Pokies are an Australian institution, found on land at casinos, cafes and pubs, and increasingly, online. This article will provide some tips to help you enjoy your playing experience, and maybe even boost your chances of a win.
Play online
The number of Australians choosing to play pokies in cyberspace has been steadily rising over the past five or six years. Unsurprisingly, that rate of increase spiked dramatically in 2020 and 2021 due to wider issues and land-based casinos being temporarily closed. But the interesting thing is that even with the land-based facilities open again, online casino gaming is showing no dip in popularity, and user numbers continue to steadily rise.
There are reasons for this that go beyond the obvious convenience factor of playing anytime and anywhere from your PC or, more likely, your smartphone. Online operators have lower overheads and can survive at far tighter profit margins. It means they can be more generous with their bonuses and can offer pokies with a far higher RTP – 96 percent is common online compared with 90 percent on land. In short, online pokies offer a better return over time.
Find the best deals
The online pokies space is very competitive. That’s good news for players, as it means there are plenty of those bonus offers and special promos we were talking about. If you look for online pokies at casinoaus.net, which is an independent review site for Australian online casinos, you can find the best deals.
It’s worth keeping in mind that the best deal isn’t necessarily the one that shouts the biggest number. Sometimes the smaller bonuses have fewer conditions attached, meaning these are more likely to yield genuine rewards. This is why it is worth checking out those review sites mentioned earlier.
Check the RTP – but don’t be ruled by it
Return to Player (RTP) is dictated by every machine’s programming and indicates what percentage of the amount wagered is paid out in winnings. 96 percent is common, and means that a machine pays out on average 96 coins for every hundred wagered.
Every game’s RTP is published – a quick Google search is all it takes. Obviously the higher the RTP the better from a player’s perspective. Having said that, keep in mind that this is the average payout over a slot’s lifetime. If one game has RTP 95.5 percent and another has RTP 96.5 percent, the payout behavior is really not going to be materially different when you play for half an hour. So if you prefer the look of the first game, don’t let the slightly lower RTP put you off.
Never chase losses
We hear a lot about problem gambling, and casinos are at the forefront of promoting responsible gambling habits. Almost every instance of problem gambling boils down to chasing losses, and chasing losses happens when players don’t know when to stop.
Always set yourself a gambling limit, and when you reach it, walk away. There will be days when you finish on top, and days when luck is against you. The trick is to accept both with equal pragmatism.