How to win at online poker machines
Although winning at poker machines, online or otherwise, is primarily a matter of luck, here are some tips that can greatly improve your chances for success.
Play at an online poker casino that’s well established
First off, choose an online casino that has been in business for a while. It’s easy for a casino to appear one day and disappear the next, ripping off unsuspecting players in the interim. Casinos that have been around for a while are more likely to treat players fairly, as players don’t return to untrustworthy casinos and they go out of business. You can play with confidence on all casinos promoted on this site.
Pick your pokie machine carefully
It’s no longer a secret that payout percentages in online pokie gambling are generally more generous than in traditional casinos. However, there are a multitude of different games available and this can be confusing. Read FAQ What are the different types of online poker machines?, try out different games and find the ones that appeal to you the most.
Learn to play your choice of online poker game
Every online pokie game is a bit different. Before you start to play online pokie in earnest, take time to familiarize yourself with the rules of your chosen game/s. If your game offers “wild symbols”, “multipliers” or “scatters”, make sure you understand what that means. Make sure you know how the bonuses work as well. If you’re playing with money the casino has given you, it is very important that you read and understand the casino’s “terms and conditions”, so you won’t have any disappointments when you try to cash out.
Understand the poker payout tables
Every online poker machine has a payout table that tells you how much you can win for each combination. It’s a good idea to study the payout table before starting to play an unfamiliar game. It will often give you helpful clues about the best way to play. For example, on some machines, the payout table says that if you bet one coin and line up three 5s you will win 2,000 coins for a payout of 2,000 to 1. If you bet two coins, you will win 4,000 coins – also a ration of 2,000 to 1. However, if you bet 3 coins and hit three 5s, you will win 8,000 coins, giving a much better payout ratio of 2,667 to 1.Clearly in this case, betting three coins is the best strategy. You may be thinking that you’d like to conserve your bankroll to play longer and that three coins is too large a bet. The solution? Simply select a smaller coin value. Wagering three small coins won’t cost you any more than wagering one large coin, but it makes you eligible for the higher payout ratio of 2,667 to 1. So you can see, it pays to read the payout tables carefully and use your brain to come up with the best strategy!
What are the best slot machines to play?
The best poker machine to play is the one that you feel most comfortable with. It really depends on your playing style and bankroll, and you should do some research to see which games appeal to you most. However, to start you off, here are the ten most popular pokie games in Australia (both in regular bricks and mortar casinos and online). Most of them are also found at casinos internationally,
1. Queen of the Nile
Released as Golden Pyramids in early 1997 using Aristocrats new Mk5 series technology, Queen of the Nile is the most commonly popular game. It has an Egyptian theme, comes in 3, 9 and 20 line formats and offers a 15 free games bonus. Almost a decade after its launch it is still number one.
2. Indian Dreaming
Using Aristocrats “243 Way” configuration, Indian Dreaming was released in 1999. It offers a relatively unique experience as you do not have to line up symbols to win – symbols on adjacent reels win. Offers the chance to win 5, 10 or 20 free games with X3 and X5 multipliers added on the feature.
3. King Of The Nile
Clearly cashing in on the popularity of Queen of the Nile, Aristocrat released King of the Nile in 2002. The game only comes in the 20 line format. To give the game a point of difference you have the second chance option at the end of the free spins – play again, take the win or go for a mystery prize.
4. Mr Cashman
The Mr Cashman series brought bake some of the early games such as Jail Bird and Mystic Eyes and added a new twist. For an additional side bet you can have the chance at one of five randomly hit bonus games. These include free spins, instant prize, poker machine and random reel spin.
5. 50 Lions
The first 50 line video slot to be released. 50 Lions instantly looks different from all other games as 20 symbols are displayed on the screen instead of the normal 15. The game also has groups of the top paying lion symbol on each reel so it is possible to get a whole screen of the same symbol.
6. Show Me The Money
Released in 2000, Show Me The Money adds yet another twist to the free games feature. In this case you can choose from five options of spins and multiplier. These are 20 @ X2, 15 @ X3, 10 @ X5, 5 @ X10 and 3 @ X15. There is also a mystery prize for getting wilds on reels 1 and 5.
7. Super Bucks
Now in it’s fourth version release, the Super Bucks games are generally only found in denominations of 50 or higher. The fourth generation game offers the chance to choose between a range of free spin options. Any additional scatters during the free spins award between one and three extra games.
8. Where’s the Gold?
Adding yet another twist to the free game bonus feature. Where’s The Gold offers the chance to win up to 20 free games. When the bonus is activated you pick one of five characters. Then free spin amounts and symbols drop down the screen. Any symbols collected become wild on the free games.
9. Prize Fight
Now in it’s second release, Prize Fight is a boxing theme game that is only found in the higher denominations starting at $1. Three KO symbols on an active line award 5 free games with all wins tripled. The free game wins can only occur on the line that activated the bonus.
10. Penguin Pays
Most commonly found in the 9 line format, Penguin Pays offs something a little different from the usual bonus game. Landing an iceberg on reel one and a coin on reel five activates the bonus. The wild penguin then jumps to all 15 reel positions and pays for any combinations in completes.
All of the above game titles are trademarks owned and/or registered by Aristocrat (Aristocrat
Technologies Australia Pty Ltd) in Australia, the United States and/or other countries. The actual games are also copyright and/or patents of Aristocrat.
What are the different types of online poker machines?
With a multitude of pokie machine games available online, it is often a tall order to choose the right game to play. Here we offer an overview of five basic categories of online poker machines. This will help you choose the right game based on your bankroll and preferences.
Classic 3 Reel Pokies
The Classic 3 Reel Pokies covers all the machines that offer 3 reels and 1 payline. These machines are designed based on traditional pokie machines and consist 6 to 12 winning combinations. Gamers can play a wide range of coin sizes.
Multi-line Pokies
Multi-line pokies comprise all the machines that offer 3 Reels, but consist of multiple paylines. Additionally, this category covers machines that offer 3 to 5 paylines. Some of the machines also offer a bonus game and additional features. The most interesting feature of these machines is that gamers can choose the number of lines they wish to play.
Progressive Jackpot Pokies
As the name suggests, this category covers all the machines with progressive jackpots. Gamers can win prize money in the range of millions of dollars in these games since the jackpot is formed from a prize pool.
Bonus Feature Pokies
Bonus Feature Pokies covers machines that offer additional features. The machines may have either 3 or 5 reels. Additionally, the pokie machines may consist of bonus games, hidden extra features as well as bonus spins. Gamers can also play additional games to win bonus prizes. The variety in features is one major factor that has driven the popularity of this category of pokie machines.
5-Reel Pokies
Reel pokies are the most popular of pokie machines. These are also known as “video poker machines”. These games are pervasive and offer variety both in features and extras. 5-reel pokie machines also offer bonus games and multiple paylines. Additionally, gamers can play multiple coin bets for every line.
How do I play poker on virtual poker machines?
The popularity of online slots is increasing every week. New slot games are being released with ever improving graphics and game play. For an example of this you just have to check the latest islots which are bonus slot games with movies that tell a story as you progress through the game!
There’s such a wide range of slot games produced there’s literally something for every one, men and women alike covering a whole range of interests from sports to girly nights out or love slots.
All online games are slightly different. Check our page What are the different types of online poker machines?, and take our advice by reading up on different games before making a decision on the best game for you. For some general starter tips though, most machines operate pretty much like this:
Select the dollar amount you would like to purchase credits with in the upper right corner of the free online slots machine. You will have a choice of different amounts, generally $1, $5, $10 or $20.The number of credits you have purchased appears along the right side of the machine. To commence playing, simply select a wager amount and spin. Wager amounts may be adjusted between each round using the “Bet Once” or “Bet Max” buttons.
And to get you started, here are three pieces of advice:
- Change slot machines if you don’t win something within 10 plays.
- Bet the max to get closer to the big daddy jackpot, and
- Quit while you’re ahead.
Enjoy!
How do I fulfill the bonus requirements?
All online casinos aim to attract and keep customers by offering free bonus monies. They don’t just give the money away; there are strings attached. You are usually required to play through or wager the money from 8 to 40 times before you are allowed to cash out. Casino management hopes you’ll lose it all long before you’ve fulfilled that stipulation and you hope you’ll hit a winning combination big enough to outlast the play-through conditions.
For example: a typical bonus offer might be a 100% match with a minimum wagering requirement of 20x (bonus value + deposit value). If you deposit $50 into your account you will receive an additional $50 bonus giving you $100 to wager with. You will need to play through 20 x $100 ($50 deposit + $50 bonus) = $2,000 before you can withdraw anything from the casino. The big challenge is knowing when you have met those terms (wagered a total of $2000), so that you will be able to cash out the remaining money, if any.
It’s a bit of work, but no one is going to rush you, the computer is patient. While playing, keep a piece of paper and pen next to your keyboard; for four bets put a little vertical line on the paper and then cross the four lines with a horizontal line for the fifth wager. If for each spin your bet amount is $3, every 5-line block represents $15. 10 blocks is $150, 100 blocks is $1500 and so on. It’s a bit tedious but worth the effort.
You could speed things up if you were to bet the maximum ($45) on a 9-line video slot, but you’d run the risk of being almost bankrupt should the first few spins turn out to be duds. A safer way to go might be to bet all lines at 10 cents each. That way the total bet is $4.50 per spin. You have a better chance of avoiding early bankruptcy; each 5-line block is worth $22.50 and you’d have fulfilled the bonus requirement with only 89 blocks on your sheet of paper.
Spin Palace
Spin Palace is the oldest (launched in November 2001) and quite possibly the best online casino on the market today. It has won multiple awards throughout the years for their high level of service and rage of online games. Among these awards in 2002 was the biggest and more sought after award in the industry the “Best New Casino” award by Casinomeister.
The spin palace online gaming system is run on Microgaming System Ltd, one of the larger and smoother run platforms in our opinion, another big plus of this system is that it can be run in a flash version, this enables mac users to utilise the system.
To most the important thing to look at is the games that they offer. When it comes to online games the spin palace casino is second to none. They offer in excess of 260 online games commonly found in Vegas style casinos. The have a rights to the largest majority of traditional games you would be familiar with also.
Their Customer support is by far the best in the industry.
On top of the 24 hour seven day online support in multiple languages unseen by any other online casino. In addition to this they also provide a toll free support number in case you would prefer to contact them via phone. Spin palace also have the best frequently asked questions section I have seen. Listing over 50 questions with in depth and plain English answers it is no wonder these guys have been one of the most popular casinos for some time.
What are pokie bonuses?
These days there are thousands of online poker machines available on the net. The online classic 3-reel poker games are reproductions of the traditional poker machine you’ll find at a (non virtual) casino. Computer technology however, has allowed software developers to create better and more unique poker machines online. Bonus features have been added like free spin rounds with multipliers, multipliers that multiply the payable for winning lines, and fun bonus round games. There are many different kinds of bonus rounds. Some will require you to click on objects to get coins, with others you will have to use the keyboard to navigate spaceships or something else around obstacles, collecting coins as you play. Bonus features are generally triggered by getting 3 icons of a specific image; these icons are called “scattered icons”.
The jackpot prizes for these bonus features are enormous, sometimes in the millions of dollars, making bonus game pokies favourites among online poker machines fans.
What is meant by a progressive slot or progressive jackpot?
Progressive slot jackpots are a big attraction for online pokie players because they generally offer larger payouts.
In traditional pokie games the progressive jackpot is hit when five of the same specified symbol appear in a payline. The specified symbol is most often the symbol that is central to the theme of the game, or the “wild” symbol. In addition to obtaining five like symbols, players need to have enabled all paylines and wager the maximum number of credits available per play. If the player doesn’t meet these conditions then the game will pay out the standard fixed amount for obtaining five symbols in one payline.
Online poker machines have introduced a new way of hitting the progressive jackpot. This means that players do not have to get the specified combination of symbols, but can get the jackpot randomly in any spin and are simply informed that they have hit the jackpot. These progressive jackpots are known as “random jackpots”.
There are two other aspects of progressive jackpots that should be understood by new gamers. The first is the concept of networking. This means that frequently, different online poker games are linked, and so players can bet on different games and the same progressive jackpot amount will keep rising. If the player of any of these games hits the jackpot, he will receive the entire amount and the jackpot will reset for all the games.
The second is the trend of offering multiple jackpots for the same game. The highest jackpot pays out in very large amounts and is hit less frequently. Lower jackpots are hit more regularly but pays out smaller amounts.
As you can see, with all these new trends, and the chances for winning big even greater, online poker machines offering progressive jackpots are the way to go.
Northern Territory Pokie Cut Back
Recent announcments show that the norther territories are currently in discussion for the revison to the number of pokie licences issued this year.
This change was initiated by the findings of a recent reports to that the NT population over the last financial year have put in excess of 170 million dollars through their poker machines in pubs and clubs. This news is quite intriguing considering that only recently was the number of allowed machines capped to 1190.
They said that if this cap had not been put in pace less than a year ago their forecast put almost double the number of machines in the NT by today.
This information is relevant to this site in that from experience these occurance across Australia in conjunction with other pokie room changes is causing more and more people online. This is good news considering the higher payout rates of online machines in comparison to macines across Australian pubs and clubs.
Ruby Fortune
Ruby fortune was first launched onto the scene in November 2003. Very quickly becoming popular because of its vast selection of games and more importantly its consistently high payout rates.
They have in excess of 220 online games, of which about 120 are online pokie machines and video slots.
Ruby Fortune also has many progressive jackpots, the biggest of which is Major Millions. Major Millions has a reputation for being the largest progressive jackpots online and is regularly totaling an excess of $1,000,000.
In addition to their large range of poker machines ruby also offers video poker, parlor games, progressive games and table games such as black jack and poker.
One unique feature of ruby fortune that makes it different to the rest is that all its games are played through viper software, this enables players to either download the games to their desktop or play directly form the browser.
Many members of online pokies Australia have given positive feedback to the ruby fortune site and some have even taken large winnings from the progressive jackpots.
