In the pokie world, you will hear many different words that will have little meaning outside of a pokie machine. Not understanding what these words mean can cost you money and at the least cause a little embarrassment. This article will get you up to speed with all the terminology used in today’s pokies market.
Pay lines
A pay line is a way that the pokie determines if a spin is a winner. The pay lines are the directions in which the machines payout. You may see different type of pay lines in today’s machines. The older style simply went straight across the reels and wouldn’t cause much confusion. However, in today’s high tech pokies, you will pay lines that go every direction, zig zag, and sometimes backwards.
Jackpot
This one may be one that you already know, but it can have 2 meanings when it comes to pokies. A jackpot is a large sum of money that is awarded to a player at random. The jackpot can come by hitting the top combination of symbols. Or, it can mean a side jackpot that is won regardless of what you hit.
Progressive Jackpot
This is almost the same as above, but this in reference to a jackpot that pays out regardless of what symbols you hit on a spin. It’s called a progressive due to its growing nature. The jackpot amount will slowly grow, or progressively grow based on how many people are playing it. It is won at random and will reset at a certain amount once someone is fortunate enough to hit it.
Reels
Like many words in the English dictionary, reels have a few meanings. Outside of the pokies world it may mean a fishing instrument or a movie reel. In the context of gambling it refers to the parts of a pokie that spin. The wheels that spin and contain the symbols are called reels. Even if they are played online, they are still referred to as a reel. Some machines will as many as 10 reels, with the more common ones having 5.
By now you should have a good understanding of some of the unique words used when talking about pokies. You can now feel comfortable joining a conversation and actually know what someone is talking about.