Slot machine payouts: Schedule and percentages

Slot machines are exciting and fun to play because of their volatility. The chance to win big payouts any time is what makes them popular in both land-based and online casinos. Its appeal is irresistible, but how much do you know about the slot machine payout schedule? 

Change the way you play slot games. Learn more on how often they reward payouts and its link to the return to player (RTP) percentages with this article! You’ll find helpful insights into how you can take advantage of the slot machine payout schedule.

Game volatility: How often does a slot machine pay out?

A slot machine can reward payouts in varying degrees. You can have an idea of how often a game pays out by calculating its volatility from the data in the payout schedule. 

The game volatility refers to the level of risk involved in playing a certain slot machine. The slot you want to play can fall into three types:

• High-risk game - Slots with fewer payouts but come with lucrative bonus features and a high RTP above 96%. Most of the time, you might not win but the payouts are huge and worth the wait when you do.
• Medium risk game - Slots with fairly high payout frequencies but more modest payouts compared to high volatility slots. You can enjoy many bonus features for a longer time with a decent budget.
• Low-risk game - Slots that offer lower value payouts but at a more frequent pace. You can play these slots with a smaller budget and still get winning combinations every five to ten spins on average.

In theory, you can figure it out if you know the frequency of symbol combinations and odds or value assigned to them. Take a look at the gap between the payout of the 4 and 5-symbol winning combination per line. 

If the 4 symbols of a kind win has a fairly low payout while 5 of a kind win pays out a lot more (10 to 15 times the stake), then the slot game you’re playing has a high variance slot. Moreover, if the difference between 3, 4 and 5 of a kind symbols is 3-5 times the payout, the slot is then a medium or low variance game.

Being a responsible and informed gambler makes a huge difference in winning. So, make sure to check the payout schedule before playing any slot machine!

What is a slot machine payout schedule?

In every slot machine game, there is always a chance you can win the jackpot. At times, the jackpot is divided among the players who are playing it at the same time. Examples of this are progressive slots such as Megabucks in Vegas-based casinos and Mega Moolah in online casinos.

Even if you are yet to hit the jackpot, slot machines reward payouts from time to time. Slot results are formed arbitrarily by the Random Number Generator (RNG). However, since we are still dealing with numbers, you can map out the payout frequency of the game.

That is where the payout schedule comes in. It is commonly seen in theoretical hold worksheet documents that show the machine’s specs such as:

• the theoretical percentage that the slot game should have based on the sufficient amount paid,
• the range of payouts typically listed as multipliers of the line bet instead of monetary sums,
• exact reel settings and game features,
• the associated probability of winning,
• the sizes of accepted wagers, and
• sometimes, the certification of the slot game that legally meets the terms of a country’s gambling commission.

A slot machine payout schedule is a helpful guide to decide if a game suits your gambling preferences or not. It can also help you decide how to play the game and win a substantial amount of payouts.

Additionally, it is important to understand the payout schedule. 

For example, you can choose to play one, two or three coins per spin in a classic slot game with three reels. With the payout schedule, you’ll find that the top payout going from one to two or two to three coins can jump significantly. 

Moreover, many other slot machine games have the same conditions. Some slot games feature a progressive jackpot which is only accessible by betting at the max wager. Only by looking at the payout schedule will you know how to get the best payouts in the game you are playing.

What is a slot payout percentage?

In the slot machine payout schedule, one of the things you will find is the payout percentage. It is the average amount of money that will be paid back to you in the form of winnings, compared to the amount that the player wagered. Simply put, it is the return to player percentage of the slot.

For instance, if a slot machine can bring US$1 million ‘coin in’ and gives US$900,000 ‘coin out,’ then it has a 90% payout percentage. This also means that the remaining 10% is the house edge which goes to the casino as its profit.

How is the payout schedule linked to the payout percentage?

It's clear to see that a higher slot payout percentage can favour you. It is the most basic rule for all slot games: the bigger the jackpot, the tighter the payout frequency. This means that on a slot with a jackpot of over US$5,000, you will not hit the 80 to 200 coin payout as often because most of the money will go towards the jackpot pool.

Moreover, in payout schedules, a chunk of jackpot money will be proportionally fixed amongst the players who made the winning bet after expenses such as taxes, fees, and the house share are taken away. 

Hence, the grand winner or first placer will keep the highest percentage of the pot. On the other hand, the second winner will get a lower portion like 30% while the third will receive 20% of the share or less, and so on.

That’s why when you choose the slot machine payout schedule for your gameplay, you need to look into crucial aspects such as:

• the taxation on the slot jackpot, 
• its structured settlement, 
• whether you want to get the jackpot in instalments or as a one-time payout.

Regardless of what type of slot game you play in a land-based or online casino, the important thing to remember is to always check its slot machine payout schedule. This allows you to play a slot machine within your budget and get the chance to profit from it. 

The contents of a payout schedule provide telltale signs if a game is worthwhile or not before you place a bet. As a smart player, you should know how it can guide you with the different rewards you can win. Thus, you can generally benefit from betting at the max value in slot machines so you can have the best chance in winning the jackpot.