The Ultimate Guide To Understanding Online Slots Volatility

The slots’ volatility plays an important role in the winning frequency of the game. Discover everything about the volatility in online slots in our complete guide.

If you want to learn how to pick the ideal slot machine based on the volatility level, then you will love our quick actionable guide. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, Chipy Slots Academy can help you take your slots knowledge to the next level.

Here's what you will learn:

1. What Does Volatility Mean in Slots
2. Why Is Volatility Important in Slot Machines?
3. 5 Types of Volatility in Slots
4. Pick the Best Volatility Level for You
5. How to Determine Slot Volatility?
6. Other Factors That Could Affect the Volatility in Online Slots
7. Volatility vs Variance
8. Volatility vs RTP

Without further ado, let’s dive right in!

What Does Volatility Mean in Slots?

The slots’ volatility is a metric that will help you determine how much you can expect to win or lose in one session when playing a certain game.

 Here are 3 important things that the volatility of a slot will tell you: 

• how often the game offers a winning combination
• the amount it pays out
• the overall risk of the game.

Why Is Volatility Important in Slot Machines?

The slots’ volatility is an important feature as it determines how often the game will pay and the risks that you must face. 

It gives you crucial knowledge about what type of players the slot is designed for before investing any real money.

Here are 6 of the main factors that you should consider when choosing a slot volatility level:

1. Win frequency - how often will winning combinations land
2. Risk - how risky it is to win a considerable amount
3. Win amount - the maximum amount of money the slot will pay out
4. Playtime - how long you can extend your game session
5. Budget - how much money you can afford to lose
6. Player level (beginner/ intermediate/ advanced) - how familiar you are with the slots and casinos in general.

Once you read this guide, you will know exactly how to choose the perfect volatility level for you. More on that later.

5 Types of Volatility in Slots

Volatility is divided into 5 categories: 

• high volatility slots
• medium-high volatility slots
• medium volatility slots
• low-medium volatility slots
• low volatility slots.

Let’s analyze every type of volatility in slot games and reveal their main differences.

High Volatility Slots

High volatility slots come with high risk, but they also reward you with some big wins. 

If you are wagering on high volatility slots, you shouldn't expect to hit a winning combination regularly. Still, when you do form one, the prizes will be quite rewarding. 

Players that want to test their luck on this type of slot must have significant capital and expect to spin the reels many times before landing on a winning combination.

These slots are a perfect fit if you aren't afraid of the risk of losing and are ready to wait patiently for a win that will give you some very generous prizes. Some of the most popular are Book of Dead and Moon Princess from the game developer Play’n GO.

There are plenty of high volatility slots in the gaming industry, and some of them come with some lucrative bonus features to help you boost up your bankroll. For instance, both slot games that we've mentioned above, come with a free spins round, which is the most desired bonus feature.

The disadvantage is that the players are often losing more money wagering on this type of slot game than on any other casino game.

Medium-High Volatility Slots

This is a popular slot category, mostly because it comes with a relatively high win frequency and significant value wins. This type of slots are much closer to the high volatility slots than the medium.

Some of the many popular medium-high volatility slots are Reel Rush 2 by NetEnt and Gemix 2 by Play’n GO. Both online video slots offer you a chance to win some highly anticipated amounts.

Medium Volatility Slots

This is possibly the most popular category of all slots. There is a wide range of medium volatility slots available online, mostly because they have the best features compared to both low and high volatility slots.

You will also get to enjoy a wide variety of bonus features that can help you get bigger payouts. Another major advantage of the medium volatility slots is that you can enjoy them for a longer period of time than the high volatility slots.

Some of the best medium volatility slots are the following:

• Big Bass Bonanza by Pragmatic Play
• Extra Chilli by Big Time Gaming.

Both online slot games are super entertaining and you can get better bankroll management by wagering on them. 

Low-Medium Volatility Slots

The low-medium volatility slots are casino games with a lower risk that offer you more frequent payouts and slightly lower-value prizes compared to the medium volatility slots. But that doesn't mean that this type of online slot games are less enjoyable than the other slot games with higher volatility.

They come with a higher hit frequency which also means lower risk than the medium or high volatility slot games. 

Some of the most popular slots are:

• Crown of Egypt by IGT
• Fruit Spin by NetEnt.  

Either one of these games is ideal if you want to experience a less risky game with pretty decent payouts.

Low Volatility Slots

These slots offer much lower prizes when you land a winning combination, but the payouts are more frequent. On average, you can expect to hit a winning combination every five to ten spins when wagering on a low volatility slot.

You can keep on playing this level of slot volatility for an extended period with a minimal budget, as the risk is much lower than in any other type of slot. Low volatility slot games are a perfect choice for new players that want to practice before wagering with bigger bets.

Some of the best low volatility slots are:

• Wild Scarabs by Games Global
• Jack Hammer by NetEnt. 

Both games are perfect if you want to wager with a smaller budget.

High Volatility vs Low Volatility Slots

The high volatility vs low volatility slots debate is a common thing in the gaming industry. The truth is that there is no right or wrong choice here. 

Both slot types are ideal for different players and everyone gets to choose a game that is more suitable for their preferences.

Pick the Best Volatility Level for You

Every slot game has a certain volatility level and choosing the one that is more suitable for your preferences shouldn't take a lot of your time. 

To make things easier for you, we've created a table where you can find the key features of each volatility level.

How to Determine Slot Volatility?

Slots come with a volatility index rating that shows how volatile the game is. This piece of information is not often revealed publicly by the game providers. But there are 2 methods to determine the volatility of a slot machine, which is done by following a few factors.

Lastly, low volatility slots usually come with more bonus features with smaller payouts, while the high volatility slots come with fewer bonuses but with much bigger payouts. It is also important to find out how easy it is to trigger the feature and what it has to offer.

Other Factors That Could Affect the Volatility in Online Slots

There are several factors that influence the volatility of an online slot game. 

Below you will find the 3 most crucial ones:

1. Paytables

Inspecting the paytable is the first thing that needs checking in a slot game. 

Every winning combination rewards a specific amount. This value can be dynamic, depending on the bet size. The slots with smaller payouts often have a higher win frequency.

2. Bonus Features and Extras

Bonus features are part of many slot games and they come with varying frequencies. The more bonus features are included, the lower the hit frequency will be. 

The maximum payout for the bonus games will usually determine how often they will be triggered.

3. Bet Size

Lastly, the bet size is a very important factor. The amount received from any winning combination and the bonus game rewards are determined by the initial bet that you place on each of the spins. The high volatility slots will have a much higher minimum bet limit than the low volatility slots.

Volatility vs Variance

Volatility and variance are very similar terms. There is only one slight difference between them:

Both terms have different meanings in the rest of the world, where volatility is often used in the finance sector when experts are discussing stock risks and options. 

Variance, on the other hand, is a term that is often used by poker players and in recent years in slot games. Each of these terms refers to the risk factor in the highly popular slot games, as to give you an idea of what to anticipate in terms of winning combinations and reward prizes while playing.

Volatility vs RTP

RTP and volatility are two different metrics that affect the slot's quality, as well as your overall experience. 

Volatility describes the risk and the amount of money you can eventually win.

The wins can be small but frequent, or very big but much less often. RTP, on the other hand, is a value set by the software providers that guarantees back a certain percentage of all the bets that they spend on the game over a longer period of time. 

Regardless of how the slot game is programmed, the return to the players will still be a percentage of the total bets that you spend on the game.

Final Thoughts

There you have it - the complete guide to slots volatility.

Hopefully,  this article helped you understand that the volatility level is an important feature that you must be aware of before choosing a slot game. 

Now, you can choose a slot that best suits your preferences. If you want to try out some of the slot games, check out Chipy’s collection of free slot games. You will surely find your favorite!

Plus, you can use our how-to-play slots guides, which can help you master online slots. Once you are set to wager with real money, make sure to check the collection of bonuses from reputable online casinos, available on Chipy.