Table of Contents
Written by
Mike Waters
Edited by
Matthew Scott
RTP in Online Pokies Explained
RTP stands for ‘return to player.’ It’s a key benchmark for figuring out its overall return on wagers over time.
Think of it like this: a game with an RTP of 94.6% means it should give back around A$94.6 for every A$100 you put in.
But that’s not the whole picture, and it would be unrealistic to expect the game to give back A$94.6 for every A$100 wagered. The real calculation happens over long periods of gambling, sometimes even reaching hundreds of thousands of spins, not every single spin.
It can take months of playing to see the RTP kick in and show its true worth.
RTP has little or no value if you play short-term. Rather, it is worthwhile for players who play a single pokie actively and regularly over an extended period.
The true benefits of RTP are almost invisible, but there is a way to calculate them. RTP is essentially the house edge.
You can keep track of how much you win over one, two, three, or more months and divide that amount by how much money you’ve wagered over the same period.
For example, if you’ve won A$40,000 over two months and you’ve wagered A$45,000, then you divide the first figure by the second (A$40K by A$45K), which is 0.88, meaning the game has 88% RTP. However, this is just a rough example. If, for example, you won a big jackpot at that time, the RTP would seem inflated. So, it’s only true if you play about a million spins in a game.
The example I shared earlier highlights a pokie with a surprisingly low RTP of just 88%. When I look for the best online pokies in Australia, I make sure to choose games from well-known providers and focus on those with trusted RTPs of 96% or higher. Generally, pokies with an RTP of 95% or lower are considered to have a lower return to players.
Note from Mike Waters: Don’t hesitate to try out a pokie with low RTP (92%-95%). RTP is just one factor that determines payouts, and the game can have other redeeming features like bonus rounds, re-spins, or multipliers that can make it worth a try.
Some pokies have varying return-to-player percentages, which can range from 87% to over 95%. The return to player percentage in these games often changes when a special bonus round kicks in or a particular feature is triggered.
In these cases, the special features and bonus games typically increase the return to player percentage from the base game, where it’s usually the lowest. These games are known for their high volatility, so they aren’t really low-budget friendly.
What are Paylines in Pokies?
Paylines, win lines, win ways, betways…they come in different names, but the idea behind them is the same. Slot machine lines are the actual lines where matching symbols form winning combinations.
Most online pokies at Australian casinos have a fixed number of paylines. For example, classic, 3-reel pokies have between 5 and 10 win lines, while more advanced 5- and 6-reel games can have considerably more win lines, ranging from 20 to 200 or more.
In most pokies, win lines form when at least 2 or 3 (and up to 5) paying symbols align on the reels from left to right.
Note from Mike Waters: You can view the game’s paylines by accessing its settings and checking the paytable, which visually illustrates how winning lines are formed.
Pokies With Different Types of Paylines
Most pokies tend to pay from left to right when there are 2 or more symbols, but there are a few exceptions. Here, I’ll briefly go over some of the different types of online pokies that step away from the usual fixed payline setup.
Cluster Pays
Cluster pays are one of my fave pokies, with paylines forming in clusters instead of lines.
This creates hundreds of opportunities to win when a set number of symbols cluster together. Unlike regular paylines, where you usually need 2, 3, or more matching symbols, cluster pays require at least 5 – and up to 15 – symbols to line up next to each other for a win.
What I love about these pokies is that they payout frequently and can lead to multiple consecutive wins on any spin. Some of my favourite cluster pays pokies include Aztec Clusters and Doomsday Saloon.
Pay Anywhere
Win on any payline from left to right, right to left, vertically, or horizontally. This boosts your chances of winning, even though the payouts might be smaller than some fixed payline pokies. You usually need at least 8 symbols (and up to 12 or more) to trigger a win with low-paying symbols.
Some of the top online pokies with pay anywhere lines are Bonanza Billion and Aztec Magic Bonanza, packed with features like bonus buys and free spins, and high hit frequencies.
Trueways and Megaways
Megaways and the related mechanic Trueways are exciting features used in some pokies like Elvis Frog Trueways or Book of Panda Megaways. These mechanics go beyond simple cluster pays and pay-anywhere styles.
The Megaways and Trueways engines can generate thousands of different ways to win, thanks to a special technology called the random reel modifier. This allows between 2 and 7 symbols to appear on a reel on every spin, sometimes expanding the reels and creating nearly countless chances to win per spin.
Note from Mike Waters: Despite the thousands of ways to win, the base game wins with Megaways and Trueways are usually small, especially when only low-paying symbols appear.
FAQ
Yes, pokies from providers like Pragmatic Play and BGaming undergo rigorous tests to prove the game’s actual RTP, but you have to stay patient as the RTP works only after weeks, even months of active gaming.
There are hundreds of top-rated pokies with RTPs of 96% or higher. Some of the best high RTP games I’ve played are Book of Panda Megaways (97.07%) and Doomsday Saloon (97%).
Classic pokies with 3 reels typically have up to 10 paylines. More innovative games often feature over 20 win lines, such as Vikings Go Berzerk Reloaded, or use innovative mechanics with non-fixed paylines, like Aztec Clusters or Bonanza Billion.
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