RTP and Volatility: Two Key Terms Which You Need to Know

 We will give you a detailed explanation of the two most important terms in online gambling.

 

What attracts you to the online casino community? Do you enjoy the variety of games that are offered? Do you like the fact that these platforms can now be accessed while out and about with a smartphone? Are you instead more enamoured with the "rush" that is experienced when winning a round of pokies or blackjack? These are indeed all valid reasons. Still, we need to keep in mind that winning involves much more than luck alone. Some of the most prolific players in existence have learned to appreciate the more technical aspects of the games themselves. Whether referring to poker, roulette, online pokies, or baccarat, there are two key principles to examine. Both of these will have a dramatic impact upon your overall experience, so let's examine each in greater detail.

The Return-to-Player Percentage

Anyone who has perused an online review of a specific casino game has likely encountered the acronym "RTP". This is normally listed at the top of the article and it is expressed as a numerical percentage. What exactly is an RTP?

RTP stands for "return to player". This figure represents how often a wager will result in a win. We are not only talking about cashing out in this sense. Wins can represent other scenarios such as accessing a bonus round, matching a number of wild symbols while playing pokies or being awarded a series of free spins. The main point here is that higher RTPs indicate better chances of winning. As a general rule of thumb, it is always a good idea to look for games that offer an RTP of at least 95 per cent. However, this also depends upon volatility; leading into the next main section.

The Concept of Volatility

Take a moment to think about an investment opportunity. Some stocks are naturally more volatile than others. There are both benefits and drawbacks associated with this scenario:

  • The prices tend to increase at a faster pace.
  • The values can also drop substantially within a short period of time.

This notion of volatility can also apply to the online gaming community.

Platforms are normally classified as having high, medium or low volatility. Highly volatile games will provide impressive payouts and yet, these do not occur very often. Low levels of volatility will offer more frequent rewards on a regular basis. We can now see that choosing the level of volatility will partially depend upon your unique playing style.

If you are now the world of online casinos, it is generally a good idea to select games which have been labelled as offering medium levels of volatility. This is the best way to "straddle the fence" until you learn to better appreciate the mechanics of the game in question.

RTP and volatility are critical in terms of what the games themselves have to offer. Appreciating the mechanics of each will enable you to better understand what is in store. Naturally, this is also a wise strategy to capitalise upon lucrative rewards programmes.