Understanding How the Number One Australian Pokies Work

The numbers don’t lie: Over 80% of Aussies enjoy some form of gambling, with pokies enjoying the highest rate. Many Australians play pokies on a daily basis, and they account for 62% of all the gambling revenue in the country.

Pokies can be found on dozens of Australian online casino sites https://highstakes-casinos.com/, and they come in many different forms and varieties. However, with so much choice, you’re left with the daunting task of picking a game you would enjoy – and a win that suits your needs. Not all pokies are developed the same way, and you should take several factors into consideration before picking one. Are you looking for a huge jackpot win and don’t mind the low win-hitting frequency? Or do you want to play the most visually-pleasing pokie in the world?

In this guide, we’ll help you understand how pokies work, what you need to look out for, and ultimately, help you decide which are the best  Australian online pokies for your needs. Make an informed decision and elevate your gaming experience and potential to win.

Learn What the Terms Mean

Pokies have evolved dramatically over the past two decades, and there are now many innovative features that didn’t exist in the past. Although the basic gameplay remains the same, you need to learn how these features work in order to maximize their potential.

Paylines, Reels, and Symbols

You often hear about these terms, but what do they mean? Let’s start with the term payline. It refers to the number of possible winning combinations – or the number of combinations in which the symbols must align for you to win. Classic slots only worked from left to right and on one or three paylines, and you had to align 5 of the same symbols to win. Nowadays, pokies can have up to 240,000 paylines – which means more potential to perform a winning combination.

Apart from paylines and symbols, when looking for the best slots to play online, you also need to understand what reels are. In short, reels are vertical lines that contain symbols. They spin after you place a bet, showing a different character each time they stop.

The term reel applies to the vertical lines in which the symbols appear – usually while spinning. They start spinning when you click the Play button, and when they stop, you can see if you’ve won or not.

The symbols are the images that appear on the reels. Traditional pokies feature fruit-inspired symbols such as apples, bananas, and oranges, but modern pokies have many different symbols – including special symbols such as wilds, scatters, bonus symbols, multiplier symbols, and more.

RTP: What Is It and Why It Matters

The RTP, or Return to Player ratio, shows how much the house edge is, and how much of the money invested in the pokie will be returned to the player in a prolonged period. However, that doesn’t mean that if a game has an RTP of 95%, and you decide to play with $100, you’ll only win $95.

The RTP is a projection of how much the house will keep, and the theoretical money return to the players. However, you can always get lucky and win a big prize, as pokies are games based exclusively on luck.

The average RTP of modern pokies revolves around the 95% mark, so any pokie with an RTP of 96% or more can be considered a high-RTP one.

Variance/Volatility: Is It Important?

Although it’s often underlooked, the variance (also known as volatility) is probably one of the most important factors to consider when choosing a pokie. Every pokie has a predetermined hit ratio or variance, and it shows how often do wins occur. While high-variance pokies can bring higher jackpot wins, their hit ratio is lower.

Low variance slots, on the other hand, don’t have as high maximum potential payout, but the wins occur much more often. It all depends on your needs and preferences, and it’s up to you to choose which type of pokie is right for you.