Slot Volatility
The volatility or variance of slot machines is the level of risk. It represents the statistical probability of video slots without reflecting the frequency and scale of the winnings. Focusing on their capabilities, players can choose a slot with the desired volatility.
- Slot Volatility List
- Slot Volatility
- Slot Volatility Calculation
- Low Volatility Slot Machine List
- High Volatility Slot Machines
- Slot Volatility Index
- Low Volatility Slot Machines
Slot volatility, also called variance, refers to the level of risk that of a particular game. Simply put, the term refers to the frequency and cash value of payouts. High volatility slots yield few wins with high prices. Low volatility slots feature more payouts for lower amounts. Granted, that slots with low volatility pay a lot more often, the big wins lie with high volatility slot games. Low-risk slot games pay on a more regular basis, their wins are on the smaller scale. On the other hand, slot games with high variances don’t pay out on a regular basis but the wins are on a much larger scale.
Slots payouts can be frustratingly inconsistent. They pay much less frequently than most casino games, such as baccarat, blackjack, and roulette.
Slot machines feature extreme volatility when compared to other games. Oftentimes, you must wait for a big payout to come before you earn a profit or at least win back most of your previous losses.
Highly volatile slot machines offer the most features and/or largest jackpots. Meanwhile, low-volatility games deliver more consistent prizes.
Depending on if you like more features or frequent payouts, you’ll have a preference on volatility. Therefore, you’ll appreciate a rating on this matter.
Unfortunately, not all slot machines provide one of these ratings. This guide explains what you can do to estimate volatility in the absence of such information.
Some Developers Include a Volatility Rating
Some slots developers, especially those who make online games, offer helpful info in the pay table. For example, they may feature return to player (RTP) and hit frequency figures in the info screen.
Certain developers also rate the volatility of their slots. For example, a provider may show that a certain game offers 4.5 out of 5 volatility.
This information gives you an idea on how often to expect winning spins. The higher the volatility, the more dispersed your payouts will be.
It’s always helpful to have as much info as possible when playing a slot. Volatility ratings are definitely welcome when available.
What Exactly Does a Volatility Rating Tell You?
Most slot machines feature a wide range of prizes worth as little as 1x your stake up to 5,000x your stake or more. Therefore, they don’t pay out as evenly as other types of casino games.
You may feel lost regarding your chances of winning with slot machines. Volatility ratings give you an indication on how much you can expect to win.
Some developers give their slots a rating ranging from 1 to 5, or 1 to 10. You can use these figures to form an idea on your chances of winning.
You may like chasing huge prizes and don’t care how long your bankroll will last. In such cases, you want to play high-volatility slots with big win potential.
On the other hand, you might be a gambler who wants a better chance of ending each session a winner. Low-volatility games provide a better opportunity to reach this goal.
Why Is This Information Important?
Slot machines make bank management extremely tough. Their volatility can be brutal in the short run and cost you lots of money.
Again, you might be the type of player who can handle this volatility and still enjoys slots. But if you’re dealing with a limited bankroll, you won’t get much entertainment out of a volatile slot.
Here’s an example to illustrate this point:
- You deposit $30 onto a gaming site.
- You play a slot with a 9/10 volatility rating.
- You risk $0.50 per spin, feeling that this is a relatively safe bet in relation to your bankroll.
- Due to the high volatility, you have a rough session and quickly lose your $30 within the first half hour.
Of course, you can always deposit more money or play slots with lower minimum bets to extend your bankroll. However, you might currently only have enough funds for a one-time deposit.
A rating on volatility helps you better manage your bankroll under any circumstance. When dealing with limited funds, you might consider avoiding highly volatile slots to stretch your money further.
What Drives Up Volatility?
Before I get into how to determine volatility without a rating, I’d like to discuss exactly what makes slots more volatile. The following factors have a big impact on short-term results.
Features
Features ramp up the excitement in slot machines. They include various bonuses, such as expanding wilds, random wilds, scatter payouts, free spins, and win multipliers.
Some players judge games entirely based on the quantity and types of features. They want to enjoy revolutionary bonuses that can deliver big wins.
Of course, a good portion of the RTP is wrapped up in these extras. Gamblers must trigger and benefit from the features to win any serious money.
Maximum Prize
Many slots differ based on their maximum payout. Some games only offer a top prize worth 1,000x your stake, while others feature up to 50,000x payouts or more.
Bigger prizes definitely create more excitement. They can deliver life-changing money if you bet the right amount.
However, developers must make up for these large payouts by giving out fewer wins. Considering that you have low odds of winning the top prize, you’ll often lose quite a bit in any given session.
Small Payouts
Smaller prizes are on the other end of the spectrum from max payouts. They’re far from exciting, but they do play a role in the volatility.
A game with several low payouts (e.g. those ranging from 1x to 5x) will likely pay more frequently. Therefore, you can expect a larger percentage of your short-term bets coming back.
RTP
Return to player (RTP) refers to how much a slot pays back over the long run. Most land-based slot machines offer between 90% and 95% RTP, while many online slots deliver between 95% and 97% payback.
Slot Volatility List
“Long run” is the key term here, because RTP figures aren’t realized until after millions of spins. Nevertheless, payback can affect how volatile slots are to some degree. High RTP reduces volatility by increasing the chances that you win money.
Figuring Out Slots Volatility Without a Rating
Unfortunately, not all slot machines offer a volatility rating. You can use the following factors to determine volatility in the absence of a rating.
Look at the Features
Features may be the driving force towards slots popularity these days. However, they also increase the uncertainty, too.
You probably won’t win much money in the short run on games with several features. You should check the info screen or a review to see how many bonuses a particular game has.
Consider the Smallest Prizes
Small payouts aren’t the most inspiring parts of slot machines. However, they can ensure that you win more often.
A slot with three or more prizes ranging from 1x to 5x your stake probably has low volatility. The game is likely to deliver these payouts on a frequent basis.
Note How Much the Jackpot Is Worth
Slots with big maximum payouts or progressive jackpots give you the chance to live out your gambling dreams. You can win a six- or seven-figure payout through these games and potentially retire early.
But the developers that offer these slots also need to account for future big winners. They make up for the possible life-changing fortunes by delivering fewer small prizes.
Check Out the Hit Frequency
Hit frequency and volatility aren’t exactly the same thing. The former refers to your chances of winning a payout of any kind on a single spin.
However, hit frequency is helpful when trying to figure out volatility. A slot with high hit frequency (e.g. 30% to 40%) ensures that you get paid more often.
Conclusion
It’s always better when developers provide a volatility rating. This way, you know exactly how volatile a slot will be and prepare accordingly.
If you play real money slots long enough, though, you’ll eventually come across entertaining games that don’t offer such ratings. In these cases, you can take steps to figure out the volatility yourself.
Here’s a recap of factors to consider when judging volatility yourself:
- Jackpot size/maximum payout
- Number of features
- Number of small payouts
- RTP
You may not get a perfect figure on a game’s volatility with this information. But if you see a slot with multiple features and a 50,000x max payout, you can likely guess that it’ll offer wild short-term results.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Slot Volatility
Slot volatility is one of the things that you need to make sure to check when you are looking for an online pokie to play.
Slot Volatility Calculation
However, very few people know what slot volatility is and how to check for it.
That is why today we take an in-depth look into slot volatility, how to check for it and why it is important when looking for a game to play.
What does Volatility Mean in Slots?
The term volatility is used to calculate the performance of slot machines during gameplay, be it land-based or at online casinos. With this knowledge, pokie players are then able to calculate their bankroll accordingly.
Therefore, simply put, slot volatility will tell how often you will snag a winning combination, the size of the winning combo and the risk level of the game.
Different Types Of Slot Volatility And How To Tell Them Apart
There are three types of slot volatility, high, medium and low variance games. But slot gurus know that there are actually 5 types classifications these are high, medium-high, medium, low-medium and low.
The volatility of pokies is programmed in advance and it solely depends on the RNG. However, in most cases, online casinos and casino slot providers rarely reveal the volatility of a game. Therefore, you will be forced to calculate it yourself.
Low Volatility Slot Machine List
If you are playing a game that the capacity to pay out big, but you can seem to get the winning combination, then it means that you are playing a high variance game. However, if you are playing a game that has small pays and you are paid out frequently it means that you are playing a low variance game.
Slot Variance and Slot Volatility
When talking about online casino games, there is no difference between variance and volatility. There are terms that can be used as synonyms for one another and as such they can be used interchangeably.
Ways to Determine Slot Variance
Measuring slot volatility is not an easy task to do, that does not mean that it is impossible though. There are a few ways that you can try to determine how volatile an online pokie is.
- Look at the PayTable: look at the difference between the payout of 4 and 5 of a kind symbols. If 5 symbols payout more, then you can assume that it is a high-variance slot.
- Prizes on Offer: If the slot offers you massive prizes, then it is a high variance game.
- Max Bet Option: Most pokies that small max bets are usually high variance games.
- RTP: By looking at the return to player rate, you can see whether it is described as a high, medium or low volatility game.
What Does High, Low And Medium Volatility Mean?
High Variance/ Volatility
These are pokies for players who love to take risks. These slots will not pay out often, but when they do payout we can guarantee you that it was worth the wait. Players with slots also have access to bonus features. These pokies needed to play with a planned budget as they can leave you broke. Popular high variance games are Book of Dead, Dead or Alive, Riches of Robin, Creature from the Black lagoon, Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx.
Low Variance/ Volatility
These pokies will have frequent but smaller payouts. With these pokies, you can start winning every 5 to o10 spins on average. These are also perfect for new players as well as punters who want to have fun without taking too much risk. Popular pokies in this category are Starburst, Thunderstruck II, Bloodsuckers, Dead or Alive 2, Agent Jane Blonde Returns and Big Bad Wolf.
Medium Variance/ Volatility
These pokies will offer the player the best of both low and high variance games. Players will get average payouts that are not too high or too low. With the right budget plan, you play these pokies longer than high variance games and still get a good payout as you do. Popular games in this section are Jumanji, Game of Thrones, Vikings Go Berserk, Gonzo’s Quest, Nikola Tesla’s Incredible Machine, Hugo 2, Guns n Roses and Dracula.
Conclusion
The type of pokies that you can play is now entirely up to you and your budget. At the end of the day, we are sure that you are bound to have a great time as you spin the reels.
Slot Volatility FAQs
High Volatility Slot Machines
Slot Volatility Index
