High volatility vs. low volatility slots: Which actually fits your bankroll?

High volatility vs. low volatility slots is important to understand before playing online slot machines. How to approach these games depends on personal tastes and preferences. But your bankroll also plays a factor, which is why users should pay attention to slot volatility levels and prepare accordingly. Here, we'll provide some insight into the differences between high variance slots and low variance slots to help better inform your game selections. 

To boil it down, volatility levels represent how frequently slots pay out and how big those wins could be. High variance slots typically have more infrequent wins but pay out more, while low volatility titles usually feature a steady stream of smaller payouts. These slot machine variance ratings are determined by game developers and can be presented by numbers (1 being low, 5 being high) or simply by labeling slots as low, medium or high.

The riskiest of the group, high volatility slots can often go a while without a win, much less a significant one. That said, when players are fortunate enough to land one, they can deliver much larger payouts than games with lower volatility ratings.

Because of the potential for longer dry spells, it's often recommended that users possess substantial bankrolls, with many experts suggesting users enter sessions with up to 200 times their bet size in order to endure those losing streaks.

Players should also be patient and comfortable. Antsy and on-edge users likely won't enjoy high volatility slots as much as others. That said, high variance slots are great for thrill-seekers who can afford to chase large payouts, especially considering that most progressive jackpot slots are typically high volatility games.

Popular high variance slots include 88 Fortunes, 9K Yeti and Assassin Moon.

While they rarely garner headlines for life-changing payouts, low volatility slot machines remain a popular choice among players, including titles such as Blood Suckers, Jumanji and Farmtastic.

Low-variance slots like these are known to be steady games that pay more frequently, albeit in smaller amounts. Despite the lower prize potential, low volatility games are ideal for beginners and players with smaller budgets, particularly if they would rather see more regular wins rather than massive jackpots.

Thanks to the frequent wins, bankrolls tend to last far longer with low volatility slots, which creates a more entertaining experience as opposed to the stress of not landing a payout over an extended period of time with higher-volatility slots.

More often than not, players look for either high volatility slots to chase big wins or low volatility titles to enjoy more frequent payouts. Often overlooked are medium variance slots, which, at least on paper, provide a little bit of both worlds.

Games like Cleopatra Gold, Lucky Larry's Lobstermania 2 and Wheel of Fortune Triple Extreme Spin may still have longer dry spells, but they still have semi-regular payouts. What's more, when players do win in games like these, the prize sizes are a bit larger than those of low volatility slots.

There are no extreme swings one way or another in terms of frequency or payout sizes. Medium volatility games fall right, obviously, fall right in the middle. Because of this, the type of player who may prefer these kinds of slots also shares characteristics with high- and low-volatility users.

Your budget does not have to be as large as high volatility slots, but there still may be some dry spells here and there. On top of that, when wins do occur, players could see their account balances increase significantly.

As noted, users should approach certain slots based on their bankroll and how long they're willing to play.

High volatility titles, including some of the best paying slots, require larger budgets and could lead to shorter game sessions as those longer losing streaks can easily drain bankrolls. With low variance slots, gameplay sessions can easily be longer, as more frequent wins can continue to rebuild bankrolls. Finally, and of course, medium volatility games fall somewhere in between. Sessions could be longer, but they could also not be. 

Essentially, if you have a smaller budget, it's best to stick to low volatility slots, but venturing into the medium variance world could also be an option. Experienced players with larger bankrolls may be better suited for high volatility slots to endure longer dry spells.

Regardless, users should always practice responsible gambling and ensure they stay within their financial means, only risking what they can afford to lose. Fortunately, all licensed online casinos offer responsible gambling tools not only to help set a budget on how much money players deposit, bet and lose but also to assist in setting time limits on gameplay sessions.

Many users believe that because some slots have higher return-to-player (RTP) rates, this dictates the frequency of wins and session length. While that can sometimes be the case, it's not a hard-and-fast rule.

As a quick explanation, RTP indicates the long-term theoretical return of gameplay. For example, a slot with a 96% RTP means that it expects to pay out $96 for every $100 wagered.

In reality, volatility dictates how players' slot sessions actually feel. Consider two slots with identical 96% ratings, but one game is high volatility and the other is low variance. The high volatility title will not pay out as frequently, but when it does, it makes up for that losing streak. On the flip side, the low volatility slot will have more frequent payouts in smaller amounts. Both still return 96% over time, but the experience and how the session feels are vastly different.

Bettors must be 21 years or older and otherwise eligible to register and place wagers at online casinos. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please seek assistance from trained professionals such as the Problem Gambling Help Network at 1-800-MY-RESET.

Grant Lucas