Considering online casinos should be all about fun, a whole lot of jargon gets thrown around! Some of it you’ll pick up, but some of it feel so dense and impenetrable that it can actually be off-putting. If you want to be able to read through slot reviews – with ease – without worrying about which words or acronyms you’ll come across, or skim through the info section on a video poker game without getting a headache, then – congratulations – you’re in the right place! I’ve got a good few years of experience, in fact, I even write a bunch of those reviews. So, I know what it all means. Stick with me to find out all you need to know about those weird terms you were too embarrassed to ask about.
The RNG: AKA the Great Slot Game Wizard Behind the Curtain
RNG stands for Random Number Generator. I know what you’re thinking: what on Earth is that? Well, you can think of it as – kind of like – the all-seeing, all-powerful Oz behind your favorite online casino games. It’s the ‘magic’ that ensures everything is fair and truly random, so you can’t predict what’s coming next – and most importantly, neither can the casino! This means that you’re guaranteed a fair shot at the jackpot, with no ‘fixing’ being possible. So, whether you’re spinning a slot machine or drawing a card in video poker, RNG is in charge, making sure the game isn’t rigged. If you’ve ever wondered how those slot machines land on a big win or serve up nothing but tumbleweeds, RNG’s got the final say!
Imagine it like this: every millisecond (yep, we’re talking faster than you can blink), the RNG is spitting out random numbers. When you hit the button, the current number it’s landed on decides the outcome of your spin. So, no, blowing on the screen for luck won’t help (but feel free if it makes you feel better).
RTP: Return To… Wait, Where?
I know, I know, RNG and RTP are annoyingly similar at a glance, but they’re – very – different under the microscope! RTP stands for Return to Player. Essentially, it’s a percentage that tells you how much the game pays back to players over time. So, for example, if a game has an RTP of 96%, it means that, theoretically, for every $100 you put in, $96 will come back to you… eventually. And I do mean eventually.
Here’s the catch, though: this percentage is worked out over millions of spins, so don’t expect that $96 to come waltzing into your bankroll after just a few rounds. That pesky RNG means that every spin is truly random, so some players will get a bit more than the RTP and some a bit less (some a lot more and some a lot less on high volatility games – which we’ll come onto in good time!) But the key thing to remember is that higher RTP games generally give you better bang for your buck, so it’s worth keeping an eye on those stats!
Volatility: The Wild Roller Coaster Ride of Casino Games
This is an important one, because it affects how the RTP appears to play out. You’ll sometimes see it referred to as variance, but what you need to look at is if it’s low, medium, or high. It’s a term that can trip up even the seasoned players – so listen up! This is basically how ‘risky’ a slot game is. Low volatility games are the safe and steady route – giving you more frequent, smaller wins and in the short term making that RTP look more accurate.
On the flip side, high volatility games are for the daredevils. They might leave you high and dry for a while, but when you do hit, it tends to be a bigger win. Generally speaking, cautious players favor low volatility, while jackpot chasers favor high. It all depends on how comfortable you are with your bankroll, taking a bit of a nosedive from time to time!
Paylines: Where the Magic Happens
Oh, the humble payline. You’ve probably seen this term pop up more than a few times, and it’s quite literally where your winning combos come to life. In old-school slot machines, it was pretty simple. Line up three cherries on one straight line across the middle, and boom – winner! However, with time comes innovation. Nowadays, we’ve got a whole bunch of different shaped paylines: Diagonals, zigzags, lightning bolts (I might have made that one up). Some slots have hundreds of things; others don’t have paylines at all!
Hit Rate: Don’t Be Fooled
The final definition (before all of our brains are worn out) is hit rate. This is the frequency at which the game hands out wins. But before you get excited, thinking “High hit rate? Sign me up!” – remember – hit rate doesn’t tell you how big the wins are. You could be racking up small change with a high hit rate game. Still, a win is a win, right?
