History and types of pokie slot machines

Pokie slot machines gained enormous popularity. Today, they generate about 70% of casino revenue. More than 100 years of history and continuous development show that the interest in pokie machines is not faded. New real pokie machines with beautiful graphics and generous payouts a released every year. If you have not heard about Pokie Slot Machines, we will explain to you what it is. What is the secret of their popularity and what are pokie machines tips? Let's sort it out.

Who invented the first slot machine

The prototype of a slot machine was invented in New York by Sittman and Pitt in 1891. It contained five reels with 50 playing cards. A player was to put a nickel in a slot, pull the lever, and spin the reels. They could randomly return a winning poker hand. After that, a player went to the bartender and received a free beer or a cigar.

Charles Fey

Best pokie machines origin from machines of Bavarian mechanic Charles Fey. It was he who invented slot machines that have survived to this very day almost unchanged.

Fey was born in 1862 in the Bavarian town Vöhringen. Having chosen a profession of a mechanic, he worked in London and France in his youth. Then, at 23, Charles emigrated to the US to his uncle’s house.

For a while, he travelled around the country and settled in San Francisco. He met Marie Christine Volkmar there and engaged. Their betrothal was prevented by Fey’s disease – in the early 1880s he suffered tuberculosis. The doctors sent him to Mexico where Charles lived for several years. Then, the mechanic came back to San Francisco and was treated with creosote. Having recovered, he married Mary in 1889. They had three daughters and one son.

In 1885, Fey joined the Electric Works. Then a talented mechanic started his business with Theodore Holtz and Gustav Schultze. They worked with the electrical engineering and phones that were coming into common use.

The very first pokie slot machines did not pay the money automatically, they needed a mediator in the form of tickets or tokens. Schulz invented the first machine in 1893, which had the mechanism for direct payments. Charles Fey improved the Horseshoe Slot Machine. Now, it paid out coins and thus became incredibly popular.

Liberty Bell

Somewhere between the years 1887-1895 in San Francisco, Charles Fey invented the slot machine which was much easier comparing to the prototype Sittman and Pitt. It had only three reels which rotated five pictures:

  • horseshoe;
  • diamonds;
  • two card suits – spades and hearts;
  • bells – so-called Liberty Bell.

Liberty Bell slot machines spread across San Francisco. In the 1896-97, Fey opened his workshop for gaming machines. Since slot machines were illegal, he could not patent his invention. Therefore, the market became very competitive, companies produced many similar devices.

Since then, slot machines conquered the love of many players and became a powerful industry with billions in revenue.

What fruit is a device

After slot machines were banned in the early 20th century, they appeared on the market again in the form of fruit machines. A player could rotate the reels as before but they contained additional symbols of fruit – plums, cherries and others indicating the taste of gum. After winning a gum, a player could chew it. But the other option was more frequent – players could ask the bartender to exchange the win a free drink.

Since then, developing fruit machines – this is a must for any slot developer. Thus, they pay tribute to traditions. Besides, players always like fruit machines for easy interface and pleasant gameplay.

What are the pokies

Pokie – this is a slot machine with three reels which spin at the touch of a button or a lever. The essence of the game is to make a bet and collect a winning combination. Symbols for sequences drop randomly.

Another name for pokie machines – slot machines in America or fruit machines in the UK. In Australia and New Zealand, they are called poker machine. Pokie – it's a slang.

How do pokie machines work

A player who wants to play a slot machine puts money or special tickets into a special slot in a machine. Online casinos require creating a gaming account – deposit. When a player opens an online slot, a part of the money from the account are “put” in a game using the mouse.

Then, after preparing money to play for, a player activates pokie slot machine by pressing the button or lever. Online slots are activated when you click the mouse or press Spin/Start button on the touch screen.

Slot machines games itself do not require any skills from players. All it takes is to press the button and see how combinations drop.

Object of the game

The object of slots is to win a sum that far exceeds the amount of the deposit or the initial bet. Gaming machine operates on a basis of a random number generator (RNG), so it is impossible to predict what will appear on the reels. Using any math skills is pointless as well – the generator operates independently giving completely random combinations of symbols.

The mechanism of pokie slot machine

The main element of any gaming machine is reels (or wheels) which rotate pictures. Earlier, they were mechanical, but now, in the era of computers, the reels remain for the look. Furthermore, they are habitual to players.

Then, as already mentioned, slots necessarily have a button or a lever to start spinning the reels.

Random Number Generator (RNG)

Modern slot machines use microprocessors to do its work. Online slots are based on game servers and program code.

When a Commission in any country tests a new terrestrial or online slot machine, it is necessary to check the work of a random number generator. This is one of the chips inside microprocessor or server.

RNG produces hundreds of thousands of random numbers in a second. Their sequence determines what symbols will appear on the reels of a slot machine. An example of such a random selection – fruit machine name picker. This program randomly selects students' names from the list.

Pokie machine symbols

Pokie machine symbols are another important element of a device. Slot machines include an interface through which a player can control to some extent the operation of a slot:

  1. button to start the reels;
  2. buttons to adjust the size of bets;
  3. button to configure the number of paylines.

Pokie machine secrets

Symbols of slot machines have their own specifics. Perhaps it can be called the only secret of slots – there are special pictures, bonus rounds and other features in each game. They are covered below.

Terminology of pokie slot machines

Pokie machine symbols – pictures that drop on the reels. They are divided into common and special. Specials include:

  • Wild symbol – a picture that can play the role of any other character, complete a winning combination. Exception – Scatters and bonus symbols, they usually cannot be replaced by the wild. In some slot machines, wild symbols can multiply the gain several times;
  • Scatter symbol – a picture that gives a prize. As a rule, it is free spins;
  • Bonus symbol – it triggers the bonus game. Different slots trigger different bonuses. In some games, a player receives extra free spins with additional multipliers, in others, he can play an interactive game. For example, there is a type of bonus round where a player is to select one from a number of items and receive a prize.

Payline – it’s a line that runs through all the reels following a special predetermined trajectory. Several of the same symbols must appear on a line to form a winning combination. Modern slots can contain from 3 to 40 or even more paylines. Modern video slots, both online and land-based, typically have 20-25 paylines.

Free spins – extra rotations of wheels which are not paid by a player. Usually, free spins are activated by scatters. Their number can be from 5 to 50, depending on the slot. In many slot machines, bonus rotations reward more win coins than the main game.

What percentage do pokies payout

The RTP (percentage of the theoretical payout) – when a player puts some money into a slot, it returns a certain percentage of the money invested in the long run. Payments are programmed to be from 82-98%. The minimal percentage depends on the jurisdiction a slot machine in which is located.

Volatility or variance – it is the characteristic that indicates how often and in what amounts a player receives payouts. Low volatility means frequent and small payments. High volatility implies rare but big prizes.

How to win pokies every time

So the question how to win pokies every time remains unresolved because casinos set up slot machines in different ways, with different odds of winning. It is known, that there are 12 ways of setting pay tables. Besides, the RNG makes the work of slot games completely random.

Which pokie machine pays the most

There is also no answer to the question which pokie machine pays the most. Payouts depend on many factors:

  1. the minimum RTP established by the legislation or in a particular casino;
  2. the version of the PAR applied in a particular casino;
  3. the maximal payout on a particular machine established in a casino.

What are the odds of winning on the pokies

Slot odds (Probability and Accounting Report or Paytable and Reel Strips, PAR) – settings that are strictly protected by representatives of casinos. Winnings for one combination can be issued 1:1 – that is, the winning is equal to the bet. Such winnings occur every 8 rounds. Wins 5:1 - fivefold bets – they can be given every 33 rounds. Players are drawn by winnings that are equal to the bet multiplied 80 times. These payments occur once every 219 rounds. But these odds may vary.

A standard configuration of slots offers the probability of hitting the jackpot symbol 1 to 64. That is, the probability of getting a big win on a standard five-reel video slot is 1 to 64:5 or 1 to 1,073,741,824.

How to win pokies jackpot

All probabilities are programmed by a special chip and casinos actually cannot tamper with it. So the rumour about cheating has no ground. A player can only know the probability of the jackpot, but no casinos, no players can affect it. Chances to win big rewards are completely random due to the RNG.

The jackpot is activated in different ways – via a combination of symbols or after a certain outcome in the bonus game. Each machine has its own characteristics, and before the game, it would be useful to read the review or test pokies online free.

How to pick a winning pokie machine

Best pokie machines are chosen according to various criteria. For some, the best slots are low-volatility games with a plenty of free spins. For others – progressive slot machines that give a chance to hit the jackpot.

Online casinos – it is a good choice if you want to play in a relaxed home environment. Just a few steps are required for playing in online casinos:

  • registration;
  • making a deposit with a credit card;
  • selection of a slot machine.

To choose a reliable casino, you need to read reviews on information portals which publish the ratings of the best casinos in the current year. Player reviews on forums might be of use as well, they mark the pros and cons of online casinos.

Good casino pokies online can be identified by the fact that they provide:

  • the possibility to conduct transactions through various payment systems;
  • accounts with deposit protection;
  • protection of personal data.

Real pokie machines tips

Before playing for money, it will be better to try a slot for free in order to understand how it works. Real pokie machines must be chosen according to your preferences.

Online pokies Australia can be divided into the following groups:

  • progressive slots;
  • slots with high or low volatility;
  • slots with a high or low RTP.

Additionally, depending on the online casino, there are the following slot machines:

  1. pokies with no deposit bonus;
  2. pokies with deposit bonus;
  3. pokies with regular deposit bonus.

Bonus Terms are covered on the site of a casino or in reviews dedicated to it. Read them carefully because all bonuses for online pokies real money are played back under certain conditions. This is called wager, the number of bets depending on the size of a deposit and a bonus.

Usually, no deposit bonuses are small – within AUD 5-50. We offer a list of online pokies Australia no deposit bonus:

  • Casino Mate – 800 pokie slot machines. It has been working since 2011; licensed in Malta. Its operator – Vegas Partner Lounge;
  • Lucky247 Casino – more than 400 pokies;
  • Tangiers Casino – more than 750 pokies. It started working in 2016 under Curacao license, though its team is into gambling business for a lot of years;
  • Golden Riviera Casino – more than 300 pokies. It is a platform for Microgaming slots;
  • Crazy Vegas Casino – more than 300 pokies. It works since 2001.

Pokie machines Australia manufactures

The main manufacturer of slot machines in Australia – it is Aristocrat. The company originated in 1953, just three years after the legalisation of slot machines in New South Wales – one of the Australian states. Today, the company has 3,000 employees. It is represented in 240 jurisdictions around the world.

Aristocrat pokies are available in 90 countries. Among them, the most popular are:

  • The Walking Dead – provides a jackpot of USD $ 500 000;
  • The Big Bang Theory – a three-reel slot machine;
  • Weird, Wicked & Wild – a progressive slot with 40 paylines, free spins and bonuses;
  • Buffalo – slot machine with 1024 ways to win;
  • Sons of Anarchy – progressive slot with a jackpot more than USD 500 000;
  • Britney Spears – five-wheel game with a lot of bonuses.

Decides Aristocrat, there are more Australian manufacturers:

  • Ainsworth Game Technology;
  • Maximum Gaming Pty.

They are not as well known as Aristocrat but also occupy a niche in the market.

Play pokies online

Play pokies online – it’s an opportunity to have a good time or to win a big jackpot on the spot. Here is the list of the top slots which can be found online.

Best online pokies in Australia are:

  1. Hitman by Microgaming – five-reel slot machine with a chance to win 270,000 coins;
  2. Break da Bank – three-reel slot with 5 paylines by Quickfire;
  3. Thunderstruck II – 5 reels, 243 ways to win and 4 bonus games;
  4. Alaskan Fishing – 5 reels, 243 ways to win, bonuses, wild symbols and multiple free spins;
  5. Immortal Romance – 5 reels, 243 ways to win, 4 bonus games united by a common subject;
  6. Major Millions – progressive slot containing 5 reels, 15 paylines;
  7. Mega Moolah – progressive slot machine with 5 reels and 25 paylines, 4 types of jackpots;
  8. Tomb Raider – 5 reels, 15 paylines, interactive bonus game, free spins;
  9. The Dark Knight – 5 reels, 243 ways to win.

All these slot machines are available as a free game. Play pokies online free for fun – it's a good way to spend time enjoying good graphics and nice music. Demo versions are available on information portals.

Mobile pokie slot machines

Additionally, free slot machines also can be played on mobile devices via applications in App Store and Google Play. The policies of these sites are that the application can be distributed only for free. However, casino applications can involve in-game purchases.

Online pokies no deposit bonus on mobile – it is the opportunity to play anywhere and at any time. The main thing is to have a mobile phone with an Internet connection. Some applications make it possible to play offline. Read the characteristics of a program in the store to find out these details.

Summary

Online pokies Australia – this is a great opportunity to play online for fun or for money. Many slots are provided in terrestrial and online casinos of the country.

The answer to the question of how to win on five dragons pokie machine is very simple – play in a good mood, use just the bonus money and choose a casino with a good range of pokies.

Fruit machine name picker working on the principle of a slot machine will allow selecting the winner.

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