Understanding the Meaning of Variance When Playing Slot Machines

You may hear people talking about slot machines who discuss the topic of variance, but not have a clue what they are talking about.

In fact, many casino sites and apps will list the  variance of a slot machine alongside its name and RTP and you may just be wondering what it means, you will find our featured non Gamstop casinos have plenty of different slot machines by the way.

Well in basic terms, the variance of any slot game simply refers to the level of risks attached to playing it and nothing else.

There are three types of variance and to give you a better understanding on all three of them and how they will have an effect on your slot playing sessions, please read on.

Low Variance Slots

Those of you who enjoy playing slot machines and tend to play them for fun but demand long playing sessions, will be best advised to stick to playing only low variance slots.

Those slots are the lowest risk of any slot game category and have been designed in such a way that you will get plenty of winning combinations spinning in on most sessions, but the value of the winning payouts will be modest.

But you should get enough of them to ensure you can continually recycle your winnings any number of times and get a decent length of play time.

As for just which online slots are going to give you the best experience but are ones that also come with a low variance, here are five of them I can recommend:

• Starburst from NetEnt
• Lucky Riches from Microgaming
• Butterfly Staxx from NetEnt
• Star Joker from Play’n Go
• Kingdoms Rise: Forbidden Forest from Playtech

Keep in mind, that you are also going to get plenty of additional playing value, winning opportunities and even play time if you hunt around and make use of the best casino bonus offers and then use the bonus credits to play low variance slots.

I would encourage you to spend some time looking around for any casinos offering you a deposit match bonus offer that boost the value of your deposit by at least 100%, those bonuses which by the way should come with low play through requirements, so check they do, offer you the best value.

Medium Variance Slots

It doesn’t matter which slot machines you choose to play, sometimes you will win and sometimes you will lose, and that simple fact is why playing those games of chance if exciting, for you will never know before you start spinning the slot reels just what type of gaming session you will have.

Therefore you know you are putting your bankroll at risk when playing any slots, but for those of you that want a middle of the road element of risk when doing so will be best advised to consider playing medium variance slots.

Those games are not low risk or every high risk they sit somewhere in between the two, and if you are interested in giving such slots a whirl here are a few of my personal favourites:

• Twin Joker from Stake Logic
• Diamond Strike from Pragmatic Play
• Mystery Joker from Play’n Go
• Carnival Queen from Thunderkick
• Koi Princess from NetEnt

You can be a little adventurous regarding the stakes you play any medium variance slots for, but at the end of the day never lose track of the fact that those that offer a bonus game often award their highest valued winning payouts via those bonus games.

So always ensure when playing such slots you set a stake level for your session that permits you to get a fair number of spins of the slot or slots you are playing, as the more base game spins you play off the better your chances of triggering a bonus game.

High Variance Slots

Now you are aware of what both low and medium variance slots are and how they play, pay, and operate, you will have some idea of just what type of risks are going to be attached to your slot playing sessions when you give any high variance slots a whirl in any playing environment.

They are of course the highest risk slots you can play and are designed in such a way that you do get a chance, but a low one of wining those often dreamed about mega paying sessions.

But such slots should come with a wealth warning too, for the only way they can offer often lifechanging winning payouts is by doing away with the frequency at which low valued winning payouts spin in.

Below you will find a list of some of the most played high variance slots that are available at many online casino sites and available to play via many casino apps as well:

• Immortal Romance from Microgaming
• Ice and Fire from Yggdrasil
• Book of Dead from Play’n Go
• Montezuma from WMS
• Medusa Megaways from SG Gaming

If you do decide to play high variance slots please do be fully aware of the risks attached to them, for even when playing for low stakes you may just find that your bankroll gets eaten up in no time at all.

Another thing to be aware of due to the huge valued winning payouts being rare but possible is that if you do happen to beat the odds and win big when playing any high variance slot, make sure you cash your winnings out.

It is far too easy to continue playing such slots after you have won big and even increase the stakes when playing on and often that will lead to you losing back your winnings and possibly a lot more besides.

If you want to have what I would call a fully rounded online or mobile slot playing experience then my advice would be for you to play a good mix of slots, from low, medium to high variance slots, but allocate a sensible amount to play each slot game with,

If you do win then cash out your winnings and go buy yourself something new, or set aside some of your winnings to have another slot playing sessions at some time in the future, always get into the habit of cashing out your winnings online.