For the benefit of those readers who aren’t Australian, the term “pokies” is slang down under for slot machines.

 

 

The term was originally applied only to video poker, but over time the meaning shifted and it’s now used for slots. The term can be used for any kind of slot machine, from the big, three-reel machines with pictures of fruit on the reels, all the way to online five-reel games with bonus rounds and huge payouts. Even though pokies weren’t legalized in any part of Australia until 1956, they still existed in small numbers since almost the time they were invented. Of course, today’s modern video slots, and the slots found in online casinos, work in a very different way from those early machines. Huge amounts of cumbersome machinery have been replaced with microchips, and even non-video slots still have the spinning of their reels controlled by these chips. Pokies are big in places other than Australia too. While the slang term might not be applied in other countries, slot machines are still by far the most popular casino games all over the world. This is probably because pokies are so easy to play. There is no need to come up with a complex strategy or spend endless hours studying players’ guides and manuals. You simply sit down and start playing. So even if you aren’t from down under, try some Aussie-style fun and try your luck at the pokies!