As online slot gaming becomes more and more popular around the globe, the slot player slowly becomes more educated about the nature of these games. While many are already aware of payout rates and Random Number Generators, few have even heard the terms of High or Low Variance slots. These terms are technical names given to slots depending on their paytable structure and their paying patterns.
The term high variance is given to slots that have a very particular way of paying out jackpots. These are the most dreaded games by limited budget players. The high variance slots can suck up bets in an interminable streak of bad luck before they release anything worthwhile. Their paytable and bonus features are set up this way. When either a set of free spins comes along or a bonus round, the player should expect high rewards. But until that happens, the game will pay proportionally low to what the player is putting into the machine.
The term low variance, as you probably already guessed, has low fluctuations of chance. That is to say, the payouts are not incredibly high on bonus rounds or free spins, but rather small or medium jackpots come along but at a higher frequency. Players will small budgets to play at online casinos should consider playing at low to medium variance slots since these will probably make their money last longer and, every now and then, let them leave with a modest profit.
Players must identify the slot they are about to play at before beginning the wagers. The best way to identify which kind of slot you have before you is by going into the paytable. If the highest jackpot of any regular combination win is between 500 to 1000 coins, then you can be almost sure that the bonus rounds, free spins (especially with multipliers) and/or wild icons, will make a big difference and pay highly when they come. On the other hand, high normal jackpots with 5000 or 10000 coins, will mean that you are in front of a low variance slot. There are many degrees in between high and low variance slots, so there’s no sure science of how to tell them apart.
