Before playing any online slot games, it’s important you understand the basics of gameplay. Two terms you’ll hear frequently while playing are Return to Player (RTP) rates and volatility. These aren’t just casino jargon – they directly affect your gameplay and can help you pick the game that best suits your preferences.
In this article, we’ll break down some key Slots terminology, so you know everything you need to before you play your favourite games – from Age of the Gods to Rainbow Riches and more!
Return to Player (RTP) rate
RTP is the percentage of all bets a slot machine is likely to pay back to players over time. Most online Slots have an RTP between 94% and 98%.
Take a slot with a 96% RTP – that means for every 100 coins wagered, about 96 coins go back to players eventually, while the casino keeps four. But don’t expect this exact return on your personal gaming session, as this percentage comes from millions of spins, meaning your individual results will vary.
What to remember about RTP:
- Higher RTP generally means better returns (but no guarantees)
- Your personal results won’t match the stated RTP in a single session
- Use RTP to compare different games when choosing what to play
Volatility
Volatility, also known as variance, describes how often a slot is likely to pay out and how much. Think of it as the slot’s risk level:
Low volatility Slots – These are more likely to give you frequent but smaller wins. This means you could potentially play for longer with a smaller budget.
Medium volatility Slots – These Slots offer a mix of medium-sized wins and the potential for more regular payouts, although they are never guaranteed.
High volatility Slots – For the higher rollers, these Slots don’t pay often, but when they do, they can pay big.
Picking the right volatility level depends on your playing style and allocated budget or timeframe.
Hit frequency
While RTP tells you about long-term returns, hit frequency shows how often you have the potential to see a win flash up on your screen. A slot with 20% hit frequency means roughly one in five spins could land a matching combination.
Higher hit frequency doesn’t necessarily mean better returns – those frequent wins might be tiny compared to your bet.
Paylines and ways to win
When you’ve chosen a game to play, this terminology tells you more about lining up the symbols:
Paylines – Traditional Slots use specific patterns across the reels for matching combinations. Some games let you choose how many lines to play, while others keep them fixed.
Ways to win – These more modern Slots don’t have such traditional paylines and offer up to thousands of ways to land a matching combination. You’ll need matching symbols on adjacent reels, regardless of exact position. Some modern Slots also have cluster pays rather than paylines.
Progressive jackpots
In a progressive jackpot slot, a portion of every bet feeds the prize pool until it is one.
Just remember that these Slots often pay less in the base game to fund those massive jackpots. They’re tempting but typically harder to win on regularly.
Bonus features and free spins
Many online Slots now feature different features you may want to consider looking out for:
Free spins – You may find a bonus feature or promotion that offers free spins, meaning the reels spin a set number of times on the house.
Multipliers – These boosters have the potential to multiply your winnings by 2x, 3x, or sometimes much more if you land them.
Expanding wilds – Special symbols that stretch to cover entire reels, giving you more chances to line up a matching combination.
Scatter symbols – Usually trigger bonus rounds.
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While no one can predict slot outcomes thanks to the Random Number Generators (RNGs) that keep them unpredictable behind-the-scenes, knowing the difference between RTP, volatility and more can help you pick games that match how you like to play.
