What Are Pokies: Full Guide
What are pokies is a frequent question that casino novices encounter. The answer is simple: Pokies are land-based or online machines, where you have to spin the reels in the hope of forming a winning combination. If you land a line of matching symbols, you win. Otherwise, you lose.
What Are Pokies and How to Play?
Pokies are gambling machines you can play both in land-based and the best NZ online casinos. They are the most popular casino games, and have dominated the market ever since their invention in the late 19th century. Pokies attract players because they are easy to play and fun.
In addition, these games are entirely luck-based. Therefore, you do not have to possess any special skills and apply complicated strategies win. It all depends on your good fortune. Nowadays, you can find pokies on a variety of entertaining themes and with lots of bonus features.
A Beginner’s Guide to Playing Pokies
As we already said, playing pokies is really easy. If you choose to go to a land-based casino, you will most probably encounter a variety of machines. When you take a closer look, you will find out that their screens feature different symbols. Your goal would be to pull a lever or push a button and let the reels spin until you land a certain combination of these symbols.
If you are lucky enough to get a line of matching symbols on all reels, you win. The amount of your prize will depend on the symbols’ value, which is contained in the payout table. That is why it is important to study its contents carefully.
Online pokies are played much in the same manner. The only thing that differs is that you will need to click a virtual Play button. You can enjoy online slots both for free and for real money. The great thing about them is that, thanks to digital technology, they are equipped with all sorts of bonus features that can lead to significant payouts.
What Is RTP?
RTP% is a term you will frequently encounter if you become a pokie player. It stands for “Return to Player Percentage.” This term is used to describe the theoretical return on investment you are likely to get by playing a pokie over a long period of time.
For instance, if you persist in playing a pokie with an RTP of 96% (which is the average for an online machine), you might hope to get back $96 for every $100 you have invested. However, do bear in mind that RTP is only a theoretical term. Pokie providers calculate it through performing countless game simulations. This means it may not be valid for gamblers who only play occasionally.
What Is Volatility and How Does It Affect Your Winnings?
Volatility is another frequently used term when it comes to online pokies. Simply put, it signifies the risk of losing your bet when playing a certain game. Thus, volatility can be low, medium, or high. At first glance, you might wonder why anyone would like to play pokies where there is a higher chance of losing your wager.
However, volatility works in the following manner: The higher the risk, the higher the reward. In other words, if you play high-volatility pokies, you are likely to get rare but very big prizes. In contrast, in low-volatility games, you will encounter more regular but quite smaller jackpots. Thus, it all depends on the kind of risk-taker you are.
What Are the Most Common Pokie Features?
When it comes to features, online pokies are unsurpassed in their variety. Therefore, it is no wonder that these games dominate the casino industry. Gaming providers are doing their best and outperforming themselves in introducing new extras all the time.
Apart from the free spins bonuses, where you get the chance to spin the reels for free, there are multiple amazing features that increase your chances of winning a bigger prize. Some of them include scatters, wilds, multipliers, special symbols, bonus rounds, cluster pays, retriggers, and many more.
Pokie Themes
Another thing that makes pokies so attractive is the fact that they exist in all kinds of themes. This makes your gameplay more versatile and allows you to pick pokies from your preferred fields of interest. Some of the most common themes include Animals and Nature, History and Ancient Civilizations, Action, Western, Adventure, Mystery, Fantasy, and more.
FAQ Section
We hope that by now, you have a clear understanding of what pokies are and how you can enjoy these simple, entertaining games. Nonetheless, we present a quick Frequently Asked Questions section below that will help you find faster the most important details about playing pokies.
1️⃣ What are pokies?
Pokies are games of chance you can play at both online and land-based casinos. A pokies overview will tell you that they are very straightforward. Besides, there is no special strategy or skill involved in winning. Whether you win or lose depends entirely on your luck.
2️⃣ How do I win at pokies?
To win at pokies, you need to land a matching line of winning symbols on the reels. Each symbol combination has a certain value, which can be found in the payout table. Always remember to check it out before you start playing.
3️⃣ What is RTP?
RTP is the short for Return to Player Percentage. This is a theoretical parameter used to describe how much money you are likely to win back if you play a pokie over extended time periods. The average online pokie RTP is 96%.
4️⃣ What is volatility?
The term volatility is used to describe the level of risk of losing your bet when playing a pokie. Volatility can be low, medium, or high. Low volatility means regular smaller-sized prizes, while high volatility is expected to give you infrequent large payouts.
5️⃣ What are the most common pokie features?
The most common pokie bonus features are the free spins. A free spins bonus means you will get additional chances to spin the pokie reels in pursuit of forming winning combinations. Other common features include wilds, scatters, multipliers, cascading reels, and more.