How to Win on Pokies at Online Casinos

How to Win on Pokies

Pokies are massively popular, and they are found at nearly all online casinos. and the number one question most people ask about pokies is this: how to win on pokie machines. Well, in response to the many questions we’ve had about this, we’ve decided to put together this page. Once you’ve finished reading, you should have everything you need to know when it comes to how to win at pokies at online casinos in New Zealand!

Before we get into the main article though, it is really important to say this: pokies are completely random, and therefore there is no sure-fire way to guarantee success. Instead, you can take some measures to increase your chances of winning some huge amounts of money, and that’s what this page is about – not guaranteeing big wins, but simply giving you some knowledge to improve your play when you are betting on pokies. Once you’ve finished reading, you can then head to Jackpot City, which is our number one site for pokie players in New Zealand.

Why are they called pokies

Why are they called "Pokies"?

This is a question that doesn't seem to have a definitive answer. Many believe that due to the way New Zealanders tend to shorten and abbreviate words, "pokies" may refer to poker machines. Back when the first machines were around, there's a good chance that they were poker machines. So in true Kiwi style as they would say "g'day" instead of "good day", these were simply referred to as "pokies" instead of "poker machines".

You’ll find out loads of information on this page about how to win at pokies, including:

  • Why RTPs are so important to pokie players
  • Why progressive jackpot pokies aren’t always the best pokies
  • How to use bankroll management to your advantage

"Pokies are massively popular, and they are found at nearly all online casinos. And the number one question most people ask about pokies is this: how to win on pokie machines."

The Randomness of Online Pokies

Pokies are machines that are designed to be random, and there is not a lot of skill needed in order to play one of these games. Every spin of the reels is governed by a random number generator (RNG) and these ensure that you have the same odds of winning the jackpot on every single spin of the reels. These RNGs are overseen by external organisations at the best sites, so you can be sure that they are completely fair and honest.

Because they are random though, we can’t sit here and tell you exactly how to win jackpots on pokie machines, because there is no magic formula. What we can do is give you hints and tips on how to win at pokies, which will swing the chances in your favour ever so slightly. So, you might not win the jackpot on your very next spin, but the advice on this page could help you win the jackpot in the future.

Quick Fire Tips

1. Learn the Pay Tables first
2. Play on pokies with fewer symbols
3. Pick the right amount of paylines
4. Look out for the bonus games

The Importance of RTPs

The Importance of RTPs

The single most important thing to look at when trying to win some money at an online pokie is the RTP, and this stands for the Return To Player. The RTP of a particular pokie is always defined as a percentage, and it tells you how much money, on average, you can expect to win back when you play. So, for example, if a pokie has an RTP of 95%, you can expect to get $95 back for every $100 you put into the machine.

Most online casinos will display the RTP of a pokie on the site, but if they don’t, you can easily find it out by quickly searching Google. If you want the best possible chance of winning when you play, you should search for the online pokie with the highest RTP around. None will be over 100%, as that would mean that they lose the casino money in the long term, however some RTPs do hover around the 98% mark.

Big Isn’t Always Best

When asking the question of how to win at pokies, many people are referring to the progressive pokies with huge jackpots – jackpots that can sometimes stretch into the millions of dollars. This is often a mistake, as these progressive jackpots are exceedingly hard to win, as the odds of hitting one of them are astronomically high. This explains why Mega Moolah – one of the most-played progressive jackpot pokies in the world – only pays out its top prize once every three or four months!

All of this goes back to the RTPs of slots, because the RTP at a progressive jackpot slot is skewed significantly by the huge prize on offer. Because one player could potentially win millions of dollars, it means that many other players will have to lose to compensate for this. So, you have the greatest chance of losing money when you play a progressive jackpot pokie, despite the fact that the prizes can sometimes be huge. So, if you want to know how to win on pokie machines, our advice would be this: avoid progressive jackpot pokies, and play pokies with fixed jackpots instead.

"The most important thing to look at when trying to win some money at an online pokie is the RTP (Return to Player). It tells you how much money, on average, you can expect to win back when you play."

Always Watch Your Bankroll

Always Watch Your Bankroll

It might seem like a pretty obvious thing to say, but you can’t win money at a slot unless you have some money in your online casino account first. So, when you are thinking about how to win jackpots on pokies, you should always be keeping one eye on the amount of money you actually have at your disposal.

Bankroll management is quite a simple concept, and it is used by all manner of different gamblers around the world, from poker players through to pokie players. It basically means that you always gamble within your means, so that there is always money left in your account for another session on the pokies at a later date. So, for example, let’s assume you have $100 in your casino account. You could bet the entire amount on one spin, but the likelihood is that you’ll lose everything you have. Instead though, you could just bet $1, and have 100 attempts at hitting a big prize. It’s all about spreading the risk, and therefore maximising your chances at the same time.

Play at the Best Online Casino

It’s all very well and good getting tips on how to win at pokies, but you’ve also got to think further ahead than that – you have to think about how an online casino will treat you once you’ve managed to get the big win you’ve been waiting for. Some casinos treat big winners like royalty, however a few aren’t always as nice to the players winning large amounts of money. So, to ensure you only ever play at a casino that treats winners with the respect they deserve, take a look through our comprehensive selection of online casino reviews, so you can find a trusted casino that is perfect for you.

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