What are pokies?

In any gambling game, it is important to understand its rules and principles of work well, and pokies are no exception. Knowing how they function will help the player save a lot of money.

It must first be clarified that in some countries casino games are prohibited by law. Sometimes gambling is allowed, but only on the territory of special zones and institutions. However, such restrictions apply only to titles that require a player to make financial investments.

On the Internet, there are many free online pokies that can perfectly replace real money games. Inveterate players often switch to free machines, as they realize that this way they will save a lot of their money, but at the same time they will get exactly the same pleasure.

What are pokies?

When playing on the Internet, an automaton is just software that, at the request of a user (player), generates random sequences of characters in its online pokie. The machines standing today in gambling establishments are also electronic, although in the 20th century their construction was mechanical. There are strict restrictions on the functioning of the game, if it is, of course, licensed. In every country where gambling is allowed, there are government bodies that verify the integrity of the software used.

First of all, the random number generator used by the program is subject to control. The fact is that in programming for applied tasks pseudo-random number generators are often used. They give a sequence of numbers, which at first glance seems completely random, but special tests can find patterns in them. And such knowledge can be used to predict the results of the generator, that is, for dishonest games. In licensed pokies, it is impossible to predict which sequence of characters will appear next. However, this does not mean that it is impossible to develop a game strategy.

Each release also has its own characteristics. They are not a secret, and manufacturers post them on the Internet. This is RTP (Return To Player rate), volatility, and jackpot size.

How do online pokies function?

Every pokie has a certain number of reels with different symbols that rotate and stop, creating combinations. Various combinations give a player some winnings. There is no strategy that would allow everyone to constantly win in online casinos; otherwise they would go broke very quickly.

Some try to hack games of chances, but this is a bad idea. The company will almost certainly find out about this and block your account, as well as add you to the black list. In the worst case, you may face criminal prosecution. Therefore, it is better to focus on choosing the right gaming machine based on an analysis of its characteristics.

What is RTP?

RTP (return to player) is one of the main characteristics of online pokies, indicating how much money, which was staked on it, will theoretically return through payments to the player in the long run. This is a long-term perspective.

For example, if the title has an RTP of 92%, then for every million dollars spent by users on the game, there will be 920 thousand dollars in prize money. Naturally, deviations from this value are also possible at a short distance. From the point of view of probability theory, RTP determines the mathematical expectation of winning for a player.

The RTP rate of the majority of modern online pokies varies from 95 to 97%, however, there are more generous games. For some models, the return to the player reaches 99.9%! RTP is the first feature that you should pay attention to when choosing a pokie to play.

What is volatility in pokies?

In probability theory, each random variable is characterized not only by mathematical expectation, but also by variance. In the case of pokies, the variance of a possible win is characterized by its volatility. Online pokies are divided into three main categories – with low, medium and high volatility. With a more detailed assessment, a point system can be used. For example, the lowest volatility corresponds to 1 point, and the highest – 100 points. The higher the volatility, the greater the variation in winnings. Prizes do not drop out often, but their size is very large. In low variance machines, winnings often fall, but their size is small.

Pokies with progressive jackpots

In most titles, the maximum prize is known, but some releases have a special jackpot, which is called progressive. In progressive jackpot pokies, every bet made on this pokie contributes to the pooled prize. Moreover, the maximum size of the main prize is not limited. As a result, the jackpot can reach tremendous values, like in the famous Mega Moolah that is the record holder for the grandest progressive jackpot ever won.

Free game

Very often, there is an option to play casino games for free. Take this opportunity. Of course, in this case you cannot expect real winnings, but you can familiarize yourself with the game mechanics for free and see if this pokie is interesting.

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