Pokies Glossary: Pokie Terms from All Ways to Wilds, Explained

Pokies glossary: how wins are counted

Payline: A path across the reels. Matching symbols along an active line pay. Kev's Bush Bonanza has 50.
Fixed paylines: All lines are always active and your stake covers all of them. Bubble Bubble 2 lists 50 fixed lines.
Variable paylines: You choose how many lines to play. Fewer lines cost less but cover fewer patterns. Count Spectacular has 25 variable lines.
All Ways Pays (243 ways): No lines. Matching symbols on adjacent reels pay from the left in any row. Five reels of three rows give 243 ways, three to the power of five. Halloween Treasures and Asgard both use it.
Cluster pays: Wins come from groups of matching symbols touching each other, in any shape. Dr. Winmore is Fair Go's published example.
Cascading reels: Winning symbols vanish and new ones drop in, so one spin can pay several times in a row. Also called tumbling or avalanche reels.
Paytable: The in-game screen listing symbol values, lines and feature rules. It's the most reliable source for any game, so read it first.
Coin and coin value: Some games count bets and prizes in coins. A coin's dollar value is set in the bet panel, so a 50,000-coin award is only worth what the coin size makes it.
Line bet and total bet: On lines games, the line bet is staked on each line. The total bet is the line bet times the number of active lines.
Top award or maximum award: The largest single prize, stated in coins or as a multiple of your stake (for example 50,000x). It's a ceiling, not a target.

Wilds and other symbols

Wild: A symbol that substitutes for others to complete a win. Scatters and bonus symbols are usually exceptions.
Expanding wild: A wild that grows to fill its whole reel, helping every line that crosses it. Listed for Count Spectacular, Bubble Bubble 2 and Ghost Ship.
Stacked wild: Wilds that land several high on one reel. Cai Hong lists stacked wilds with payouts that double automatically.
Nudging wild: A partly visible wild that shifts up or down to sit fully on the reels, often adding a multiplier as it moves. Listed for Devil's Jackpot.
Morphing wild: A wild that changes during play, by moving, growing or transforming other symbols. Asgard's free games use them.
Wild multiplier: A wild that multiplies any win it helps make. Devil's Jackpot lists wild multipliers up to 20x.
Scatter: A symbol that pays or triggers a feature wherever it lands, not just on a line.

Bonus features

Feature or bonus round: A special round that triggers at random or from certain symbols. Much of a game's return is often paid out here.
Free games or free spins: Spins that don't cost you a stake, played at the bet that triggered them. Cash Bandits 3 lists up to 390.
Retrigger: Landing the trigger again during free games to win more. Panda's Gold and Achilles Deluxe list retriggerable free games.
Triple prizes or triple wins: Every win in the round pays three times its usual value.
Prize multiplier: A factor applied to a win, such as x5. A 20-coin win at x5 pays 100 coins.
Respin: A free re-spin, often with some symbols held in place. Count Spectacular offers 4 respins as one bonus choice.
Hold and Spin: A respin round where special symbols lock in place, and each new one usually resets the respin count. Plentiful Treasure lists it.
Pick bonus: A round where you choose hidden items to reveal prizes. The prizes are set at random, so the choice doesn't change the expected value.
Unlockable bonus: Bonus rounds that open one by one as you trigger the feature. Asgard lists progressively unlocked rounds.
Multi-level bonus: A feature with stages, where reaching a later stage pays more. Listed for Plentiful Treasure.

Jackpots

Fixed jackpot: A set prize that doesn't grow, often a multiple of your stake.
Progressive jackpot: A prize that grows with every qualifying bet until it's won, then resets. Our progressive jackpots guide covers how they work.
Tiered jackpots: Several named prizes, such as Mini, Minor, Major and Grand, listed for Halloween Treasures. The names rank them. They aren't necessarily progressive.
Seed: The amount a progressive resets to after it's won.
Side jackpot: An optional extra bet for a separate pot. Fair Go's Lobby Jackpots promotion is one, which it describes this way: Opt-in side jackpot at $0.01 per spin.

The maths

RNG (random number generator): The software that settles each spin's result the moment you press spin. Results are independent of each other.
RTP (return to player): The share of all stakes a game pays back over a very large number of spins. Fair Go says its pokies average around 97% Operator claim.
House edge: 100% minus RTP: the casino's built-in margin. A 97% RTP means a 3% house edge.
Volatility or variance: How a game spreads its return. Low pays small and often, high pays rarely but bigger. Fair Go rates Dr. Winmore low, Kev's Bush Bonanza medium and Devil's Jackpot high.
Hit frequency: How often a spin returns any win at all, including wins smaller than the stake. Rarely published.
Turnover: The total amount you bet. Fifty $2 spins is $100 of turnover, even if your balance barely moves.
Expected loss: Turnover times house edge: the average cost of play. $100 of turnover at a 3% edge costs $3 on average.

For worked examples, see how pokies work.

Bonus terms you'll see at Fair Go

Bonus code: A code entered in the cashier with a deposit to claim a promotion, such as WELCOME for new players.
Wagering requirement: How much you must bet before bonus winnings can be withdrawn. Fair Go's terms set 30x (deposit plus bonus) for deposit bonuses and 60x for free bonuses, unless stated otherwise.
Maximum bet while wagering: The largest stake allowed while a bonus is active. Fair Go's is $10 a bet, and bigger bets can void promotion winnings.
Maximum cash-out: The most you can withdraw from a free promotion. Fair Go caps free-money promotions at $180 AUD unless stated otherwise.
Cashback: A share of a lost deposit returned to you. At Fair Go it applies only to deposits made without a bonus.

Not sure what you're agreeing to? Our responsible gambling page covers setting limits before you take any bonus.

Pokies glossary FAQ

What is the difference between paylines and ways?

Paylines are fixed paths across the reels, and wins must follow them. With ways, matching symbols on adjacent reels pay in any row, so there are no lines to choose.

What does RTP stand for?

Return to player: the share of all stakes a pokie pays back over a very large number of spins. Fair Go says its pokies average around 97%.

What is a retrigger in pokies?

Landing the free-games trigger again during free games, which adds more free games to the round.

What is the difference between a wild and a scatter?

A wild substitutes for other symbols to complete wins. A scatter pays or triggers a feature wherever it lands, not just on a line.

What does wagering mean on a pokie bonus?

It's how much you must bet before bonus winnings can be withdrawn. Fair Go's deposit bonuses carry 30x on deposit plus bonus unless stated otherwise.

Facts checked 8 October 2026 · page updated 9 October 2026