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Online Pokies for real money NZ

Take a look below and find your new favorite online video slot and look in which casino from our list of casinos New Zealand Recommendvegas Palms you can find it and play with it.

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The best online pokies guide - an introduction

The old pokies were known as “the one-armed bandit". You put a coin in the pokies, pulled the lever (arm) and the machine stole the hard-earned money. Nowadays, its digital equivalents are much more generous and the impartiality of the random number generator (GNA or RNG in English) is continuously reviewed by experts and competent authorities.

Among the games of the best online Pokies we find amazing graphics and exciting bonus rounds and fascinating sound effects. Below we have gathered the best of the best from the exciting world of the best online pokies, so that you can choose the games with the highest odds and the best atmosphere. We want you to get the most out of your next casino session.

Moderna online video Pokies are the main reason why online casinos have become so popular. They offer huge winnings, jackpot games, mobile games and are extremely versatile since they give you the option of being able to play them wherever you are or from the comfort of your own home. The current online video Pokies are very easy to understand and get the hang of them, whether they are a classic slot machine or if they are a retro style pokies.

Spiñata Grande (screenshot) Spiñata Grande (NetEnt)

All you need to start playing is just adjust the bet amount, adjust the number of lines to play (if the option is available) and hit the spin button and you're done. The newest variants arrive with spectacular graphics and sound effects, fun bonuses with rounds and free spins to increase your winnings even more.

How to play online video slots

The main reason why online Pokies are so popular is because of how easy it is to play with them. You simply set the amount you are willing to bet and press the button to spin. The reels (reels, reels) start spinning and the more symbols of the same type, the better. No complicated rules or strategies, no opponents and no having to wait for the seat to become free. Well, the first statement is only partly true; some games involve quite advanced game and bonus mechanics and betting strategies can be employed to optimize your game.

The outcome of your online pokie nz session in the end always comes down to luck.

Understanding why you have won is not really important, the money will always come to your account, but knowing how a real money pokies works will make your experience more exciting and enjoyable. A couple of spins will usually be enough to master most online pokies, but there are some standard concepts that if you know will allow you to choose any type of online pokies in the blink of an eye. So keep reading, and we'll walk you through everything from the "243 win lines" to the "zig zag paylines".

Terminology about online pokies

Over the years, the mechanics of video slot games have evolved at an almost exponential rate. The old machines used to come with three reels, showing three rows each. The prizes arrived when 3 identical symbols were aligned on the horizontal or diagonal center line from the left wheel. Nowadays, the winning combinations are much less rigid, the positioning and layout of the reels are much more flexible, and different types of bonuses abound. Despite the almost endless possibilities, there are still recurring features that form the basis of any well-designed online pokies, and knowing the terminology will help you understand almost any online video slot. This will by no means be an exhaustive glossary of terms, but we will do our best to give you a solid foundation on which to lean.

Winning lines (Why 243?)

As the name suggests, this has to do with how the prizes are obtained. The standard layout of the reels in video Pokies consist of 5 reels of which each of them displays 3 rows of symbols. To get a prize, you need at least 3 identical symbols, starting with the left reel. The exact position of the same symbol does not matter as long as they land on adjacent reels, starting from the first reel on the left. With these prizes created by combining 3-5 symbols there are 243 different ways to win (3x3x3x3x3).

The paylines can also be extended by the symbols on the reels on the other lines, and even work from both directions, creating prizes from left to right and from right to left.

The defining feature is that the exact positions of the symbol are irrelevant, as long as the reels are next to each other and have the identical symbols, the prize will be valid. Microgaming is very fond of using this system, and one of its most popular games in the category is its vampire-themed machine Immortal Romance . The alternative to get paylines are either fixed or adjustable paylines or prize groups.

Paylines

Paylines are simply predetermined patterns in which identical symbols need to land in a certain order to be valid. They are usually presented in the form of a zigzag from left to right on the reels, or in a horizontal straight line. The paylines can always be found in the rules of the game, but they are also usually marked with numbers on the outside of the board. We will not give any examples here, since this is, by far, the most used prize mechanics. If a game allows you to adjust the paylines, then it is always advisable to use the maximum number as it makes the game much more exciting, but then accordingly do not forget to reduce the bet size.

Cluster

Clusters or groups, are quite new concepts to get prizes. The winning combinations are created by groups of adjacent symbols, both vertical and horizontal. This mechanic is mainly used in games designed with a larger number of reels, more reels than standard games, and in Pokies with cascading reels. Good examples of such games are found in the "Cluster Pays” series from NetEnt ( Aloha! and Legend of Shangri-La .

Cascading drums

This refers to how the drums are spun or rather to the way they don't really spin. Instead of the classic spinning reels, in a pokies with the mechanics of cascading reels, symbols fall from above and are stacked on top of each other. The symbols, usually blocks, that are involved in a win will be removed, and the symbols above will fill the New Zealandcío. The extra New Zealandcío at the top will then be filled with other random symbols and hopefully the new board gets another prize. These games usually make use of a multiplier that increases for each consecutive win.

The most prominent online pokie game with cascading reels is Gonzo's Quest by NetEnt , the game developer has recorded the mechanics of these cascading reels by referring to them as “Avalanche”. "Swooping reels" is another term that is used for the same concept, and in this case it is used by the developer Quickspin. An online pokie that is worth playing and that uses this mechanic is "Big Bad Wolf", game of the year 2013. The pokie is based on the story of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf and has been updated several times over the years and is still very current. It can even boast of a 97.3% RTP that does no harm to anyone!

Scatter or scatter symbols

Scatter symbols are symbols that are often used to trigger bonus games or free spins rounds. Its design may vary, and its meaning refers to the fact that it does not need to be placed on a certain payline to activate its function. Usually 3 symbols or more should appear on the reels, but they can be New Zealandblero and still trigger some prize or activate some kind of bonus.

Re-spins or re-spins and sticky symbols or sticky symbols

Another self-explanatory term, a re-spin or new spin, is simply another spin contained within the same game round. In most cases, this feature is activated in combination with a wild symbol, and in nine out of ten cases it also includes sticky symbols. A sticky symbol is just as it sounds, a symbol that leads to the next round of play. For more information, see the wildcards section.

Wildcards: Expansive, stackable, sticky and even walking

The wild symbols are the most used among all the special symbols that we find among the video slots. They work as a substitute for any ordinary symbol and help to get the best possible prizes on that payline. This concept has evolved over the years and it is common to use Stacked Wilds or stacked wilds, which means that the wild symbol appears in stacks of two or more on the same reel. This ties into another kind of way the wildcard can be treated, expansive.

If the game has an expanding wild feature, if a wild is placed on the reel it will expand vertically and will normally complete the entire reel of wilds. Converting a normal wildcard to a stacked wildcard. A wild that triggers a new "Re-spin“ is usually referred to as a ”sticky wild re-spin" or sticky new spin wild. If a wild lands on a reel, it sticks to that position and produces a new spin, and if another wild lands on the new spin it also sticks and triggers another additional spin. This can continue ad infinitum, or at least until you have filled all the reels with wilds.

Starburst (re-spin)

The combination of wilds with other features is, as we have seen above, a proven method to bring a lot more action to the game. The star in Starburst is a clear example of how wilds can be used in various ways, and a perfect way to demonstrate everything we've learned so far about wilds.

When the star, the wild symbol in Starburst lands on a reel, it first expands, then the prizes are collected, and then a new spin is triggered with the stacked wilds sticking to the reel during the next spin. Starburst is so popular without a doubt because of these features, in addition to being very easy to understand, but incredibly effective in the sense of increasing excitement and increasing the size of the prizes. A perfect example of how "less frequent" means more when it comes to pokies.

Another much more innovative variety with the "Sticky Wild Re-Spin" feature is the walking wild, as we can find in the pokie" Jack and the Beanstalk ". When it lands on the reel first the possible prizes are collected, then the wild moves to an adjacent reel, in its place a new spin is triggered. This is repeated until the joker has walked up off the screen.

Jack and the Beanstalk (NetEnt)

RTP pokies - Return to the player in the long run

The return to player (RTP is the acronym in English) is a value expressed in percentage and comes to be the same when investing the percentages, such as house edge, a term more commonly used for classic games such as blackjack and roulette. A house edge of 2% means that the casino has 2% advantage over statistically a large number of game rounds. Simplifying it and speaking in terms of real money, this means that for every $100 wagered, $98 will be returned to the player (RTP = 98%, NetEnt's Blood Suckers would be an example), that's as long as you keep your game plan and play without errors with an optimal strategy.

Blood Suckers RTP

With video slots, strategic plans and decision-making can help little, but remember, this is a theoretical way of measuring and it works if applied over thousands of rounds of games. In the short term, you can lose $100 like winning twice as much. The random number generator has no memory, and just because you've lost ten times in a row doesn't mean you'll win on your next spin. Thinking this is what is known among academic circles as "gambler's fallacy”, “gambler's fallacy” or “Monte Carlo fallacy” and in English also known as "gamblers fallacy". Remember, you can always limit how much you are willing to lose, but there are no limits when it comes to what you can win on online pokies nz, especially those that are connected to a jackpot or progressive jackpot.

Never play Pokies with an RTP below 95%, unless they have a jackpot or progressive jackpot!

Therefore, the RTP is what we can expect on average to be returned to us during our entire playing life. This shows that gambling is not a smart investment. But luck is not distributed evenly among all casino players, it is chaotic and, as we said, has no memory. Some of us will win, and some of us will lose. What is certain, however, is that the casino will end up making money. With a little luck, it is possible to be on the winning side and play games with the highest RTP values, which will always be the wisest choice. The RTP percentage is always provided in the rules of the games, and if you can't find it there, then you better immediately turn around and leave that particular pokies.

As a general rule, stay away from online pokies with an RTP of less than 95%, unless it's a progressive jackpot game where the worst odds are offset by huge jackpots.

The variance of video slot machines

The volatility of the game - small and frequent winnings or large amounts on rare occasions.

In order for the RTP to be correct, it is frequently tested by impartial gaming authorities, the winning spins have to be balanced between the losing ones and the house edge. Some games will have high volatility, which means that they will not pay anything for a long time and will suddenly explode, giving one lucky player an astronomical amount of coins. Other online pokies nz will frequently pay you smaller sums and will never surprise you with those big jackpots. They may give you some decent-sized jackpots from time to time, but low volatility won't change your life. Variance and volatility are used interchangeably in the world of slot machines.

How to see if an online pokies has low or high variance

Whether the pokies has a low variance or a high variance, it is rarely indicated, neither by casinos nor by game providers, but there is a way to at least get a hint of the game character of online slot machines. In some online Pokies we will find a good indicator by looking at the prize or payout table. The first thing we will look at will be the difference between the combination with the highest prize and the lowest prize. Take this in combination with the maximum prize available in a single round, this usually corresponds to game bonuses or free spins rounds. Games that have really impressive prizes usually announce it on the home screen of the same pokies in question.

Games that do not have the clearly posted top prize are usually of low variance, although this is not always true. For example, the NetEnt games, both Gonzo's Quest and Dead or Alive have a good reputation for their high variance, but neither of them openly announces which is the highest prize available.

As we are big fans of NetEnt's online pokies, we will take two examples from their impressive catalog of games.

  • Let's start with a low variance game , the well-known pokies Starburst . It has a maximum prize of 50,000 coins. The combination with the lowest prize gives away 5 coins, this prize would not even cover the minimum bet, which is 10 coins. The combination that pays the most is that of 5 symbols on the payline and that will give you 250 coins.
  • To see the example of high variance we have chosen another classic from NetEnt, Piggy Riches . We have mentioned two others above, but for the sake of demonstration we have chosen a game in which the maximum prize is specified - 360,000 coins. In this game the lowest prize is 5 coins. The highest payout prize, however, is several times larger and reaches the impressive amount of 2,000 coins.

Variance in online pokies nz and its relationship with RTP

It should be pretty obvious, given what we've learned about RTP that wins need to be balanced against losses and house edge, that the two games have a very different character. The high variance pokies can make you bleed for a long time until you get a big hit, while the low variance pokies will rarely pay astronomical amounts but will more often distribute prizes even if they are smaller, less spectacular prizes.

By taking the highest payout prize and dividing it by the smallest we can create a baseline that can be used to quickly measure the variance of the game. For low variance games, you will look for a value that is around 50, and for high variance games, you will look for a value above 400. Take this in relation to the maximum potential prize, an exceptional amount of free spins won in the game and you can get a good idea.

A great way to think about variance and its relationship to RTP is that games with high volatility will require more rounds before the wins and losses have been offset. In contrast, a low variance online pokie requires fewer rounds. Which is better? It's simply a matter of taste: risk more to earn more, or vice versa.

Bonus tip: in the first stage to clean up and fulfill the wagering requirements of an online casino bonus, a potentially successful strategy could be to play a pokie nz with high variance. If you hit a big jackpot, switch to a low variance game and keep passing rounds until it meets the wagering requirements.

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