We all know that casinos everywhere, both physical ones and digital ones, are constantly coming up with tons of new games and approaches to draw in players and keep gamers engaged and happy, but that doesn’t mean they’re pushing out the fan favorites and ditching the old faithfuls that have won the hearts of gamblers globally – not in the least.
Pokies, or slots, are still up there as one of the biggest and best game categories for both brick-and-mortar and virtual gambling houses, and it doesn’t seem like anything’s going to be uprooting them any time soon. They’ve held their own since their invention in 1894, so what makes these such whizzes when it comes to wagering and how have they stood their ground against all the newcomers trying to capture the imagination of the gamers?
They’re Simple
For a lot of us, playing casino games is about taking a bit of time to unwind and relax – and we don’t necessarily want to do that while trying to hone our bluffing skills, calculate probability, or otherwise engage with complicated rules and strategies.
Pokies are the opposite of that; there’s very little you need to think about; you’re just trying to line up the images in the right combinations to get a big win. That means that when you’re playing pokies online, you don’t have to engage the old gray matter at all; you just spin away and hope for the best.
That simplicity has charmed players around the globe, and whether you’re standing in a physical casino or just racking up wins on your phone, you don’t need to worry about whether you’re playing well or not! There’s no learning curve, no need to puzzle over which strategy is the best, and no need to spend hours of your valuable time trying to find techniques to beat the system: you just spin the reels and hope that luck is on your side! We live for that kind of stress-free approach to gaming.
There’s Variety
While we do love the simplicity a classic pokies game offers, nobody wants to play the same thing over and over and over again – variety is the spice of life, as they say. So we’re still always on the lookout for new takes on the classics, and this is another area where pokies truly deliver, especially in the online space. You can find almost any theme that takes your fancy, so it’s easy to mix it up and enjoy different takes and approaches, even while the basic gameplay doesn’t change much.
Game developers are constantly imagining new concepts and ideas for casinos, and while brick-and-mortar places had some limitations in terms of space (you really can’t fit in hundreds of different themed pokies, no matter how much the fans love them), the online casino has given pokies wings and the ability to soar to almost limitless possibilities!
It’s not just themes, either; there are various kinds of slots, such as 3-reel and 5-reel, and sometimes even 6 and 7-reel games. There are also staggered reel options and even grid systems, so players can constantly try out new approaches and find the setups that they enjoy the most. The basic play remains the same, even when you bring in new elements like VR and interactive slots, which frequently include mini-games and cutscenes to boost the gameplay and make it more engaging than ever.
Free Spins And Wins
Another major attraction of pokies, especially online pokies, is that you’re often going to find offers of free spins, whether that’s as a sign-up bonus, or as a reward for loyalty. There’s nothing so satisfying as taking home a win as the result of a freebie, and slots give you a decent shot at this, which makes players love them. By implementing free spins, developers have found a great way to keep players engaged and ensure they feel like they’re getting something back for their time and money – even if they’ve not hit a winning streak yet.
If you’re just getting into the world of online pokies, it’s very worth keeping an eye out for offers and bonuses, because there are loads out there you can make the most of. And because they’re often considered great for the novices as well as the pros, you’ll frequently see sign-up offers aiming to attract newbies, which you can take full advantage of once you’ve found a pokies site you like the look of.
Even if you’re not gathering up the free spins and making the most of them, slots are often considered one of the more affordable casino games; you can place small bets, scaled to suit your budget, rather than being forced to match other players or drop out of the game. That lets more people engage in this kind of gambling, and is one of the key reasons that slots have held their own on the global stage for decades.
