Sometimes there is no opportunity to influence particular things to change the possibility of getting rewards. Usually, they are RTP, variance and hit frequency at online casinos for real money, which are fixed and can be set only by developer or staking house. In this article, I’m going to highlight the metrics and explain principles of casino games work.
What is RTP?
Watch my 3-minute video to find out all about RTP work, calculation and accreditation. Otherwise, go on reading my review.
So, let’s start with the definition of the RTP (Return to Player) metric. RTP means the percentage, which is returned to a gambler after wagering some money. It shows how often a certain online staking room and game pay out money to players. Higher RTP means you would have better chances of getting paid.
Depending on the picked casino, entertainment, the range sways from 80% to 98%. Slots have payback ranging from 96% to 98%, the same RTP is for Three Card Poker, Atlantic City Blackjack RTP is about 98%-99%, and so on.
The most successful web gambling places offer 97% RTP and higher. The average or so-called standard RTP of 95% may apply. Always check the audit reports to get aware of the actual data. Actually, knowing RTP you can count HE (House Edge) and vice versa. For example, the baccarat game RTP is 96.45% then the HE is 100% – 96.45% = 3.55%. It’s how much the gambling house is expected to win from every wager made in the long run.
The concept of “the long run” is what to take into consideration. As not dozens, hundreds or even thousands of spins but millions and billions wagers are to be presumed. Thus, 50,000-100,000 wagers or spins made during the session don’t always end up close to the coherent results. What’s more, there is a spare room for luck when it comes to gambling. Herewith, it’s a bad idea to stake funds you can’t afford to lose.
How to Count?
Customers can find out that, for example, 98% means that it is possible (only possible) to win $980 after wagering $1,000. Don’t think that it is an absolute guarantee. However that “everything can happen” (winning a million or losing the whole bankroll) keeps people interested in online gambling. These numbers only show the payout rates in general (average quantity) over the long term.
Does RTP Differ for a Game?
Yes. There’re 4 factors that impact the same game return.
- Provider and casino operator. The very first thing to mind is the game supplier and real money casino. Some providers certify their products at several different levels of RTP. In such a way casino operators can adjust the specific settings for the service provided.
- Game features. All the settings, modes, in-game choice, and inner features also affect the payback. For example, the game offers you different modes to choose from with different bet limits and bonus rounds activated.
- Bet size. Not only features but a stake size influences the game payout.
- Paylines activated. When dealing with slot machines, the RTP of the titles depends on the number of paylines selected for the spin. Thus, every spin made can have an absolutely different return.
Progressive Games Payback Percentage
Games with progressive jackpots returns differently based on the mood activated:
- Base game. This payback you get each time you get a winning hand at poker or blackjack, gather winning combo on the reels of the slot, and so on.
- Progressive jackpot payout. It’s paid only in case you hit the random progressive prize. Due to the fact that such jackpots are massive, only a few gamblers get a nice piece of the payback in reality.
Customizable RTP: Good or Bad?
Today every casino operator has freedom to choose the RTP level for achieving their business goals. What does it mean for customers? It’s not good or bad, actually. The crucial aspect is the casino and developer stay transparent about the current state of things and the RTP level provided for a specific title. The best variant is if in-game choices (bet size, paylines, modes, etc.) that affect the payback are also shown.
Operator can offer a higher RTP as the U.S.P. (Unique Selling Proposition), positioning its brand as a low-cost producer. Or the gambling house can provide a lower RTP but offer better promotions for their clients, as newbies so long-term ones. In your turn, as a player, you can choose an option that suits you whatever directions suppliers and gambling houses select.
What is Variance?
Depending on the frequency of the winning outcome, there is a classification for variance that looks like this:
- High;
- Medium-High;
- Medium;
- Low-Medium;
- Low.
Choosing the High Variance games, the payout will be less frequent but larger. When dealing with the Low Variance titles, the winnings will be more frequent but smaller.
What is Hit Frequency?
Ever wonder how often the spinning machine might stop at the winning combination? Check Hit Frequency percentage. Usually, small numbers (which can seem unappealing) will bring huge rewards. The middle and the very high-frequency game will give you cash more often (but smaller sums), than amusements with low rates, like 3-10%.
For example, playing online slots with a Hit Frequency of 5% means that in a long run 5% of all spins made will bring any type of win (bonus feature, Multiplier, winning combo, and so on). No matter how good it sounds, don’t forget that all casino games are random.
That makes the metric to be theoretical and it doesn’t guarantee that 5% out of 100 spins made will be successful. To make things even more clear and simple, below you’ll find examples of high and low hit frequency games.
High Hit Frequency Games
Due to the fact Hit Frequency stems from game variance, then choosing games with high hit frequency, the small payouts are to be expected to get. With the mathematical formula in mind, you can calculate the probable profit.
Let’s take a lottery title with 1,000,000 tickets produced with a cost of $1 per each. In this game 900,000 tickets are winning and pay one dollar or 1-for-1 when 100,000 are losing tickets. Therefore, the hit frequency for this case is as high as 90% = 900,000/1,000,000. So that gamblers will purchase one dollar in hope to get it back.
Low Hit Frequency Games
Let’s check what you can get when playing titles with low hit frequency yet high payouts. The conditions are the same: we still have 1,000,000 tickets of $1 cost. Yet, here only 9 of them are expected to pay $100,000 or 100,000-for-1 with the other 999,991 that are going to lose. The hit frequency of this game will be 0.0009% = 9/1,000,000. Thus, the payout will be extremely rare but massive.
Bottom Line
Being a wise person, who behaves responsibly to the purse, is an essential Rule for Gamblers. It may seem that only luck matters, but if to think more carefully, you will see that the winning chances in online real money casinos depend on so many factors.
In some cases, your action may have an impact on the result of betting, as, for example, choosing the bet value, accepting bonuses, playing in a fast or slow way, using strategies, and so on. All the metrics are based on math formulas and fundamentals. Mind the fact that RTP along with Variance and Hit Frequency display theoretical data that is set out of the simulation.
Remember that the figures can differ from real-life situations. However, to make sure that the casino operator has passed the certification and is verified by independent auditors (and/or gambling commissions), all the data should be transparent and accessible to players.
