One of the reasons that pokies are so popular is the perception on the part of the player that there are no complicated rules one has to memorize. And that is absolutely true. Pokies offer the opportunity to get involved pretty easily, and there is not a big barrier to being able to get knee-deep into the action.

Listed below are several online casinos in which we regard as some of the best online casino sites in which to play pokies at. These are all licensed, regulated and reputable sites which we recommend to those who reside in Australia looking to play online pokies.

At first glance, the idea of putting the terms "pokies" and "rules" together in the same sentence would seem to be a stretch, because it appears that it doesn't go all that far beyond just putting a coin, virtually speaking, into the machine and pulling the lever. It works that way in the land-based world too. How many times have you been walking through a land-based casino with a friend, and they just stop for a second, throw a coin in a pokie, take a spin, and just keep on walking? Obviously there were no rules to learn or memorize.

Yet there are certainly guidelines that must be followed to play these games. There are maximum bets, for instance. There has been a pre-determined limit that you cannot exceed. There is also a certain restriction to the way you structure your bet. If you are on a pokie that has multiple reels, with multiple paylines, those things are going to factor into what you ultimately wager. For example, if you are betting a 10-cent coin denomination, you are going to determine how many coins you are going to put into play; then after that, it's a matter of how many paylines you are going to enable. When you consider that you can enable a lot of paylines (lines on the screen over which winning combinations must traverse), that bet can grow rather quickly.

There are other parts of the rules you should know about, and they surround features that some of the pokies have. Among them are wild symbols, which the rules specify can be used to complete a winning combination. Also, there are scatter symbols, and this is where you may need to have an understanding of how the rules work. Scatters appear on the reels and are applied toward getting you into a bonus round, or into free spins. Usually the rules specify that if three of them are on the screen, you will qualify for one of these rounds, where you can earn extra money. Depending on what the rules are for that specific game, you may get ten free spins, fifteen free spins, or even more.

Perhaps the most important rules involve what the various winning combinations will pay. The more sophisticated the pokie is, the more symbols are going to be involved. The more symbols involved, the more payouts there are going to be. There is really no way to know which of the symbols is the most valuable unless you take a look at the pay table. The more you know, the better prepared you'll be!