In the world of online casinos, there are two concepts that all players need to understand if they want to get the most out of their slots experience. These are RTP (Return To Player) and volatility. If you are new to the online casino world, or are relatively experienced but still do not know how to interpret these two terms, this article will explain what RTP and volatility mean and why you should know these terms before you start playing online pokies.
RTP — Return to Player
RTP is a term that indicates what you can expect when playing. It is expressed as a percentage and is based on an average, which means it is indicative. When you play for money, you lose something, but you also win something. The RTP indicates what you can expect to get for it. Here’s an example:
The very standard RTP on most slot machines is 96%. If you play $10 on a slot machine with an RTP of 96%, you will be left with $96 at the end of the game (on average). In other words, you have lost €4.
This example assumes that you play an average round. If you are lucky in the game, you will of course exceed the RTP, possibly by several hundred percent, and that’s it.
Summary
The RTP indicates what percentage of your bet you can expect to get back if you play an average game and don’t win any jackpots or anything special.
Volatility
The volatility of an online slot machine basically indicates two things. It indicates how often you can expect to win and how much you can expect to win.
Unlike RTP, volatility is not expressed as a percentage but on a scale: low, medium-low, medium, medium-high and high. If you play an online slot machine with low volatility, you will win often, but not too much. If the volatility of the machine is high, you will win rarely, but there is a chance that you will win more. Here’s an example:
You have found an online slot machine with low volatility. You are playing with 20 crowns. You can win 15 times in 100 spins, but you will only win $1-2 per spin.
Now you move on to the high volatility slot machine. You are again playing with 20 crowns. You can only win once in 100 spins, but this time you could win €20.
Like RTP, volatility is determined on the basis of averages. So you may get unlucky and never win on an online slot machine with low volatility, but this is rare.
Summary
Volatility indicates how often and how much you will win. Low volatility gives you large but small wins. High volatility gives you small but larger wins.
Combination of RTP and volatility
While it is important to know these terms, it is also important to understand what they mean in relation to each other. If you’ve read the above, you now know what they mean for your gaming experience, and you’re probably thinking that if you want to win big, aim for online pokies with the highest possible volatility and RTP. However, this is not the case.
As an individual player, you cannot speculate whether you can win more on one slot machine than another based on RTP and volatility. Firstly, RTP is rarely lower than 95% or higher than 97%. So the difference is not that big within 100 spins. Volatility may vary more, but there is no indication that you can win more in high volatility slots, in fact it may be just the opposite.
Conclusion
Both volatility and RTP are related to your gaming experience. It’s about whether you like to play online pokies that consistently deliver small wins, or whether you like to place bets and aim for big wins. It’s about whether you like to play with high or low stakes, whether you like to watch your bankroll grow slowly but steadily, or whether you like to win 99 spins in a row and get a big payout on the 100th spin. Hopefully this article helped you find out, if not, make sure you read it again before you enter an online casino.