Where the name Pokies come From? Pokies vs Slots

Pokies term is widely used in Australia due to its popularity in this country. If you’ve ever been to Australia, or just been browsing around an online casino site; you’ve probably come to know about the term ‘pokie’ thrown around all over such sites. Here are the Facts About Pokies And Slots.

If you are not very sure what the hell that means just from the context…you might be alone. Here, in this piece of blog, we have put together this guide explaining what a pokie is; and the history of why exactly those crazy Aussies love pokies.

What is A Pokie or Pokie Machine?

In NZ and Australia, a pokie is a slot machine! This term is expected to come from the pok in “poker machine”; and has evolved over the years into the slang word, ‘pokie.’

Like gaming machines in several other countries in the world; most of the pokies in Australia use video screens nowadays instead of actual spinning reels nowadays. Pokies’ actions are also found in Aussie pubs and clubs.

Where ‘Pokie’ Came From

As Aussies tend to abbreviate everything already (good day into g’day; Australia into ‘Straya, mosquito into mozzie, etc.), it is quite possible the ‘poker machine’ to be shortened into ‘pokie’. But why were these machines referred to as “poker machines” although these were more similar to slot machines than video poker games?

It is not very sure- it is something that has just ‘always been’. Earlier they even refer to it as pokies. One theory that can be considered is that in the early days of Australian casinos i.e., around the 1900s; one of the early games was, in fact, a poker ‘machine’ which might be called video poker elsewhere in the world. But when these slot machines start gaining popularity; and it is placed next to video poker machines; it just became normal to refer to all the gaming machines in the room as ‘pokies.’

Pokie Vs. Slot

Technically there’s not really a big difference between pokies in Australia and New Zealand and ‘slots’ in other places across the world.

Although if you show up in Vegas or Atlantic City and ask people things like “Where can I get a good pokie at?”, you could probably get away with asking about slots in Oz, if who you are asking understands your accent and doesn’t think you are looking for the same world.

Although pokie isn’t a lot more fun to say than ‘slot,’ and as the number of Australians travelling and settling down in every corner of the world, it wouldn’t be surprised if the term started to catch on in other parts also, not only in Australia.

Other Slot Slang From Across the World

While a pack of cards is the same irrespective of where you go in the world, mankind has for whatever reason loved coming up with different names for electronic gambling machines. Apart from ‘slots’ and ‘pokies’, well-travelled people might also find that in England these gaming devices are sometimes referred to as ‘fruit machines’; or as ‘puggy’ in Scotland. The same machine is called ‘one-armed bandits’ anywhere there are people that love good old-fashioned colloquial slang.