Gates of Olympus
Gates of Olympus pairs a 96.5% published return with high volatility and a 5,000x maximum win, so it suits players who can sit through long quiet stretches.
- RTP
- 96.5%
- Volatility
- High
- Max win
- 5,000x
- Greek Mythology
- Pragmatic Play
Pokie guide · Australia
Finding popular online pokies worth the deposit
Popularity tells you what other players open, not what a game pays. This page looks at how the most-played titles are built and what the partner's published terms actually commit to.
- 5pokies compared
- 96.5%best published return
- A$5max bet on a bonus
What the published numbers put in front
Below are five widely played titles, ranked on their published return figures alongside volatility, maximum win and line count where those figures are published.
Checked on 19 October 2026
Sweet Bonanza
Sweet Bonanza publishes 96.48% with medium-high volatility and a 21,100x maximum win, the widest top-end figure on the list.
- RTP
- 96.48%
- Volatility
- Medium-High
- Max win
- 21,100x
- Candy
- Pragmatic Play
Floating Dragon
Floating Dragon publishes 96.35% with high volatility, a 5,000x maximum win and ten lines, giving a narrower line structure than the top two.
- RTP
- 96.35%
- Volatility
- High
- Max win
- 5,000x
- Lines
- 10
- Asian
- Pragmatic Play
Big Bamboo
Big Bamboo publishes 96.13% with high volatility across fifty lines, so wins land more often but each one is typically smaller.
- RTP
- 96.13%
- Volatility
- High
- Lines
- 50
- Bamboo
- Push Gaming
Starburst
Starburst publishes 96.08% with a 800x maximum win and ten lines, the lowest top end here and the gentlest of the set.
- RTP
- 96.08%
- Max win
- 800x
- Lines
- 10
- Space Gems
- NetEnt
Everything above, sortable
Sort by whichever figure decides it for you.
| 1Gates of Olympus | 96.5% | High | 5,000x | Pragmatic Play |
| 2Sweet Bonanza | 96.48% | Medium-High | 21,100x | Pragmatic Play |
| 3Floating Dragon | 96.35% | High | 5,000x | Pragmatic Play |
| 4Big Bamboo | 96.13% | High | — | Push Gaming |
| 5Starburst | 96.08% | — | 800x | NetEnt |
Select a column heading to sort.
Why a busy pokie is not a paying pokie
A pokie becomes popular because it is easy to find, easy to understand and heavily promoted. None of that changes the mathematics underneath. The published return figure for each title on the shortlist is a long-run average measured across millions of spins, and it says nothing about what any single session will do. A game with a high published return can still take your balance in an hour.
The more useful question is what kind of game you are sitting down to. Volatility describes how the returns are spaced out: high volatility means long quiet stretches broken by bigger hits, while a lower rating spreads smaller returns more evenly. Neither is better. They suit different bankrolls and different patience levels, and the only way to read them is honestly against what you can afford to lose.
Reading the feature mechanics without the jargon
Most popular titles lean on a small number of mechanics. Scatter pays award a win for symbols landing anywhere rather than on a line. Multiplier symbols attach a value to a win after it forms. Tumble or cluster mechanics remove winning symbols and let new ones fall into the gaps, which can chain several wins from one spin. Free spin rounds usually carry a bigger multiplier than the base game.
Those mechanics matter for one practical reason: they change how often your balance moves. A game that chains wins through tumbles can look generous over a short run and still sit inside a published return average that leaves the house ahead over time. Read the mechanic, understand when it triggers, and treat every streak as variance rather than a signal.
Matching a title to your deposit
The partner's published terms set a first deposit bonus of 600% cash and daily cashback of 10% of losses, with a minimum deposit of US$20 and a maximum bet on a bonus of A$5. That maximum bet is the figure that shapes which pokies you can realistically play while a bonus is active, because higher-volatility titles often need larger stakes to reach the bonus features at a reasonable rate.
A sensible approach is to pick a title whose volatility sits alongside the stake you can sustain, not the stake that looks exciting on a single spin. If a bonus is attached, the A$5 cap applies, so check that the title you want still plays well inside that limit. Cashback softens a bad session but does not change the return figure, and it never turns a losing run into a winning one.
What else people ask
What does popular online pokies actually mean?
It usually means the titles that get the most traffic and the most promotion, not the ones with the best mathematics. Two games can have almost identical published returns and be wildly different experiences because of volatility.
Do higher RTP pokies pay out more in a session?
No. A published return is a long-run average across a huge number of spins, and any single session can fall well either side of it. A higher figure is a smaller long-run edge for the house, not a promise for your next hour of play.
Can I play higher-volatility pokies with the partner's bonus?
The partner publishes a maximum bet of A$5 while a bonus is active, so any title works only within that stake. High-volatility games often need bigger stakes to trigger features regularly, so the cap is worth weighing up before you commit.
Is cashback a reason to deposit more?
Cashback returns part of what you lose, which reduces the sting of a bad run but does not change the game's published return or your chances on any spin. The minimum deposit is US$20, and the cashback is published as 10% of losses.