Guide to Online Pokies

Online pokies are the most popular form of online casino game at Australian online casinos. There are generally thousands of online pokies at any casino. This tends to be a bit overwhelming to many new players. Fortunately, they are one of the simplest games to play at the casino, and it only takes a few minutes to become proficient. In this online pokies guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know to start playing real online pokies.

Types of Pokies

There are many forms of online pokies that you can find at Aussie online casinos. These are the most common types:

• Classic Pokies – These games are 3-Reel pokies, also known as one-armed bandits. They are generally single payline pokies but can be up to 5 paylines
• Video Pokies – These games are video representations of online pokies and commonly have five reels. They can also be 6-Reel and 7-Reel pokies. The number of paylines ranges from 10 to 50.
• Ways to Win Pokies – These games pay every possible winning combination available. 243 Ways to Win pokies are the most common.
• Cluster Pays – With these games, instead of paylines, wins are paid in clusters. For example, a group of 6 or more symbols will constitute a winning combination.
• Jackpot Pokies – These games pay a jackpot prize. Some are fixed jackpots, while others are progressive jackpots that build until triggered.

Common Pokies Features

The majority of online pokies in Australia have features to help spice up the game. The best real online pokies have multiple features, including those below:

• Wilds – Wild symbols can substitute for most base game symbols. Often, these symbols also become paying symbols on three of a kind or higher.
• Cascading Wins – With cascading wins, winning symbols disappear and are replaced with new ones. This allows a winning spin to continue as long as wins continue.
• Respins – With respins, part of the board will spin again for free. Often, one or more sections of the board will lock into place, and the rest respins.
• Multipliers – Winnings are multiplied by whichever multiplier is reached. For example, a 4x multiplier multiplies all winnings by 4.
• Megaways – Megaways is a randomly changing Ways to Win pokie game. The number of symbols on a board changes randomly on each spin. For example, you may get a board with up to 117,649 ways to win. In the bonus games, you may get even more ways to win.
• Buy Feature – Online pokies with free spins or bonus games may offer the option to buy the feature. This feature can be expensive, ranging from 25x to 100x your bet.

How to Play Online Pokies

One reason online pokies are the most popular casino game is they are the simplest to play. They do not require any form of strategy, and there are three simple steps to playing:

1. Launch the game.
2. Select how much you wish to wager
3. Click the spin button to take your spin.

How Do You Win at Online Pokies?

We are often asked how to win on online pokies. The answer: it’s primarily luck. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot win playing online pokies over the long term. That is because all games have a built-in house edge that’s impossible to overcome. Those claiming to be long-term winners are lying or have been incredibly lucky.

Is There a Trick to Online Pokies?

Regardless of what you may have read, there’s no trick to winning at online pokies. Online pokies and slots are purely luck driven. Spin results are determined via a Random Number Generator (RNG), and there’s no way to change outcomes.

The best thing you can do to improve your odds of winning is play games at the best payout casinos in Australia with the highest RTP (Return to Player). RTP determines how much real money online pokies will theoretically return to players. For example, a game with an RTP of 96% will return 96 cents of every dollar wagered over time.

Also, pay careful attention to the volatility of online pokies. Volatility determines how the degree of risk to a player. The higher the volatility, the riskier the game is to a player. Low volatility games will give you frequent smaller wins but few larger wins. Medium volatility games will give you a mix of smaller and larger wins. For high-volatility games, you’ll get a few smaller wins but have higher odds of hitting big wins.

Which Online Pokies Payout the Most?

The games that payout the most money are jackpot slots. Jackpot pokies give you the best chance of winning life-changing money. Top jackpot pokies include Mega Moolah, Aztec Millions, Beach Life, and King Cashalot. These games regularly award jackpots exceeding $1 million.

What is the Best Online Pokie for Real Money?

The best online pokie for real money is Ugga Bugga by Playtech. It has an insane RTP of 99.07%. Other games with a 99% RTP include Mega Joker from NetEnt and Ooh Ahh Dracula from Barcrest.

Basic Rules of Pokies

Online pokies are popular because they are simple to play. There are universal rules that apply to all pokie games. First, payouts are based on a paytable. Generally, the paytable is divided into low, medium, and high-paying symbols. Next, payouts are based on paylines of three or more symbols. The exception is cluster pays, which is generally six or more symbols.

When placing bets, you’re making a fixed bet per spin, or you’re betting per line. For line bets, your total bet is the number of lines multiplied by the coin value. The amount you wager can be changed after each spin if desired. You also have the option of using the auto-spin feature. This allows you to set how many spins the game can play automatically.

After you click spin, the reels will spin, and a payout will be determined. If a winning combination is made, payouts are awarded. If a special feature is triggered, it is generally awarded after the main spin. After the spin is completed and payouts are made, you can opt to continue playing or cash out. You can cash out by clicking the cash out button or closing the game.

Online Pokie Themes

If you pay close attention, you’ll notice many recurring themes for pokies. Below are some of the more popular:

• Fruit Pokies  – Fruit pokies are a common theme at online casinos. These games are set up similarly to old-school live pokie games. Symbols include various fruits, bars, stars, diamonds, and 7s.
• Egyptian Pokies – Egyptian-themed pokies are also trendy. These games focus on various aspects of Ancient Egypt. Cleopatra and Aztec Millions are two examples of popular Egyptian pokies.
• Mythology Pokies – Mythology-based pokies are also popular titles. Greek and Roman mythology games are popular choices. Games like ThunderStruck have massive followings.
• Horror Pokies – Horror-themed pokies are among the most popular pokies of all time. These range from titles about vampires to monster movies and more. Immortal Romance is one of the most popular pokie games of all time.
• Space Pokies – Most any online pokie with a space theme will garner a huge following. Sci-Fi lovers flock to the games thanks to futuristic themes and arcade-style graphics.

Online Pokies Bonuses

There are multiple bonuses that players can trigger in online pokies. Here’s a quick rundown of the most common bonuses:

• Free Spins – This feature gives a player a predetermined number of free spins. These spins may have special features such as stacked wilds, multipliers, mystery symbols, and more.
• Bonus Game – The bonus game generally awards a special prize to players. This prize is usually a fixed prize amount. Sometimes the game will award other bonuses, such as free spins.
• Hold & Win – This game gives respins that retrigger whenever a new special symbol lands on the board. The more symbols that land on the board, the more you win.
• Jackpot Wheel – For jackpot pokies, a bonus jackpot wheel allows you to spin for a jackpot prize.

Try Your Luck With the Best Online Pokies

This pokies guide should have you ready to give real online pokies a try. We recommend you take your time and research various casinos to find the best place to play. The best online pokies in Australian casinos offer pokies from dozens of top online gaming companies. All casinos have bonuses that can be used to play online pokies.

Now is the time to take the plunge and try online pokies. Have fun and good luck!