Online pokies are the most popular games at Australian online casinos. They are simple casino games in which players rely entirely on luck. When the reels stop, if players get like symbols on active paylines they win payouts. The list below names the Australian online casinos that offer the best pokies.
When the electro mechanical pokies were first introduced in land casinos they had three reels and used a standardized set of symbols depicting different fruits, star, bell, bars and sevens. Online pokies that reconstruct this setting are referred to as classic pokies. All of them have three reels that spin. The usually have 1 or 3 or 5 paylines. Most of the symbols that are used are taken from the old land pokies. However, many online classic pokies also use a few symbols depicting the theme of the pokie. Most symbols have to appear in all three reels on an active payline in order to pay out. But there usually is one symbol that pays even if it appears on one or two of the reels.
Australian players will be able to wager with one or two or three coins on classic pokies. It is recommended to use three coins because this gives a jackpot payout for the highest paying symbol. Usually you will not find classic pokies with free spins features or a bonus games. But every now and then there is a classic pokie with these features or with progressive jackpots. Fruit machines are special classic pokies available at Microgaming and Playtech online casinos.
Online video pokies are essentially different from classic pokies in that they have five reels instead of three. But there are several other differences as well. Video pokies are more appealing visually. They usually work around a theme such as a sport or an ancient civilization or natural beauty. The symbols and the background to the reels all work together to emphasize this theme. Contemporary video pokies usually exhibit win animations that add to the visual affect. In branded pokies based on movies or television shows the animations are in the form of small video clips.
Video pokies are richer in features. They have many more paylines. A current trend is to treat all possible combinations as paylines. Contemporary video pokies are known for the bonus features. The most popular of these is the free spins feature. When this feature is triggered you will get to automatically play a number of spins for which you will not have to bet any amount. However the payouts will be credited to your account. Another popular feature is the bonus game on the second screen. The most common form of this game asks you to pick objects and awards you with random bonus payouts.
Multi-player online pokies are a recent addition at Australian online casinos. They function in a similar manner as multi-player online blackjack games in which a number of players can play at the same table against the same dealer. Multi-player pokies are played in rooms where a number of players can play on the same pokie. Initially each player plays individually, while being able to see the other players and chat with them. The multi-player aspect comes into force when the bonus game, usually the free spins feature, is triggered by any one player. The proceeds of the free spins accrue to all the players. However this is not shared equally by all the players. Each multi-player pokie has its own rules for sharing the common payouts. In may depend on the relative amounts wagered by the players or on special symbols collected by them. In some multiplayer pokies the common game consists of spinning a wheel of fortune.
Jackpot pokies, also known as progressive pokies, are games in which the highest payout keeps on increasing with every wager. A part of the every bet adds to the jackpot total, which can be seen rising on the screen. When the jackpot is hit, the lucky player wins the entire amount in the jackpot total. The jackpot pokie is then reset to its base value and starts rising again.
In most jackpot pokies, the progressive jackpot is hit by getting the designated highest paying symbol across all the reels in an active payline. In some progressive pokies it is essential to get the like symbols on the last payline. Most jackpot pokies will have a default fixed wager. Some require the Australian player to wager the maximum amount if he wants to hit the progressive jackpot. There are also random jackpot pokies. In these you are not required to get any combination of symbols on the reels. The jackpot is awarded randomly after any spin. However, in these random jackpot pokies larger bets increase the chance of hitting the progressive jackpot.
Initially jackpot pokies used to be standalone games. But now software providers often network different pokies into the same jackpot. This allows the jackpot amount to increase at a faster rate and also it can be hit from any of the contributing pokies. Another concept in the jackpot pokies is multi-level progressive jackpots. Different jackpots with different amounts are attached to the same pokie or pokie network.
Australian online casinos powered by Microgaming offer the largest number online pokies. Microgaming continuously adds to its pokies portfolio and also keeps on introducing innovative features. The variety of Microgaming pokies needs to be seen to be believed. It begins with the conventional classic pokies. Within this category are the fruit machines that offer features like nudge and hold that allow players a greater chance of getting winning combinations. Also featured are the Mega Spin pokies in which players can spin a number of reels sets at the same time just like multi-hand table games.
The Microgaming video pokies are amazing. They cover almost every imaginable theme under the sun. High quality graphics, animated introductory clips and win animations and a number of sound effects make wagering on these pokies even more enjoyable. Recent releases like Avalon II and Jason incorporate bonus trails in which players get a number of exciting bonus games with lucrative payouts. Similarly Microgaming pokies like Immortal Romance and Thunderstruck II offer a series of free spins rounds. Microgaming has entered into agreements with some of the most iconic brands to create branded video pokies. Recent releases include Jurassic Park and Terminator 2. Microgaming also offers some of the best jackpot pokies.
Playtech offers fewer pokies than Microgaming, but there is no shortcoming in the quality with equally exciting gaming features. Playtech pokies comprise the entire range, including classic, video and jackpot pokies. There are some Playtech pokies with unusual structures that are not found at other Australian online casinos. These pokies draw players to the Playtech casinos. The most popular of these are Playtech pokies like Gold Rally. These are nine symbol positions on the reels in a 3x3 matrix. The eight paylines run horizontally, vertically and diagonally. Gold Rally also offers a progressive jackpot. Some Playtech pokies incorporate the Dollar Ball side bet. This allows Australian players to wager on a Lotto like game while the reels spin. Playtech’s Everybody’s Jackpot is one of the most popular multi-player pokies.
Playtech is equally strong on branded video pokies. The most popular of these are the Marvel super hero pokies based on popular characters from Marvel movies like Captain America, Iron Man 2 and The Hulk. These pokies are linked to the same multi-tier progressive jackpot. Playtech offers branded pokies based on blockbuster Hollywood movies like Rocky and Kong and the television shows like Baywatch and Britain’s Got Talent.
Aristocrat Gaming is an Australian based producer of pokies for land casinos and pubs. It has gained a reputation across the world in this area. Aristocrat Gaming for long stayed away from developing online pokies. Looking at the growing online casino market, the company entered this field only in 2012.
In this short period of time Aristocrat Gaming has put together a small portfolio of online pokies. The numbers are much fewer than those from software providers like Microgaming and Playtech. However, given the company’s long experience in land based pokies, the quality of its online products is excellent. Many online casino operators across the world offer Aristocrat pokies. Unfortunately online casino operators servicing Australian players cannot offer Aristocrat pokies for real money wagering. However Australian players can play on these games for free from a number of online casinos. Though they will not be able to cash out their winnings, they can enjoy the graphics and gaming features of Aristocrat pokies.
Some of the popular Aristocrat pokie titles include Queen of the Nile II, Miss Kitty, Choy Sun Doa and 50 Dragons. 50 Dragons is a 50 paylines pokie with four rows of symbols across the reels.
