Let’s start at the top and then work our way into the world of RTPs and slot gameplay. First and foremost, online slot play is meant for entertainment purposes only, not as a method to gain money. If you know the basics of slot machines, you probably also know that the house always wins. Of course, on a good day, you may end up on top. However, the casino will ultimately emerge victorious in the end.
In this post, we'll be taking a deeper look at RTP, which stands for "Return To Player" and is the technique through which casinos ensure a steady stream of revenue.
Although success at slots ultimately depends on a player's luck, it's still helpful to have a fundamental understanding of how they work. Numerous casino games of variable quality are accessible nowadays. Most of them are trustworthy since they have been audited by independent testing bodies, have passed certification, and have valid licences. To be fair, there will always be rotten fruits, and you will want to avoid all the hazards, but luckily, we're here to assist you spot the bad ones.
Winning at slots can never be predicted with any certainty due to the Random Number Generator at the heart of every online slot machine. However, there are a number of variables at play, including hit frequency (the likelihood of winning on any one spin), bonus frequency (the likelihood of triggering a bonus), maximum win probability, variance, and volatility. The RTP simply indicates the percentage of stakes that will be returned to players over time. Unbeknown to everyone, the stated RTP isn't particularly useful for players since it's based on millions (or even billions) of spins. It is more aligned to the profit of the casino, but more on that interesting fact later!
Let’s Look More Closely At RTPs
The slot machine's ability to return money to players is measured by a metric called "Return to Player." However, the data reveals nothing about your specific sessions. It could range from 20% to 120%, depending on the payouts you trigger.
To further complicate matters, a high RTP Slots does not always guarantee a large win. When discussing possibilities, another mathematical indicator called variance (or volatility) is often at play. A slot machine with high volatility is intended to function somewhat like a lottery in that it will pay out big prizes to fewer players. Slots with low volatility function in the opposite manner, awarding smaller winnings more often, which is why casual and lower budget players prefer them over high volatility.
A Practical Example of The Return to Player (RTP) Factor
We'll pretend for the sake of argument that our slot machine has an RTP of 100% so that you can see how it all works. If this is the case, then the slot machine would break even for the casino. After one year, the slot would theoretically return all bets to players, albeit individual players' experiences would vary widely. Will you get back every penny you invested? Probably not. You should keep that point in mind. The slot machine can return your money and the money of another player if you're fortunate.
We have already established that the RTP doesn't carry much weight after one or 100 sessions. The theoretical return to player (RTP) for a single day of gaming could reach 150%. However, if you spin the reels long enough, you will see the number balancing out and eventually drop towards the official RTP.
Most respectable online casinos have a house edge of no more than 4% on their slot machines, meaning the average RTP is 96%. As a result, they can be certain that they will generate a profit, which is essential for any business. Except in exceptional cases, the RTP of each slot machine should be clearly shown in the help section or the slot's paytable pages.
Slots RTP – Our Expert Tips & Tricks
How to win on slot machines is a topic that has occupied the mind of every casino player at some time or another. Just imagine if there was a magic formula that we could reveal to you. The short answer is no. To consistently win at online slot machines, there is no full proof strategy. Yet, we do have a close substitute. So, sit back, as we bring you some expert tips and strategy ideas for playing at online casinos that may improve your odds of winning.
- Select Online Slots with the Highest RTPs
Anything over 96% is good, since these games are more likely to pay off over time. We should note, though, that you may win or lose regardless of the RTP. Even a game with a 99% RTP doesn't guarantee a cash win, as these RTP figures are based on long-term play. Playing games with varied RTPs can help you find the best strategy to win at slots depending on your gaming style and preferences.
- Look Closely At The Slot Machine's Pay Table And Paylines
Checking a payable is an important aspect of every gaming experience, particularly for extra features and free spins. How will you activate them without checking the paytable? So, a pay table can't help you get more winning combinations but reading it can.
To win, you must land matching symbols on the slot's paylines, which can range from 1, 25, 1024, or many, many more paylines. For the greatest winning possibility, you should aim to activate all paylines. If you don't activate them all, it's okay, but symbol combos will not pay out if they fall on inactive paylines. To win a jackpot slot, you must activate all paylines, yet many modern-day slot machines nowadays feature fixed paylines, meaning you can't pick how many to play with and so you bet on them all.
- Understand How to Decide On Slot Variance
Most slot players will eventually have their own "preferred variance." Choosing the appropriate volatility might help you win online slots, but it will definitely allow you to enjoy the experience more. Essentially, slot variance is how frequently a game pays out. Most games include their volatility in the description. The following categories describe slot machines:
- High Variance
- Medium Variance
- Low Variance
Low volatility games have smaller winnings, but they may still pay out large. A game with high volatility might sometimes reward participants with higher winnings. If you're playing a high-variance game, have patience and a hefty bankroll.
“Choose a slot with the proper volatility for your bankroll and style. Play slot machines that fit your style, not someone else's. If you have a tiny bankroll, start with low-variance games, and work your way up.”
- Find out How to Set Your Slot Gaming Limits
Casinos licensed by the UKGC provide you with tools to assist you in limiting the time and money spent on online slots and other casino games. You can set time restrictions and limit your bankroll using deposit and bet limits. Time out is important if you want to keep playing but perhaps you would like to block yourself from playing for a while (like 24-hour time frame, one week, or one month). You can also ask the casino to exclude you for at least 6 months if you choose. If you need assistance in stopping gambling altogether, you should utilise a self-exclusion tool.
- Take Advantage of Casino Bonuses and Special Offers
Take advantage of all the casino bonuses you can find here at Amazon Slots. We are not shy when it comes to handing out the bonus offers. Why? We know they keep you entertained! Of course, you don't have to claim these offers, but the point is that they can enhance your gameplay and enjoyment of slot games. Essentially, our unique casino deals can improve your bankroll, and a bigger bankroll means more time playing slots, and more time playing slots means you might just land more wins!
How To Find A Slot’s RTP
We know that the RTP of a casino game is a rough estimate of its long-term payout potential. If you think it's a good idea to check this number before you spin the reels, you can discover it easily on our games. The RTP percentage must be prominently displayed on all UK-facing online casino games in accordance with the UKGC’s legislation. You can often discover the RTP for slots in the game's rules or help files, and often on the last page of the payout table.
For example, the RTP for SLOT GAME is %, and you can see it displayed in the example below:
How do we know if a Slot Is sticking to Its RTP?
The UKGC has a firm stance that casinos should keep an eye on their games to ensure that payments are fair. What this means is that payouts should not be much lower than expected, and instead are more in line with the advertised RTP.
When tracking RTP in real time, a sizable sample of spins from a slot machine will need to be tallied and the winnings divided by the entire bet. This provides the real RTP, which can then be compared to the theoretical RTP percentage assumed by the algorithm.
The UKGC also points out that it's not always appropriate to look at a game's total RTP, since separate bonus features inside a slot might have their own RTP. Now things get a little more tricker! The RTP for a bonus feature may be 95%, the RTP for the main game could be 97%, and the RTP for the progressive jackpot could be different again.
It just goes to show that you should only ever use the RTP percentage as a rough guide, and that you will still need some luck to come your way to pick up prizes.
Variance & The Importance Of The Long Run
The fact that a slot machine has an RTP of 99% doesn't mean that if you bet £1, you will get 99p back. Technically, the RTP stands for "theoretical average return to player," and this is the correct way to explain what it means.
In a small number of spins, luck is a much bigger factor than RTP, and because of this, the outcomes can be very different. In 10 spins, you could get anything from 0% RTP if you don't win anything to 1,000,000% RTP if you hit the game's maximum win of 10,000x.
In games with low volatility, like Blackjack, you might only have to play 10,000 hands to get what the game is meant to pay out. Because the size of the wins in slots varies so much, you need to play around 100,000 spins before you can even start to take luck out of the equation. This is called the variance.
This is why we say that playing more than a million spins on a slot machine is necessary to reliably determine whether it is paying out at the theoretical rate, and even then, the game's payouts may still fluctuate by 1% or 2%! And on jackpot slots with their huge payouts, you might still need tens of millions of spins to be sure you get back what the theoretical RTP says.
RTP Vs. Hit Frequency
In addition to RTPs, there is something called "hit frequency." This explains the percentage on how many times you can get a winning combo. Let’s say the rating was 28, this means that 28% of the time you will get a winning combination. Again, it's important to keep in mind that the hit rate percentage is the average of many spins. So, you can't say that you will always hit a winning combination 28% of the time when you play.
Why Are RTP Slots Scores Important?
To become a smart slots player, it is your role to locate the slots that are best for you. It's important to find what works for you, such as if a slot machine pays out more often or a game offers big jackpot prizes. An effective way to choose the perfect game for you is to consider these three elements:
- The Slot RTP
- Paytable & Payouts
- Hit Frequency Percentage
Suppose you prefer slot machines with the highest return to player percentage. In this case, you should choose a high RTP slot and a high hit frequency. On the other hand, you might want to give up frequent wins in order to wait for those bigger payouts. If that's the case, you'd be more interested in a slot's jackpot than how often it hits or the RTP. If you are looking for something more in the middle ground, you should look for slot machines that cover a decent range across all three elements.
You probably already know that there is no perfect science in all of this. It's impossible to get an exact RTP payout when playing slots since such ratings are based on a theoretical value. But RTPs are a useful way to see what your general payout potential is. So, by putting RTPs, hit rates, and the paytable altogether, you can begin to order the slots based on how well they fit your needs and budget.
You can also start to figure out why some slots are more common than others. A little technical knowhow quickly makes you into a smarter and more experienced slots players, and that is never a bad thing!
Games to Avoid
To be safe, you should only play at casinos that have proper licences and are regulated by reputable groups like the UK Gambling Commission, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission, or the Malta Gaming Authority, for example. This makes sure that the casino you are playing at is fair, always accessible, and most importantly, legitimate. Most of the time, it's not a good idea to play at off-shore casinos, most of which are in Curacao. Sometimes, you won't even be able to tell what the RTP of the game is, which, as you have now learned, is not helpful in finding the best slots to play.
Most game suppliers deliver their games with a set RTP, but some give casinos the option to choose from a set number of RTP settings to fit different markets. This might be needed if, for example, a certain market has high taxes, and the casino needs more room to breathe in a profit sense. A casino could also choose a reduced configuration out of pure greed, of course, but that is not something we ever condone here at Amazon Slots.
Tricks to Winning on Slot Machines: Are There Any?
To tell you the truth, we don't believe there are any full proof tactics for winning at the slots when you visit any casino online or offline. But it doesn't mean you can't win; of course, you can. However, the foundation of winning on slot games is ultimately dependent on chance and that there is no strategy, set of rules, or set of guidelines that will guarantee you a quick fortune. However, we do hope that our hints and suggestions are useful in enhancing your knowledge of online slots.
How to Win at Slot Machines: Conclusion
We can't promise you that you'll be able to play slots and come out ahead every time, but we can offer you some pointers in the right direction. After deciding on a strategy and a budget, you should look for slot machines that meet your tastes; once you do, you should play and have fun!