All Online Pokies in One Place: How to Choose the Game

Online pokies is one of the most popular gambling activities. Throughout the world it is mostly known as casino slots, but in Australia and New Zealand they call it pokies – short from the “poker machine”.

When the games based on the pokie-mechanics were transferred into online casinos, they became even more attractive. Modern game providers create different variations. Among all online pokies you can find more classic looking slots with 3-5 reels as long as advanced games with diverse mechanics and colorful, complex and impressive graphics.

While searching for the game to try players could go in two directions:

• Looking for the curated lists of games made by reviewers. That’s easier if you’ve got certain expectations. On the other hand, compiled lists are suitable for the beginners – it’s an option to find the most popular games worth trying.
• Explore a full list of online pokies. This path is more tricky but also more exciting. Players who know what they like about pokies could browse the complete pokies collection that the casino provides or the library on the review sites.

If you decide to browse the huge library of all casino slots you should choose what to pay attention to on the first step of your search: theme and design, RTP and volatility, mechanics and bonus features.

There are a few types of games you can find in all casino slots libraries. They are based on the common mechanics, but have different gameplay and features.

These are classic versions, the closest to the old slot machines. They typically have 3 or 5 reels.

3-reel versions usually have a small amount of paylines (from one to five), combinations and features. They are easy to get in, suitable for short sessions and players with a small bankroll.

5-reel online pokies have more paylines, they are more diverse and more generous with bonuses, special features and winning combinations. Also these games usually have more contemporary designs and graphics.

Video pokies also could have ways-to-win mechanics. In the description of 5-reel games you could find a term 243-ways-to win. That means that a slot has 243 winning combinations. This algorithm allows to win every time the randomizer gives the same symbols on the two reels next to each other.

Megaways is a dynamic version of slots. The main difference is that there are no fixated lines for wins. The number of symbols on each reel changes randomly with every spin. That creates a unique combination in each spin – a more diverse and exciting gaming process.

Megaways pokies are based on the ways-to-win mechanics, but the number of winning combinations can reach 200 000 in some games with 7 reels. Also Megaways pokies use the main bonus features – wild symbols that could be an alternative to any symbol you miss for the winning combination, multipliers, free spins and bonus rounds.

This type of pokies can bring you a significant payout thanks to the special mechanics. Progressive jackpot means that a certain percentage of each wager goes to the jackpot fund. The sum of the jackpot you can get when the winning combination appears is piling up with each spin.

In most of the games you will fight for the jackpot in the bonus round. Take in account that a lot of the pokies with this mechanics require the maximum bet to get the chance of winning a jackpot.

Progressive systems could have several levels with bigger prizes and more difficult requirements to win each time. These games usually have the biggest wins and they engage players the most, because each next spin could bring the right combination to win.

All pokies online created by modern providers have systems of bonuses and other exciting features:

• multipliers,
• extra rounds and mini games,
• free spins,
• expanding reels.

It makes the game more fascinating and holds the player's attention for a longer time. These features are usually triggered by the certain combination on the reels or with the special symbols known as scatters.

Appearance of the scatters could trigger the start bonus round or a hidden mini game. But some players want to get the bonus round without waiting for the lucky combinations or rare symbols. In that case they can use the bonus buy option.

Bonus Buy allows you to buy a pass to the special bonus levels or rounds. It triggers the feature immediately and helps to get a guaranteed unique experience, but the outcomes inside the bonus are still random.

Pokies usually offer a wide range of the wager sizes or options to adjust them to your preferences. In different games you can bet per paylines or per spins if the number of paylines isn’t changeable.

Most of the slots transfer your real money into game currency – credits. You make the deposit and get a certain amount of credits (or coins), then you can adjust the settings – set the cost of each spin, choose the paylines you’re betting on.

Don’t forget that selecting more paylines increases your chances to win but also raises the wager per spin. Keep your budget in mind and watch out if your total credits go up or down with each spin.

If you want to know your chances to win a real money, you need to check two main characteristics of the certain game:

• RTP – Return-to-Player – this is the percentage of the total amount of bets that the game returns to the player. RTP 95% and higher is considered good.
• Volatility – it’s a parameter that shows how often the game allows you to win and how big are the gains. High volatility means that you will win rarely but the reward would be significant. Low volatility games give a lot of winning combinations but the rewards are not impressive.

Also in all pokies for real money you can find such characteristics as hit frequency – shows how often the game gives the winning combinations in the percentage of the total amount of spins; and max win – it’s the highest number of the reward a player could get from one spin.

You need to consider that the RTP, hit frequency and max wins are counted statistically but the algorithms are still random. You shouldn’t take this information as a guarantee of wins in certain conditions.

If you’re looking for a game that could bring you fun time and real profit, it’s now enough just to browse all pokies online. There are too many games to look through. It’s more productive to take into account the main characteristics:

• RTP and Volatility. They show how often and how much you can win in the game, which helps you to control the bankroll and get the experience that matches your mood at the moment.
• Theme. Through all pokies online you can find various designs and themes: from Greek Gods and treasure-seeking adventures to calm fishing and classic fruit slots.
• Bonus features. Multipliers, bonus rounds, unusual combinations and jackpots make gaming more satisfying. You’ve got to try different games to find out which bonuses are the most attractive for you.
• Jackpots VS standard pokies. Jackpot slots are suitable for those players who know how to control their bankroll and excitement, and want to gain more. Standard games are good for both beginners and experienced players. Video slots could be an opportunity to have fun and also to win real money.

All slots – mechanical machines and online games are based on RNG-technology. The algorithm generates a random number that defines the combination on the reels. It makes each spin unpredictable and independent from the previous results.

All online pokies nowadays work on PRNG – Pseudo-Random Number Generators. Those systems have one defined value – a ‘seed’, a starting point that sets the range of possible outcomes.

They couldn’t be defined as completely random, because there are certain algorithms and a ‘seed’ value. But they are based on complicated mathematical formulas, so it’s still impossible to predict the result and track the patterns.

It makes all pokies in casinos fair – the result of the game depends only on your luck.

To play safely, without risking your personal or payment data, and to get your winnings it is important to choose games only at certified and licensed casinos.

Despite the fact that all slots casinos in NZ are offshore, they are legal and have Curacao licenses. Don't forget to check the license of the casino and make sure that the URL is correct.

If you’re a new player and don’t know your gambling behaviour or if you get excited easily, don’t forget to check the responsible gambling tools such as time limits, deposit limits, self-exclusions and self-assessment tests.