Do you know the slot’s RTP importance? It’s one of the few game attributes that directly impacts your profit. However, this works only in theory – in practice, you shouldn’t always trust RTPs. On this page, we’ll explain why.
What Is RTP
RTP stands for Return to Player, which indicates how much of your total wagers will be returned to you in the long run. Let’s explain it by looking at the coin flip game.
If the coin lands on the A side, you receive $1, while if it lands on the B side, you lose $2. Thus, you play $2 for a 50% chance to win $1 ($3 in total), which is $1.5 on average (50% x $3).$1.5 is 75% of your $2 bet. Thus, an RTP in the coin flip game is 75%.
How to Discover a Game’s RTP
When gambling online, you discover an RTP by research. However, sites like GGBet Casino, whose game assortment consists of high-quality slots and table games, present you with RTP inside their games. It requires you to launch a game and open its “info” tab. What’s cool is that you can do it even without registering at a site by using a demo mode function.
How do you know the game’s RTP is fair? First of all, check RTPs inside games or at the game provider’s site. But more importantly, play the games from reputable providers. Big companies work with gambling laboratories that ensure games’ fairness by issuing special certificates (you can find them at gaming provider sites).
In land-based casinos, you can learn the RTP of roulette, craps, and other games, by figuring out the game variation and doing online research. Alternatively, you can just ask a casino’s manager.
Calculating an RTP
A simple mathematical formula allows you to calculate a slot’s RTP. It requires you to divide your total game wins by the total game wagered amount. For example, if you’ve wagered $100 and won $95 out of them, you divide 95 by 100 and receive a 0.95. Thus, an actual RTP is 95%.
What’s cool is that you can use this formula to test casino games. When doing so, stick with the lowest bet. The more bets you’ll do, the better, as it will provide you with a more precise RTP number. You can also try to test RTP in demo mode, but there’s always a chance that a casino raises its RTP for free games to persuade you to play for real money.
Interdependency of RTP and Volatility
RTP stands for gambling profit. But how exactly do you receive it? Casino games, especially slots, have multiple different win possibilities with various rewards. That’s what the game’s volatility explains.
If the game’s volatility is high, you will win rare yet big wins. If vice versa, you’ll win very often, but jackpot and bonus features will be extremely rare. Understanding this is detrimental to understanding RTP.
For example, if the game has a high RTP and high volatility, you will have big gaps between wins. In such games, it’s best to cash out after receiving a major win. Otherwise, you can easily drain the rest of your budget waiting for another big win.
Longer playing is safer with low-volatility games. Constant wins they entail will easily sustain hours of playing. However, pay attention to your budget. In theory, low-volatility games tend to slowly drain your budget over time.
Can a Casino Lose More Than It Wins
No. Thanks to the bet sizes and win probabilities, there’s no single casino game with an RTP of 100%. Indeed, some table games’ RTPs are close to that, but it doesn’t mean they’re not profitable for a casino.
Does it mean you can’t gain profit when gambling? Surely not. By saying that a casino wins more than its players, there’s no implication that a single player can’t gain profit from playing a specific game. If that’s your goal, pay attention to the game’s volatility. It determines your preferred approach to betting if you want to receive a profit.