About
About this dictionary
Reel Words is a small reference for people who meet an unfamiliar word on a pokie screen, a help screen or a rules page and want to know what it means.
What an entry gives you
Each headword has a short meaning in plain English, an invented example where arithmetic makes it clearer, the word it is most often confused with, and related words. Longer side-by-side comparisons are on Mix-ups.
What you will not find here
There are no tips, systems, game reviews or recommendations, and no claim about how any real game or venue works. Games differ, and the rules screen of the game in front of you is the authority on that game. Words are described in general terms, such as “on many games” or “where a game offers it”.
Where the numbers come from
Every number in an example is invented to show the arithmetic, and says so. Calculations such as 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 = 243 ways or 25 lines × 4 credits = 100 credits have been checked. None of them describes a real game.
If gambling is causing harm
Gambling Help Online offers free and confidential support: call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au. healthdirect lists the service on its gambling page.
Type and drawings
Headwords are set in Fraunces and the text in Work Sans, both published under the SIL Open Font License. The diagrams were drawn for this site; their symbols are plain shapes, not pictures from any game.