If you have ever played slots, chances are that you have come across RTP (Return to Player), an important metric when selecting slots online. While not the sole deciding factor when making decisions about what game to play, knowing how it works will allow for better decision making when selecting which slot to play.
An RTP slot measures the percentage of total payback that players can anticipate being returned over time, using data gleaned from millions or billions of spin simulations conducted by software developers to assess how a game will perform over time – though these tests don’t guarantee winning spins on every spin!
Due to this factor, a game’s RTP can vary considerably over short-term playback, from producing frequent small wins up to prolonged losing streaks where bankroll is quickly depleted. Therefore, selecting slots with high RTP values whenever possible.
RTP information can typically be found within the paytable or rules sections of a slot game; however, its location can differ depending on what medium you’re playing on – for instance a physical slot machine in a brick-and-mortar casino may not display it at all while modern online slots often include it within their information/help screen for each particular game.
Hit frequency of a slot game is another important metric, providing an indication of how often players win. While RTP information can be easily located, hit frequency information typically can be obtained by dividing its total outcomes by its hit rate – higher hit rates typically feature lower variance and volatility while games with low hit rates tend to have more unpredictable outcomes.
Software developers determine a game’s return-to-player percentage (RTP), although its RTP may be slightly altered by its operator of the slot machine. While less likely with land-based machines, operators of online casinos may use different algorithms when it comes to RTP calculations than their brick-and-mortar counterparts – though this won’t affect overall RTP numbers but could affect player wins on average at each site – something which may make an impactful difference for those who switch between online and land-based casinos frequently.
