On one level, slots are simple to understand. All you have to do is spin the reels and lady luck (aka a random number generator) decides if you win or not. But on the other hand, the mechanisms that rule online slots are pretty complex. Slots volatility is one of those things that you should get your head around if you're a frequent online slots player.
Slots volatility isn't going to be too difficult to grasp. But it's important that you do. The more you understand about slots, the better and easier it'll be to choose the right game for you. Yes, it's true that the most important thing in slots is having fun.
But managing your expectations about how wins happen and how frequently they're likely to strike will help you be that bit more informed. So after you've read our slots volatility FAQs, you're going to know that much more about the slots you're spinning.
Before we get into the nitty gritty, let's start at the very start with a basic definition of slots volatility. Put simply, this is the level of risk involved in playing slots (or any online game for that matter). It tells you two things. Firstly, how often wins happen. Secondly, how big those wins are likely to be.
When you're looking at slots volatility, you'll typically see them described as either low, medium or high volatility.
As a rule of thumb, low volatility slots tend to pay out small amounts more frequently. That's not to say you'll definitely win during your session. But it's more likely that you'll incur at least a small win every few spins.
These are the riskiest of the bunch. High volatility slots don't tend to pay out very often. But when they do, those wins tend to be relatively large. Again, that's not to say every single win from a high volatility slot will be life-changing by any stretch. But on average, the prizes tend to be a little bigger.
As you might imagine, medium volatility slots come up somewhere in between low and high volatility slots. They'll pay out mid-sized amounts relatively frequently, but not as frequently as low volatility slots typically do.
Glad you asked. Although both are technical buzz words you'll probably hear pretty frequently, there's a big difference between the two. Return to Player (RTP) is the percentage players tend to get back over time, over a large number of spins. So for example, if an RTP is 99%, a pool of players get back $99 for every $100 they spend.
However, volatility doesn't tell you anything about how much you'll get back. Instead it just tells you about the frequency and size of the wins you might be able to expect. It's possible for two slots to have the same RTP, while each having very different volatility categories.
If you choose a low volatility slot, you can on average expect your session to last longer. Frequent small wins can buoy your gambling budget. However, high volatility games tend to result in shorter sessions because there are fewer wins to sustain. Having said that, the chance to win big can intrigue people into staying and crossing their fingers for that next big win.
The slots volatility you choose depends on your personality, playing style and just what you feel like in that moment. That's why it pays to be part of an online casino with a range of decent options. One of our favorite places to play for that reason is bet365. And if you're not yet signed up, definitely use this bonus code bet365 when you do.
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