Every pokie that pays "all ways" traces back to a 1999 cabinet wearing tomahawks and tepees. Indian Dreaming carried Reel Power, Aristocrat's payline-free 243-ways system, into Australian pubs and clubs. A quarter-century on it is still on venue floors, trailed by an RTP figure that does not survive checking.
The machine that made ways-to-win normal
Most pokies in 1999 asked you to pick how many lines to bet. Indian Dreaming removed the choice: matching symbols pay whenever they land on adjacent reels from the left, in any row. Three positions on each of five reels gives 243 routes - hence the name, and the more frequent small wins.
From 243 ways to Megaways
Aristocrat reused Reel Power across dozens of later titles, rival studios cloned the chief-and-tomahawk formula, and Big Time Gaming's Megaways engine became the modern descendant - the same all-ways idea with the count changing every spin. Our Megaways pokies page covers that engine and where to play it.
The free games feature
Scatters trigger free games with multiplied wins. We do not quote spin or multiplier counts on purpose: they vary by cabinet build, and the review sites that print exact numbers contradict one another. Trust only the pay table in front of you.
The 98.99% RTP story
One claim follows this game everywhere: a return of 98.99%. We do not repeat it.
A figure nobody can source
No Aristocrat document states 98.99%, and for a 1999 pub machine it is implausibly high - venue cabinets are set to state rules, with legal minimums as low as 87% in Victoria. The figure was copied from one affiliate site to the next until it looked like evidence.
What independent listings show
Databases tracking the demo version sit near 94%, believable for an Aristocrat classic. No official figure exists. The lesson: when a number looks too good and nobody can source it, it is marketing, not measurement. Our RTP guide explains which published figures deserve trust.
Where you can play it in 2026
Aristocrat keeps its real-money online titles inside regulated markets. None of the ten offshore casinos we review stocks the real thing for cash; a site claiming otherwise is showing a clone. That leaves the venue floor, where it remains a fixture, and free social play - the game is listed in Heart of Vegas catalogues, the app from Aristocrat's Product Madness studio.
Related pages worth reading
5 Dragons runs the same 243-ways Reel Power layout and hits the same real-money wall; Buffalo uses the related 1,024-ways engine. The pokies games index shows what our ten sites do carry; the Aristocrat hub tells the studio-wide story.
Frequently asked questions
No official figure exists. Independent databases place the online demo near 94%, land cabinets are set to each state's rules, and the repeated 98.99% has never been traced to an Aristocrat source. Treat any RTP nobody can source as advertising, not data.
No. Aristocrat restricts its real-money online titles to regulated markets, so no offshore casino serving Australians carries it for cash, including the ten we review. Free demos and the social release are the legitimate ways to spin it outside a venue.
It runs on Aristocrat's Reel Power system, which pays when matching symbols land on adjacent reels from the left, in any row. Three positions on five reels make 243 routes, so there are no lines to select or stake individually.
Heart of Vegas, the social app from Aristocrat's Product Madness arm, lists Indian Dreaming in its catalogues, and demo builds sit on game-database sites. Either route shows you the 243-ways rhythm and the free games without putting money at risk.
Responsible gambling
Set your spend before the first spin, read any RTP as a long-run average rather than tonight's promise, and stop when it stops being fun. Free, confidential support is available from Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858. Pokies are for adults aged 18+ only.