With this article, we take a dive into the world of online pokie symbols and teach you all about how they operate within a game. So turn up your croco-dial and get ready to learn.
It’s impossible not to notice the different symbols that appear on the reels when you’re playing an online pokie. Not only do they represent certain values and trigger specific functions within the game, they also often fit the theme of the pokie in question.
This means that cosmetically speaking, every game has its own unique set of symbols. Look a little closer though and you’ll discover that there’s a method to the madness when it comes to online pokie symbols.
With this article, we take a dive into the world of online pokie symbols and teach you all about how they operate within a game. So turn up your croco-dial and get ready to learn. This is everything you need to know about online pokie symbols.
Original pokie machine symbols 🍒
Before we’re swamped with knowledge, let’s take a look at some of the first symbols ever to appear on a slot machine. These were cherries, grapes, oranges, melons and lemons and they were found on the aptly names fruit slot machines of the early 20th century.
Now, if you’re a Croco member with vegetarian or vegan leanings, you’re probably licking your lips after reading that these symbols all have a fruity tang to them. If you’re a red meat loving Croco member though, we’re sorry to let you down. The reason why these symbols were originally food is that pokie machines back in the day only paid out certain flavours of chewing gum!
This has something to do with gambling being illegal at the time, but perhaps they also hung out with crocodiles that had gnarly breath. In any case, instead of raking in the dough when you won, you raked in a few delicious sticks of fruit-flavoured gum. Weird, but true…
New online pokie symbols 🍋
Fast forward to the modern era and online casinos have become more popular than a crocodile with a toothache at a dentist’s convention. Thankfully, they’ve also turfed those fruity symbols for a wide variety of different icons and traded in the sticks of gum for real cash… hallelujah!
These days, the types of symbols that occupy the reels are wide, diverse and heavily influenced by the theme of the game. For example, in the Cash Bandits franchise you will see money bags, prison keys and coffee with donuts. Clearly the symbols here match the cops and robber’s theme that makes Cash Bandits 1 and 2 so entertaining.
Online pokie symbols don’t just look different though. They also perform specific functions based on the category that they fall within. If this sounds a little bit confusing, don’t worry. We’ve broken down just what these categories are in order to make this information much more digestible. We’ve even included a few examples of common symbols that you’ve probably already come across
Maybe you can recognise some of these categories straight off the bat. Others are perhaps a little bit more obscure. One thing’s for sure though… brushing up on your online pokie symbol knowledge is guaranteed to make you a more confident player, which is what we love to see here at PlayCroco!
Scatter symbols 💰
Scatter symbols are one of the most important symbols in any online pokie game. They essentially have the same function across all online pokies, which is to trigger the game’s bonus or feature round.
It’s worth mentioning for those who are new to the online casinos that the bonus round is often where you’ll find free spins, prize multipliers or other special rewards that can lead to massive payouts.
Normally, you will have to land a certain number of scatters on the reels in order for this round to be triggered. The drawback here is that because scatters open you up to bigger and better rounds, they’re also one of the rarer symbols that you’ll come across.
In addition to activating a game’s bonus round, some scatters will even award payouts when they land. This can result in a win-win situation, whereby you get access to a feature round plus an extra payout.
Scatters can land anywhere on the pokie reels at any time, so keep two reptilian eyes out for them when you’re playing. Some common scatter symbols you may have come across include:
- The Totem in Wild Hog Luau
- The Ghostly Ship in Ghost Ship
- The FREE GAMES icon in Vegas Lux
Wild symbols 💎
The wild symbol, otherwise known as the substitute, is another highly prized symbol that has the ability to land anywhere on the reels and award some seriously slick payouts.
Nearly all games have one symbol that is designated as the wild. Its role in the big scheme of things is to stand in or, you guessed it, substitute for other symbols in order to complete winning combinations.
Like nearly all rules though there is one exception. A wild symbol will not be able to replace the scatter symbol when it appears on your reels. This is a bit of a bummer, but a couple of scatters and a single wild will still yield a sizeable win in most cases.
There are different types of wild symbols, such as expanding wilds and fixed wilds. The former works by enlarging or changing size and covering other reels or symbols to further increase your odds of hauling in a big win. The latter on the other hand remains on the reel or reels that it lands on, even as the other reels spin. This can also contribute towards creating a profitable winning combination.
As a side note, it’s worth checking how the wilds in an online pokie function and whether or not they can appear on all reels or only on certain reels. Some wild symbols that you may have already seen include:
- The Storm Lords symbol from Storm Lords
- The Gold Nugget in Paydirt!
- The Cash Bandits 2 logo in Cash Bandits 2
Special bonus symbols 🔔
Aside from scatter and wild symbols, some online pokies also have an added special bonus symbol that can trigger either an instant win or unlock a feature round. There aren’t too many of these pokies around, but it’s worth mentioning that games with a special bonus symbol are definitely worth your attention.
This reasoning behind this statement is that a special bonus symbol is like another high-paying icon in the game. So no matter whether it functions like another scatter or a wild, it still gives you an edge over the house. A special bonus symbol you might have come across recently is the following:
- The Diamond in Diamond Fiesta
Morphing symbols 🍬
Another symbol that you might encounter are morphing symbols. While super rare, it’s worth mentioning that you’re unlikely to find much information on them unless you actually play the online pokie Sweet 16.
From what we can gather, a morphing symbol is any winning symbol that has the ability to morph into a new position after a win. It will then continue to create more winning combinations until all combinations are exhausted, at which point your payout will be awarded.
Multiplier symbols 💯
If you’ve ever triggered a bonus round or played a game with multiplier symbols, you’ll know that it’s pretty obvious what their role is when they pop up. Most of the time they’ll appear in the bonus round of a game, however, there are certain cases when they can also appear in a base game.
As you may have already figured out, multiplier symbols multiply the bet per line. Sometimes they can do this by multiplying your winnings x2, other times they’ll go as high as x10, x50 or even x100. Of course, not many online pokies feature multiplier symbols. Instead, they just add prize multipliers to your bet once you unlock a certain part of a bonus round or trigger a specific winning combination.
They say that sequels never live up to the hype, but whoever said that most definitely hasn’t played Cash Bandits 3. Croco has had a ball playing this game of late, although black and white really aren’t his colours. In any case, we recommend that everyone breaks free from playing their favourite title and give Cash Bandits 3 a try today. Play it on your mobile device or on your computer for an opportunity to bag 390 free games at x23.
General symbols 🎰
Last and, in this case, least, we have general base game symbols. This category covers pretty much all symbols in a game that have a low value or don’t really contribute to major winning combinations.
The phrase ‘general symbols’ is really a blanket term for a wide variety of different symbols. Most of the time, general symbols will be symbols directly related to the theme of the game. The only exception here are playing card symbols, which appear to take on the same role no matter which online pokie you’re playing.
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