Online pokies rules are of two types. The first relate to how line and scatter payouts are determined. The second relate to the specific gaming features like free spins and bonus games. The first type of rules is by and large common across all video pokies. Because the payouts are automatically computed, most players skip reading them. But as a regular pokies player it is better if you understand these rules. Some of the important rules are discussed in this article.

Payline wins are awarded when the specified number of like symbols, usually three or more, appear in an active payline, starting from the left most reel and appearing on consecutive reels. If such a combination appears in a pattern that is not a designated payline then no payouts are awarded. Also if such a combination appears in a payline that has not been activated by you then also no payouts will be awarded. This is the reason that you should play online pokies with all paylines activated. Occasionally you will find online pokies that pay for combinations appearing from right to left as well.

There is an online pokies rule that states “highest win only on each selected payline”. This is a safeguard rule for the online casino. A five of a kind winning combination on a payline means there will also be a three of a kind combination and a four of a kind combination on that payline. But you get paid only for the five of a kind combination. However wins on different paylines in the same spin are added.

In online pokies you first select a bet amount per payline. That is multiplied by the total number of paylines activated to give the total bet per spin. Usually the payouts specified in the payout table are multiplied by the line bet. There is a trend in contemporary online pokies where the payout table takes into account the line bet and automatically displays the pay out in credits. One exception to the above is the scatter symbol. This symbol need not appear from left to right on active paylines in order to pay out. Scatter symbols usually pay out when the required number appears anywhere on the reels. In some cases they may be constrained to appear anywhere on active paylines. The important thing is that scatter payouts are multiplied by the total bet instead of the line bet. That is the reason the scatter payout ratios are much lower. The scatter payout is added to the line payouts to give the total win per spin.