Slot machines have many names. Modern European and American players call them slots, the British – fruit machines, and experienced gamblers still use the expression “one-armed bandits.” And in Australia, slot machines are called pokies. What are pokies in Australia? The name “pokies” appeared during the development of slots due to the distant similarity of playing poker with slot machines. The article provides interesting details about the origin of the Australian term.
Description of the pokies and the history of the origin of its name
Pokie room is a slot machine with various configurations and specifications. It is a mistake to consider that pokies are a separate type of devices with specific features. The concept includes both classic three-reel slot machines and the latest five-reel or nine-reel slots.
Such devices formed the basis of modern video poker. Gaming machines themselves have evolved in a different direction. The first push in the history of slot machines as a separate category of games was given by Charles Fay, inventing the legendary “Liberty Bell” machine. The one-armed bandit used not only card suits, but also new symbols: horseshoes, stars, bells and sevens. So the first classic slot machines appeared.
The term “pokies” real money appeared at the end of the 19th century. The first slot machines did in many respects imitate the famous card game:
- The symbols on the reels were represented by cards from the standard deck;
- Prizes were awarded for the formation of classic poker combinations;
- The size of the award was determined by the value of the card combination.
In the early years of Australian casinos, the first game were just poker machines. Later, gaming machines became more and more popular, and the Australians decided to name all gaming machines by the abbreviated name pokies so that everything was simpler and more understandable.
What are pokies in Australia and what terms you need to know?
Despite the obvious differences, poker and slot machines have many common features. Some elements in the game mechanics of slots are actually borrowed from desktop card entertainment:
- Card symbols. The usual images of numbers and letters are nothing more than a designation of card merits (nine, ten, jack, queen, queen and ace);
- The functions of holding and respins of individual reels are associated with the capabilities of Draw poker: the player can hold part of the cards, and the remaining ones can be replaced with new ones;
- What are pokies in Australia? The value of combinations on slot machines, as in poker, depends on the likelihood of such a combination.
Some of the prize features of the slots are also associated with card games. For example, a “wild” symbol is an analogue of a joker. Such a card replaces the missing element in the combination.
Free pokies are slot machines of various configurations and themes. Such entertainment is provided in land gambling halls and online venues. Modern slot machines are available in the form of casino games and free demos; they have far gone from the first devices working on the principle of poker.