Pokies is the Australian slang word for online, mobile or land based slot machine games. It originates from the term Poker Machines. Slot machines were first found in casinos hundreds of years ago, in the form of One Armed Bandits, so called because they had a lever that the player had to pull to spin the reels.
These days, Australian slot machines have evolved into an exciting game that offers thrills, story lies, bonus rounds, great graphics, and a decent chance to win a jackpot. There are many different kinds of Pokies available in Australia today each offering different things and catering for all playing styles.
Different Kinds of Pokies
There are a number of different kinds of Pokies from the more simple 3 Reel Pokies to the more involved Video 5 Reel Pokies. Three Reel Pokies are a classic style, offering only three reels and a single payline. This is the easiest and oldest version of the game, based on the aforementioned One Armed Bandits.
As these games have fewer paylines and usually no added features such as bonus rounds, they offer less of a chance to hit the jackpot. The aim with three Reel pokies if to match three identical symbols on the payline, running from left to right. These symbols are usually represented by such classics as fruit, Sevens or Bars.
Five Reel Pokies can be much more intricate. These can have up to 50 paylines and numerous reels. The matched symbols can run from left to right, right to left, or even diagonally, greatly increasing a players chances of hitting a number of them in a row. The other name for these slots is Video Slots, as a large number of them have animated graphics, a story line and play very much like a video game.
These slots also often feature Wild and Scatter symbols, free spins and a number of special bonus rounds. The symbols used are not the classics, and can be taken from movies, stories, fairy tales or pretty much anything the developers can think of.
Progressive Jackpots
Online pokies offer progressive jackpots. These are the largest payouts in the mobile and online pokies casinos. Basically these games offer a jackpot that grows progressively as slot game is played around the country, sometimes around the world. Some Pokies even connect a number of different casinos all hosting the same game, so their progressive jackpots can reach the millions. These jackpots are displayed on your Pokies game at all times so you can keep tabs on it.
Pokies Tips
The first thing any player should do is know the game that they are playing. If you are a beginner to world of online and mobile Pokies, start with a free version to get the hang of it. Once you have done that, move on to a simple Three Reel Pokies, and then a Five Reel one. Know your particulars games symbols, rules and bonus rounds if it has them. Play as many of the paylines as you can, the more paylines in play the greater your chances.