Looking to head online and try out some pokies? Great, but which version of pokies are you going to try? While online pokies come in a wide variety of themes, there is a factor that links all of them. Namely; variance. First and foremost, variance and volatility are the same thing. The terms are interchangeable, with companies preferring to use one turn of phrase or the other. So what exactly is variance? Variance refers to how often a game pays, and how much is given back when a winning combination is hit.

But wait a second, what about (Return to Player) RTP? Is RTP the same thing as variance, or is it something entirely different? Let’s take a look now so that you can get a full understanding of everything important related to pokies. When you’re done reading you’ll feel confident enough to head out and try out a few of the great games available yourself.

High Versus Low Variance

Ever play an online pokie, only to feel like you’re never hitting a winning combination? No, it’s probably not just because you’re unlucky. If a pokie is a lot less likely to give out wins, this is a high-variance game. The trick is that the game won’t pay frequently, but when it does pay, the amount will normally be much higher than usual. Real money pokies are always striking a balance, and in the case of a high variance game less frequent pays are more generous.

As you can imagine, the opposite is true for low-variance games. A law variance game gives payouts frequently, but the prize money is lower. In fact, in the case of a low-variance game, the payout is often less than the original wager. Again, it is a matter of striking an optimal balance, with the system giving you payouts within certain specific parameters. Knowing this information is a big part of being a gambling winner, which is why it’s so important to stay up to date with available data.

Note that regardless of if you’re playing a low or high-variance game, the chances of you getting a jackpot payout are roughly the same. It’s more a matter of how long you play, and how much you win or lose before a jackpot payout occurs.

The Overall Balance Of RTP

So how does RTP play into all of this? A game’s RTP is the parameter that the game’s payout system is staying within. More specifically, the RTP is the rough amount of every dollar you bet, given back over a period of time.

So if the RTP of a game is 98%, 98% of every dollar you bet is getting paid back. But, the more important question is; when is the 98% coming back to you? In 5 minutes, in 10 minutes, or an hour? It is the unknown factor that makes online pokies so much fun.

Whichever pokies you play, remember to bet smart and manage your money carefully.