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Slot Machine Hit Frequency – What It Means And Why It Matters

Understanding what the slot machine hit frequency means can make a huge difference to your casino experience, and how far your bankroll will stretch. Unfortunately, many players don't consider this factor and end up doing themselves a disservice by playing on the wrong slot machines. Then again, thanks to casino jargon, any also fail to understand the difference between slot hit frequency and the return to player. This confusion can prove costly in the long run. Knowing which is which matters.

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What’s the Story with Slot Machine Hit Frequency?

As with many industries and organizations, as well as professions, you’ll find they all use their own jargon. Not surprisingly, many of these terms are both misunderstood, and more often, misinterpreted. When it comes to online casinos this can cause some serious problems for novice gamblers. A good example of casino jargon would be the term “slot machine hit frequency.” This is something that’s very important when it comes to your bankroll. Yet many players confuse this with the “payback percentage” or RTP. But it’s important to understand they are very different beasts.

And to help you get to grips with the hit frequency, we thought we’d take a look at it in detail. Hopefully, this will serve to clarify much of the confusion as to what hit frequency actually means. As well as its importance for all gamblers. We hope it will allow you to increase your jackpot winning chances.

What’s Slot Machine Hit Frequency?

Essentially, the slot machine hit frequency is how often a slot machine will pay a prize. The size of the prize is not important. It could be just a few cents or an eye-watering amount from a progressive jackpot. For the purpose of hit frequency, both of these, and all the prizes in between, fall under the same banner at an online casino like 22Bet Casino. It’s important to note that the actual hit frequency is often a secret. But nevertheless, all casino games, thanks to their programming, will have their own built-in and predetermined hit frequency.

In many ways, it’s perfectly understandable that a developer or a casino operator doesn’t want its customers to know this number. The fear is that if a player had a better understanding of the hit frequency, then they may be able to work out when it was next going to payout. Maybe not exactly, but at least with greater certainty than would otherwise be possible. On the whole, we can say that a slot that offers a larger prize will be a low-frequency slot. In other words the larger the prize, then the less often it will be hit. At the opposite end of the scale, we have smaller jackpots. They hit with a much higher frequency, meaning that you can win the jackpot online on a more regular basis.

Hit Frequency vs RTP

Because the RTP and the slot machine hit frequency appear to be quite similar, then it’s understandable why so many players confuse them. Or misinterpret them as the same thing. But if you look closely, each one of these elements refers to something entirely different. Yes, it’s true, they do both revolve around how a slot pays out its prizes. The thing to keep in mind is that with hit frequency, you’re seeing how often a slot pays out a prize of any kind. This is referred to more commonly as the slot’s “volatility.” Meaning the likelihood that you can win a prize on any spin.

Looking at the RTP, or return to player, we can see that it’s a percentage figure that indicates how much is going to be paid out in prizes. But it’s directly correlated to the amount of money the player has spent. An example would be if a slot machine paid out £85 in prizes for every £100 collected from a player. Then we would say that the slot had an RTP of 85%. When you’re looking for a worthwhile slot to play, then we suggest that you should be concentrating on the RTP to be anything from 80% to more than 97%. The truth is that the higher the RTP of a game, then the more money you’ll have returned in the form of prizes.

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There’s No Connection Between Hit Frequency And RTP

One important consideration is that don’t become confused and think the RTP gives an indication of hit frequency. For example, a slot machine could have an RTP of 99%. And yet at the same time, it would also have an exceptionally low hit frequency. So it’s paying out very large prizes, but very infrequently. In the same manner, a slot with a very low RTP makes much lower value prizes, but on a much more regular basis. We suggest that you hit up the higher RTP% slots at 22Bet Casino. Not only do they have every type of slot under the sun, but they also offer all new players a fantastic welcome bonus of 122% up to €300! This is another great method of stretching out your bankroll to last even longer.

When Should I Play High Hit Frequency Slots?

This is a very subjective question. As we now know a slot with a high slot machine hit frequency will tend to offer smaller prizes but on a more regular basis. As a result, we suggest these are probably best for players who have a very low-risk appetite. Those who are looking to stretch out their bankroll to last as long as possible. On the whole, you should look at playing high hit frequency slots. Simply because those with low volatility are going to give you great entertainment value, as opposed to turning a profit. Keep in mind that though you may win on a more regular basis, the prizes probably won’t be anything to write home about or to retire on.

Here at Jackpotfinder.com we strongly promote all players to stick with high-frequency slots. The fact is by offering smaller prizes on a more regular basis allows all gamblers to stretch their bankroll that much further. It goes without saying that many players may be dreaming of winning at the casino. But we tend to take the view that casino jackpot games are primarily for enjoyment.

When Should I Play Low Hit Frequency Slots?

For those of you with an appetite for higher risk, and bigger bankroll, then going for a slot with a lower slot machine hit frequency will certainly allow you to pick up some much bigger cash prizes. But keep in mind that your odds are winning any prize on any given spin are going to be significantly lower. Think for a moment of the most famous slots in any casino that are offering progressive jackpots. These are incredibly low-frequency slots. To put it mildly, you could pump an absolute fortune into a progressive slot machine over the course of several weeks. And yet not receive a single penny in return.

Of course, at some point, a low-frequency slot is going to eventually payout. And when they do they payout big. One practical way of looking at these low frequency hit slots is the fact that in order to pay out these large prizes, they need more time to collect the funds from the players. Many of these progressive slots belong to a network. These can be either within the casino itself, casinos owned by the same company within a city, or all casinos on a national level. With every one of them contributing a small percentage to the eventual mammoth prize. Keep in mind, that when it comes to these slots, there is no real jackpot winning strategies at play. It’s all down to luck.

What Matters More – Hit Frequency or RTP?

There tends to be a general confusion for the casino novices, leading them to focus their attention on slot machine hit frequency or RTP. The truth is that neither one is more important than the other. This is because they indicate totally different things. It’s true that no one tells you the hit frequency. You’ll find it a difficult number to discover. Obviously, if you’re playing a slot machine over a long period of time, then you’ll be able to gauge its hit frequency pretty well. To make life easier, the slots manufacturers or programmers do give you an indication as to its hit frequency. What they will tell you is that the slot can be either low, medium or high volatility. Of course, this is incredibly vague. But nonetheless, it’s some indication of the hit frequency that should help you to choose well.

As previously mentioned, low volatility slots are a good idea for stretching out your bankroll. Especially if you’re playing with limited funds. On the other hand, you can win those huge potential jackpots by playing high volatility slots. At the end of the day, all this comes down to an appetite for risk. As well as the budgets you have and your priorities. With the latter, this is really about whether you’re playing for fun. Or looking for life-changing jackpots. Whatever you do, enjoy your casino experience. And remember to never bet more than you can afford to.