Best Online Pokies Australia 2026: A Clear-Eyed Guide to Real Money Play

Finding the best online pokies Australia players actually stick with is less about neon banners and more about three numbers: RTP, withdrawal speed, and how hard the site makes it to walk away when the session turns sour. This guide ranks practical options for Australian players in 2026, explains how real-money pokies work under the Interactive Gambling Act, and spends serious time on the part most ranking pages skip — the psychology that decides whether a night ends at a planned stop or at 3 a.m. with a thinner bankroll.

You will get operator categories drawn from the current offshore market Aussies use, PayID and crypto payout realities, bonus maths you can recalculate yourself, game-provider notes (Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Microgaming, Evolution, Hacksaw Gaming), and a straight framework for personal limits modelled on road rules. No charity, no “free money” fairy tales. Casinos price entertainment. Your job is to buy it on terms you control.

What “best online pokies Australia” actually means in 2026

Search results treat “best” like a medal. In practice it is a match score across six axes: game depth, stated RTP ranges, banking fit for AU (PayID, POLi, Neosurf, cards, crypto), cashout friction, bonus wagering you can finish without wrecking variance, and responsible-gambling tools that work when you are tilted. A site can crush one axis and fail another. Rankings that hide that trade-off are marketing, not analysis.

Australian demand sits mostly on offshore platforms because the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 restricts the offering of online casino-style games to people in Australia. Players still find licensed overseas brands. That legal grey zone does not cancel maths. House edge still applies. Withdrawal queues still apply. Your bank still sees the transaction.

When people type best online pokies australia real money, they usually want three outcomes in one tab: a catalogue that feels like a club floor, a deposit path that clears in minutes, and a cashout that does not turn into a week-long email chain. Fail any one of those and the “best” label collapses fast.

How this guide ranks pokies sites

Ranking here uses observable product traits, not affiliate commission tiers. Weighting runs roughly as follows: banking reliability and documented payout windows 25%, game portfolio quality and provider mix 20%, bonus terms transparency 15%, mobile stability 10%, support responsiveness 10%, responsible-gambling tooling 10%, brand longevity and complaint patterns 10%. Those weights are judgement calls. Change them and the order shifts. That is the point of a method you can see.

Why “best” changes every quarter

Providers rotate titles. Payment rails get blocked or restored. A brand that paid in 4 hours in March can take 48 hours in August after a processor change. Treat any top list as a snapshot dated to 2026 market conditions, then verify the cashier and T&Cs inside your own account before you fund it.

Legal status of online pokies for Australian players

Federal law focuses on who may offer interactive gambling services to people located in Australia. Offshore sites continue to accept AU traffic under foreign licences (Curacao, Malta Gaming Authority, Kahnawake, Anjouan, and similar). That is not the same as an Australian casino licence for online pokies. State land venues remain heavily regulated; the online channel sits in a different bucket.

Practical consequences matter more than slogans. Disputes can be harder to escalate. Chargebacks may close banking options. Self-exclusion on one offshore brand does not auto-propagate to every other brand. BetStop, Australia’s National Self-Exclusion Register, covers licensed wagering services in the domestic framework — it is not a magic wand across every overseas pokies lobby. Build your own exclusion habits accordingly.

Is online casino gambling legal for players in Australia?

Australians are not generally criminalised merely for playing on an offshore pokies site, but the operators face restrictions on offering those services into Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act. Enforcement emphasis sits on providers and advertising. Player protection, tax treatment of wins, and dispute leverage remain weaker than in fully domestic frameworks. Read that as elevated operational risk, not as a free pass to ignore bankroll rules.

Licences you will actually see on AU-facing sites

Common seals include Curacao eGaming, MGA, and newer island jurisdictions. A seal is a starting filter, not a character reference. Check whether the licence number resolves on the regulator’s public register, whether the brand name on the homepage matches the licensed entity, and whether KYC rules are published before you deposit. Brands frequently discussed in AU circles include Rocket Casino, National Casino, RocketPlay, WinSpirit, Fair Go Casino, Casino Mate, SkyCrown, King Billy, Bizzo Casino, Ozwin, Joe Fortune, Wolf Winner, Neospin, and Stake. Mention here is descriptive market mapping, not a government endorsement.

Psychology of pokies: why the brain keeps spinning

Pokies are engineered around variable-ratio reinforcement. Wins arrive on an unpredictable schedule. That schedule is catnip for dopamine systems that evolved to chase sparse rewards in the wild. Near-misses (two scatters and a “almost”) light up similar circuits to actual wins in imaging studies of gambling tasks. You do not need a lab coat to feel it. You need a plan that assumes the feeling will show up.

Session length warps time. A 40-minute block feels like 15 when features chain. Losses feel temporary; wins feel like skill. Neither story is reliable on a random number generator. The machine does not “owe” a bonus after a dry spell. Independence of spins is not a vibe. It is the product design.

Losses disguised as wins

A 1 line win of $0.40 on a $2.00 spin still paints the screen in celebration colours. Net result: −$1.60. The celebration is not your friend. Train yourself to read the balance line, not the animation. If the balance fell, it was a loss, full stop.

Chasing and the sunk-cost trap

Chasing is the decision to raise stake or extend time because prior outcomes “must” reverse. They must not. Each spin’s expected value stays negative by the house edge, usually in the 2%–6% range on modern video pokies depending on configuration. A $100 chase after a $100 loss does not buy a 50% recovery probability. It buys another draw from the same distribution.

Tilt markers you should treat like warning lights

Raising bet size after two dry features. Skipping the cashout screen to “one more drop.” Lying about session length to yourself or a partner. Opening a second brand because the first one is “cold.” Each marker is a stop signal. If two appear in the same hour, end the session. The road analogy fits: two dashboard lights is not the moment to accelerate.

Personal limits using road rules (the part most guides skip)

Speed limits do not exist because engineers hate fun. They exist because human reaction time and kinetic energy do not negotiate. Bankroll limits work the same way. You set them before motion starts, not after the crash.

Think of your weekly gambling budget as a posted speed zone. A $150 weekly ceiling is 50 km/h in a residential street. Busting it “just this once” is still speeding. Cameras (in this metaphor: bank notifications, app timers, a written log) do not care that you felt lucky.

Speed = stake size

Stake per spin is velocity. On a $1.00 spin at 800 spins/hour you push about $800 of handle per hour. At a 96% RTP configuration, long-run expected loss sits near $32 per hour of full-throttle play before bonus weirdness. Drop to $0.40 spins and the same hour’s expected loss falls near $12.80. Slower speed, smaller kinetic mess if you misjudge a corner.

Blood alcohol = emotional state

Driving drunk is illegal because judgement collapses. Playing angry, lonely, or celebrating with open-ended stakes is the gambling equivalent. Hard rule used by people who last in this hobby: no real-money spins after a fight, after a big work loss, or after more than two standard drinks. Mood is a multiplier on mistakes.

Seatbelts = pre-commitment tools

Deposit limits, reality checks at 30–45 minutes, and cool-off periods are seatbelts. Annoying until the impact. Set deposit caps at the cashier before the first spin of the month. If a brand lacks deposit caps, that absence is a product flaw, not a badge of “freedom.”

Licence suspension = self-exclusion

When you cannot keep to limits, stop operating the vehicle. Use the brand’s self-exclusion, block gambling transactions with your bank where available, and install site blockers. For domestic wagering products, BetStop (betstop.gov.au) provides national self-exclusion. Offshore pokies brands require manual exclusion per account. Do all of them you have ever used. Half-measures leave side roads open.

What about OASIS-style registers?

Some regulated European markets run centralised exclusion files (Germany’s OASIS is the well-known example). Australia’s closest national tool for licensed operators is BetStop. Offshore pokies lobbies are outside that single switch. Personal responsibility therefore means multi-layer controls: brand exclusion + banking blocks + device-level blocks + social accountability. One layer fails under stress. Three layers usually hold.

Market map: operator categories Australians actually use

Rather than a fake precision podium that pretends 0.3-point differences are science, group brands by product shape. Inside each group, fit varies by payment method and game taste.

Category	Examples players discuss	Typical min deposit	Payout window (e-wallets/PayID/crypto)	Watch-outs
AU-facing pokies catalogues	Fair Go Casino, Casino Mate, Joe Fortune, Ozwin, Royal Reels	$10–$30	0–24 h after KYC	Bonus caps; game weightings
High-volume offshore lobbies	Rocket Casino, RocketPlay, National Casino, WinSpirit, SkyCrown	$10–$20	Same day to 48 h	KYC spikes on larger cashouts
Crypto-forward brands	Stake, Bitstarz, 7Bit Casino, Roobet	Often ~$10 equivalent	Minutes to a few hours on-chain	Volatility of coin value; on-ramp fees
Boutique / theme brands	King Billy, Wolf Winner, Bizzo, Neospin, Hell Spin	$15–$25	12–48 h	Smaller payment teams on weekends
Fast-cashier specialists	Fastpay Casino, Instant Casino, PayID-heavy skins	$10–$20	Under 2 h common after verification	Name can oversell “instant” before KYC

Names above appear because Australians already search and review them. Always confirm the current licence footer, bonus rules, and whether your payment method is open on the day you join. Product pages change without press releases.

How to read a cashier like a mechanic

Open the banking page before registration completes if the site allows guest previews. Note minimum withdrawal, maximum per day, fee schedule, and pending-period language. A “24-hour payout” claim paired with a 72-hour pending period is not 24 hours. It is marketing arithmetic.

PayID, Neosurf, cards, and crypto: what clears in Australia

PayID transformed deposit convenience for AU players who want bank-linked address strings instead of typing full account numbers. Many best payid online pokies australia threads exist for that reason alone. Withdrawals back via PayID, when offered, often land faster than legacy bank wires — think under 1 hour after approval versus 1–3 business days.

Neosurf remains useful for budget control: you load a voucher offline, spend only that balance, and avoid saving card details on every new brand. Cards still work on some brands, fail on others as acquirers tighten gambling MCC rules. Crypto rails (BTC, ETH, LTC, USDT) cut geographic friction but add price volatility between deposit and cashout if you do not stabilise to a stablecoin.

Best online pokies Australia PayID checklist

Confirm PayID appears for both deposit and withdrawal, not deposit-only. Check the name-match rule: the PayID must match KYC identity or the cashout stalls. Keep your first cashout small ($50–$100) as a pipe test before a four-figure attempt. Pipe tests catch mismatched names early.

Fee drag you can calculate

Suppose you deposit $200, play to $260, and face a $5 withdrawal fee plus a 1% FX/network friction equivalent on crypto off-ramps ($2.60). Net friction $7.60 on a $60 profit is 12.7% of the win. Fees are part of house edge in disguise. Prefer rails with $0 withdrawal fees once verified.

Bonuses, free spins, and the $50 “gift” myth

Casinos do not hand out presents. A match bonus is a coupon with a work contract. Typical AU-facing welcome packages in 2026 still cluster around 100%–200% matches up to $500–$1,000 with 35x–45x wagering on the bonus or bonus-plus-deposit, and free-spin bundles of 50–200 spins on selected slots with win caps of $50–$100.

Put “gift” in mental quotes every time. The contract pays the casino in handle. Your entertainment budget funds that handle.

Worked EV sketch on a 100% match

Deposit $100, receive $100 bonus, wagering 40x bonus only = $4,000 handle required. Assume average slot RTP 96% (house edge 4%). Expected loss on $4,000 handle ≈ $160. You deposited $100 and “received” $100 extra playable balance, but expected value of clearing sits negative by roughly $60 before you count time and variance. Some players still clear. Expectation is not a promise of personal outcome; it is the centre of the distribution.

Free $50 style offers and no-deposit spins

No-deposit $50 credits or 50 free spins appear in cycles. Caps often lock maximum cashout at $50–$100, wagering 40x–60x, game contribution 100% slots / 0%–10% tables. On 50 spins at $0.20 nominal value, total theoretical handle is $10. At 96% RTP, expected return ~$9.60 before the wagering mountain on any win. These offers are samplers. They are not income plans.

Wagering contribution traps

A pokie weighted at 100% helps. A game weighted at 20% turns a $4,000 requirement into $20,000 of nominal play. Always open the contribution table before opting in. If the table is missing, skip the bonus. Opacity is a cost.

RTP, variance, and game picks that matter

RTP is a long-run statistical ratio, not a session promise. A 96.5% title expectedly returns $96.50 per $100 handled across a huge number of spins. Your 200-spin evening is a coin-flip weather system inside that climate.

Published figures players track include Book of Dead at 96.21% in its common setting (some operators deploy 94.25% — check the info panel), Big Bass Bonanza around 96.71%, Sweet Bonanza around 96.48%, Gates of Olympus around 96.50%. Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Microgaming, Play’n GO, Hacksaw Gaming, and Push Gaming dominate AU-facing lobbies. Evolution leads live side products where available.

High RTP versus high volatility

High RTP with high volatility can still destroy a short bankroll. A 96.5% slot that pays in rare spikes may hand you 150 dead spins. Bankroll in betting units: at least 100–200 spins at your chosen stake for medium volatility, 250+ for high. If your total session budget is $40, your stake belongs near $0.20–$0.40, not $2.00.

Bonus Buy features

Bonus Buy compresses time and spikes variance. A $100 feature buy on a $2 base can be rational entertainment if the $100 was pre-budgeted as a single “ticket.” It is irrational as a chase tool after a $80 hole. Road rules again: buying a feature angry is red-light running.

Top 10 style shortlist for real-money pokies (practical lens)

Lists titled top 10 online casino australia real money flood SERPs. Use a shortlist as a research queue, not a prophecy. Below, ten names appear with a single dominant trait each. Re-verify before funding.

Brand	Stand-out trait	Rough welcome shape	Banking note	RG tools to confirm
Fair Go Casino	AU-centric catalogue feel	100%–200% + spins range	PayID often highlighted	Deposit limits, time-outs
Casino Mate	Wide pokies shelf	Match + spin bundles	Cards/e-wallets vary	Reality checks
Joe Fortune	Simple lobby UX	Tiered welcome packs	AU payment mix	Cool-off
RocketPlay	Large game count	Multi-step welcomes	Crypto + fiat options	Session reminders
WinSpirit	Bonus ladder depth	High headline % with terms	Fast cashier claims — test	Self-exclusion path
SkyCrown	Regular promotions	Reload focus	Mixed AU methods	Loss limits if offered
King Billy	Theme brand retention	Quest-style bonuses	Standard offshore set	Account locks
National Casino	Long-running offshore profile	Classic match deals	Watch max cashout rules	Period exclusions
Stake	Crypto speed culture	Different promo logic	On-chain payouts	External bankroll tools needed
Bitstarz	Crypto + slots mix	Spin/bonus hybrids	BTC/ETH focus	Verify KYC triggers

Also on the wider AU conversation list: Ripper Casino, Star Casino skins online, Lucky Green, Ricky Casino, Golden Crown, PlayCroco, Yabby Casino, House of Pokies, Uptown Pokies, Wild Tornado, CrownPlay, and Rollxo. Volume of mentions is not quality. Open the T&Cs every time.

What Reddit threads get right and wrong

Threads on top 10 online casino australia real money reddit correctly flag slow KYC and bonus confiscations. They wrongly treat a single big win screenshot as proof of long-run edge. Screenshots are selection-biased. Quiet losers do not post.

Fast withdrawal and “instant” claims

Instant withdrawal casino australia real money is a search phrase powered by frustration. True instant is rare before identity checks clear. After KYC, e-wallet, PayID, and crypto cashouts in the 0–2 hour band are realistic on stronger operations. Card refunds and SEPA-like rails take longer.

Build a personal SLA. If a brand misses its own published window by more than 24 hours without status updates, stop depositing. One late payment can be a queue. A pattern is a product defect.

KYC timing strategy

Upload documents at registration day, not at first withdrawal. Passport or driver licence + proof of address under 3 months old is standard. Name consistency across PayID, bank, and account prevents 48-hour stalls. People lose more money waiting angry than waiting prepared.

Mobile play, apps, and browser quality

Dedicated apps exist for some brands; many AU players simply use mobile Chrome or Safari on responsive lobbies. Judge scroll performance on a mid-range Android, not only on an advertising iPhone. Touch targets for bet adjust should not sit a fat-finger away from the spin button. Accidental double-stakes are a UX tax.

Data and battery realities

An hour of animated slots can move 200–600 MB on less optimised lobbies and drain 15%–25% battery. On mobile data plans with a 10 GB cap, heavy weeknight play is visible. Wi-Fi is cheaper entertainment infrastructure.

New online pokies brands: opportunity and smoke

New skins launch monthly, often recycling the same aggregator stack under fresh paint. A 2026 launch can still hold a solid Curacao certificate and a thin support roster. Prefer brands that publish a physical operator entity, a real support email latency under 10 minutes live chat at peak AEST evening, and a game count above ~1,000 only if search and filters work. Raw game count without filters is clutter.

Five-minute due diligence

Licence number reverse-check. Bonus full T&Cs read for max bet while wagering (often $5). Withdrawal minimum versus deposit minimum mismatch check. Complaint pattern skim on two independent forums. Responsible gambling page existence. Fail two of five — walk.

Comparing cash play vs bonus play vs free demos

Mode	Cash at risk	Restrictions	Best use	Main downside
Demo / free play	$0	No real cashout	Learn features, volatility feel	Desensitises to real loss pain
Cash, no bonus	Your deposit only	Fewest game locks	Cleanest EV, simplest exits	No extra buffer balance
Bonus + cash	Deposit + time	Wagering, max bet, game weights	Structured longer sessions	Hidden negative EV from requirements
No-deposit spins	Time mainly	Low caps, high wagering	Software tasting	Rarely meaningful cashable profit

Cash-no-bonus is underrated. Fewer traps. Faster withdrawals. Slightly less “value theatre.” For players who already struggle with limit discipline, simpler contracts beat louder coupons.

Session design: a model night without heroics

Bankroll for the week: $120. Sessions planned: three. Hard stop per session: $40 loss or $60 profit, whichever hits first. Stake: $0.50 on medium volatility Pragmatic titles. Spins per hour ≈ 600–900 depending on turbo settings; with 5-second reflective pauses you might sit nearer 400–500, which is healthier.

Expected loss if you grind the full $40 risk at 96% RTP: you will typically put roughly $1,000 handle through to lose $40 on expectation (because 4% of $1,000 = $40). That is about 2,000 spins at $0.50 — more than one calm evening. In reality you stop earlier on a stop-loss. The calculation exists to show how fast handle accumulates, not to encourage grinding to theoretical ruin.

With luck path

You hit a 120x feature on Sweet Bonanza for $60 from a $0.50 spin, balance jumps. Protocol: lock the original $40 risk by withdrawing or moving to a “house money only” mental sub-ledger with a tighter stop. Do not instantly triple stakes. Road rules: green light is not a licence for double the speed limit.

Without luck path

Forty minutes, −$28, no features. Protocol: end at −$40 maximum even if a “due” story starts narrating itself. Write the result in a notes app: date, brand, game, net. Logs puncture mythology.

Common mistakes that drain AU players

Mistake one: stacking five welcome bonuses in a weekend. KYC overload plus wagering overlap equals confused cashouts and accidental max-bet breaches ($5 max bet while wagering is a classic forfeiture trigger).

Mistake two: treating PayID speed as a reason to redeposit wins immediately. Fast pipes cut both directions. Put withdrawals into a bill account you do not gamble from.

Mistake three: ignoring RTP variants. Two lobbies can host “the same” slot at 96.5% and 94%. The info screen is part of due diligence. A 2.5 percentage point edge gap on $5,000 monthly handle is $125 expected extra loss.

Mistake four: VPN mythology as a lifestyle. Address mismatches, payment blocks, and emptied accounts show up in complaint threads for a reason. Play only where the brand openly accepts your jurisdiction and you accept the legal grey context described earlier.

Mistake five: using gambling to regulate mood. If pokies become primary anxiety treatment, the product has captured a job it should not hold. Gambling Help Online sits at 1800 858 858 and gamblinghelponline.org.au for a reason.

Responsible play toolkit for Australian residents

Set deposit, loss, and time limits on day one. Use phone screen-time caps on browser apps. Keep gambling funds in a separate low-balance account. Tell one trusted person your monthly ceiling. If you cannot tell them, the ceiling is probably already a problem.

Domestic race and sports bettors should register with BetStop if they need a hard block on licensed local operators. Offshore pokies require brand-by-brand exclusion plus bank gambling blocks. Multi-brand exclusion lists written in a password manager prevent “forgot I had an account there” relapses.

When to get help

If gambling debt touches rent, if you borrow to play, if you hide transactions, or if limits fail twice in a month, step into professional support. Contact Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858, use gamblinghelponline.org.au, or speak with a GP. Early intervention is cheaper than repair.

How do online pokies differ from club machines in NSW or QLD?

Club and pub machines operate under state schemes with venue caps, mandatory shutdown periods in some jurisdictions, and on-site intervention cultures. Online libraries are larger, open 24/7, and lack a human supervisor noticing your third hour. That convenience is exactly why pre-commitment matters more at home than under a club roof.

Providers and titles worth knowing in 2026

Pragmatic Play supplies much of the sticky catalogue: gates-and-gods volatility, fishing bonus loops, buy-feature economies. NetEnt still anchors polished classics with steadier variance curves. Microgaming’s older high-volatility legends remain in rotation. Hacksaw Gaming feeds the high-risk crowd with dense feature rules. Evolution covers live game shows if your brand offers them under its licence mix.

Pick two providers per session maximum. Decision fatigue raises stake errors. A shortlist beats a 5,000-game buffet eaten blind.

What is the best online pokies Australia setup for beginners?

Start cash-only on a verified brand with PayID or Neosurf, $20–$50 total risk, $0.20–$0.50 spins, medium volatility, 30-minute reality checks, and no bonus until you have completed one clean withdrawal. Learn cashout friction before you learn wagering clauses. Add coupons only after the plumbing works.

Which online pokies pay best in Australia?

“Pay best” should mean transparent RTP and reliable cashouts, not a rumour of loosened reels. Prefer titles showing 96%+ in the help screen, brands that paid your $80 test withdrawal in under 24 hours, and games without obscure 90% RTP configurations. Payout quality is operator process plus game math, never operator charity.

Are free online pokies useful or harmful?

Demos teach features without financial damage. They also rehearse spin habits without pain feedback. Cap demo time like real time. If demo sessions regularly run past 60 minutes, you are training endurance you may not want amplified with cash.

Do no deposit bonuses make sense in 2026?

As software samples, yes. As profit plans, no. Expect high wagering (40x–60x), low caps ($50–$100), and identity checks before any withdrawal. Calculate the handle required; if it exceeds your entertainment patience, skip the offer.

How fast should PayID withdrawals land?

After full KYC, many AU-friendly cashiers process PayID out in under 60 minutes; some take same day. Before KYC, “instant” claims do not apply. Always keep screenshot records of requests. If a brand averages beyond 24 hours post-approval without explanation, reassess.

Can I raise my own limits safely later?

Only after 90 days of unbroken adherence to the old limit and zero chasing incidents. Raise by at most 20%–25% of the prior ceiling. If the urge to raise appears during a losing night, that urge is disqualified. Limits change in calm daylight, like road rule reforms — not mid-chase.

Method notes and bias disclosure

This page is an editorial analysis for Australian readers in 2026. It does not sell chips. Operator names are mapped from market visibility among AU players. Terms, RTPs, and payment availability shift; confirm inside the client account. No fabricated win rates. Where expectations are shown, the arithmetic uses stated RTP and wagering figures you can recompute: house edge = 100% − RTP; expected loss ≈ house edge × handle.

Strong opinions here favour simpler bonuses, slower stakes, and boring limit discipline. That bias is intentional. Flashy promotions already have billion-dollar ad budgets. Restraint needs a louder voice on pages like this.

Final take: who should play — and who should not

Best online pokies australia searches make sense if you already treat gambling as paid entertainment with a fixed price, you can name your monthly ceiling without squirming, and you will complete KYC like an adult before chasing a jackpot fantasy. The category fails you if you need losses back, if secrecy is part of the ritual, or if limits feel like insults rather than instruments.

Choose brands the way you choose a car for city commuting: reliable brakes (cashouts), clear dashboard (T&Cs), seatbelts (RG tools), and a speed you can justify to your future self. Fair Go Casino, Casino Mate, Joe Fortune, RocketPlay, WinSpirit, SkyCrown, King Billy, National Casino, Stake, Bitstarz and the wider set listed earlier are starting points for research, not finish lines. The only ranking that ultimately matters is whether your bank balance and your head still agree with last month’s plan.

If they do not, park the account. Use BetStop where it applies, exclude on every offshore login you own, call 1800 858 858, and spend the night on something that does not take a cut of every attempt. Pokies will still be there tomorrow. Your future cash flow needs you here today, sober about the odds, driving inside the limit lines you painted before the engine started.