Understanding Slot Volatility
Many people consider slots to be easy because they don’t require a lot of strategy-building or high-stakes betting, but even slots have a fair share of things you should understand before you bet. One of the most important factors to evaluate in slot betting is the volatility of each slot. This article serves as an in-depth guide on everything bettors need to know and understand regarding slot volatility!
Key Takeaways
- Volatility gives bettors an idea regarding the risk associated with a slot machine.
- There are five volatility levels to choose from.
- The gambling industry offers popular slots at each volatility level.
- You should choose slot volatility depending on your overall budget, risk tolerance, and patience level.
- Variance and RTP are also important calculations for determining a slot’s risk.
What Does Slot Volatility Refer to?
In simple terms, slot volatility defines two critical things related to a slot: how often it strikes a winning combination and the expected size of the win. Using these two elements, bettors can determine the overall risk attached to playing a particular slot title.
Each slot machine title in a casino has its own volatility, depending on which gamblers often need to adjust their wagering strategies. Thus, understanding slot volatility is crucial to gaining an overall knowledge of slot machines.
Why Does Volatility Matter When Playing Slots?
Volatility matters because it helps bettors gain an idea of what slots they should invest in. It offers important information regarding the associated risks and wins so punters can evaluate their chances before they invest any actual money into the gameplay.
Not every slot is for every kind of player, but rather, each slot has a number of factors that bettors must consider. Of these, volatility is one of the most important ones. It also gives bettors an idea regarding the overall amount of money they should spend on a particular slot and how long they should bet on it.
The Different Types of Volatility in Slot Machines
There are several levels of volatility among slot machines. In modern slots, bettors can find one of these five volatility levels:
- Low volatility slots
- Low-medium volatility slots
- Medium volatility slots
- Medium-high volatility slots
- High volatility slots
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to which slot volatility is better because each comes with its own pros and cons. Let’s take a detailed look into what one can expect from these volatility levels.
Low Volatility Slots
Low volatility slots offer frequent payouts, but the winning amounts are pretty small. On average, you can expect a low volatility slot to pay out once every five to ten spins, however, the amount will be small.
These slots offer low risk and are best for people who are just starting to gamble on slots. They’re also a good option for casual gamblers who don’t care about winning big and just want some entertainment.
If you have a low budget but still want to gamble for a long period of time, low volatility machines are for you. Or, if you’re someone looking to practice their slot skills, this is the option to consider.
The good thing about low-volatility slots is that even though the payouts are small, their frequency keeps the game exciting. You might not be racking up huge sums of money, but you’ll be winning often enough to feel thrilled by the game.
Here are some good low volatility slots to consider:
Low-Medium Volatility Slots
Low-medium volatility slots fall somewhere between low and medium volatility slots, as the name suggests. They still have low risk, frequent payouts, and small winning amounts.
These are ideal for people who would like to practice their slot skills at a low budget, while still managing to bet for a long time. Their risk will be slightly higher than low volatility slots, but lower than medium volatility slots.
Here are a few great options to explore for those looking for low-medium volatility slots:
Medium Volatility Slots
Medium volatility slots tend to be some of the most popular slot options picked by bettors. This is because they offer the perfect balance between the frequency and size of the payouts.
You can consider medium volatility slots as the best of both worlds - as they don’t force you to choose between high payouts or the frequency of wins. You can also play these for longer periods than high volatility slots.
Medium volatility slots often come with a wide range of bonus features, which you can use to maximize your winning amounts even more. The combination of all these factors makes medium volatility slots a great wagering option for routine players.
Here are some of the best medium volatility slots for you to try out today:
Medium-High Volatility Slots
Medium-high volatility slots fall somewhere between medium and high volatility slots, leaning a bit more toward the high side. The win frequency is lower than low and medium volatility slots, but the prizes are higher.
These are perfect for people who have a higher budget since these types of slots have a higher associated risk. Thus, beginners and casual gamblers might not benefit much from such slot machines.
However, for the risk-takers, here are some of the best medium-high volatility slots to try out:
High Volatility Slots
High volatility slot machines offer the highest risk among all the slot machines in the industry. It is quite rare to come across the winning combination in these types of slot machines, but the payouts are always huge.
However, bettors should expect to wager extensively before they get a chance to win anything. This is why this slot is best for people who don’t mind the risk of losing money and have a lot of bankroll to spend on online gambling.
Individuals with lower budgets or the desire for quick wins should not bet on high volatility slots, because they may end up disappointed. Another advantage of high volatility slots is that they offer several bonus combinations that may enhance the wins even further.
However, one should never forget that it takes a lot of patience to sit through a high volatility slot, just because of how many times you need to wager before you win anything.
Here are some of the best and most popular high volatility slots in the online gambling industry right now:
Will a Slot Machine's Volatility Affect Overall Gameplay?
The volatility of your chosen slot machines will have a huge impact on your online casino gaming experience in several ways. For example, low volatility slots can keep the stress away because bettors don’t have to worry about losing a lot of money.
On the other hand, playing high volatility slots tends to offer more thrill and a higher entertainment value. This is because bettors are constantly waiting for the winning combination to strike and when it does, there is a massive payout.
The volatility level also affects the way bettors treat their gambling money. People who are on a limited budget cannot afford to bet on higher volatility slots because they’d lose their money pretty quickly.
In contrast, those who have no limit on their bankroll will have quite some fun betting on highly volatile slots, because they won’t be pegged down by the constant worry of losing their betting amount.
How Do I Determine Slot Volatility?
Now you know what volatility levels look like, but how do you determine what volatility a particular slot has? Usually, all slot games have a ‘volatility index rating’, but this isn’t public information. Only the game provider has access to these ratings.
But, apart from the volatility index, there are other methods you can personally use to get an idea regarding a slot’s volatility level. Here are the two most common ones:
- Try out the demo versions of the slots. Once you play this for a while, you will get a good idea of how often the wins are triggered, and what the average size of a win is.
- You can also check the RTP of the slot. Generally, high volatility slots tend to have an average RTP, whereas low or medium volatility slots tend to have a high RTP.
Do note that determining the volatility of a slot will come easier for someone who has some experience in this domain. If this is your first time betting at any slot machine, you might not be able to get a good idea of where to rank its volatility.
In this scenario, what bettors can do is use a simple Google search to determine where other bettors are ranking a slot’s volatility. You can also check this information on Playcasino’s website.
Other Factors to Consider When Determining Slot Volatility
Apart from the methods we just discussed, there are also other elements in a slot game that can give bettors some idea regarding the slot’s volatility. Here are three of the most important things you should be checking out:
- Bonus Features
The more bonus features a slot machine has, the less often it will trigger the winning combination or land on those features. Because there is always a house edge in every game offered by online casinos, slot machines also need to make sure that the online casino slot provider doesn’t incur a loss with a particular slot game.
- Paytables
The paytable of a slot provides essential information regarding the winning combinations and what bettors can expect to win from each of those combinations. Slot games that have smaller payouts often come with a high win frequency because they tend to have low volatility.
Taking a quick look at the paytable before you begin playing will help you inspect what winning combinations are present in a slot game, and whether they offer small winning amounts or high ones.
- Bet Size
Bet size refers to the amount of money that bettors wager on a slot machine. Usually, low volatility slots tend to have smaller bet sizes since they also pay out smaller wins. However, high volatility slots have high minimum bet size limits because the expected wins are also higher.
The bottom line is that anytime you want to bet on a slot game, you should take a look at several of its elements to determine whether its volatility is the right fit for you or not.
Which Volatility Level Should I Go for?
Now that we’ve established a general idea of what each slot volatility level looks like, you can get a better idea of which level is best for you. Picking a slot volatility level according to your preferences will ensure that you actually have an enjoyable time while betting instead of just stressing about winning.
Below, we have compiled lists of the key features of each volatility level, so you can pick the best fit for yourself.
Low Volatility Slots Low-Medium Volatility Slots Medium Volatility Slots Medium-High Volatility Slots High Volatility Slots Best for beginners and causal gamblers Best for players with some experience in slot games Best for players who want a balanced approach An upgrade for medium volatility bettors Has high rewards but rarer payouts Requires a low budget Requires an average budget Requires a limited budget Lower risk than highly volatile slots while still having good payouts Requires the most budget Comes with the least risk Has small risk The risk is average and the wins are higher Requires a higher budget Best for high-risk players Wins are frequent but small in size Has several bonus features Free spins and other bonus features are frequent Best for players with experience Has a long wait time for the bonus features
Going through these small pointers will give you a good overview of what you can expect from each slot and which one, in particular, you should go for. Make sure to pick a slot that fits best with your circumstances and comes with the right amount of risk.
Is Volatility the Same as Variance?
Variance is another term that you’ll commonly hear associated with slot games, but how is it different from volatility? Both terms give an understanding of the risks associated with slot games, but there’s a slight difference between them.
Variance is more of a long-term calculation regarding the deviations in the wins from a slot machine. For example, medium variance slots will have only medium-level variation in their win sizes. On the other hand, volatility is more concerned with the short-term risk of a slot game.
Both of these terms offer critical information regarding a slot, so bettors should be aware of both these values before they decide to wager money on any slot machine out there.
What is the Difference Between Volatility and RTP?
RTP stands for Return to Player percentage, which is another important factor to consider when it comes to gambling on online slot games. In general, RTP refers to the total return that players can expect from the amount they bet on a particular slot.
This is a value set by the slot provider, which explains how much of the player’s total bets will be returned to them. For example, if a slot has an RTP value of 96%, players can expect 96% of their total bets to be returned.
RTP is also a long-term calculation, just like variance. On the other hand, volatility is a short-term calculation of how often and how much you can expect to win when you wager on a slot.
Final Thoughts
Understanding slot volatility, RTP values, and variances is essential to picking the best slot for yourself. Not everyone has the same playing strategies or even the same betting budget, so make sure that you choose your slot game carefully based on your personal preference.
Selecting a game is the first part of any bettor’s strategy, and these are calculations that help you make the right choice. Our handy guide on slot volatility explains everything that bettors need to know regarding this topic so they can make the best decisions for themselves.
