- What Does Volatility Mean In Slot Machines Used
- What Does Volatility Mean In Slot Machines Jackpots
- Slot Machine Volatility Formula
Two terms one meaning; how risky is this slot machine? Basically the volatility of a slot is directly related to how often and how much it pays out. Another way of looking at it is that volatility = risk. High volatility means high risk, low volatility means low risk. Not many casino slot game providers like to. When it comes to explaining slot volatility the term risk and reward is one of the best ways to describe it. If you choose to take a small risk and play a low volatile slot, then the chances are that you will see plenty of small wins coming your way, and although a huge win is still possible, it is perhaps a little unlikely.
Updated on 26th March 2018
Since slot volatility and RTP play such an important role in the dynamics of casino slots and our players have been inquiring so much about these terms, we updated this guide. We’ve included additional sections and answers for those interested in understanding how casino games work. We’ve also included examples of low, medium and high volatility slots, expanded on strategies of gameplay on different variance slots and included some information on working out the variance of a slot on your own, among other things.
If you often read slot reviews, you might have heard the term ‘slot volatility’ before. But what does volatility mean? Also known as variance in the world of slots, volatility refers to one basic idea: how risky the game is. We’re not talking about the chances of death from a slot, by the way, we all know that the biggest risk for gamblers is losing money.
So the mobile slot volatility simply indicates the chances of ending a playing session with a boosted bankroll. It also somewhat influences how much cash we can win and put in our wallet afterwards. Slots have a range of volatility levels, mostly referred to as low, medium or high. Today we’ll talk you through what these kinds of categories mean, the benefits of each and what kind of slots fall into each group.
What Does Volatility Mean In Slots And Which One Is For Me?
It’d be easy to be convinced that what you’re looking for, to end up with more cash, is low risk slots. However, you couldn’t be farther from the truth. If it was that simple, all games would have low slot machine volatility and we’d review all high risk slots as worth avoiding. But why would developers stick to high slots volatility, then?
In actual fact, different types of players should be using different types of slots. Sure, low volatility slots pay out more, but you’ll find that high volatility slots pay out bigger sums of money. That’s because low risk slots pay often, but their jackpots are small. High variance means the opposite – rare wins, but larger single payout average.
Which type of variance you prefer from a slot will depend on a few things. Most importantly, what you want out of your gaming experience matters the most. However, the kind of money you can afford to spend will also affect your choice. After all, we’d always like to have more than we actually do. To fully understand how slot machine volatility works, the RTP is a very helpful term.
How Is RTP Related To Slots Volatility?
RTP is short for ‘return to player’ and is expressed as a percentage. Slots usually have around 93 to 98 per cent return, NextGen and NetEnt slots RTP often being slightly better than others’. What this means is that for every £100 wagered, up to £98 will be returned to the player. This applies to an unlimited number of spins and is a theoretical value rather than a practical one. If a slot has a 97% RTP, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll definitely get 97% of your bets back.
How is this related to slots volatility, you may ask? It’s this exact variance that decides how much a slot may differ from the theoretical RTP in a single session. Low volatility slots tend to vary only slightly from this percentage. That’s why they pay in small, but frequent sums. If you wagered £10 and ended up with £15, that’s 150% RTP and it’s considered a decent win on such a game.
Preferring high slot machine volatility means you want your games to offer a greater variance in its returns. Therefore, such games will usually differ much more from the theoretical RTP than in the previous example. That’s why you can often end up with a 0% return after the first ten spins. But if you stick to it, you might as well receive a payout that’s 1,000x your bet after 300 spins. This would mean that your RTP for the session is around 333%. That’s far more than the theoretical 95% or so.
High slot volatility tends to come with lower RTP percentages. They’re usually more lucrative to the operator and often leave the players empty-handed. However, players that do win, actually win a lot. This means that low risk slots often have comparably high RTP, around 97% or even around 98.5%. Are you seeing the tendency here?
Low Volatility Slots
Simply put, low volatility slots are those that pay out frequently and are often high RTP slots. These payouts will be small, but they will occur every five spins or so. Most of the time, these rewards will be just enough to keep you going, whilst a decent win may take you just over your starting budget.
Jackpots on low volatility slots are much lower than high volatility slots, which makes sense given they are low risk. There’s less chance of you winning a life-changing amount, but you’re also less likely to have a streak of spins without a single win. The best low variance slots, however, should still have a decent maximum win. If you can leave the game with around 25% more than your starting balance, then we’d say you’ve done well.
So, for example, say you start with £30 to play with. Perhaps you’ll have a few spins without winning, but then may cash in with a £10 win, which should top your balance back up. If you end up with closer to £40 then you’ve had a good session and can call it quits.
Low variance slots are best for players who don’t want to spend so much money or want to play for a longer period of time. You don’t need to place high wagers to see rewards, and as you’ll receive frequent wins your play time should be extended.
Medium Volatility Slots
Medium volatility slots are quite self-explanatory, now that you’ve got the idea what slots volatility is. Not everything is black and white, so these kinds of slots are between the two opposites. They’re medium risk, which means you’ll receive both enough payouts to keep playing, and the chance at some big wins.
Unlike high volatility slots, medium variance slots should pay out relatively frequently, although much less often than low volatility games. A noticeable win should come your way every 20 spins or so. Therefore, many players think that medium variance games are the ones to play if their budget allows spending a bit more than usual.
In reality, medium volatility slots can sometimes be more frustrating to players than either of the other two types. This is because they occupy the middle group and it can be hard to know what to expect. The size of your wins on medium volatility slots can vary enormously, yet there should be a large jackpot amount for a maximum win.
Medium volatility slots are great for those who want more excitement than low variance games can provide. It’s also an option if you have a slightly bigger budget but still want to play a bit longer than high variance slots would allow. Medium variance game players should strive to end their sessions with RTP higher than just 125%.
High Volatility Slots
High volatility slots are high risk, high thrill and fast-paced. They’re the equivalent of bungee jumps or fast cars. In short, they’re the casino’s answer to YOLO. If a slot machine volatility is high, it will promise mammoth jackpots. The trick here is that they come at a price because they only pay out once in a while. So the risk is much larger than with other types of slots.
Playing this type of slots, you can spin for a long time without any reward. However, when they do decide to rain cash, they pour, as the saying goes. There’s really no telling what to expect from this kind of machines, so it’s important to know your limits. In general, high volatility slots are best for those with a large bankroll, as then you can afford to keep spinning through a dry patch waiting for that big win.
When it does pay out, you will often end up with more than you started with anyway. You won’t always manage to land such a win, though. It’s not that high volatility equals only big wins. Such slots will pay in small amounts too. The difference from low variance games is that the latter don’t have huge wins. Their five-of-a-kind wins are quite small compared to the same wins on high variance slots.
Examples Of Low And High Risk Slots
Now that you know everything about slots volatility, it’s time to see all this in action! So, here are a few examples of the best RTP slots UK in each category of slot variance.
What Does Volatility Mean In Slot Machines Used
Troll’s Tale is a great example of a low volatility slot. It’s filled with plenty of smallish wins to keep you going. Copy Cats is another example, including a copy-cat feature that will often provide decent wins. Low slot volatility doesn’t mean that only small wins are possible, though. Divine Fortune jackpot game is considered as low to medium variance slot, too, if we don’t count the jackpots in.
Piggy Riches, not be confused with Piggy Payout slots, is an excellent example of a good medium volatility slot. Many of the most popular slots of all time have medium variance. This includes Foxin’ Wins and Gonzo’s Quest. Not surprising, considering that the middle ground is where the most players can feel comfortable in.
Maybe that’s the reason why Starburst is an all-time favourite for many. Starburst slot RTP is just above 96% and its low to medium variance makes it both lucrative and cheap enough for most players to enjoy. For more on this game, however, you should check out our Starburst slot machine review.
Finally, a perfect high volatility slot example is 300 Shields, featuring a 300x multiplier bonus. Such insane features aren’t necessary to make a game highly volatile, though. Hong Kong Tower and Golden Mane slots prove it.
How Do You Work Out The Volatility Of A Slot?
The examples above may not be enough if you decide to try even more games. Besides, slots developers don’t like to give away the variance of their slots. After all, this could dissuade some gamers from playing certain games. Luckily, it’s possible to work out the slot machine volatility on your own.
The only real way to assess a slots variance is to play, and keep playing until you work out a pattern. Although, of course, we’re not expecting you to do this. Instead, you can read our game reviews or you can put the game into demo-play mode until you can make a judgement call.
In general, you need to look at what the slot’s doing over around 200 spins. Keep track of how often it pays out and how much. Little and often shows signs of a low variance slot, whilst a long wait for a win is probably a medium to highly volatile slot. You can also look at the paytables of games to try and find some clues. High jackpots indicate high variance slots, as do large differences between four-of-a-kind and five-of-a-kind multipliers.
Strategies For Different Slot Volatility
Having chosen a slot to play, it’s time to take this slot machine guide one step further and check your strategy based on the slot’s variance. We’ll just give you a few leads for each type and, hopefully, help you win a fortune. Or a small win, if you’re into low variance slots.
Speaking of those, never play a low volatility slot with the expectation of a huge windfall. If you see that things aren’t going as expected, quite before you lose it all. Remember that the RTP is always below 100%, so the more you play, the greater your theoretical chance of losing. Even if that loss is just a small one.
When playing medium volatility slots, it’s always a good idea to decide on your budget and stick to it. Also, keep in mind that some games may have a low to mid or mid to high volatility. This means that different strategies might equally work, so consider playing the game in the demo to see what works best.
You need to be disciplined to play this type of games and know how and when to concede. This is because there’s always the hope of a jackpot win in the back of your mind. Unfortunately, it could easily just not come your way due to the nature of the game. Depending on each particular case, expect to leave with at least 35% on top of your starting amount.
You need to be in it for the long haul with high variance slots. These games can swallow up your money very quickly, with no reward. Luckily, staying patient for anything from 100 to 300 spins will often pay out. This might be difficult with high bets, but even small ones can bring an impressive win. So, it’s up to you to either bet big or spin more.
Whilst many people decide which slot to play based on the theme, special features or promotional offers, the savvy gamblers steer towards slots with the highest RTP. The house edge of online slot machines can vary widely, and it stands to reason that the lower the house edge, the better your chances of winning.
| Top RTP Slots | RTP | Bet Limits | Free Spins | Paylines | Rows | Reels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Hammer 2 | 97.10% | £0.50 – £250 | 10-20 | 99 | 3 | 15 |
| Simsalabim | 97.50% | £0.25 – £125 | Yes | 25 | 3 | 5 |
| Retro Reels Extreme Heat | 97.50% | £0.30 – £112.50 | Up to 20 | 30 | 3 | 5 |
| Devil’s Delight | 97.60% | £0.20 – £40 | Yes | 20 | 3 | 5 |
| Kings of Chicago | 97.80% | £0.05 – £50 | Up to 30 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
| Starmania | 97.87% | £0.10 – £20 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 5 |
| Blood Suckers | 98.00% | £0.25 – £50 | 10 | 25 | 3 | 5 |
| 1429 Uncharted Seas | 98.60% | £0.10 – £100 | 25 | 50 | 3 | 5 |
| Jackpot 6000 | 95.10 – 98.90% | £1 – £2 | No | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Mega Joker | 99% | £1 – £5 | No | 5 | 3 | 3 |
Of course, you should keep in mind that only the best slot sites to win offer high payout games from which you can take advantage. The return to player percentage of a game is measured over thousands of game rounds, and it stands to reason that the higher the RTP, the better the deal for the player. With this in mind, I have decided to create a list of the 10 online slots with the highest RTP.
What Does Volatility Mean In Slot Machines Jackpots
#10 Jack Hammer 2 (NetEnt) – 97.1% RTP
Jack Hammer 2 is the first of many NetEnt slots to make this top 10 list. This entertaining slot has a crime and adventure theme, captured in a comic book style. There are an impressive 99 bet lines in this game, providing plenty of opportunities to win. It also boasts a variety of interesting features that make the game exciting to play, whilst creating chances to win. The Sticky Win feature sees any winning symbol combinations held in place for a free re-spin, and they continue until no new wins are created. There is also a free spin feature, where you get up to 20 free plays, where all wins are doubled and extra wilds randomly land on the reels. Jack Hammer 2 has a player-friendly RTP of 97.1%
#9 Simsalabim (NetEnt) – 97.5% RTP
This magical themed slot recreates all the excitement of a magic show. The stage is set, with symbols such as a magician’s wand and top hat, a caged dove and a Houdini-style chained chest. The hypnotist is wild, helping to complete winning symbol combinations. When you play Simsalabim, keep your eyes peeled for 3 bunny rabbit symbols on the first 3 reels. These trigger the bonus game, where you pull rabbits from the hats to reveal cash prizes of up to 50500 coins. The slot also features a free spins round, which provides the potential for big wins thanks to the triple payouts. All these features combine to provide a great RTP of 97.5%.
#8 Retro Reels Extreme Heat (Microgaming) – 97.5% RTP
The RTP of 97.5% is one of the highest you will find in the Microgaming slots selection.Retro Reels Extreme Heat has an old-school feel, with symbols you’d expect to see on a classic fruit machine, including cherries, lemons, bells, bars and 7’s. At the same time as providing a retro feel, it includes many features which you’d expect from a modern video slot. There is a free spin bonus, where you can get up to 20 free plays with all wins doubled. There are also wild substitutions and scatter pays. A highlight is the innovative re-spin feature. After any spin, you can choose to spin just one reel, which allows increased chances of winning.
#7 Devil’s Delight (NetEnt) – 97.6% RTP
Unleash your inner devil in this NetEnt video slot. Set against a fiery backdrop and tombstones, the 5 reels are filled with symbols from the underworld.Devil’s Delight is packed full of exciting features that provide plenty of chances to stack up the wins. The devil wild expands to cover entire reels. Whilst the free spins bonus features win multipliers of up to x5. Yet the real highlight of the game is the unique Soul Reaper bonus game. Match the correct sin to each character their soul will be added to the Soul-O-Meter whilst you reap a coin prize. When the Soul-O-Meter is filled with 15 souls, the Sin Spins feature is activated. Here, you get 10 Sin Spins where you can pocket some juicy rewards. With so many cool features and a high RTP of 97.6%, this is one hell of a slot!
#6 Kings of Chicago (NetEnt) – 97.8% RTP
Kings of Chicago mixes the best elements of a video slot with classic poker. The game is played with a deck of cards, which is shuffled before each round. Unlike normal slot machines, where payouts are made for matching symbols across paylines, in this slot, you win if you have a poker hand on one of the five paylines. The game includes a joker, which substitutes for all cards. Plus, the scatter label can randomly appear on any card. Get 3 or more and free deals, the equivalent of free spins are triggered. You can bag up to 30 free deals in the special feature and all wins are doubled. This innovative slot machine provides a unique twist on what you expect from a video slot, and boasts an impressive RTP of 97.8%.
#5 Starmania (NextGen) – 97.87% RTP
With colourful star symbols set against a pretty outer space background and a spacey, ethereal soundtrack, this NextGen slot is a real treat for the senses. Wilds are stacked onto the reels boosting your shot at winning combinations. There is also a free games feature, where extra stacked wilds can help create some big wins. The game features 10 paylines and wins are paid in both directions. With every line win, you also have the option to gamble your prize, for a chance to double or even quadruple your win multiple times. The great graphics, exciting features and favourable RTP of 97.87% make Starmania a real hit with players.
#4 Blood Suckers (NetEnt) – 98% RTP
The vampire genre has never been more popular, and it is the inspiration for this spooky NetEnt slot. You’ll see various Blood Suckers adorning the reels, along with the weapons to fight them off. It is not merely the impressive 98% RTP that draws players to this slot, but also the rich selection of special features. There are wild substitutions, scatter pays, free spins with triple payouts and a vampire slaying bonus game. Trigger the bonus and you will find yourself in an ancient burial chamber, filled with coffins. Open the coffins to slay vampires, earning coin wins with each creature you defeat.
#3 1429 Uncharted Seas (Thunderkick) – 98.6% RTP
This video slot from Thunderkick is visually stunning. The reels are replaced with a medieval style hand-drawn map and the symbols include a variety of sea creatures and beasts as well as sun, moon and star symbols. The slot includes a wild symbol which expands to cover entire reels, helping to create bigger wins. There is also a free spins bonus where you can earn up to 50 free goes. 1429 Unchartered Seas has a rewarding RTP of 98.6%, one of the highest you will find in a video slot, making it a popular choice with players.
#2 Jackpot 6000 (NetEnt) – Up to 98.8% RTP
Jackpot 6000 is a thrilling classic slot machine from NetEnt with a real old-school vibe. You can play with up to 5 paylines active, betting between 1 and 10 coins per spin. It is highly recommended to play with the maximum bet of 10 coins however, as this creates the possibility of triggering Supermeter mode. In this game mode, you can win a mystery prize of between 10 – 6000 coins when just 2 joker symbols land anywhere on the reels. Also, getting 3 jokers on a payline in Supermeter mode guarantees a jackpot payout of 6000 coins. When you play Jackpot 6000 with 1 – 8 coins, the RTP is a paltry 74.9% – 79.2%. Yet with 10 coins in play, the RTP ranges from 95.1% – 98.8%. The variance is because Supermeter mode is skill based, so you can directly impact the outcome.
#1 Mega Joker (NetEnt) – Up to 99% RTP
Whilst Jackpot 6000 boasts an extremely high RTP, it is just beaten to the top spot by another NetEnt classic slot; Mega Joker. Bet with just 1 coin and the RTP is an underwhelming 76.9%. Yet on the other hand, a max bet of 10 coins elevates the RTP to between 89.1% – 99%. Furthermore, it provides bigger payouts and the Supermeter mode. In Supermeter mode, you need to choose the bet level and the optimum level at which to collect your winnings. It is this element of skill which can increase the RTP. The skill component, retro style and engaging gameplay make Mega Joker a firm favourite with players.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because our goal is to keep you well informed we have put together a list of the most frequently asked questions and our team of experts has provided the answers below.
🏆 What are the best paying slots?
The best paying slots are the ones that feature a high RTP because that translates to a small house edge such as NetEnt’s Jack Hammer 2 slot or Simsalabim, with a return to player percentage of over 97%.
✍ How do I choose a good slot machine?
In choosing a good slot machine a player should look for high payouts, volatility and the features of the game itself. For example, you are bound to have a higher return on your investment while playing a slot with free spins and multipliers.
Slot Machine Volatility Formula
💱 What is the average payout on slot machines?
The average payout on slot machine varies among slots but you are going to find a higher return-to-player percentage in the recommended online casinos as compared to the traditional slot machines. Blood Suckers slot and 1429 Uncharted Seas slot have a very high RTP of over 98%.
🎰 What is a high variance slot machine?
High variance slots are destined for gamblers who are willing to play for huge wins.Kings of Chicago is a great example in that direction because it features not only a high RTP but also a high variance, which makes it ideal for our example. Flexible betting limits, free spins and a unique twist on slots as we know them are just a few perks of enjoying this title.
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