Volatility and Payout Percentages<\/h3>\n
These two are the key slot parameters. The payout percentage (RTP) shows how much gamblers win relative to their wagers. This is a theoretical number that is usually different from the short-term actual return. Millions and even billions of rounds must be played to test the accuracy of the RTP.<\/p>\n
All best online pokies produced by legitimate game developers are tested by specialized labs to make sure the theoretical return specified by the studios is correct. That\u2019s how players can trust that the outcomes are fair even when a game returns them much less than the theoretical value.<\/p>\n
Note that many developers create multiple versions of the same title with every version offering a different RTP. This is a popular trend among slot studios, which is a disappointment for gamblers as they now have to check which version a casino offers every time before launching a game. The issue is that some developers don\u2019t even specify RTP in the game files.<\/p>\n
Volatility is one of the most powerful characteristics that explain the nature of the game. It tells players how evenly or unevenly the payouts are spread. In other words, it\u2019s an indicator of the risk level. If we take two extreme volatility values, they will offer two completely different experiences even if they have similar RTP.<\/p>\n
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- Low Volatility<\/strong>. Payouts are spread relatively evenly. There are no long losing streaks as wins are regular. To balance off the frequency of payments, developers have to keep a rather small max win potential. Low volatility slots appeal to players who enjoy the experience of spinning the reels and the idea of winning and not chasing huge wins.<\/li>\n
- High Volatility<\/strong>. Payouts are spread unevenly. Players will sometimes have no winnings at all for a long time and this bad luck can suddenly be interrupted by a massive win. Payouts are unpredictable and vary significantly in size. Some of the extreme volatility titles generally have mouth-watering max wins of 50,000x and even 100,000x and more. So, these are kinds of games for risk lovers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Number of Paylines<\/h3>\n
This is another important slot characteristic. Similar symbols ensure payouts but these symbols can’t land chaotically on the screen and instead must be arranged on a specific payline from left to right and sometimes both ways. The paylines can be found in the game paytable.<\/p>\n
Most of the casino games today have a fixed number of lines, meaning there’s no way to activate and deactivate some of them. Just a small number of titles offers adjustable paylines, which is the option to change the number of active lines. But in this case, fewer lines mean lower chances of landing a win.<\/p>\n
Traditional win lines had long been the only available option before other solutions were introduced. Today, there are many alternatives such as Cluster and Ways to Win engines.<\/p>\n
Bonuses<\/h3>\n
Apart from classic fruit machines, almost all pokies offer some sort of bonus rounds. Free spins are the most common option, but there are more features. To trigger bonuses, players usually need to land a certain combination of symbols, for instance, three scatters. Sometimes to activate bonuses, players need to collect certain symbols over time.<\/p>\n
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- Free spins often offer some extra features that make them more lucrative. For instance, multipliers, more wilds, expanding wilds, mega symbols, etc.<\/li>\n
- Pick-and-click is another type of bonus. Players are offered a number of icons and have one or multiple picks. If lucky, their selected icons will earn them nice instant payouts. A win is usually guaranteed, but not always, and the wrong pick can sometimes lead to the round’s end without any wins.<\/li>\n
- Bonus gamble is an option that is introduced in some New Zealand online pokies. Gamblers have a choice to get a better deal, but risk losing the bonus game, which adds more thrill to the game. It’s still quite a rare option.<\/li>\n
- The welcome bonus is awarded to new players at most casino sites. It’s often a match bonus that multiplies the first deposit by a certain percentage. For instance, a 100% match bonus will double your initial deposit. The welcome bonus typically includes a match percentage along with free spins. These free spins typically can only be redeemed at specified casino games.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Note that online pokies bonuses come with wagering requirements. For instance, you can receive 20 free spins on a specific slot and this may come with a playthrough requirement of 40 times. That means that each win derived from exhausting the free spins will be subject to 40 more playthroughs before it gets transferred to your actual casino balance eligible for withdrawal.<\/p>\n
These conditions ensure that online casino sites can sustain these offers to players, while still taking advantage of this marketing avenue. For instance, if the casino offered free spins that didn\u2019t require players to make any deposits, it could soon lead them to financial ruin if the player utilised the free spins on a high RTP slot where they could easily win.<\/p>\n
However, it\u2019s important to consider that some wagering or playthrough requirements may be too hard to fulfil. When reviewing the best online pokie games, just check the playthrough conditions.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Special Features<\/h3>\n
Pokies are continuously evolving and there is no lack of features to entertain all sorts of players. Some unique features appear occasionally and only a few of them pass the test of time. We\u2019ll discuss features that have made a significant impact on slot development.<\/p>\n
Bonus Buy. It\u2019s the feature that many developers have introduced over the last few years. It gives players a shortcut to the most exciting part of the game. To unlock bonus games at any time, slot fans will have to pay somewhere between 50x to 100x a bet. This is the most common price and it can be as high as 2,000x in some titles.<\/p>\n
Once you pay for the bonus buy feature, you essentially get free spins with a near guarantee of securing a win. Typically, the more expensive the bonus buy feature, the higher the chance of securing a win. However, there is no assurance that you\u2019ll recover the purchase price when playing online casino games with the bonus round.<\/p>\n
The feature is prohibited in some countries because it’s believed to increase the danger of developing problem gambling. So, you need to be aware of the potential threat as this feature can indeed be addictive.<\/p>\n
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- High Volatility<\/strong>. Payouts are spread unevenly. Players will sometimes have no winnings at all for a long time and this bad luck can suddenly be interrupted by a massive win. Payouts are unpredictable and vary significantly in size. Some of the extreme volatility titles generally have mouth-watering max wins of 50,000x and even 100,000x and more. So, these are kinds of games for risk lovers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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