When it comes down to playing slots tactically there are more considerations than the game rules alone. Some players like to focus on the RTP of a game, also known as return to player percentage. For others, it’s the slot volatility they account for as this will help guide the frequency in which the slot pays and the size of the wins!
If this is the first time you’re hearing the word slot volatility, then don’t worry as we are going to run through all of the different features. By the end of this post, you will learn how to choose the right slot volatility for you.
What is Slot Volatility / Variance?
A Slots volatility will tell a player the performance of an online slot. This performance or ‘volatility’ encompasses how often the game pays out a win, the size of these wins, and how risky the game is. With these considerations taken into account, a casino player can understand the type of bankroll that may be required to see a return and manage their risk accordingly.
In other words, the volatility or variance of the slot comes down to how frequently the game returns money to the player. The more frequent the wins, the smaller they are and vice versa.
Different Levels of Slot Variance
It comes as no surprise that there are three different types of slot volatility, high medium and low variance. Some serious games might break these down even further classifications with a middle ground between ‘high to medium’ and ‘medium to low’ as well.
How To Determine The Volatility of an Online Slot?
The variance of a slot game isn’t given out as free to access information as this is programmed into the development of each slot on production and could be used as a way to cheat the system, or at least, gain an unfair advantage with some clever maths.
- Check the RTP of the game – Games with a higher return to player percentages tend to be low variance games that pay out more frequently. Slots will sometimes tell you the variance of the game.
- Look for games with huge win potential – A lot of games like to show off with how many times your wager you can win e.g. 10000x Win. Looking out for games like these or with huge jackpot potential tend to be Higher Variance.
One way to get familiar with the variance of each game is to know the developers making them. Different game providers tend to stick with different variance levels. For example, NetEnt Casinos, for the most part, tend to have a low variance. What this means is that the game pays out more frequent wins at smaller amounts. Games such as Starburst, Wings of Riches and Narcos.
Play’N Go games, however, would be categorised as a medium variance. Their games payout less often but tend to be bigger amounts. Games of a medium variance would include Book of Dead and Rise of Dead. Microgaming Casinos could also be considered a medium variance with some games pushing towards high volatility such as Lara Croft Temples and Tombs. An example of a game provider with high volatility games could be Big Time Gaming or Push Gaming. These games could let you dead spin for 20 to 30 spins without seeing a morsel, or watch you sink 200 spins into the game without even a bonus tease. When a big win finally comes with these slots, more often than not, they tend to be big, and on fewer occasions, really big!
Slot Variance Strategy
With all these factors taken into account. We can see why it’s important to understand the volatility of the games you’re paying and what strategies can be adapted to maximise your experience.
What Slot Volatility Pays the Biggest Wins?
If you like to take big risks and hunt down a huge win, letting your emotions run high in the process, then choosing a high volatility game is going to give you this experience. That being said, these games can also let your emotions run very low by not paying out anything after putting so much money into them. A certain bankroll is required to take on games like these. You need to have a sizeable amount of disposable money you’re willing to lose.
What Slot Volatility Pays the Most Wins?
If you’re looking for a slot gaming experience that isn’t going to risk your bankroll quite so significantly then play low volatility games. These games tend to pay lots of wins in smaller amounts to help keep your bankroll running for that much longer. Playing low volatility games will extend your gaming experience for a longer period of time compared to any other volatility.
What Slot Volatility is Right For Me?
There’s really no right or wrong slot volatility for any player as when it comes down to it, the games are truly random and can both feel like a low or high volatility gain depending on the time you’re playing them. That being said, you can still improve your strategy by knowing what this information beforehand.
- If you’re looking to play slots for fun with a smaller bankroll and intend on playing them for as long as you possibly can, then choose to play low volatility slots.
- If you don’t mind a little bit of risk, enjoy having the thrill of winning some pretty decent wins and don’t mind a couple of dead spins in the process medium slots are a great choice.
- If you’re looking to win some huge wins and don’t mind dropping quite a bit of cash in the process at the risk of having no return then high volatility slots are for you!
