EXPLORE POKIE MACHINES
EXPLORE POKIE MACHINES
A few years later, in 1894 or 1895, Charles Augustus Fey invented the first real pokie machine. It featured 3 reels, which enabled automatic payouts, and replaced playing cards with symbols, such as liberty bells, diamonds, hearts, spades and horseshoes. The first mechanical pokie machine was known as the Liberty Bell.
It took almost 70 years for the first video slot to be launched. While using a TV set to display the gameplay, the first video slot still offered no special features that could boost players’ odds. Fortune Coin, a company later acquired by IGT, was behind this innovation.
The first online pokies were released in the early 1990s. However, the first online video pokie machine that offered a bonus feature taking place on a separate screen appeared in 1996. It was Reel Em’, a Williams Interactive video slot where players could trigger the bonus popping on a different screen and win extra payouts.
The introduction of bonus features contributed to the popularity of slot machines. Another reason why these games have been so popular is that they require no previous experience, skill or strategy.
The Kiwis started enjoying regulated gambling in the 1980s. Electronic gaming machines, or pokies, became legal and very popular by 1989. That year, the NZ parliament allowed gaming clubs across the country which prompted licensed casinos, clubs, and hotels to fill their venues with pokies. Microgaming launched the first popular online pokies in NZ, like Fruit Fiesta and Cash Splash.
Now, New Zealand casino sites are overflowing with pokies, with tens of thousands of games readily available day and night. Plus, you can enjoy pokies at the palm of your hand and carry them in your khaki pants pockets.
Today, you can choose from all kinds of slot machines and enjoy them wherever you are. Whether you access them on a desktop or mobile device, you can benefit from various mechanics and bonus features. Modern pokie sites have their gaming content organised into categories, with pokies divided into sections based on the features they offer.
Since there are so many slot features nowadays, casinos face website design issues – they can’t fit them all. Therefore, they try to narrow down the categories and feature only the most popular ones. Some pokie sites have solved this issue with a filtering system, allowing players to be precise in their selection of pokie features to enjoy.
The truth is, online pokies you can play today vary from 3-reelers with basic bonus features (Wilds, free spins and multipliers) to video and progressive slots where all sorts of extras can be in play.
Traditional video slots use 5 reels with 10 and more paylines or 243 and more ways to win. You can also enjoy Megaways slots, with a varying number of symbols per row, allowing you to create winning combinations in thousands of ways. Other winning systems are available as well, such as Cluster Pays, for instance. The winning combinations within this system activate in clusters. In short, you can expect to see the following payout systems in NZ pokies:
And more! With so many alternatives and variations, it takes a true fan to dig deep and try them all. Feel free to use our filters to surprise yourself with innovative mechanics and fun original ways to win.
If there’s anything pokie machine players love, it’s the joy of triggering bonuses in-game. We know because we love that too. From free spins to multipliers and pick-me bonuses, it’s always so much fun to spin the reels and activate a feature that brings more opportunities to win.
Surely you already know many of the popular bonus rounds, but we’ll remind you of some. Those of you who are new to pokies, pay attention to the following:
A bonus round that awards free spins can be very rewarding, but it usually requires some effort. You can trigger it in various ways. Traditionally, to trigger a Free Spins feature, one has to collect three Scatter symbols across the reel grid on a single spin. Some slots have special symbols that only work as activation symbols for Free Spins. And finally, there are many pokies that award a Free Spins bonus randomly.
Once the feature is triggered, the player receives a preset number of free plays. During bonus spins, the reels spin at no cost and any winnings are added to the balance.
One of the most enjoyable ways to boost the gameplay is to activate a multiplier. Pokie machines incorporate multipliers in different ways, according to each game’s individual design. Some pokies have Wild multipliers, while others have increasing multipliers or special multiplier symbols.
The great thing about multipliers is that they combine well with other features. For example, some multipliers may only be available during a free spins round. In other cases, there may be a multiplier growing each time the player achieves several respins in a row.
But what are multipliers, exactly? Well, they are modifiers that multiply your win when activated. There really is no limit to how high multipliers can go; they can double your payout or multiply it 500x. It depends on the game’s design and overall feature structure.
Another wicked feature we often see in online NZ pokies is the Pick and Win feature or pick-me bonus. It is as simple as it sounds. The game will have you picking objects to reveal hidden cash prizes. Now, the feature may trigger randomly, or it may require collecting bonus symbols. Sometimes a pick-me feature may hold the progressive jackpot prize.
Remember, these features may have different names in some slots, but the concept will usually be the same. For example, the Most Wanted round in the Golden Colts pokie is a Pick and Win feature, but the designers went for a name that suits the theme better.
When you press the spin button, the magic happens. Every rotation of the reels is unpredictable. It can end on an empty spin or trigger a chain reaction of features that can pump your win to flattering sums.
Suppose you want to be familiar with all the features your chosen NZ pokie machine offers. In that case, we suggest reading the paytable before spinning the reels for real money.
The paytable will inform you of the payouts each symbol provides and explain all the special features and bonuses available. If a bonus requires landing three Scatter symbols for activation, you’ll know it.
Pokie machines use a lot of resources to attract you, from compelling themes and aesthetics to mouth-watering payouts. What if you want to pick your pokies by feature? Well, sure, we can arrange that!
We at PokieMachines.com want you to enjoy free NZ pokies the way you like it. Therefore, we’re providing you with filtering tools and various categories of slots by feature. Your favourite features and bonuses are only a few clicks away.
Also, don’t be afraid to try out features you’ve never experienced before. Cherish your favourites but also explore and find new fun bonus rounds to brighten your day.
Are pokies with a dozen special features better than pokies with basic gameplay and nothing but a standard Wild symbol? After extensive research, we can tell you this – there’s no definitive answer to that question. One’s personal preference plays a major role in seeing some games as better than others.
Some people enjoy playing simple pokies because they don’t like to put extra effort into understanding complex features. Others love more in-game bonuses, as they provide more dynamic gameplay and more chances to boost wins.
Whether you prefer simple online pokies or you crave excitement with the latest video slots, the important thing is you have choices. Our team at Pokie Machines gathered all sorts of pokies, from 3-reel fruit machines to Megaways mega-slots and everything in between. Give them all a squiz and find what suits you best.
A special feature in pokies can be any sort of an extra segment or modifier that enriches the gameplay. Features may include bonus spins, added symbols with special meaning or bigger payouts, or mini-games with cash prizes.
No. Every spin has a random outcome, so you can never anticipate when a bonus might trigger. That is, of course, one of the charming aspects of playing pokies online in NZ – not knowing when a bonus will surprise you.
All are great! Wilds, Free Spins, Nudge… all features bring an element of excitement to the game, not to mention an extra opportunity to achieve wins.
Any online pokie you choose to play will behave the same whether you launch a demo version or a real money version. In other words, you have the same odds of triggering a special feature with practice bets and real money bets.
Casino free spins are a bonus awarded by the pokie site. For example, a 10 free spins bonus on Book of Dead. These bonus spins are ready when you claim the offer and launch the game. Free Spins, on the other hand, are a special feature in-game that you can trigger during play and get cost-free spins.
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