From Fallout: New Vegas to Grand Theft Auto, slots are a common and popular mini-game in video games. Some video games are even entirely based on slots, such as the rogue-lite horror title CloverPit. While these are all fun, they’re still quite different from the real-money alternatives found at online casinos.
It’s important to always understand a slot before making the jump from a video game to an online casino. Most of the time this means learning a game’s key features and knowing what symbols to watch out for. However, it’s equally important to know how real-money slots work overall.
All online slots are driven by two main factors: volatility and the return to player (RTP) percentage. There’s no such thing as a guaranteed win when playing slots, but understanding these concepts can help with responsible play, and teach when it’s best to walk away.
What are volatility and RTP?
The first concept to look at is volatility. This is the measure of how often a slot game pays out. Slots with a high volatility pay out less often, but tend to award bigger prizes when they do. On the other hand, slots with a low volatility will pay out more frequently, but typically with lower value prizes. A game with medium volatility will sit somewhere between.
Whether playing on a high, medium, or low volatility game, it’s important to pick an online casino that pays out quickly after a win. This is why Vegas Insider has put together a list of the fastest payout casinos.
The other key thing to know about a slot before playing is its RTP. This is usually clearly published, but if it isn’t, a quick search will easily tell you the answer. A good RTP is 96%, with exceptional games being even higher.
This figure represents the percentage of all stakes returned to players as cash prizes. If a game has an RTP of 96%, it means that 96% of all stakes are returned to players.
It’s vital to remember that this does not mean wins are guaranteed, or that individual players are likely to get most of their money back. Betting $10 on a game with an RTP of 96% does not mean a player will win at least $9.60. The RTP percentage is calculated across all players over a long timeframe, and never refers to an individual play session.
How they work together
Now we’ve covered the basics with volatility and the RTP percentage, it’s time to go through how they’re useful when playing slots.
The first thing to check is a game’s RTP. Anything below 95% should generally be avoided, with games at 97% or higher preferred. So long as the chosen slot is around the 96% average, it will play normally.
When deciding what kind of volatility to choose, it’s best to think about the style of play session desired. If it’s to chase jackpots and go for big prizes, a high volatility slot is the better choice. If the aim is a longer play session, or to work through a bonus wagering requirement, then a lower volatility slot would be best.
It’s also important to keep in mind that while a game will have a normal volatility, it may not always behave that way. If a game isn’t playing like you’d expect, it can be best to step away and consider a new slots title. Pouring your budget into a single game hoping it will behave differently is a fast way to prematurely end a play session.
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