Most players choose their slots in much the same way they select a movie off a streaming site. They click on the thumbnail, think the theme sounds interesting, and go for it. forty minutes later, they stare at a balance that’s plummeted and wonder what happened. Usually, nothing “happened.” Players simply chose a game that didn’t fit their desired risk profile.
What is Slot volatility?
Slot volatility refers to how payouts are distributed within a particular game. In simple terms, it indicates how often a game will award small wins versus larger wins. That is essentially it. two games could offer the same percentage of money back to players over millions of spins and yet provide a completely different gaming experience, depending upon how the payouts are awarded. One game may dispense little wins every few spins, while another awards occasional massive wins.
You’ll also encounter the term variance. To players, Slot volatility and variance refer to the same concept. However, technically speaking, variance is a statistical measure of the variation of individual results from the mean and standard deviation represents the square root of this variance. Standard deviation is the actual number that game developers use when modeling a Slot game.
Volatility vs RTP: what each number tells you
A major source of confusion for many players is separating volatility from RTP. Return to player (RTP) refers to the percentage of all funds placed as wagers on a Slot machine that the machine will return to players during a very lengthy period. Most online slots fall in the range of 94% to 97%, with many grouped closely around 96%. For example, if a Slot machine offers an RTP of 96%, it means that throughout countless spins (performed by numerous individuals), the game will return approximately $96 for each $100 wagered. That is the expected return and the remaining 4% is the house advantage.
Low volatility slots meaning
Slots that are considered low volatility pay out frequently, however, the majority of these wins are typically relatively small. Many of these games will award smaller wins than your initial bet. Nobody mentions this to newbies. You place a $1 bet, you “win” 40 cents and the machine makes some sort of noise or sings a song, however your account still decreased by $0.60. That is normal. This type of play allows your account to move horizontally rather than vertically.
While you are getting horizontal movement in your account, you are receiving additional time. Low volatility slots are created for extended periods of gameplay. Regular bonuses tend to occur more often, although they are rarely going to give you life-changing wins, and the maximum possible win is often limited to a fixed amount, usually in the hundreds to low thousands of times your original stake.
Medium volatility slots meaning
Medium volatility falls right in the middle. Medium volatility provides you with consistent small hits to maintain interest in your session as well as a reasonable chance of landing a substantial bonus or a handful of significant wins. Your long dry spells will occur but they won’t last too long. Maximum possible wins for medium volatility games are typically found in the range of low thousands times your stake or slightly above.
High volatility slots meaning
High volatility slots exist for infrequent large wins. The base game can seem stingy for long durations of time and sometimes seemingly ridiculously so. Then a bonus round occurs with multipliers stacked and/or sticky wilds and pays multiple times your stake in a single instance. Or it doesn’t and you’re gone until you’ve burned through your Bankroll waiting for one.
These types of games often boast about having maximum possible wins of 5,000x, 10,000x, etc., and that headlining number is exactly why they were made. There must be a way for the math to fund these maximum possible wins and there is, by paying out less frequently in between.
Hit frequency vs volatility: not the same thing
Hit frequency is defined as the percent of spins that result in any win at all. A Slot with a 25% hit frequency will award something on approximately one in four spins. Hit frequency and win frequency/payout frequency are often used to convey the same message. Players commonly believe that a high hit frequency equates to low volatility and while hit frequency is related to volatility, it isn’t equal to it.
A game can pay out often while being highly volatile if most of those frequent payments are relatively small and nearly all the value lies within one rare feature. Actually, this is a very common method for designing today’s video slots: providing frequent small wins to keep the action going on the screen while reserving all your winnings behind a feature that may trigger once every 150-300 spins or more.
Feature trigger frequency when published by providers
When published by providers, feature trigger frequency is often a better indicator of how a game will feel compared to straight hit frequency.
How do I match my playing style to the correct level of Slot volatility?
Ultimately, this boils down to answering three questions regarding your gaming preferences: how much money do I bring? How long do I want to play? And how will I react if/when things begin to go badly? First, consider your session objectives. Are you looking for an enjoyable hour or two of light entertainment while watching TV or browsing social media? Perhaps you’d prefer to be entertained while half-watching a sports event? Choose a game that rewards you with frequent small wins to keep the reels spinning and keep your account active and growing. Conversely, if you’re seeking one large payoff event and you’re okay with leaving empty handed, you’re clearly a different gamer. Again, neither preference is inherently incorrect; however, confusing them is how gamers become annoyed.
Best volatility for small bankrolls & longer sessions
If you’re either a small-stakes player or primarily interested in finding slots for extended play sessions, then low-to-medium volatility is obviously your starting point. Since your account will move horizontally rather than vertically on low-to-mid volatility slots, you can afford to place a slightly larger bet-per-spin relative to your Bankroll as opposed to high volatility slots.
Additionally, using low-to-mid volatility slots enables you to have a few hundred spins in your session Bankroll using smaller bets-per-spin than high-volatility slots would require. Therefore, if you’re a casual player who wants to maximize hours of enjoyment for the same amount of money, choosing low-to-mid volatility is your best option.
Using low-to-medium volatility slots to increase hours played
As mentioned previously, one technique that works well for casual players is selecting low-to-mid volatility games and placing their betting units low enough that they can afford several hundred spins within their session Bankroll. Clearly, you won’t receive your dream large-hit on low-to-mid volatility games; however, you will increase your hours of play.
Best volatility for big-win hunters & bonus buyers
High volatility slots for big-win seekers and bonus buyers are suitable when players’ bankrolls can sustain long periods without seeing any bonus features or large wins. As a general guideline (and it’s merely a guideline), I recommend carrying enough Bankroll to cover at least 300-500 base-game spins prior to attempting to play high-volatility slots. If you carry fewer than this, you might not ever see any bonus features before you deplete your Bankroll.
Megaways Slot volatility
Megaways slots utilize a mechanism that varies the quantity of symbols shown on each reel for every spin allowing for up to six-figure ways to win. Due to this mechanism’s ability to generate extreme swings, many Megaways titles have been categorized as medium-to-high volatility games. However, this isn’t true universally. Although Megaways uses an unorthodox mechanics in its creation of ways-to-win, both the volatility and potential for large wins come from pay tables and feature design, not from the mechanics themselves. Check individual game details!
Progressive jackpot Slot volatility
Progressive jackpot slots represent an exception to this rule. Progressive jackpots are funded via Progressive portions of each bet fed into a shared pot; therefore, base game payouts are typically lower in order to compensate for this funding method. The rare occurrence of hitting the Progressive jackpot further contributes toward creating high-volatility games despite potentially appearing non-volatile based solely on base game performance. Fixed-jackpot games, which fixate their top prizes prior to launch, can exhibit greater variability.
Since big-jackpot hunters understand that they’re largely paying for the opportunity to win big jackpots regardless of whether they win or lose (as long as they don’t exceed their pre-set loss limits!), setting loss limits prior to commencing play is crucial.
How do I determine a game’s volatility rating?
Identifying a game’s volatility was simpler in years past; however, there still exists no standardized system for defining volatility ratings among online casinos and game manufacturers. Listed below are sources I reference when researching volatility ratings (roughly in order):
Game details / help screen
Many modern game manufacturers have started listing volatility as part of the detailed information provided on their respective games’ help screens.
Provider website/game sheets
Providers usually detail certified game information, including RTP, max win, and volatility ratings, on their official websites or on sheets detailing their respective games.
Pay table details
Large top-paying symbol payouts paired with poor bottom-paying symbol payouts often signify high variance.
Advertised max win multiplier
Anything approaching tens of thousands often signifies high volatility.
Test session (demo mode)
If your jurisdiction permits access to demo modes for testing purposes, attempt a short test session in demo mode yourself to determine how frequently your chosen game pays out.
Bankroll management tips based upon volatility ratings
In addition to influencing how Slot machines distribute payouts (i.e., risk levels), understanding volatility greatly impacts how effectively players manage their bankrolls. As stated earlier, the primary factor affecting how quickly bankrolls fluctuate is volatility — i.e., how drastically a given Slot machine swings accounts. Your account’s potential fluctuation creates direct implications for how you allocate your Bankroll relative to betting units per spin.
For low-volatility slots (more frequent payouts), you can allocate more Bankroll relative to betting unit sizes per spin since your account will not dramatically change values due to winning or losing.
On high-volatility slots (less frequent payouts), you should reduce your bet sizes so that you have significantly more spins in your session Bankroll than on low-volatility slots — i.e., reducing Bankroll usage per spin.
Bet sizing remains your lone controllable variable when playing slots and bet sizing has been abused more than any other aspect of casino banking by gamblers experiencing losing trends.
Prior to beginning any session:
- Determine and establish your predetermined loss limit for the session and treat it as though you’ve already spent that money.
- Establish your minimum bet size that allows for at least 200 base-game spins on low-volatility slots or at least 400 base-game spins on high-volatility slots.
- Determine your win-limit (e.g., cashing out if you’ve doubled your initial session Bankroll).
- Never increase bet size(s) while chasing losses on a Slot machine exhibiting cold behavior.
- Consider taking breaks after achieving any significant win(s) or after experiencing an excessive length of consecutive losing spins.
Frequently Asked Questions: Slot volatility & RTP
What does ‘volatility’ mean in slots?
In essence, volatility defines how Slot machines disperse their payout schedules — i.e., frequently awarding small wins (low volatility) versus infrequently awarding large wins (high volatility); or perhaps something in-between (medium).
Is there any difference between variance & volatility?
To players, there is virtually no distinction between variance and volatility — i.e., both concepts define how far individual outcomes deviate from averages, and standard deviations represent the square roots of variance.
Does RTP differ from volatility?
While RTP represents how much money Slot machines return to players over a prolonged period (the house edge being whatever percentage remains as revenue), Slot volatility defines how unevenly those funds are returned (regardless of RTP). Thus, two games with similar RTP percentages can still present radically dissimilar experiences — based solely on differing volatilities.
Which type of Slot volatility should beginners use?
Beginners should opt for either low-or-medium volatility games as they reward frequent small wins; allow new players ample opportunities to study the various components involved with bonus features and paytables; as well as provide sufficient time for players to develop familiarity with the Slot machine prior to exhausting their account balances.
Are high-volatility slots worth playing?
Some players find high-volatility slots appealing when they have sufficient bankrolls to endure extensive dry-spells; are willing to abandon their efforts empty-handed; and seek large-multipliers.
Do high-volatility games pay more than other types?
No! Despite offering substantially larger individual wins more infrequently than lower-volatility counterparts, high-volatility games yield equivalent aggregate returns as lower-volatility games when employing similar RTP percentages.
Do low-volatility games award wins more frequently?
Generally yes! Expect more frequent wins; however, many will be considerably smaller than your bet size.
