2024’s Best Pokies Sites in NZ

If you love online pokies as much as we do then you will know the sheer enjoyment they can bring.

A Guide to Online Pokies

Logging on and playing some online casino games is just as, if not more fun as watching a film or a TV show but with online pokies you can win money, what is not to like? This page is made for people who are new to online pokies and want to learn. If you have experiences and still want to learn then this is still the page for you!

Getting started

If you have just made an account on an online casino and you are wondering what to do next, here is your guide. Firstly, we recommend checking the website and seeing if they have any signup or deposit bonuses for you to get. Some websites offer free spins or some form of cash bonus when you start an account and don’t want to miss out on that.

Secondly, the obvious step is to deposit. You can’t play without having money to bet, so go to the online casino’s deposit page and see what deposit method they have that best suits you, then deposit as much as you feel comfortable.

Now you have the money set up, it’s time for the third and final step. Time to play online pokies! Go through the pages of available slot games and look for a pokie game that you like the look of. If you have some prior experience in slots and you know your way around, you may have some favourite games you are already a fan of. Once you have found a game you like the look of it’s time to try and get a bonus round and win some of your money back!

Real Money vs Demo Play

When playing online pokies, an array of online gaming sites allow you to use demo play and play with higher-priced spins. Even though this option is more limited and less pushed by websites it is still an option. So what are the positives and negatives and why do people play demo games?

Real Money

When we look at real money pokies the instant positive is the possibility of winning. Playing with real money means you can win real money in return.

Another positive in a similar vein is the bonus rounds. You are more likely to get a bonus feature, special bonus rounds or progressive bonus rounds if you deposit money. One last big positive is the type of games you can play, you have a wider range of games to play and access to more games and game types.

On the flip side, the instant disadvantage we all think of is losing, if you lose with demo play then there is no real downside but losing with real money is money that could have been used elsewhere, it is a risk but a risk we enjoy making.

Also, the process of playing online pokies is longer when you use real money as you need to make an account wait for verification and then deposit. It is a longer process and you could still lose at the end of it.

Demo Play

Now onto demo play or free pokies. The negatives for these feel fairly self-explanatory, as you are not using real money so you cannot win anything when playing online casino games, all of the progressive jackpots, bonus features, huge prizes etc. are all worth nothing compared to real money pokies.

Some online casinos have bonus schemes for when you deposit and play, like weekly free spins but, when you don’t spend real money these are not available to you.

Onto the positive aspects, using free games is a great way of trying out games and finding what you like before depositing. As well as, the convenience aspect is also a big positive as you don’t need to sign up or download anything or deposit, you can open a free slot website and try some games instantly making it the quickest way of playing.

Which is for you?

Realistically the choice of which you play is completely dependent on your experience with online slots. If you have experience on pokie sites and you know the best online pokies then we recommend you just deposit and if you are worried about spending then set a limit and stick to it!

However, if you are new and just want to try it out and see what nz online pokies you like then try out some free games and see if you enjoy it.

How to win at Pokies

The idea of playing pokies and trying to win could be daunting, so we will leave a mini guide below that gives you the best chances of winning.

More paylines

If you play pokies and you are looking for some good online pokie games, we recommend going for games with more paylines as they have a higher hit potential. The chance of winning on each spin is higher because there are more available patterns to win from.

Practice makes perfect

One of the most important steps of playing pokies is finding what is good for you. We have mentioned playing free games compared to real money online pokies and this option goes hand in hand with that. Playing free games allows you to find popular online pokies that you enjoy so you aren’t losing money and you can work your way into depositing!

Big prizes aren’t always good

When you hear big prizes it will instantly get your ears perked up. However, the chances of winning from big bonuses are less likely compared to smaller wins on non-progressive titles. The games with the progressive bonus rounds have a lower RTP% (return to player) meaning you are less likely to win big off that type of game. So, play higher RTP% games with more paylines.

High RTP Games

We just mentioned the RTP so this feels like the perfect next point to move onto. High RTP pokies are more likely to give you a return compared to low RTP games. This is not an exact science but usually high RTP games give us more winnings.

Site Choice

Picking the site or the game you play is a major part of online pokies so making sure you find safe online pokies games and online pokies sites should be your number one priority.

FAQs

Online Pokies vs Land-based Pokies

There are more similarities between the two than there are differences. The differences are more positive for online Pokies though, as you can play more games from the comfort of your own home.

Also, it is easier to play on online pokies as you can play whenever you like from a mobile casino app or website. Some people prefer using pokie machines and being in person when they play games and that is completely fair, if you are someone who prefers using pokie machines then we recommend going to nz pokie sites instead of playing online.

How do you win on online pokies?

There is no secret formula on how to win playing online slots, it is luck-based and not always guaranteed success.

However, there are some sneaky tips that we have shared. We suggest you play free games to familiarise yourself with online pokies and use this to find the best online pokies sites. Some real money casinos will give out a free spins bonus more often than others and these are the games you should use your real money on so you can try and hit some massive jackpots!

What are New Zealand pokie tournaments?

Some of the biggest New Zealand online pokies have turned into tournaments where a series of players play games and climb ranking and leaderboard for cash rewards and other exciting prizes.

Are Online Pokies fair?

Online pokies are tested for fairness and recommended based on fairness. They are tested to make sure each spin is fair and not rigged. They do this to show that New Zealand-based online casinos care about their players.

How do pokies jackpots work?

This depends on the type of jackpot that you get. The biggest jackpot is the progressive jackpot, but it doesn’t stop there. Fixed jackpots are the most used and popular.

Fixed jackpots can return a flat amount of money or an amount that is proportionate to the amount you staked.

What percentage do pokies payout?

The typical payback percentage is between 75% to 99% but this isn’t an indication of how often the player will win. As we said earlier, it is random and fair when you play pokies and you can’t expect to always win.