Pokie Terminology: The A to Z of Pokies for Aussies

Cashback: Money that is returned to the player by the casinos VIP/Rewards programme as a reward for the player’s action. Generally speaking, the cashback options at online casinos are much more generous than those found in their brick-and-mortar counterparts.

Flash Slot: A pokie that can be played without having to first be downloaded.

Hit Frequency: Refers to a pokie can be expected to offer some kind of payout. If a game has a hit frequency of four, for example, it means that the game will, on average, pay out some kind of win once every four spins.

Hold Bonus Slot: A type of bonus in game in which the bonus feature “holds” certain reels in place and spins the remaining reels (usually until a winning combination is hit).

Max Bet: The maximum number of credits that a player can wager on a single spin. In many land-based reel games, the max bet is three. In video slots, however, that number can be quite a bit higher.

Multiplier: A bonus feature that rewards the player with some kind of multiple of the payout that the particular symbol combination would usually pay. For example, you might have a combination that generally pays 5:1, for example, but in a bonus round a multiplier of 10x is applied to that payout, for a total payout of 50:1. Multipliers are very GOOD things.

Payback Percentage: The percentage of a wager that the player can expect the machine to pay back out to the player. If a pokie has a payback percentage of 94 per cent, this means that the game will, on average, hold six cents for every dollar wagered, and return $.94 to the player in the form of winnings. Of course, this refers to the long run and is subject to short term variance.

Payline: The line on which the symbols must fall in order for the player to win.

Pay Table: The graphic that informs the player what the payout is for all of the possible winning combinations.

Random Number Generator (RNG): The computer program that generates the numbers that determine what the results will be of a given spin. Ensures that the games are truly random.

Scatter Pay: A particular type of bonus feature that rewards players with a payout if a particular symbol appears anywhere on the display.

Video Slots: These are slots in which the results of each spin are not displayed on physical reels, but rather on a video screen. Although all online pokies are, technically, video slots, this term is generally used to refer to the types of games that are displayed on video screens in land-based casinos, which is to say games with a large number of betting options and (usually) multiple bonus round possibilities.

Wide Area Progressives: In land-based casinos, wide area progressives (or WAPs, as they’re often called) and progressive games that are placed in two or more casinos and are all linked to the same progressive jackpot(s). Many online casinos “families” share WAPs, which means you’ll find the same game, with the same sized jackpot, in more than one casino. The fact that multiple casinos are feeding players into these games means that the jackpot can grow incredibly quickly, making them attractive plays for each casinos pokie players.

Wild: Similar to a wildcard in poker. A symbol that is automatically substituted for another symbol make the highest possible winning combination for that particular payline.