Pokies are among the most popular games in a casino. No game is as attractive to casino patrons as the pokies, which offer a tantalizing prize. For a small amount of money, players can have the chance to win a large sum in a single bet. Now, with modern technology, the games are even more fun since they have an added video component to them in the form of bright, colourful graphics and bonus games. In recent years, most casinos offer a wide selection of 3 reel and 5 reel pokie machines. The 3 reel pokies are the standard, “one armed bandits,” that many people think of when they hear the word “pokie,” but 5 reel machines are quickly becoming the new favourite.
Traditional 3 Reel Pokie
Online pokie machines as well as regular pokie machines all work in the same way. The player inserts his or her coin(s) into the machine and then spins the reels. Whenever a winning combination comes up, the player wins a certain amount of money, depending on what type of symbols land and the probabilities associated with them. In the past, pokies were controlled by mechanical means. However, in today’s high tech world, almost every pokie in the world is controlled by an internal computer chip called a random number generator (RNG). As soon as the player places a bet or drops a coin into the machine, the RNG computer the outcome of the bet, which is then translated into the combinations of symbols that the player sees on the reels.
In today’s casinos, the most common pokies feature three or five reels and the choice between them depends on the likes and dislikes of the individual player. Three reel machines are more “old school” and have been around for years. Usually these machines have mechanical reels that display a fixed number of symbols and pictures. In recent years, new 5-reel video pokies have become the new standard. These machines offer bright graphics, lucrative bonus game chances, and loud sounds, all of which make them very popular with younger gamblers who are familiar with video games.
5-reel pokies have several advantages over 3-reel pokies. One of the main advantages of playing a 5-reel pokie is that there are many more winning combinations available. For most 3-reel pokies, only a win on the centre line will pay the player. Some newer machines will pay up to 9 ways, but this pales in comparison to the 5-reel pokies that may pay in up to 1024 ways per hit. With more winning lines and more combinations, the chances of winning are higher than on a 3-reel pokie. Also, most 3-reel pokies are an all or none gamble, meaning that the player will either win his money back on the spin or lose it all. On a 5-reel video pokie, it is possible to win at least a portion of the initial bet back on each spin. For example, the initial bet for playing all 30 lines on the machine may cost 30 coins. If three matching symbols fall on a pay line, then the player may win a small portion of the 30 coin bet back. This allows players to keep playing for a longer amount of time.
Traditional 5 Reel Pokie
Finally, most 5-reel pokies have some sort of bonus game, which can be triggered by spinning the right combination of symbols. Bonus games have the potential to pay well and are fun to play because of the extra graphics and loud sounds that they contain.
When it comes to playing the online pokies, the choice between 3 and 5-reel machines is ultimately up to the preference of the player. After all, being in the right place at the right time is the most important factor in beating the pokies.
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