If you’ve ever tried to play online slots, you might be curious about how they work. What are the odds of winning a cash prize, and are there any ways to predict which games might get you a win?
The short answer to these questions is that 1) the odds of winning depends on the specific game you’re playing, and 2) it’s impossible to predict wins in online slots, but there are certain games that may offer a better return to player (don’t worry if you haven’t heard this term before - we’ll explain everything below).
So without further ado, let’s take a deeper dive into slot machine odds and how they work.
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Important Terms to Know
In order to understand slot machine odds, there are a few terms you’ll need to learn about. Check out the information below and all will become clear:
Return to Player (RTP)
RTP is short for Return to Player, and is usually expressed as a percentage. Percentage return to player (% RTP) is the expected percentage of wagers that a specific game will return to players in the long run.
For example, if a hundred £1 bets were made on a slot machine with an RTP of 96%, the machine would pay out about £96 in total, over a long period of time.
Each online slot game has its own RTP, and this information is made readily available by the casinos. Many players are interested in finding high RTP slots, since these are the games that theoretically pay out the most amount of money over time.
House Edge
The house edge is the casino’s advantage over its players. In relation to RTP, the house edge is the remaining percentage that does not go to the players. For example, with an RTP of 96% and a £100 stake, £96 goes to the players (over a long period of time) and the remaining £4 goes to the casino.
Although this doesn’t sound like a lot, remember that casinos have thousands of games, and thousands of players. In the end the house (or the casino) always wins, because if it didn’t the casino would go out of business. Even though some players occasionally scoop big wins, over a long period of time the casino always wins.
Random Number Generators (RNGs)
RNGs are pieces of software that are used to ensure the randomness of outcomes. They are commonly used in online casinos to generate outcomes (for example, the result of a spin on a slot machine) to ensure that wins or losses are completely down to chance.
There are two types of RNG: True Random Number Generators (TRNGs) and Pseudo-Random Number Generators (PRNGs). A TRNG is a piece of physical hardware that measures certain environmental signs to generate a random outcome. The advantage is that the outcomes never follow a standard pattern, but the disadvantage is that the associated computer programme can be slow.
PRNGs are more commonly used in online casinos. A PRNG is a software tool designed to generate a random number sequence using an algorithm and a specified value (usually called a ‘seed’).
Paytables
We recommend checking out the paytable of each game you play to get a better understanding of the different winning combinations available, and the specific payouts on offer. Although you would need to spend some time with a calculator if you wanted to understand the exact odds of winning for each combination, paytables are a great way to familiarise yourself with how a game works.
Volatility
Volatility refers to the level of risk the game has. To simplify it slightly, it is the game’s hit rate (how often you can expect to win), in combination with its maximum exposure (the biggest possible win in the game).
Games are often categorised as high volatility, low volatility, or medium volatility. High volatility casino games are those with a higher risk, but bigger potential rewards. These types of games tend to pay out less frequently – but the prizes tend to be bigger when they do pay out.
Low volatility games present a smaller risk, but the potential prizes are also smaller. These games tend to pay out more frequently, but with smaller prizes.
As you may have guessed, medium volatility games fall somewhere in between. They present a medium-sized risk and are likely to pay out prizes that are bigger than low volatility games, but smaller than high volatility games.
The type of game that’s best for you will depend on your appetite for risk - do you prefer the idea of smaller, more frequent wins, or bigger wins that come around less often?
How to Win at Slots
If you’re reading this, you might be curious about how to win at slots. Hopefully the information above will help you to understand that there is no way to predict whether you will win or lose on certain slot games. All outcomes are determined by RNGs, and part of the fun of online slots is their unpredictable nature.
However, there are a few things you can do to make the most of your gaming experience:
Choose Games with a High RTP
As we mentioned above, many players like to choose games with a high RTP because theoretically these are the games that pay out the most over time. Although there are certainly no guarantees that playing a certain slot game will achieve a certain outcome, your chances are theoretically better with a high RTP game than a low RTP one.
Read Up About Slots
Since you’re reading this blog, you’re already doing a great job of this one! Learning about slots and how they work is a great way to really get the most out of your gaming experience. Online casinos like Spin Genie have lots of information to offer – for example, on our site you can find articles about understanding slot symbols, the best high RTP slots, the differences between progressive and non-progressive slots, plus much more.
Responsible Gambling
In any conversation about slot machines and online gaming, responsible gambling is one of the most important things to remember. There are lots of different ways to gamble responsibly, but perhaps the most important is to set limits and stick to them. Before you start playing, decide how much money and time you will spend.
Remember that online gambling is for fun, and you should never see it as a way to make money. By following tips like these, you can have a safer gambling experience and make sure that it stays fun.
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