Published: 23 Nov 2022
You may have heard the terms ‘hit frequency’ and ‘RTP’ in relation to online slots and casino games. Although they both give an indication of how a particular slot game might pay out over a certain period of time, there are some important differences between the two terms.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about hit frequency, RTP, and the differences between them.
What Is Hit Frequency?
A slot machine’s hit frequency is how often it will stop on a winning combination. For example, if a game has a hit frequency of 6%, it will land on a winning combination about 6% of the time. When we talk about winning combinations, we mean combinations that reward the player in some way – either with a cash prize, or by providing access to a bonus level.
The hit frequency of online slots varies greatly. While some have a low hit frequency of around 3%, other games like video poker might have a hit frequency of almost 45%.
Although it might seem like a no-brainer to choose games with a high hit frequency, it’s important to remember that a ‘hit’ is any type of win, and not necessarily a significant one. For example, in the video poker example above almost half of those hits could just be the player winning back his original stake.
Games with a lower hit frequency pay out less often, but when they do the prizes tend to be larger.
What Is Return to Player?
RTP is short for Return to Player, and is usually expressed as a percentage. Percentage return to player (% RTP) is the expected percentage of wagers that a specific game will return to players in the long run.
For example, if a hundred £1 bets were made on a slot machine with an RTP of 95%, the machine would pay out about £95 in total.
Each online slot game has its own RTP, and this information is made readily available by the casinos. Many players are interested in finding high RTP slots, since these are the games that theoretically pay out the most amount of money over time.
The Difference Between Hit Frequency and RTP
In a nutshell, hit frequency is how often (on average) a slot machine will display a winning combination.
RTP is the percentage of all money wagered on a slot that it will return to players over time.
Remember that even if you’re playing a slot with a high hit frequency and/or a high RTP, there’s no guarantee that you’ll win!
It’s all down to chance, and the most important thing is to make sure you’re having fun and playing responsibly.
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