Learning how to play pokies takes a few minutes: you choose a bet (the credit value multiplied by the number of lines or ways), press spin, and a random number generator decides which symbols land. Any winning combination on an active line is paid according to the game’s paytable, and the credits go to your balance.
Nothing you do between spins changes the odds. What you can control is how much each spin costs, how fast you play and when you stop, and those choices matter far more than any “system”. The sections below cover each step, the features you will see on screen, and how to use a physical pokie machine.
How to Play Online Pokies: The Basic Steps
Online pokies follow the same sequence from one game to the next:
- Check your balance. The game shows your available balance on screen, and the cost of each spin is deducted from it.
- Open the game info. The “i”, “?” or “Help” button shows the paytable, which symbols pay, how bonus features trigger and, on most games, the RTP.
- Set the credit value or coin size. This is the value of one credit, for example 1c, 2c or 5c.
- Choose lines (or ways) and credits per line. Your total bet per spin is credit value × lines × credits per line. At 1c per line on 25 lines, one spin costs 25c.
- Spin. Press the spin button, or use quick spin or autoplay where the game offers them.
- Check the result. Wins are added to your balance. Some games then offer an optional gamble feature.
Before the first spin, check the total bet display rather than the coin size alone, because the total is what each spin actually costs.
Reels, Symbols, Paylines and Ways
A pokie’s layout decides what counts as a win, so it is worth understanding before setting a bet.
Reels and Symbols
Most modern pokies use five reels showing three or four rows of symbols, though some use six reels or grids where symbols “cascade” into place. Symbols fall into three groups:
- Standard symbols – card ranks (9, 10, J, Q, K, A) usually pay least, themed pictures pay more.
- Wild symbols – substitute for other symbols to complete a line, and sometimes carry a multiplier.
- Scatter symbols – pay or trigger features wherever they land, without needing to be on a line.
Paylines and Ways to Win
A payline is a set path across the reels, most often running left to right from the first reel. Classic three-reel games may have one line; video pokies commonly have 20, 25, 40 or 50. “Ways” games replace fixed lines: on a 5×3 grid with 243 ways, matching symbols on adjacent reels pays from left to right in any row position. Variable-reel games change the number of symbols per reel each spin, so the number of ways changes too.
How Many Lines to Play on Pokies
Playing fewer lines reduces the cost of each spin, but a winning combination on a line you have not activated is not paid. Some games fix the number of lines, and “ways” games usually require all reels to be active, so the choice only exists on games that let you switch lines on and off.
The practical question is the total cost per spin: 1c on 50 lines (50c) and 2c on 25 lines (50c) cost the same, but spread the stake differently across the screen. Whatever combination you pick, the game’s long-run return is set by its design, not by how many lines you choose, so the number of lines is a budget decision rather than a way to improve your chances.
How Pokies Decide Wins
Each spin’s result on a pokie machine is set by a random number generator the moment you press the button. The Queensland Government’s responsible gambling training explains that the RNG produces each outcome independently of previous plays, so a machine is never “due” and the reels’ spinning animation is only a display of a result already decided.
Over time, a pokie pays back a set share of all the money bet on it, known as return to player (RTP). A machine with a 90% RTP keeps, on average, 10c of every dollar bet, but that average only plays out over a very large number of spins; in a short session you might win more than you put in, lose everything, or anything in between.
Volatility and Hit Frequency
RTP tells you the average return; volatility describes how that return is distributed. Low-volatility games pay small amounts often, high-volatility games go longer between wins but pay more when they hit. Two games with the same RTP can feel completely different over a 30-minute session. Some online pokies state volatility in the info screen with a rating or lightning-bolt scale; venue machines rarely do, but the paytable gives a clue: a large gap between the top prize and everyday wins usually means higher volatility.
Bonus Features on Pokies Explained
On most pokies, bonus features are where the game’s larger payouts sit, which is why every pokie’s paytable explains how each feature triggers and what it pays. These are the features you will see most often:
- Free spins – usually triggered by three or more scatters. The spins cost nothing and are played at the bet that triggered them; many games allow retriggers.
- Respins and hold-and-spin – certain symbols lock in place while the rest of the reels spin again, often for a set number of respins that resets when a new symbol lands.
- Multipliers – multiply a single win or every win during a feature.
- Bonus rounds – a separate screen or pick-me game with its own prizes.
- Jackpots – fixed jackpots pay a set amount; progressive jackpots grow with each bet across a machine, a bank of linked machines or, online, a network of games.
- Gamble feature – after a win, some games let you guess a card’s colour (double or nothing) or suit (four times or nothing). It is optional, and it adds risk to a win you already have rather than improving the game’s long-run return.
- Bonus buy – available on some online games: pay a set multiple of your bet to go straight to the feature.
How to Use a Pokie Machine: Buttons, Notes and Tickets
Playing a physical pokie machine follows the same basic steps as online pokies, but you operate it through a button panel and cash in and out with notes and tickets. Start by checking the machine’s denomination (the credit value, such as 1c or 2c), which is shown on the screen or the machine’s top box. Then insert notes or a ticket (TITO voucher) into the note acceptor, and the amount appears on the credit meter.
Set your credits per line before pressing the lines button, because on many machines the lines button also starts the spin. When you finish, press Collect to receive a ticket and redeem it at the cashier or a ticket redemption machine.
The button panel follows a common pattern, although layouts vary between manufacturers, so the labels below are typical rather than universal:
- Credits per line / bet buttons – set how many credits you stake on each line.
- Lines buttons – choose 1, 5, 10, 20, 25 lines and so on. On many machines these also start the spin.
- Take Win – moves a win to the credit meter, ending any gamble option.
- Gamble – starts the double-up feature after a win.
- Start Feature – appears only when a bonus has been triggered.
- Collect – cashes out your credit, usually as a ticket you redeem at the cashier or ticket machine.
- Reserve – in pubs and clubs, holds the machine for a few minutes while you step away.
- Service / Call Attendant – calls staff for a hand-pay, a fault or a question.
How to Choose Your Bet Size on Pokies
Setting the bet is the one decision on a pokie that changes what you spend, so it helps to know what a bet per spin adds up to once the reels are spinning. Pokies are fast: NSW’s Audit Office describes a spin as taking about three seconds, which works out to around 20 spins a minute, or 1,200 an hour. Queensland’s training material uses the same pace in its own example: 1c on 25 lines at 20 spins a minute is $5 a minute or $300 an hour passing through the machine.
Multiplying your bet per spin by 1,200 and applying the machine’s RTP gives the average cost of an hour’s play at that bet. These are long-run averages; any real hour will land above or below them.
| Bet per spin | Amount bet per hour | Average cost per hour at 90% RTP | Average cost per hour at 85% RTP |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.25 | $300 | $30 | $45 |
| $1 | $1,200 | $120 | $180 |
| $5 | $6,000 | $600 | $900 |
| $10 | $12,000 | $1,200 | $1,800 |
Two things follow when choosing a bet. First, the amount bet per hour is many times larger than the money you load, because wins are replayed; a $50 note can turn over hundreds of dollars before it runs out. Second, the pace of play affects the hourly cost as directly as the bet does.
Can You Play Pokies and Win? What Actually Changes Your Results
You can win on any individual spin or session, but there is no trick to winning on pokies over time: no button sequence, timing or betting system changes the odds. Because each result is independent, the common beliefs below don’t hold up:
- “The machine is due.” Previous spins have no effect on the next one.
- “Certain times or days pay better.” The RNG doesn’t track the clock or how busy the venue is.
- “Stopping the reels early helps.” The result is set when you press spin; stopping the animation only shows it sooner.
- “Betting systems beat the machine.” Raising or lowering bets after wins or losses changes how fast money moves, not the RTP.
Two design features make results look better than they are. A near miss, such as two jackpot symbols with the third just off the line, can feel like a sign a win is close but means nothing for the next spin. A loss disguised as a win happens when a spin pays less than it cost, for example a 20c return on a $1 spin, while the machine plays the same sounds and animations as a real win. Victoria’s regulator lists both among the reasons pokies are risky. Comparing the “Win” display with your bet per spin is the quickest way to tell the difference.
The things you can actually control are the cost per spin, the pace of play, the game’s RTP and volatility, and when you stop.