Just by looking around the casino floor, it may seem impossible to determine which slots are volatile. Games that appear to be similar in terms of graphics, symbols, and other visual elements may really have very different gaming styles, which affects their volatility and short-term payout rates. However, you should know the slot volatility list factors that will contribute to your winnings.
However, there are several obvious signs that might assist determine if a slot machine is more or less volatile. Sometimes it’s due to the design characteristics, and other times it’s a studio well-known for producing a particular genre of game. Here, we’ll explain our opinions.
Slot Volatility List Factors
You can possibly identify a more volatile game in its slot volatility list factors (the casino floor) in a number of ways:
1. Progressive
A portion of the total compensation will be taken by progressives, who will deposit it in possibly challenging to hit progressives. They take some of the payouts away from line hits and bonuses in favor of growing the progressive regardless of the style (Must Hit By, Quick Hit, progressives that grow by bets, etc.).
2. Games with Features and Bonuses
If they featured a bonus at all, many older slots merely offered something akin to a free spins bonus. All the money in some slots, like Twin Win and Bonus Times, is in the line hits because there isn’t even a bonus.
However, when a feature also has a chance to win (consider the Links, Mighty Cash, Hot Shot, and Quick Hit, etc.), the payouts are now diverted away from the line hits and into the features, bonuses, and maybe the progressives. That leaves very little room for line hits.
3. Multipliers
A game can become more unpredictable when multipliers are used, especially if they stack. Consider the game Buffalo, where wilds that are strategically placed and grouped together can result in big payouts. Dead (losing) spins must be played to make up for this, though. To give you the best understanding, check out for what is a scatter in slot machines.
4. All Ways Pays
When many symbols can appear in a single column, the volatility of the scatter pay model, which allows you to “win 243 ways,” “win 1024 ways,” and so forth, can increase. This is because line hits can quickly multiply into large winnings. But as a result, there will also be numerous close calls and dead spins.
5. Stacked Symbols
The volatility of stacked symbols can be increased or decreased depending on the game’s format. It can be the holy grail of volatility when paired with All Ways Pays. Because of this, when a big win occurs, games like Buffalo, Timber Wolf, and 88 Fortunes are so fantastic. Designing games in this style, Aristocrat and Shuffle Master have earned solid reputations.
6. Mystery Stacked Symbols
Another slot volatility list factor, a variation of stacked symbols that uses a different symbol for each spin is used in several games. An old-school WMS title featuring this feature is Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow.
Massive line hints may result if the wild symbol appears as the random stacking symbol and lines up. But part of what makes the game so unpredictable is the fact that there is only one symbol, and it has the potential to pay either low or high.
7. Less Overall Lines
If the game is based on lines, fewer paylines may indicate a more volatile game (or version of a game if it comes in flavors). This slot volatility list factor is because if there are fewer lines to analyze, there are just less opportunities for a line hit.
The payouts usually make up for that, but you’ll experience more dead spins and larger payouts when a line is hit. It can feel very different in a brief session, even if it’s 10 credits as opposed to 5.
8. Bets
We’ve already discussed this, but basically it raises the price for the features while doing little to improve the line hits in the main game. In order to increase your chances of eventually receiving a bonus in the Wheel of Fortune online slot, you must spend extra for each spin in which you don’t receive one.
However, developers with a history of creating games that are less slot volatility list factors in general include Bally, Gimmie Games (with Mighty Cash being a notable exception), IGT (especially many of their classic games), and games created by High 5 Games (which have been distributed by multiple companies, including Bally and IGT).
You can guess that a developer who favors lower volatility designs created the game if it boasts a big win with 10x your bet. However, also check out for the best online slot RTP to find a suitable game for your needs.
