Guide to Pokies Terms For Beginner Online Players
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Feeling lost in a sea of slot terms? You’re not alone! If you’ve ever found yourself scratching your head over terms like “RTP,” “wilds,” or “scatter symbols,” don’t worry—we’ve all been there.
At CasinoAlpha, our team knows how confusing pokies jargon can be, especially if you’re just starting out. That’s why we’ve put together this easy-to-understand guide to help you master the most important terms you’ll come across while playing online slots. From basic terminology to advanced game features, we’ve got you covered.
Ready to sound like a pro the next time you spin the reels? Let’s dive into the must-know pokies terms and get you feeling confident in no time!
Important Casino Terminology
Credits – refer to the units of currency or points that show how much money you have in total in the game.
Hit Frequency – the rate at which a slot machine generates winning outcomes over a period of time. For more advanced tactics, consider our guide on how to increase slot winnings.
Lines – selectable pathways across the reels where matching symbols can form winning combinations.
License – a mandatory working permit that all NZ casinos must have in order to function.
RTP – the percentage you can cash out after winning. The best pokies have an RTP of over 96%. If you’re looking for the best games, check out our list of the top 10 online pokies of 2024.
Volatility – the level of risk and variation in the payouts of any casino game.
Wagering – the act of betting.
Wagering requirements – how many times you have to re-roll the sum you got from the casino offer in order to cash it out.
Reels related terms
Cascading Reels – game mechanics where winning symbols disappear from the reels and new symbols fall into their place, potentially creating consecutive wins in a single spin. They are also called avalanche reels.
Cluster Pays – game mechanic in which symbols don’t need to be on specific paylines; instead, they form wins when a certain number of matching symbols appear adjacent to each other. The number is usually more than three.
Megaways – a slot design that makes you win in over 100,000 ways instead of fixed paylines
Multi-line Slots – pokies with more than one active playline and one paying symbol.
Paylines – a type of payment in which a winning combination can occur.
Tumbling reels – similar to cascading reels, but the game’s aesthetics present the falling of symbols more as a rolling.
Wild symbol combinations
Expanding Wilds – unique feature with wild symbols that expand and cover an entire reel.
Stacked Wilds – symbols landing on top of each other and rewarding the player better. These mechanics can also be for other icons.
Scatter Symbol – a unique icon that can appear anywhere on the reels and make an instant winning combination.
Wild Symbol – a substituting symbol helping in creating paylines.
Win-Both-Ways – type of winning mechanic that lets you form paylines from left to right and right to left.
Betting Glossary
Minimum bet – the lowest value you can stake and play with. Regular pokies have it for around $0.10.
Maximum bet – opposite of minimum bet. This is the highest stake you can place on a singular hand played. Some high-rolling slot machines have a max bet of $200 per hand.
Betting Units– components used to wager. These define the credits you are playing with. Most pokies call them “coins”. These can have different values depending on the slot game you’re playing. For classic pokies, you can pay a betting unit for one line.
Max Cashout – the upper limit of how much you can withdraw once from your account.
Roulette Black Splits – While this glossary focuses on slot terms, many players also enjoy table games. For example, learning about strategies such as roulette black splits can enhance your overall casino experience.
Bonuses
Bonus feature – term represents a reward that automatically comes with the pokies. Bonus features can be: free spins, cascading reels, wilds or mini-games.
Bonus multiplier – during a bonus feature, you can have a symbol that makes your total winnings double or triple in size. Multipliers can go as high as 20x your bet.
Casino bonus – offer made by a casino to make a new player pick that platform. Casino promotions differ from bonus features because these don’t strictly refer to a slot game and are given to all players by following rules, not luck.
Pick me – an in-game feature that rewards the player coins or spins after picking an object on their screen.
Jackpots
Jackpot – the highest possible prize in a casino game, often a substantial amount.
Primary jackpot – fixed and predetermined amount of money that can be won in a casino game, typically remaining constant throughout gameplay.
Progressive jackpot – dynamic and accumulating prize in a casino game that increases over time as players continue to wager. Progressive jackpots usually reach substantial amounts before being won. To understand the key differences, learn more about fixed vs progressive jackpots.
Offers
Cashback – rate of your losses returned to your casino account as a bonus or reward.
Low deposit bonus – an offer allowing you to make a $10 deposit or less.
No-deposit bonus – casino no deposit promotion gives you the right to play only by completing the registration process without adding money.
No-wagering – casino deal describing that you keep what you win without the need to wager until a particular sum.
Transactional terms
Account Verification – Confirming your identity by providing documents to the casino.
Balance – the total sum in your casino account, including deposited and won amounts. Also known as bankroll, it is important to know how to manage budget in live games and slots to be able to win.
e-Wallet – electronic wallet service that allows you to store funds online and use them for casino transactions.
Deposit – adding money to your casino account.
Pending Period – The time between requesting a withdrawal and the casino processing the request.
Transaction Fee – The casino or payment processor imposes a charge for processing your transactions. These are common for withdrawals, not deposits
Withdrawal – taking out your winnings or remaining funds from your casino account and transferring them to your chosen withdrawal method.
Min deposit/withdrawal – the lowest sum you can cash in or out of your betting account.
Advanced online slots terms
Instant Winner – game outcome in which a player immediately wins a prize without any additional steps or spins.
Game Provider – a company that produces pokies or live casino games and delivers them to online casinos.
Hold Percentage – the portion of wagers a casino typically retains as profit. It is calculated as the difference between the total wagers and the payouts.
Penny Slot – the cheapest pokies that can be played starting with 1 penny.
Tournament – competitive event in which you can play against other gamblers to achieve the highest score or winnings within a specified period.
