We are all looking for an edge when playing online Pokies or land-based Pokies. Let me be completely honest before I start with the fact that there is no silver bullet and no panacea to winning at these games. At best you are going to gain a small edge by playing smart and managing your money. At worst, you will end up in a financial hole which you will never get out of.
This article hopes to educate our players on how to gain that advantage and increase their odds of winning. Its is not something that will happen overnight, but if you follow our suggestions you will hopefully find playing Pokies at casinos like Fair Go or Uptown Pokies a bit more rewarding financially.
Dos and Don’ts of Poker Machine Play
Do Play Free Pokies Online
What better way to understand a type of casino game or specific casino game then to play it in free demo mode. This feature is not available at land-based casinos, but online play provides you with unlimited free play on most Pokies. With free play you are afforded an extra added advantage of understanding each feature of the game which will eventually contribute to your decision to play for real money.
In some cases, you find a Pokie POP that suites your needs with both features and betting options. With so many online Pokies available, it’s a great way to focus on those games that you enjoy playing and where you can make money.
Do Sign up for the Loyalty Programs, Bonuses and Free Spins
Online casinos as well as Land-based casinos are always competing with their peers and providing many ways to capitalize on what you are spending and ways to improve your play. If you decide to stick with one casino or play at a few, there is plenty of upside to signing up for the loyalty programs. The benefits start to add up the more you play, and with many casinos providing “comps”, it’s a great way to get free meals, rooms and much more.
Its hard for Australian online casinos to compete with the comps of land-based casinos, although online casinos have some great ways to increase your winnings. The Promotions and Bonus pages of an online casino are a great place to visit if you are playing for real money. Most of these offer similar features such as Free Games, Multipliers, Matching Deposits, and other ways to increase your odds of winning.
Do Put Limits on your Playing Time and Available Funds
Ready, Shoot, Aim is not a good strategy when playing Pokies. You need to have a plan which includes how much you can afford to gamble (meaning Lose) and at what point you should walk away, which includes walking away when you are winning. The numbers bear out that the odds are in the casino’s favor, and if you play long enough, you will eventually lose. Therefore, it is better to walk away with a profit, despite being on a winning streak, then hanging around a bit too long and walking away with nothing.
If you are playing just for the fun of it and don’t mind losing a few dollars, then its no big deal and just have some fun. But if you want to try and make some money, then you must attack the game with an intelligent plan and strategy.
Do try the Jackpots but with a Caveat
Progressive or Fixed Jackpots are a great way to not only make you a bit of money, but to set you up for life. While this can be attractive to real money players, we would not suggest Progressive Jackpots as a consistent strategy. These are the largest and can provide a return in the millions of dollars, but it is a fool’s errand.
There are only a few winners in the Progressives and it just doesn’t pay off. You also need to bet very large amounts to qualify for these. Our suggestion is to give the Fixed Jackpots a shot occasionally, but sporadically and only betting what you can afford.
Do Not Swing for the Fences
This Baseball related phrase is defined as someone who when up to bat always tries to get a homerun. They might achieve a lot of homeruns, but most of the time they will either strike out, thrown out, or pop out. In gambling, or more specifically Pokies, this translates into a player who always with reckless abandon tries to hit it big on every spin while betting the maximum amount of money.
Specific circumstances such as being down a lot of money will inspire players to bet big to make up their losses at one spin. This surely never pans out and leaves the player with empty pockets and a bad temper.
Do Not Fall in Love with any one Game
There are those occasions when we will try a new Pokie with the first spin resulting in a win. This win will stay in our minds even when we are on the worst losing streak of our lives while playing this game. No matter how much we lose we will remember that Pokie as a “friend” that can never be abandoned
This can happen to all us, but we need to do a reality check. It was just luck that we won, and we need to view it as an anomaly. There are hundreds and thousands of Pokie games both online and at land-based casinos, and there is no reason at all to be faithful to one. Try new games and never be afraid to stray from that old friend.
Do Not Play if you no Longer Enjoy the Pokie Experience
Playing Pokies or Gambling in general should be an enjoyable experience. All of us need to unwind occasionally, and what better way than to try your hand at a Classic or 3-D Pokie. The problems begin when you are no longer excited about playing and just go through the motions. This mind-set will inevitably lead to huge losses and an even greater negative attitude towards playing.
Gambling, specifically online, can be somewhat mind-numbing and monotonous. Playing inside your home or on the go doesn’t provide any interaction towards the outside world and people. Every hobby, venture, activity runs the risk of getting old, so if you find yourself numb to the experience, just walk away. Maybe you’ll come back to play or maybe you won’t, either way life is too short to waste your valuable time engaged in a fruitless and boring endeavor.