Volatility, or variance, is a useful tool when one wants to know how risky a particular slot machine is. There are many criteria you can apply to choose the slots you play online, including theme, bonus rounds, software provider, return percentage rate, and also volatility.
To be able to use volatility as your defining factor, you need to know what it is and how it is manifested during play. There are various levels of volatility, and each level tells you something about the slot. Below are the steps you need to take to be able to choose slots based on their volatility.
Have a Clear Understanding of What Volatility Is
Variance or slot volatility is the measure of how much and how frequently a slot machine pays. A more complete description would be that slot volatility combines three elements precisely – the frequency of the payouts, the amount which is paid out and the machine’s level of risk. Knowing the level of a game’s volatility, a player can predict its performance and plan the budget accordingly.
Different Levels of Volatility
The three basic levels of slot volatility are simply marked as low, medium and high. You can interpret them as low-risk, medium-risk and high-risk. Some developers will go as far as to introduce two more levels, the low-medium volatility and the medium-high volatility.
These are transitional levels which aren’t present very often in slot games. That being said, the medium-high volatility slot group is often counted as a sub-category of high volatility games.
Low Volatility Explained
When a slot has low volatility, this means it will deliver payouts more frequently, but their size will be relatively small. The winning combinations usually happen every 5 to 10 spins on average, but these will not be impressive sums. The steady flow of wins makes these games the least risky and allows players with smaller budgets to enjoy the action longer.
Medium Volatility Explained
Medium volatility slots make up for a very popular category because they unite all the best qualities of both low-risk and high-risk games. Medium variance delivers more frequent payouts than a high volatility slot and they are bigger than those obtained in low volatility gameplay.
In other words, these machines offer the best of both worlds, a sort of a balanced package. Slot games with medium risk often feature several bonus games, as well, which make them more dynamic and attractive.
High Volatility Explained
High variance slots are those which deliver big payouts, but they come rarely. Few and far in between, the wins are often described as “worth the wait” as they can be quite sizeable.
Highly volatile slots also come with thrilling bonus features and demand combining the right budget with the right mindset. They are the riskiest, which is why they cause players to lose more money than on any other games time and time again.
Consider Your Preferences and Your Budget
Your personal preferences and your budget size will dictate how you should approach slot volatility.
- If you want to play for as long as possible and your primary aim is to have fun without worrying too much about the size of the winnings, then low-risk games suit your profile best.
- If you wish to balance out the size of the winnings with the time you have to wait for them to drop, medium volatility is the best way to go.
- If you consider yourself to be a risk-taker and you love the suspense, while also having the big budget to support longer losing streaks, feel free to choose highly volatile slots.
