Slots Payouts

Is Volatility More Important Than RTP?

Although RTP rates are important when choosing slots with higher theoretical returns, you should also pay close attention to their volatility. In some cases, a game’s variance may matter more to players than its RTP.

The theoretical RTP programmed into a slot is usually achieved only after a very large number of spins. For example, data from a UKGC-licensed casino shows that, even after 50,000 spins, there can still be nearly a 5% deviation from the stated RTP. Many more spins would be needed to move closer to the true long-term return.

Therefore, choosing the slot’s highest available RTP is particularly important from a regulatory perspective. An average player, however, rarely completes enough spins to eliminate substantial deviations from the theoretical return.

For this reason, a slot’s volatility may sometimes be more important to players seeking favorable outcomes. Low-variance slots tend to award smaller wins more frequently, which can help players complete more spins and enjoy longer sessions.

Choosing Slots According to Their Volatility

If you have several days to devote to a low-risk slot, you can continue choosing games based solely on RTP. As noted above, it may take roughly 50,000 spins to approach a slot’s maximum RTP. If you are prepared to play that long, however, the experience may no longer be enjoyable.

Although low-risk slots are not ideal if you are chasing larger payouts, you should also exercise caution with high-volatility games. Players who favor riskier betting styles may lose more than others. While high-volatility slots can be tempting because of their large potential wins, extended losing streaks can quickly deplete your bankroll.

Despite the risk, high-volatility slots may appeal to players who prefer the possibility of larger payouts. Even the biggest rewards on low-variance games may not match the generous wins available from high-volatility slots.

High-volatility slots generally have a lower hit frequency. Software developers often combine higher RTPs with higher variance, making the games riskier but capable of awarding substantial payouts through bonus features and special symbols. One way to identify a high-variance slot is to check the game’s paytable. If the lowest listed payout is still much higher than those found in low-variance slots, you may have found a highly volatile option.

When you play online, you may also encounter mid-volatility slots. These games fall between the low- and high-variance categories. They may produce sessions with regular smaller wins, but they can also result in many losing spins before a major payout appears.

Controlling the Slot’s Volatility

You may not realize that you can partly influence the volatility of the slot you are playing. A player’s actions generally increase the variance, while lowering it is rarely possible.

Many video slots allow you to choose the type of bonus feature to activate. For example, you may be able to select more free spins with lower multipliers or sacrifice some free spins in exchange for higher multipliers.

One example is Betsoft’s Good Girl Bad Girl. Choosing the Good Girl mode pays wins from left to right and results in low volatility. Selecting the Bad Girl mode pays wins from right to left and produces higher variance. There is also an option that pays in both directions and offers medium volatility.

Another way to influence a slot’s volatility is by playing video slots that let you choose the number of paylines. You can increase the game’s variance by betting on fewer lines while raising your bet per line. For example, suppose you wager $0.01 on each of 30 paylines. You could instead wager $0.02 on each of 15 paylines, maintaining the same total stake while increasing the slot’s variance.