Going Deeper than Slots Payout Percentages

slot-machine-playersOne of the first things that knowledgeable slots players look for is the payout percentage of a game. Also called payback, this percentage shows players what they can expect to win back when playing slots. For example, if a slots game offers 93% payback, the average player is getting $0.93 back for every dollar wagered. However, when players are analyzing payout percentages, they should look much deeper than the actual number. That said, let’s cover what else you need to consider.

Slots Payout Frequency is also Critical

When you find a game with good payback, you should also consider its payout frequency, or how often you’ll receive payouts during a session. Unfortunately, this isn’t a number that you’ll find through online research, like with payback. Instead, you must estimate this by looking at the smallest payouts. Here’s a fictional example comparing two games’ three smallest prizes:

Game 1 – 2 coins, 3 coins, 5 coins

Game 2 – 5 coins, 8 coins, 10 coins

3-reel-slotsBased on this information, Game 1 would likely deliver the most prizes. The reason why is because the slot machine can ‘afford’ to pay out more when it’s giving such small prizes.

However, you should also look at the jackpot and see what this amount is too. The bigger the jackpot, the less likely games will pay out because they have to make up for these giant top prizes.

Why is Payout Frequency Important?

The reason why you should definitely look at payout frequency is because this helps keep your bankroll going strong. Moreover, you’ll experience far less cold spells because you’ll be picking up small payouts along the way.

Now, this isn’t to say that slots is suddenly going to become like blackjack in terms of payout frequency. But if you can win 15-18% of the time, versus 10-12%, then you’ll definitely notice this – especially with a small bankroll to begin with.