How To Pick a Winning Pokie Machine
Playing at an online casino means you have a massive choice when it comes to playing pokies. There is every type of poker machine you can think of under one roof, and available to play from the comfort of your own home. The problem with having so much choice is knowing how to pick a winning pokie machine. How do you do it? Is it easy to do? Let us delve into those questions.
Finding a winning pokie machine has an element of luck, but there are steps to take to increase your chances of finding one. Be aware that you will not win every time you play pokies, it is just how it is. Playing machines that payout frequently does not guarantee you a victory over the casino.
High RTP Equals a Higher Chance of a Winning Pokie Machine
Finding a pokie with the highest Return To Player (RTP) is your first step to picking a winning pokie machine. Return To Player is displayed as a percentage and shows how much money the machine returns to the player. The developer arrives at the figure over billions of spins, but it is a good indicator of how loose a machine is.
A machine with a 96% RTP returns, on average, $96 for every $100 wagered; the house keeps the other $4. An RTP of 96% equates to a house edge of 4%; everything adds up to 100. A high RTP does not guarantee a winning pokie machine but it helps. Why? Because it naturally pays out more of its takings.
Consider the Variance
RTP is only one aspect of a pokies inner workings, albeit an important one. Variance comes into play when finding a winning pokie machine. But what is variance?
We know a machine with a 96% RTP returns $96 for every $100 wagered. However, it does not take $100 then pay out $96 every time. It will sometimes pay out $300 for every $100 wagered, but other times only $5 per $100. However, it eventually lands on $96 per $100 wagered.
The swings in these payments is known as variance. A low variance machine pays out frequently but the payments are usually smaller. Conversely, a high variance machine pays out less frequency but those payments are larger.
Receiving small payouts frequently leads to the impression that you are using a winning pokie machine. Do not be fooled by this because those small “wins” often add up to losses. For example, playing $2 a spin and receiving a $0.40 prize is not a win, is it?
The variance you choose is down to personal preference. Just be aware higher variance machines require larger bankrolls to endure the inevitable losing spells.
Biggest Prizes Are Not Always Best
We forgive you for thinking playing for the biggest prizes is the key to finding a winning pokie machine. It is not! Online casinos and live casinos do not have progressive jackpot machines because they want their customers to win big. They are there because they make a lot of money for the venue.
Progressive jackpot pokies have among the highest variance and lowest RTP of all machines. That is a deadly combination for a gambler because it is the worst of both worlds. Hitting the jackpot, especially one of the biggest-ever payouts, changes your life and definitely puts you in profit for the rest of your life, but the chances of that happening are slim to none.
Play progressive pokies by all means, just do not expect them to be a winning pokie machine.
You should pay attention to the best paying pokies, but do not worry only about the money. Playing pokies should be fun. Find a machine you love playing and winning becomes a welcome bonus on top of your enjoyment.
