RTP+Variance or Volatility
What is RTP? If you’re new to the gambling game, you may feel confused by all the terminology. But don’t worry, it’s not complicated.
RTP is Return to Player – the name is almost self explanatory. It is how much you might expect to get back in wins, on average, over time. It is expressed as a percentage of total bets.
For example, Starburst XXXtreme notes an RTP of 96.26%. This means that on average, over time, a player who spends $100 on bets on playing Starburst XXXtreme, can expect to get back $96.26.
That’s actually a pretty good deal. You have $100 for your entertainment for an evening or a weekend, and $96.26 might end up back in your pocket.
Just keep in mind that “on average, over time” is an extremely important condition. These statistics are arrived at by testing a very large number of plays of each game over an extended period of time.
Remember, by its very nature, gambling has no guarantees. That is why we are drawn to play. There is always the possibility of a big win. That’s why we play. But an average means that the big win is balanced out by losses which are just as big. And since it is a game of chance, you don’t know which way this will go for you each time you spin the wheel.
The reason it is useful information is because it tells you which games are likely to give you better returns for your money. A game with an RTP of 98.35% is likely to give you more back in wins than a game of 96.15%. But you never know – since “luck” is also part of the name of the game.
▶ Variance or Volatility
These are another concept in playing the pokies which give you useful information when comparing between new games. Both are different words used to refer to the risk level of each game.
A high variance or volatility means that the game has a high risk. Bets are likely to be on the higher side, but so are wins. This of course also means that the losses can be greater too.
Since the RTP of a game is a fixed value, a higher variance on a certain RTP means that the wins will also take longer to turn up, than a lower variance with the same RTP – a bit like the way a progressive jackpot works.
If you like the bigger risks, if your thing is the thrill of the wait for the bigger wins, then higher variance will suit you better. Just be aware that in order to break even, you may need to have greater staying power. ie you will need to have more time to wait for that big win, which also means you will need to spend more in getting there. So time and funds need to be more comfortable.
If, on the other hand, you choose a low variance game, the wins will be smaller, but they will happen with quite a bit more frequency. If your budget or time constraints are on the smaller side, this makes a low variance game a preferable choice. The rewards come, and come often. You will be less out of pocket between the bigger wins. Wins and losses will happen more often.
