There’s no doubt that online slots are the king of online casinos. The proof is in the pudding when you log into any online casino and head into the game lobby. Yes, the top game developers turn over every stone and spare no expense to deliver jaw-dropping slots that immerse you. While winning jackpots are nice, the art of winning slot games revolves around the concepts of RTP and volatility. This guide takes you into the fundamentals of this important tandem to get the most out of your slot game experience.
What Is RTP?
The Basics of RTP
To best understand the return to player percentage, we first need to dive into the house edge. The house edge, sometimes known as the house advantage, is a percentage of each winning bet that the casino gets to keep. Thus, the expression, “The house always wins.” The RTP is a gauge of how much a player can reasonably expect to get back. Instead of gauging how much to get back from each wager, the rule of thumb in calculating the RTP is based on a $100 wager.
For example, if a slot game has a 97.32% RTP, it’s reasonable to expect to get back around $97.32 from betting $100. Besides having a budget, a solid step towards boosting winnings playing slots is to first factor in the RTP rate.
High vs. Low RTP
To better understand RTP, let’s look at some common comparisons:
· High RTP: Typically, the old-school three-reel slots, otherwise known as classic slot games. The RTP usually begins over 96% and can even soar over 98%, like for the Blood Suckers slot series.
· Medium RTP: Somewhere in the middle of the pack. The medium RTP slots are the bulk of video slots. You can expect the RTP to be around 95%.
· Low RTP: For slots that are 94% or below with the RTP, they can be hit or miss. But when they hit, they tend to hit big.
When playing real money online slots, the golden rule is to choose online slots with at least a 95% RTP because it is in the middle of the pack towards steady wins.
How Volatility Impacts the Winnings
The Science Behind Volatility
Besides finding and considering slots with the right RTP, volatility is another element for online slot success. When dealing with slots, you can accept these three volatility levels:
· Low volatility: Most low volatility slots have an RTP of around 96%. Low volatility means that these slots pay more frequently, which makes them ideal for beginners. Also, for slot players on a budget, low volatile slots can greatly stretch the budget. Classic slots, including three-reel wonders, are usually low in volatility.
· Medium volatility: Many slots, including those with re-spins, are medium in volatility. Medium volatile slots don’t have many valleys in terms of payments, which makes them extremely solid choices.
· High volatility: High volatile slots usually have loads of exciting bonuses, including a progressive jackpot. However, they don’t pay frequently. Because the payouts are so promising, most slot players can’t resist.
When dealing with highly volatile slots, the RTP can run the gambit. If the slot game has multiple progressive jackpots, expect the RTP to be well below 95%. High volatile slots can also have multiple fixed jackpots and epic hold-and-win features. The trade-off for these massive rewards is the higher price tag that comes with them. Most high volatile slots usually cost somewhere between fifty cents to a dollar.
The Relationship Between RTP and Volatility
With some understanding between RTP and volatility, pro slot players strive to pair the two together. While it’s not necessary to do so, it makes sense to marry the RTP and volatility to get the most out of your budget. Because low volatile slots are more affordable, it makes sense for players to focus on the slots that have at least a 96%.
Those with deeper pockets have more flexibility going with the higher volatile slots. High rollers can afford to lose more than others because all it takes is one winning wager to win six or seven-figure jackpots.
The Bet Size and Volatility
Another great aspect to boost winning is the actual bet size. There is definitely a relationship between the RTP, volatility, and the bet size. While not absolute, low volatile slots, especially the three-reel wonders, have the lowest bet sizes. In fact, there is a special category for penny slots where the cost to spin the reels is only a penny.
When it comes to medium volatile slots, the bets can range on a grander scale. With any luck, you can get into the game starting at ten cents a bet, although some medium volatile slots can start as low as a nickel. Of course, with highly volatile slots, expect to pay the most. High volatile slots can go as low as a quarter, but most start around fifty cents. For progressive jackpot slots that require players to bet on all the pay lines, expect the minimum bet to start at a dollar per pay line.
Managing the Bankroll
High or low, it doesn’t matter until you properly set a budget. Having a set budget as well as a set playing time works in ways you don’t know about preventing problem gambling. Also, you can set limits with the online casino’s responsible gaming measures.
Conclusion
With incredible leaps in technology, new slot genres and themes are springing up. AI plays a heavy role in slot game development and augmented reality. With bigger and bolder bonuses, it is more important than ever to stick with the principles of RTP and volatility to get the most bang for your buck.