A Player’s Guide on How to Understand Slot Volatility

Online casinos in Australia are packed full of great slots, including some popular machines with great bonuses. Still, while Aussies love online gambling, not many players understand that each slot pays out differently. This is called volatility and is something you need to know and can learn with our player’s guide on how to understand slot volatility!

What is Slot Volatility? 

All slots were not created equal, with slots generally featuring either high volatility or low volatility, with some in-between.

In short, the volatility of a slot machine is the level of risk that comes with walking out with cash.

Even if you don’t know what slot volatility is, every player would have experienced the effect of volatility in their online slots gaming.

The reason why players need to know about the variance in slots is that the games and particular levels of volatility suit some players but not others. 

High Volatile Slots

A slot with high volatility is easily identifiable because it offers fewer wins for players –but when players do win, the slot pays out much more significant gains.

Great examples of high volatile slots are those with progressive jackpots.

High volatile slots can be difficult to enjoy for many players because they require a lot of patience to continue playing as you burn through your bankroll without scoring wins.

You might be thinking –why would someone want to play these slots? The answer is because of the draw and thrill that landing a huge jackpot win has on players.

Low Volatile Slots

Low volatility slots are the opposite, with games offering regular payouts and bonus features, but with the wins coming in smaller amounts.

Low volatile slots allow players to keep increasing their bankroll slowly but will rarely provide significant wins or jackpots.

What Does RTP Have to do With Volatility?

RTP means ‘return to player’ and is commonly expressed as a percentage. This percentage is the theoretical amount that a player will win over some time of playing a certain game.

This is also considered an indicator of a casino’s house edge and the best way to decide which games to play.

It is common for online slots to have an RTP between 92% and 98%, which means that, for example, over the course of an hour, a player would expect to lose between 2-8% of their total amount bet while playing a slot. Take this with a grain of salt though, because it is just a theoretical number.

In terms of slot volatility, the high volatile slots will deviate from the theoretical percentage a lot more than their low volatility counterparts, which would be closer to the 97-98% amount.

Paying attention to the RTP percentage is an excellent way for players to get an idea on the volatility of the slots at Australia’s best online casinos.

What Are Some Examples of Low Volatility Slots

For players who enjoy their casino games for pure entertainment, low volatility games are the best type of game. Check out some of these great low volatile slots:

• Starburst – NetEnt
• Thunderstruck II – Microgaming
• Enchanted Garden II – RealTime Gaming

What Are Some Medium Volatility Slots

Sometimes it is worth it to be stuck in the middle. Medium volatile slots are great because they pay out a little more than the high volatility games, and at a slightly higher value than the low volatile slots.

Great medium volatility slots are:

• Cleopatra – IGT
• Asgardian Stones – NetEnt
• Battlestar Galactica – Microgaming

Examples of High Volatility Slots

If you like to live life on the edge and have the bankroll to chase down some big wins, high volatility slots may be perfect for you. These games will feature fewer wins, but when you do win, the payouts will be bigger. 

Check out some great high volatile slots like:

• Dead or Alive – NetEnt
• Book of Dead – Play N’Go
• White Rabbit – Big Time Gaming

It can be hard to stay committed when playing on high volatility slots, which is why we recommend that players looking for that big jackpot win should consider taking advantage of one of the best online casino deposit bonuses for Aussies to boost their bankroll before starting their quest for spins that win.