Online Pokies PNG: A Plain Guide

A pokie is a slot machine: you choose a bet, spin the reels, and matching symbols pay. At 918Laki you play pokies in Kina in your phone's browser, from many game makers, two app lobbies and our own Australian Club range. This guide explains the words, shows how to choose a game that fits your balance, and tells you where to find each kind on the site.

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What "pokie" means

"Pokie" is the word people in Papua New Guinea and Australia use for a slot machine. The name comes from the poker machines found in clubs and hotels. An online pokie is the same idea on a screen. There is no lever and no coin tray, only a spin button and a balance.

Other countries say "slot" or "slot game". On 918Laki you will see both words. They mean the same thing.

Every pokie works on chance. A program picks the result of each spin at random, and the spinning pictures are just the way that result is shown to you. Nothing you do with timing or tapping changes it.

The parts of a pokie

Pokies look very different from each other, but nearly all of them are built from the same few parts. Learn these once and you can read any game.

Reels and rows

The reels are the columns that spin. Many pokies have five reels, and older styles have three. The rows are the lines of symbols you can see across the screen when the reels stop. A game described as "5 by 3" has five reels and shows three symbols on each.

Paylines

A payline, often just called a line, is a set path across the reels. If enough matching symbols land along that path, starting from the first reel on the left, the line pays. Some paths run straight across. Others zigzag.

On a lines game, the number of lines is part of the game's description. Dolphin Treasures in our Australian Club has 20 lines, and Queen of the Niles has 25. Some games let you switch lines off. That makes a spin cheaper, but a match on a line that is switched off pays nothing.

Ways

A ways game has no lines to pick. Matching symbols pay when they land on neighbouring reels, counted from the leftmost reel, wherever they are on each reel. A five-reel, three-row game played this way has 243 ways, because three times three times three times three times three is 243. Indian Dreamings in the Australian Club is a 243-ways game.

In some newer games the reels grow and shrink between spins, which means the count of ways keeps changing. You will see the word "Megaways" in some titles for this style.

The bet

The bet, or stake, is what one spin costs. On a lines game it is the bet on each line times the number of lines. On a ways game you set one total figure. Either way, look for the total bet on the screen before you spin. That is what comes off your balance each time.

The paytable

Each pokie has an information screen, often behind an "i" or a menu button. It is called the paytable. It shows what every symbol pays, how the lines run and what starts each feature. Two minutes with the paytable tells you more about a game than twenty spins.

Wilds, scatters and free spins

Plain symbols pay when they match. The special symbols are what make one pokie feel different from another.

Wild

A wild is a symbol that can stand in for other symbols to finish a match. If you have two fish, then a wild, on a line, the game counts it as three fish. In some games a wild also raises the win. In Dolphin Treasures, for example, the dolphin is the wild and it doubles a win it helps to make. A wild usually cannot stand in for a scatter.

Scatter

A scatter does not need to be on a line. It counts wherever it lands. Collect enough scatters in one spin, often three, and the game starts its feature. In Queen of the Niles the pyramids are the scatters.

Free spins

Free spins, also called free games, are a run of spins the game gives you at no cost, played at the bet you had when they started. Wins during them are real. Many games add something extra in the free spins, such as a multiplier. In Queen of the Niles, three pyramids give 15 free games in which every win is tripled.

Free spins inside a game are not the same as free spins given as a bonus by the site. Bonus free spins come with their own rules, which you can read in the Welcome Pack guide.

Multipliers and cascades

A multiplier multiplies a win: a times-three multiplier turns a win into three times its size. A cascade, sometimes called a tumble, removes the winning symbols after a win and drops new ones into the gaps, so one paid spin can produce more than one win in a row.

Gamble button

Some club-style pokies offer a gamble after a win, such as guessing red or black. A right guess doubles the win and a wrong guess loses it. It is always your choice. If you are happy with the win, skip it.

How to choose a pokie

No pokie is the right one for everybody, and no one can tell you which game will pay today. What you can do is pick a game that suits your balance and the way you like to play. Four things are worth a look.

1. The stake size

Open the game and press the bet down to its lowest. Is that lowest total bet small compared with your balance? If your balance would only cover a handful of spins, the game is too dear for today. Some makers, such as Rich88 and YGR, are known for games with small stakes. JILI also has a "JILI 1:100" lobby where the same games are played at smaller stakes.

2. Small wins often, or big wins rarely

Pokies have different tempers. Some hand back small wins quite often, and the balance drifts in small steps. Others stay quiet for long runs and keep most of their value in a feature that does not come often. Neither type is kinder over time. They just feel different.

With a small balance, a quiet, feature-heavy game can use up your money before the feature ever shows. A game with frequent small wins usually gives a longer session. The paytable gives hints: a top prize that is very large next to the bet usually means a game that pays rarely.

3. The theme

Theme is the pictures and the sound: fishing, rugby league, Egypt, fruit, dragons, mahjong tiles. It has no effect on your chances. Still, you will enjoy your time more in a game you like looking at, and enjoyment is the point.

4. The features

Some players want a simple machine with lines and a free-games round. Others like cascades, growing multipliers and collect-the-coins bonus rounds. More features means more to learn. Start simple, and read the paytable before you try a busier game.

Try it at the lowest bet first

Whatever you choose, give it some spins at the lowest stake before you raise anything. You will see how it behaves and whether you like it. For more on stretching a small balance, read pokies tips for beginners.

The pokies makers on 918Laki

A maker is the company that builds a game. 918Laki carries games from many makers, and each has its own style. The seven below have their own guide page. Game names are examples of what is in each lobby.

JILI

A wide range in one place: pokies such as Super Ace, Fortune Gems and Seven Seven Seven, fishing games such as Jackpot Fishing, and quick games such as Mines. See JILI pokies at 918Laki.

5G Games

Card, gem and mahjong-themed pokies, with titles such as Super 5 Aces, Fortune Gems 2000, Mahjong 5 Dragons and Golden Rhino. See 5G Games pokies.

UU Slots

Pokies including Mahjong Wilds, Ultimate Ace, The Gold Safe, Golden Aztec Multiways and Medusa. See UU Slots at 918Laki.

Pragmatic Play

Pokies such as Gates of Olympus, Sweet Bonanza, Sugar Rush 1000, Buffalo King and the Big Bass Bonanza fishing-themed games. This maker also has live dealer tables under the Live tab. See Pragmatic Play pokies.

Rich88

A small-stakes maker whose games suit a small balance. Buffalo King Megaways is one title seen here. See Rich88 pokies.

YGR

Bright, small-stakes pokies and fishing games, including the Maya Golden City series. See YGR pokies.

VPower

Classic-style pokies and fishing games, with titles such as Zhen Long and Ocean Paradise. See VPower pokies.

Other makers

You will also find MTG, 2J, PG Soft, Fa Chai, Joker, JDB, CQ9, Spadegaming, NextSpin, FastSpin, Hacksaw Gaming and EpicWin. MTG has games such as Dolphin Reef Gold and Safari Stacks, and 2J has Roma, FaFaFa and 777 Fruit. Tap a maker's chip under the Pokies tab to see its full list.

The two app lobbies and Australian Club

Not every pokie on the site sits under the Pokies tab. Two other tabs hold games that many PNG players ask for by name.

918Kaya and Mega888

These are the two lobbies under the 918 apps tab. Each one opens as its own room, with a long list of classic pokies plus fishing and table games. Your Kina moves into the lobby when you open it and returns to your main balance when you leave. Each has a guide: 918Kaya in PNG and Mega888 in PNG.

Australian Club

The Aus Club tab holds the games made by 918Laki's own team. Three are club classics in the old style: Dolphin Treasures, Queen of the Niles and Indian Dreamings. Kina Catch is a fishing pokie where the fisherman collects every cash fish. State of Origin is an old-school rugby league pokie with free games and a red or black gamble.

The range also has three games that are not reel pokies at all: Papuan Black Bass, where you cast and reel in a fish, Highlands Hunt, where you tap an animal and take the shot, and Kaukau Cup, a village pig race. Each game has its own section in the Australian Club guide.

How to find a game on the site

With this many games, knowing your way around saves time and mobile data.

The tabs

The home page has a row of tabs: Hot games, 918 apps, Pokies, Aus Club, Fishing, Live, Sports, Recent and Favourites. For pokies, start with Pokies, 918 apps or Aus Club. You can also go straight to the pokies page.

The maker chips

Under a tab there is a row of small buttons, one for each game maker. These are the chips. Tap one and the list shrinks to that maker's games only. Tap a different chip to switch.

Search

If you know the name, use the game search. Type part of the title, such as "ace" or "bass", and pick the game from the results. Check the maker shown with the result, because different makers sometimes use similar names.

Favourites and Recent

Mark a game as a favourite and it is kept under the Favourites tab. Games you have opened lately are listed under Recent. Between the two, you rarely need to hunt for the same game twice.

Money in, money out

Pokies on 918Laki are played with real money in Kina. You pay in by a transfer from your own BSP or Kina Bank account, from K10, and you cash out to that same kind of account, from K50. The steps are in the BSP deposit guide and the withdrawal guide.

One word to learn before your first cash-out is turnover. It is the total of your bets, win or lose. A deposit or bonus can carry a turnover amount that must be played before a withdrawal goes through. Turnover explained shows how to see what is left.

Keep it within your means

Pokies are for adults 18 and over. They cost money to play, and over time a player should expect to spend more than they win. Treat that spend like any other paid pastime.

Use only what is spare after rent, food, school fees and family. Fix a Kina limit and a finishing time, then stop when you hit one of them. A loss is not won back by betting bigger. For a break, withdraw what you have, log out, and ask Live chat about pausing your account.

Pokies questions and answers

Is a pokie the same as a slot?

Yes. Pokie is the PNG and Australian word. Slot is the word used in most other places.

Which pokie pays the most?

Nobody can tell you that, and we will not pretend to. Every spin on every pokie is random. Choose by stake size, by how the game feels and by the theme you like.

What is the difference between lines and ways?

On a lines game, symbols must land along set paths to pay. On a ways game, matching symbols pay on neighbouring reels from the left, wherever they sit on each reel.

Do I need to download anything?

No. 918Laki runs in your phone's browser at www.918laki.com.

Can I play pokies with a bonus?

Yes. The Welcome Pack is for pokies only, and it comes with turnover rules. The terms on the Promotions page are the final word. You can also deposit with no bonus.

Why did a game not load?

Most often it is a weak connection. Go back, wait for a steadier signal and open it again. If your balance looks wrong afterwards, check the betting history in the Menu and ask Live chat.

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