If you’re in Australia and you’re wanting to play pokies – or as the rest of the world calls them, slots, you’re going to need to know what you’re doing. That means you need to learn all the rules, the strategies and what you should and shouldn’t do in a casino environment.
But just as importantly, you’re going to need to learn the lingo if you want to gamble. Because if you don’t understand what people are talking about, you’re going to get very lost very quickly. And, let’s be honest, there’s nothing worse than feeling like you don’t fit in when you’re trying to make a good impression!
We all know that Australians in particular tend to be pretty creative with their lingo, so, we’re going to help you out with simple definitions of some of the most common lingo associated with pokies in Australia.
Pokie
In case you haven’t clocked it yet, a pokie is a slot machine.
Fruit Machine
The term “fruit machine” is another term for a pokie – or a slot machine. The term comes from the old-school machines that used fruit symbols.
Reels
Reels are the columns on a pokie that spin and show off the game’s symbols.
Payline
The payline is the line on which winning combinations of symbols need to land in order for the player in question to get lucky. When you play pokies for real money these paylines are what land you a payout!
Multi-Line
A multi-line, on the other hand, is when a pokie has multiple paylines. That means that players can bet on more than one payline for each spin, increasing their odds of winning (to an extent).
Max Bet
This one’s pretty self-explanatory, but a max bet is the maximum amount that a player can bet on a single spin of the pokies. The max bet may be different from one pokie to the next.
Spin
A spin is basically the same as a bet – that is, wagering money and activating the pokie to start spinning its wheels!
Progressive Jackpot
Since an ordinary jackpot is the highest payout that can be won on a pokie, a progressive jackpot is one that accumulates over time. A portion of each bet is added to the prize pool and eventually, some lucky players wins the whole lot – score!
Scatter
Scatter is a special symbol that you’ll see on the reels. This allows you to create a winning combination or, it triggers a bonus feature – regardless of paylines!
Wild
A wild is another symbol that can substitute other symbols on the reels. It’s similar to a scatter in that it can also help you create a winning combination. This is a symbol you want to see!
Free Play
Free play is a mode on a pokie that allows you to play the pokies without having to bet real money. It also means that you can’t win real money, but free play is generally used to allow beginners to practice and for players to get used to the specific game if they’ve never played it before.
