There are some differences between playing pokies online and offline. This article looks and the differences between the games you will find online versus the games you are used to playing at your local gaming venue. In our opinion many of the differences are in fact positives which make playing pokies online better than playing anywhere else.
Game Titles
One thing that you will instantly notice when you play pokies online is that the games are different from those you would find at regular casinos. This is due to the fact that the major land-based slot machine manufacturers such as IGT, Aristocrat, Star Games and Konami have been very slow to release their games online.
Instead you will find that the games are developed by other companies. The biggest of these companies are Microgaming and Playtech although there are quite a few smaller companies releasing online pokies. While the game titles might not be the same the actual games are very similar so you will be able to find games with the same features that you are used to.
Payout Percentages
One of the best reasons to play pokies online is the fact that the payout percentages are higher online. The reason online casinos can offer higher payout percentages on their slots is that the casinos have much lower overheads compared with traditional gaming venues.
While higher payout percentages do not mean you are guaranteed to win they do mean that you should get more entertainment value for your money over the long term.
Line Layouts
While you will find games with a range of line layouts it appears that the actual layout of the lines varies between online and offline slots and pokies. For example a 20 line online pokie and a 20 line offline pokies may have completely different line layouts.
While there are still 20 lines on both games it can take a while to get used to the different line layouts used online. A combination on a particular line that pays offline may not be a winning line on an online slot.
Buttons
There are some differences between the buttons on an offline pokie and an online one. Many online pokies have a “Max Bet” button. Press this button to bet the maximum lines and credits with one click. You can of course also choose to bet different amounts of credits with the “Bet per Line” and “Select Lines” buttons and then use the Spin button to start the reels.
Another difference is that there is no “Collect” button for online pokies. If you want to withdraw a win from an online pokie you need to exit the game and visit the casinos Banking Section where you will be able to withdraw your winnings.
Some buttons will only appear at certain times. These include buttons such as the Gamble and Start Feature. When you have the option to choose one of these the button will automatically appear.