus games, but there are a host of these to choose from. More traditional 3-reel Pokies games are also on offer, and, while these may not include the Bonus events that more modern versions do, like Free Spins, the simple play and big prizes they are able to provide keep players returning for a piece of the action.
The addition of features like Free Spins and Multipliers revolutionised Slots games, and certainly served to help usher them into the digital age of online real money casino game play. Nowadays it is not uncommon to come across Pokies games that include Gamble features as well, which provide players with the chance to double, and sometimes even quadruple, their winnings with a simple 50/50 guessing game.
Online Pokies play has very quickly gained considerable ground in Australia, thanks largely to how incredibly convenient it is to access them, along with the fact that there is such an enormous variety for players to make their selections from. The games have been available for play in pubs, hotels, sports clubs and land-based casinos for many years, and, thanks to modern technology and the total reach the internet has been able to provide, can now also be played by means of laptops, desktop computers, smartphones and tablets wherever a steady internet connection can be found.
Online Bonuses Available for Players from Australia
Online casinos offering Australian players access to the Pokies games they so adore very quickly cottoned on to how popular these games were, and have gone on to tailor a very particular type of Bonus, aimed at Pokies players specifically.
Players are now able to access free money in order to enjoy the games they love from a wide range of sources, and careful choosing can grant totally free play along with the chance to hold on to any and all wins received from the games thus enjoyed.
Free Versus Real Money Pokies Play
Players who are looking to find their feet in the world of online Pokies play, or who simply have never enjoyed the attractions of one of these types of games, are able to choose to engage in a totally risk-free manner.
Free, or Practice Mode, versions of the vast majority of Pokies games are provided for players, and neither a real money deposit nor an account with the casino offering the game are necessary in order for the player to test the goods.
Although no Wins will be offered for successful play of this type, players are able to ensure that they understand how to play the game in question, and can make certain that all of the elements of the game are to their liking before they make a wager in real money pokies online.
The Most Common Terms Used in Pokies Play
All games are linked to a particular set of phrases and words, and Pokies is by no means the exception. Players who make themselves familiar with the lexicon these games make use of before beginning to enjoy the games may well find themselves one step ahead of the pack:
- All Ways
This phrase refers to a game setting that allows the player to bet an All Ways and Paylines
- Cardies
This is a word by which the video poker games of old were known
- Cascading Wins
Games which boast this feature will have their Winning Symbols replaced with new ones
- Double Up
Widely known as the Gamble these days, this feature allows the player to double or quadruple his or her Wins
- Expanding Wilds
This phrase refers to a Wild symbol that is able to substitute other symbols on the games reels and, when it does so, expand to fill up the entire reel
- Jackpot
This is the biggest prize that a player can receive in his or her Pokies game
- Multiplier
This is a feature which allows players to multiply and increase his or her wins
- Paytable
This is an area on the Pokies machine that displays the various prizes, rules, and Winning Combinations pertaining to the game
- Progressive Jackpot
This is a jackpot that is always increasing, and grows each time a player enjoys the same game. A percentage of every player’s wager is taken as he or she makes it, and this amount is added to the top prize available for play
- Random Jackpot
This is a jackpot which is randomly triggered, and players need not follow any particular rules or make any specific combination of symbols in order to receive it
- Respin
This is a Pokies game feature that allows certain reels to remain fixed in place while the others respin
- Reels
These are the vertically-running strips that Spin when players select the button governing this action
- Stacked Wild
This refers to Wild symbols that are able to be piled one on top of another
- Scatter symbols
These are special icons that do not necessarily need to appear on an active payline in order to trigger either a bonus round or payout on behalf of the player
- Wilds
These are special symbols that are able to substitute for all of a Pokies game’s other symbols, excepting those of the scatter and bonus symbols in some cases, in order to make up a Winning Combination
Pokies games are easy to play and able to confer very big rewards, but there are some tips that will allow players to make the most of their experience:
- Players are advised to set a budget before beginning a game, and should then make sure they stick to this.
- Players are admonished never to use money that has been set aside for other expenses for Pokies play.
- Players should not increase bet amounts in order to make up for the consequences of a losing streak.
- Players should never chase losses.
- Players are advised to set a time-limit to their Pokies play, and adhere to it.
- Each session of Pokies play should be viewed as independent of any previous sessions.
Playing Pokies is a fun pastime, and should be treated as such. Ensuring it remains so with the help of certain guidelines is a simple matter, and will greatly increase the overall satisfaction of the winnings as they are made.