High Volatility Slots

High Volatility Slot: What does it mean?

While we stated that high variance slots are tailored for thrill-seekers and risk-takers, the first step is to dissect the terms. Variance or volatility is the keyword and simply put, this is a measure of the risk a player takes on a slot, how often a player is likely to record a win, and the value of the win. With this concept, variance can be understood in three major parameters. They are:

1. The frequency of winning
2. The value of the winnings/payouts 
3. The risk involved 

From the above, it gets easier to understand the second concept of explaining what high volatile slots are. A perfect explanation would do well with a scenario. Imagine a high-roller in a casino who is all about big wins. The player has a high budget that they are willing to use on a slot and even after continuous plays of getting nothing in return, they endure dry spells and continue to spin the reels until a winning combination is got. The highlight is that this payout is huge and is easily a multiple of the amount they had lost earlier. This is what high volatile slots are all about.

To define the scenario, every parameter is covered. The frequency of hitting a winning combination is low, the risk involved on the slot is high by enduring dry spells, and the value of the returns is massive. The slots work in the mantra of ‘the end justifies the means’. The winnings are the ultimate prize and are the most-prized asset in these types of slots. To put it into perspective, low/medium volatile slots may payout up to 1,000x the total stake while some high volatile slots can payout 150,000x the total stake or even more!

With high variance slots, the likelihood of the bankroll or balance diminishing is at an all-time high. This explains the reason why they are only ideal for high-rollers or VIP players with a huge budget that can sustain longevity in the game sessions without making returns. In a nutshell, the best high volatility slot machines will be characterized by the following:

To get the most out of these slots, a combination of high variance high RTP slots will do. You will find out variance and RTP intermarry to bring the best possible returns. We shall highlight this in detail later on.

Low and Medium vs High Volatile Slots

As stated, there exist other types of variances and are completely different from the high volatility slots. Remember, no slot is good or bad. It depends on the target audience and this is where the other crop of players can have a shot. Low volatile slots are the exact opposite of high variance slots. They are designed for players who are less of risk-takers and prefer frequent returns albeit with their small value. With low volatile slots, players are not bound to experience long dry spells on a gaming session. On the flip side, they will not stand a chance of winning monster prizes. 

Low volatile slots are ideal for beginners, low-stake players, or those players motivated by entertainment and not by the size/value of the payout. In a nutshell, these slots are categorized by the following:

Medium variance slots step in between the aforementioned two. This is where the majority of the online slots stand. A plain exact definition of what medium volatility slots are can be quite hard but what many will notice is that they strike a balance between high and low variance. The risk taken is not the highest nor is it the lowest, the frequency of returns is not regular nor is it less frequent, and the size of winnings are not massive nor are they small. Medium variance slots step a notch higher to introduce two subcategories that may help you understand them better. The subcategories are medium-high and low-medium. 

With medium-high variance slots, the relation is more to the high variance slots than it is to the medium volatility slots. They offer substantial wins in a relatively better frequency than that on high volatility slots. The low-medium slots, on the other hand, come with lower risk as compared to the medium volatility slots. The wins are not as substantial but the frequency of hitting a winning combination is a lot better. 

Pros in slots with high volatility

• Monster wins – The major benefit of playing high variance slots is the capacity to claim monster wins. As opposed to low/medium volatile slots that offer small and medium-sized returns ranging up to 1000x in most cases, the most volatile online slots will have payout going over 10,000x.
• Thrilling and enjoying to play – Provided one has a hefty budget and is a risk-taker, high volatility slot machines come with exciting and thrilling aspects especially while anticipating a potentially massive win. 
• Small bets still win big – Probably the highlight about the best high volatility slots is that a player doesn’t necessarily have to bet max to trigger a good win. While betting max increases the value of the payout, high variance slots also award big wins to players who bet small. Some slots take as low as £0.10 and provide a chance to win massively.
• Tons of bonus features – The ingredients of a massive payout include bonus features. With loads of them, the bankroll can be extended to trigger them, and all along, a player can record impressive returns. Bonus rounds, multipliers, free spins, wilds, scatters, and cascading reels are some of the features to enjoy. This is a different scenario with low variance slots that have their bonus features limited.
• Big jackpot prizes – Another fascinating aspect is that high volatile slots provide an avenue of winning million-dollar jackpot prizes. From the vast bonus feature offerings, progressives can also be triggered and one must keep in mind that with progressives, volatility is determined on the ‘seed’ and not the amount that the prize grows. While low volatile slots offer jackpots, they are only decent-sized in value.

Cons in slots with high volatility

• Wins not too often – This is one of the major misgivings about high variance slots. While the wins are massive, the frequency of hitting the winning combination is not often. Players will have to endure long gaming sessions with several losing streaks along the way.
• Bankroll management made harder – To get the most out of slots in general, bankroll management plays a crucial role. One can easily prepare for potential losses and at the same time avoid a lot of betting. But with the huge risk and uncertainty experienced in the high volatility slots, the process is made harder.
• Money lost quickly – The possibility of diminishing one’s bankroll is high on these slots. On a spin that a player does not hit a payout, they will be losing an average bet size of 200-300 betting units. Remember, these are high variance slots meaning they will be at the higher end of the aforementioned range.
• A big budget is needed – While this may not be a disadvantage to some sets of players, it is one of the main reasons many players cannot afford to take a risk on high volatile slots. The frequency of hitting a payout is low thus long dry spell sessions. This is the risk that needs a huge budget.

How to find high variance slot machines

One of the most recurrent questions asked by slot lovers involves the calculation of slot machines’ volatility. Firstly, two main methods of figuring out volatility in slots exist. The first and the simplest option is looking at the information under each slot. Some software providers are kind enough to ease the long routes by simply providing the variance of the slot. 

For those without the variance info, calculating the variance is not easy. This is because the slots run via Random Number Generator (RNG) algorithms that bring the randomness in the spins making it hard to predict the next result. Ideally, to get an idea of the volatility in a slot, one would need to take loads of spins before getting to a conclusion. However, this is still not a 100% option to calculate volatility. To solve the calculation mystery, the paytable offers a variety of clues that can help determine if a slot machine is highly volatile. The clues to look out for will include:

• Symbols Combination – The variation difference between 4-symbol combination and 5-symbol combination. If the latter pays out a lot more (range of 10x-15x) compared to the 4-symbol combination, that will be a highly volatile slot. The difference between the two in low variance slots will not be huge. The difference can be anywhere from 3x-5x.
• Huge jackpots – Prizes offered under each slot will also determine volatility. Prizes such as huge jackpots will be pointers of high volatility slot machines.
• Fewer small prizes – While high volatility slots are comprised of huge prizes, there still is the likelihood of hitting small prizes once in a while.
• More bonus features – The highlight about the best high variance slots is that they offer tons of bonuses. A slot with at least 3+ bonus features will signify a slot machine with high volatility. As stated earlier, more bonus features increase the chances of huge payouts.
• Fewer pay lines – As opposed to low volatile slots, high volatile slots do not have multiple pay lines that would signify frequent payouts. 
• Prizes and max bet difference – A high volatile slot machine will have a huge difference between the prizes one can win and the max bet levels. Some prizes may be 50 times larger than the bet and so on. Low volatility slot machines have a small difference.
• Use the demo mode – Remember when we stated that one can get a rough idea of the variance by taking a lot of spins on a slot? This is the perfect mode to achieve that. Most slots offer a demo mode that players can use to gain insight about them. No real money deposits will be needed. Some slots offer virtual credits while on demo mode allowing players to go a step further and trigger bonus features. Keeping a record of the winnings value and the frequency of hitting them gives an idea of the slot variance. High volatile slots will hit less frequently but have highly-prized winnings.

The other option is going through our slot reviews. We have provided a list of the top slots one can play on the casinos and from the filter tabs, players can set a variance parameter to check out the list of high volatility slot machines.

RTP (Payout) and High Variance

The terms variance and RTP are easily interchanged and confused by many players. These are two different terms that only intersect when determining the payout. Return to Player (RTP) percentage, also known as payback percentage, shows the average returns a player garners in the long run on a slot. This simply means that the higher the RTP percentage, the more the returns in the long run. Keep in mind that RTP is the average return that is garnered after multiple spins over time. High RTP may be anywhere above 96% with low RTP anywhere below 94%. A slot with 97% RTP means that a £100 bet returns £97. From the RTP, it is easy to know the house edge on the slot. The house edge on the aforementioned slot will be 3%. This is simply the advantage a casino holds over a player on any play.

Knowing the slot’s RTP isn’t measure enough to know the variance. A player who wants to play a single session should look more on the variance than the RTP. Variance is short-term and is easily a good measure to grade returns on a single session more than an RTP percentage. However, a better deal to get the best possible returns is taking a spin on high variance slots with high RTP. This is exclusively for players who love to take risks and have a huge budget supporting their sessions. Despite the high RTP, the frequency of hitting a payout in high volatility slots remains unchanged.

High Volatility Slots and Hit Frequency

The hit frequency of payouts on high variance slots is the lowest. A hit frequency of 30%, for example, means that an average of 30 rounds in 100 will grant winnings. High volatile slots have their hit frequency at the range of 20% explaining why they have the lowest. Conversely, low volatility slots have their frequency close to 40%.

Like variance, hit frequency is a more perfect bearing for short-term results compared to the RTP. Note that house edge and long-term odds cannot be determined by hit frequency.

When should you play a high volatility slot game?

A lot of reasons exist as to why one would play high volatile slots. Thrilling entertainment and players seeking great wins are among the reasons. Below is a profile of a player that opts for high volatility slots. The slots are designed for players who:

Wagering Bonuses? Avoid High Volatile Slots

Slots are crucial when completing the wagering requirements that are placed on a bonus. Wagering requirements represent the amount one has to wager before the bonus won is withdrawable. While completing these requirements, ‘game weightings’ play a part, and in many cases, slots contribute 100% while completing the requirements. However, some casinos place a caveat on the eligible slots. It is good to check on the terms and conditions if the slot you are playing is eligible.

If the slot is eligible, ensure that you wager on the low or medium volatile slots while meeting the requirements. The frequent wins will be vital to keep your bankroll active when completing your requirements. The rule of the thumb is to avoid high volatility slots as much as possible since you stand to lose funds quickly without completing the wagering requirements.