The new PokerStars Casino is already up and running in several markets around the world, including Spain and Italy. The Australian edition is expected to add online blackjack and real money roulette to its line-up by the end of 2014, with more casino games likely to be rolled out over the following months. Video pokies are certain to be in the mix at some stage, so let’s ponder the types of virtual slot games we might see at PokerStars.com in the very near future.
Different kinds of online slot machines
While the PokerStars online casino may be fairly modest when it first launches, we expect it to offer dozens, even hundreds of real cash slots down the track. Internet pokies games come in a variety of different forms, but there are two basic categories:
3 Reel Slots – These are based on your traditional Vegas slots and UK pub fruities, which consisted of three mechanical reels operated by a lever. This sort of game typically has a low bet limit and uses standard symbols like cherries, sevens, and gold bars. Popular online three-reel pokies include Break Da Bank at Royal Vegas and Jackpot Jester 50,000 at Slots Million.
5 Reel Slots – This is the standard modern pokie layout, with five video reels in place of the old manually operated three-column setup. These games come in a wide variety of formats with myriad special features such as wilds, scatters, multipliers, and bonus games with free spins and instant cash prizes. Many of the most recent online five-reel pokies boast incredible audio-visual quality and 3D animations, as is evident in titles like Battlestar Galactica at Casino-Mate, Aliens at G’day, and True Illusions at Emu.
Progressive jackpot pokies
Most of the pokies you will see at the PokerStars real money casino will have fixed jackpots, but some may offer one or more progressive kitties which increase with every bet played on that particular game. These can be spread over a vast network of Web casinos, with a percentage of all wagers going into a single prize pool – as is the case with Microgaming progressives like Mega Moolah, and NetEnt jackpot slots such as Mega Fortune and Hall of Gods. They can also be localised within the one pokies site. As PokerStars.com runs dozens of editions all over the globe, it’s possible we could see a progressive jackpot network boasting cash prizes pushing the $1 million mark once the Australian pokies casino is up and running in earnest.
Virtual 3D slots
PokerStars is renowned for the visual quality of its Internet poker games, and we expect the new casino’s slot games to sport the same kind of interactivity and immersive gameplay feel. If what we have seen of the PokerStars blackjack and roulette games is anything to go by, the advanced feature slots on offer should match the very best titles on the market. Top of the class in this category is the ‘Slots3’ range by BetSoft, which includes dozens of online 3D pokies with superior graphics and wonderful interactive bonus features. For a taste of what to expect, check out releases like The Slotfather, Madder Scientist, and Miles Bellhouse and His Curious Machine at House of Jack.
PokerStars mobile pokies games
PokerStars.com is already well established in the mobile arena with its industry-leading real money Hold’em poker platform for smartphone and tablet devices. The PokerStars mobile casino is set to launch sometime in the first half of 2015, and is expected to include a diverse collection of mobile slots for Android, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry devices. Whether these games will be available to Australian iOS users is uncertain, as there is currently no way to access the PokerStars mobile poker site on Apple products.
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