Australians love pokies and therefore we have listed out the top online casinos for pokies. We have evaluated the quality and number of pokies on offer. Variety was also an important consideration because different online casino players like different types of pokies. If you are new to online pokies, do check out this section.
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Online pokies are one of the simplest casino game categories. There are no complicated strategies to master. All that counts is luck. You place the bet and click the Spin button to set the reels spinning. When the reels come to rest, the software automatically scans the paylines to ascertain if you have a winning combination and the payouts are credited to your account. Before you start playing, check out the payout table and the game rules. This will enable you to understand what is happening on the reels.
The only decision you make in playing pokies is the amount that you bet. Your total bet consists of three components: the number of paylines activated, the number of coins per payline and the coin denomination. The simple rule is to always activate the maximum number of paylines and then select the other two parameters according to your bankroll. Keep checking AU Online Casino for articles and information on real money pokies online.
The biggest advantage of playing online pokies is that you can play from home. You do not have to dress up or travel to the nearest casino or mall. You can even play on your mobile handsets from anywhere, while you are on the move. You can play for ten minutes at a time, ten times a day if you want to, with complete flexibility and freedom.
There are other added benefits for Australian pokies. At online casinos any number of players can wager on the same pokie at the same time. You do not have to queue up in front of your favourite pokie console as in land casinos. Just log in and start playing. This makes it very convenient to switch from one pokie to another. If you receive a call while you are playing, you can put the pokie on auto play and carry on with both.
Finally, you have a greater choice of real money pokies at online casinos and greater variety as well.
The basic classification of online pokies is classic pokies and video pokies. Classic pokies are 3-reel pokies that predominantly use symbols from the old land based electromechanical pokies such as fruits, bars and 7s. They have an old age charm but not many bonus features. Video pokies are 5-reels pokies in a variety of themes and innovative bonus features. These are more popular at Australian online casinos.
You have progressive jackpot online pokies real money in both classic and video categories. At our recommended online casinos, you can wager on video pokies that have progressive jackpots running into over AU$1 million. One of the latest trends in on line pokies is branded slots. These are based on popular movies and television shows and use audio visual content from the original brand. Check out Jurassic Park and Game of Thrones. You will also find a few multiplayer pokies. A number of players can wager on these pokies at the same time and share the spoils from the jackpot or bonus features.
Today, the online pokies segment of the market is extremely competitive. Online casino software providers have to add innovative features in their slots to make them more attractive. You have different kinds of wild symbols. Some appear stacked, some expand across the reels, some multiply payouts and some remain fixed on the reels.
But the real online pokies action comes in the bonus games on the second screen and the free spins features. The bonus games have evolved from the simple pick an object affair. You can have multi-level bonus games where you progress from one level to the next. There are bonus games that award more than bonus credits. You can win free spins and even progressive jackpots. These are integrated perfectly with the theme of the video pokie to make them more interesting.
Some free spins features offer players a choice from given sets. They are triggered in more and more interesting ways. The free spins payouts are enhanced through multipliers and other innovations, even on free online pokies.
Software providers allow you to play onlinepokies in a manner that you like best through configuration and customization options. You can set the speed at which the reels stop. Once you have played the online pokie for a while, the win animations do not matter that much. You would want to get in as many spins as you can. Hence you can choose the fastest speed or even play the pokie in Auto Play, where no manual intervention is needed.
Today the pokies are rich in audio visual features. If you are still using an older computer, the pokie may not play smoothly. You can reduce the quality of the graphics so that the movement is not affected. You can also enable or disable the audio settings. Online pokie games have an audio track of their own. But if you would rather listen to your favourite music while you spin, then you can switch off the audio.
Each online pokie consists of a number of reels, usually three or five. Each reel will have the various symbols in random order. A number of paylines run across the reel both horizontally and in a zigzag manner. Symbols have to appear on a payline for you to win.
You first select the number of paylines you want to activate, the number of coins you want to wager and the coin size. This will determine your total bet and the amount will be deducted from your balance. Then you set the reels in motion by clicking the Spin button. When the reels stop the pokie software will check if you have any winning combinations on any of the paylines. The payout table specifies how much you win for each coin wagered for the different combinations. All your wins on the different paylines are added up and credited to your balance.
Three-reel pokies have three reels. They are also referred to as classic pokies. This is because the original land based electromechanical pokies have three reels. These online pokies AU have 1, 3 or 5 paylines. You can wager 1, 2 or 3 coins per spin. The payout table is shown separately for each number of coins. You will find that most of the payouts are in proportion to the number of coins wagered. However, the highest payout for three coins is more than the proportionate amount. This is why you should always play 3-reel pokies with 3 coins.
Another characteristic of 3-reel pokies is that almost all the symbols are from the original land based pokies. Most of these are bold and colourful fruit icons like orange, lemon, melon and cherry. Icons like the bell, star and 7 are also used. You will mostly need the same symbol on all three reels in a defined payline in order to win an online pokies Australia real money.
Video slots generally have 5 reels. The earliest video pokies have 9 paylines, but over time this has kept increasing. The latest trend is that all possible combinations act as paylines. When there are three rows of symbols across the reels this works out to 243 paylines. Many video pokies allow you to choose the number of paylines. The correct strategy is to always activate all the paylines allowed. You may also be asked to select the number of coins per payline. This choice is not as critical because the payouts are always in proportion to the number of coins.
Video pokies depict a theme. A beach themed pokie would use symbols associated with the beach like surfing, beach ball, life guard, sand castle and so on. This adds interest to the game. Video pokies usually have bonus features like free spins and pick objects type games. These award extra payouts without additional stakes.
Usually all online pokies payouts are fixed. The payout table specifies the amount that can be won for each winning combination. Progressive jackpot pokies work a little differently. There is one payout that keeps increasing as the pokie is played at Australian online casinos. It may or may not be associated with a particular combination of symbols. A portion of every wager on the progressive jackpot pokie increases the jackpot amount. You will see the amount continuously rising on your screen. When a specified event takes place, the lucky player will win the entire amount displayed. The jackpot amount will then be reset to a seed level and start rising again.
In the traditional progressive jackpot pokies the specified event is getting five of the specified symbol on a payline. But now there are many progressive pokies in which the jackpot can be randomly hit after any spin. There is no visible specified event.
In terms of audio visual enjoyment pokies are far ahead of other online casino game categories. The introductory clip, the designing of the symbols, the win animations and the bonus games visuals take the pleasure beyond gaming.
The innovations in regular land casino games like blackjack and roulette have become saturated. A really innovative feature may come only once in four or five years. Whereas in online pokies there are innovations with each game and there are dozens of pokies released each month. So, you always have something new and fresh on hand.
Online pokies have the potential to provide huge payouts with small bets. You can win jackpots worth millions from an AU$5 bet. Even payouts of 10,000 times the bet is not uncommon. Pokies are ideal for players willing to take the extra risk for life changing payouts.
You do not require mastering complicated strategy as in blackjack or video poker. Online pokies free are games of pure luck and therefore cater to a wider and more fun-loving clientele. So, check out our top Australian slots casinos to get started.
Most online pokies offer average return to a player of about 95%. This is at the lower end of the online casino games pecking order. Blackjack, video poker and baccarat games offer average returns of about 99%. European Roulette offers average return of more than 97%. Which means that you are less likely to win at online pokies in the long run that the other games. The flip side is that when you win you will win larger amounts.
If you are the type of online casino player who wants to use skill then real money pokies are not the game for you. You simply start the reels and the game does the rest, whether for real money or free pokies online. There is no strategy to be understood and deployed. Even the choices you make in the bonus games yield random results.
If you are not on the latest smartphones, you may have a problem with the newest Australian pokies that are rich in features. They may take a long time to load and exhibit some other problems.
