What if you just want to find a slot machine to play for fun. It can’t cost you a lot of money because you don’t have a lot to play with. And you like to spend a few hours with your friends while you play. The best slots to play would be games with “low-volatility.”
This article is for you. Let’s face it, there is some serious stuff you need to know. But I bet you would just like to find the best machine for you without all the mathematical rig-a-ma-roll. Read on.
First, Some Serious Stuff You Should Know
Volatility in Slots refers to the fluctuation of the highs and lows of winning.
If a slot game has a lot of winning spins, although usually smaller wins, it’s considered low volatility. (GOOD for your bankroll)
Slots with fewer winning spins in the same amount of time, although with the chance to win bigger when you do, are considered high volatility. (BAD for your bankroll).
Return to Player (RTP) is the expected payback percentage of a casino game. For example, let’s say your game is set at a 90% RTP, paying back $90 for every $100 wagered. In reality, the expected RTP is over a LONG time – months, usually years. Don’t expect that 90% on any session! It could be higher or lower. In a single session you could lose, lose big, win, or win big!
For a RTP with less volatility, Seniors and low rollers like me need to know about lower volatility slot machines. Next, how do we find them?
How to Find Low Volatility Slots
1. Earlier Models of Popular Machines
Looking for a low cost car or appliance means looking for the ones with fewer bells and whistles. More Bells & whistles means a higher cost.
Same thing with slots. Let’s say your wager is consistently under $1 on all slots you play. The volatility will differ tremendously, even if it’s the same theme.
When slot machines are first introduced on the casino floor, some become instant hits. The manufacturer begins to introduce more games with variations on that theme. Usually, those variations include additional bonuses, new cabinets with streaming colors, and larger payoffs. Examples? Huff n’ Puff and Bufaloooooo.
With each new variation of the theme, volatility increases due to the extra bonuses. Wins are smaller and fewer. The bankroll needed for such high-volatility play is too high for low rollers. So, find the early versions for low volatility.
2. Machines That Give More Ways To Bet – Low Volatility
In the past, slots gave you options. With these slots, you can choose how many lines to bet. You can also decide how many credits per line. These options give you control over your wager, instead of a flat 88-cent bet per pull, for example. They are a little older, but they can make your bankroll last so much longer. You can choose between 1-10 lines, and usually 1x, 2x, 3x, 5x, 10, your bet. Here are some examples:
- Double Chili Mania (IGT) 3 reel with mixed pays that offer more frequent line hits
- Quick Hits Series (Light & Wonder) – low bet often starting at 20 or 30 cents (but except on the newest versions, progressives are only available at max bet)
- China Shores (Konami) – low bet of as little as 30 cents for all lines / chances for many free games
A list of low-volatility slot machines can be found here at Flip the Switch. Low Volatility Slots: A Comprehensive List
The Low Volatility early variation of Buffalo. Notice the buttons below the screen for # of credits and denomination of credit.
3. So, What’s the Secret to Finding Low Volatility Slot Machines?
Go online to search for new low-volatility slot machines. Many manufacturers show old and new games on their website, with descriptions of those particular games.
For example, if you go to the IGT website, you’ll find a huge catalogue of what’s out there. Comparing what slots have for bonuses and bigger payouts can give you a hint about their volatility. Some of the manufacturer websites will even give a volatility score – this can help you compare games within their catalog to find what they consider the lower volatility games.
It isn’t always easy to do research when you are actually playing at a casino. First, you have to get control of your excitement to spend your bankroll on that fun, highly volatile slot. Yes, it teases you, talks to you. Coaxing you to “Play your Bankroll Here.”
Be mindful and in control. Once you manage your urge to play the new slot with all the bells and whistles, check the pay tables. Slots with many combinations that lead to payouts are usually low volatility. Slots with a lot of huge payouts but few lesser ones are high volatility.
4. Just Look It Over
Some players just are not into all that serious RTP and volatility concepts. However, you should consider them if you like keeping your money. But, for those who like to wing it, there are seven things to look for. Check out these unscientific criteria for finding high volatility games:
- Does the cabinet and screen seem like a slot machine Disney Land?
- Do the jackpots increase? And how do they compare to other slots in that area?
- Is the lowest bet $1? Higher bets can be a sign of more features and bonuses, which can add to the volatility because the money is spread out across so many different locations that you have to reach to be eligible.
- What’s the top prize you can win relative to your bet? The bigger the top prize relative to bet, the harder it will be to win, and that can increase the volatility (as one person will be very lucky indeed, as opposed to hundreds of others who won’t win that prize).
- Does it include a visual on the screen of firecrackers or something that increases? Remember, it means nothing – it’s just entertainment that fools you into continuing playing.
- Watch someone playing it – are wins few and far between? (Remember, a small sample like briefly watching slot play means very little in the life of that slot machine’s RTP, but it can give a hint to what sort of ride you might expect on the way to that RTP.)
- Finally, beware of games that have “Super,” “Grand,” “Double Jackpots,” or “Mega” anything in their name. They are almost always higher volatility versions of earlier versions.
If it fits three of these criteria above, it’s probably high volatility. If it fits more than three…run away!
Summary
There are times when playing a high volatility machine can be very lucrative with a small bankroll to lean on. Bankrolls are very important for your fun, happiness, and feeling of success. My fellow Seniors and low roller friends, low volatility is the way to go.
Thank you so much for the info about how to find low volatility slots! Those are some great suggestions, and I think they will be very helpful. I had been wondering how to find those slots that will help slow the bankroll drainage…You are the best!
You’re very welcome. In my retirement, low volatility in video poker, and especially slots, is very important to me, too! Remember, the less bells and whistles probably means a lower volatility.