In slot games, the volatility factor plays a big role in how often and how much a slot pays out. It’s also a great indicator of whether you should play a high-risk or low-risk game.
High volatility slots are popular with risk-takers because they’re known for large wins. But they also require patience and a higher bankroll.
Payback percentage
Payback percentage is a fancy term for how much money a slot machine pays back to the player over time. It’s not a simple mathematical formula, though; it depends on the number of coins you bet and the odds of winning.
It also depends on the type of machine you’re playing. Some slots have a simple pay table, but others are pure multiplier games. A multiplier game has a few special symbols on the pay table, which boost your payouts.
Some machines are able to deliver the big payouts by using a combination of techniques, including rolling up symbols or making short pay. It’s a little complicated to explain, but if you’ve ever watched a slot machine make a jackpot-winning spin, you know it’s a complicated operation. That’s because the machine has to do the calculations in real-time as the reels spin. This process makes the machine a bit more complex to operate, which increases the chances of a bad outcome.
Bonus rounds
Slot volatility (also called variance) is a key indicator for players who are looking to pick the right game. This factor determines how often and how much a slot pays out on average.
Low-volatility slots tend to pay frequent small wins, whereas high-volatility games usually have infrequent but big wins. The variance level is also aligned with the return-to-player rate (RTP), which calculates a percentage of all bets paid back to players in a long-term period.
Bonus rounds in slots can significantly increase a game’s volatility, especially if they offer big prizes. These rewards can be very lucrative, but they also require patience and a lot of skill to win them.
Wild symbols
Wild symbols are an important feature in slots, which can help players form winning paylines and substitute for other symbols to complete them. Besides, these symbols can trigger free spins or bonus rounds that boost your total winnings.
Slot developers are always looking for ways to improve the gameplay and overall experience of their customers. They’ve come up with a number of new and upgraded features, including wild symbols.
Stacked wilds rank among the most lucrative ones. They appear on the reels as bands of two, three, or four symbols and increase your chances of achieving a big win.
Stacked wilds can also expand on the reels, which increases your chance of completing multiple winning paylines. This makes them more profitable than standard wilds, though the exact rules vary from one online slot to the next.
Scatter symbols
Scatter symbols are a popular sight in slot games, as they can trigger a variety of bonus features and mini-games without needing to land on a payline. They also have the potential to give players big wins when landed on multiple paylines at once, which can increase the level of volatility in slots.
When deciding whether to play an online slot game with scatter symbols, you should be aware of the different symbols and how they work together in the game. This will help you to decide which slots offer the best odds of triggering a bonus feature.
Scatter symbols can vary a bit from one slot to the next but in most cases, you need a certain number of them to appear in a single spin to unlock a bonus feature such as free spins or mini-games. The amount of scatters required for this to happen can often be found in the paytable.