Let's Talk Volatility

[Nhcris]

I know we all have different philosophies and temperaments when we gamble. High rollers & low rollers and everything in between. Folks that gamble 12 hours in a day and folks who gamble 2 hours in a day, and everything in between. High volatility players & low volatility players, and folks that play anything & everything. I'd like to pick your brains on volatility.

Personally, I am attracted to high volatility games. I want the big thrill, goddammit! I actually find the wee little hits insulting. Even when it comes to video poker, I find myself gravitating to higher and higher volatility variations. Unfortunately, this is doing a number on my bankroll management. So I am trying to find a way to reconcile my love of volatility with the depth of my bankroll.

So my fellow Jokers, where do you stand on volatility? How do you balance that need for big wins with the reality of funds? I'd love to hear from you, and hear suggestions for stretching the old bankroll while still spending hours and hours playing.

[treyster]

I'm getting picky in my old age. Seems like I only play games I've developed a trust in. Most of those are older ones. I rarely play reels even though they have high volatility, again comes down to confidence in the game

[slotmanjack]

Depends on my bank roll and mood. If I just want to chill and enjoy the day, I may play one of those new multimedia games.

$2 max bet with lots of frequent bonuses.

If Iam in the balls to the walls mood, I will load up $100-$300 into a 5 cent buffalo or captain cutthroat. Max bet $10 and hope for a jackpot. (wonder 4 as well)

3rd mood is the best one. $60 at a time and try different machines, and not feeding any more than that chasing a bonus.

In this 3rd mood I play quick hits, and anything that catches my eye.

The low vol machines are good time killers, but u have to be in the iam happy with $100-$200 mood.

[slotbender]

The range of volatility settings that are in all electronic games (slots) is actually the key to whether you win or lose during your "short term" of play. Most slot players think that it's the payback % setting that is important while not thinking about the volatility and where it's "adjusted" at/to by the central computer in a casino. Before I go any further here, I want to explain the difference between payback % vs. volatility. (1) Payback % is the setting used on a slot game to meet it's "long term" goal once after it reaches millions of plays/spins. (2) The volatility setting of a slot game determines whether you hit fewer or more winning combinations during your "short term" of play. What I mean by "short term" is that it could be between 10 minutes to 10 hours or more of play on the same game because it takes months/years for a slot game to reach it's "long term" goal (millions of plays/spins). It's been my past experience in many different casinos that some casinos will manipulate/adjust the volatility on games that are being played by "people of interest". My research about how casinos operate leads me to believe that they (casinos) have "targeting demographics" that they follow when it comes to slots. Here's a very interesting article that was published in 2014 about casinos and their "slot machine science". Please pay special attention to the paragraph that contain the words, "volatility" and "pain point" (read between the lines on this). http://www.vox.com/2014/8/7/5976927/slot-machines-casinos-addiction-by-design

[TwoArmedBandito]

I'm high volitility. As you probably know. Ww2,3,4. Buffalo. Original buffalo is best for long play with big wins.

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[sondor]

One thing I do is play some of the aristo's Kenny Style. Black out the last row and kick up the bet and hope to land something in that one lit square....I have done ok like that never hit the big one like Sharron did in KC but it still has the possibilities.

[Borgatadd]

Chris, I am right there with you. Five years ago I would never have imagined betting and playing like I do now. And by most standards I am considered a low roller. I love the high volatility games and not happy if I can't play them. I bet middle of the road for as long as I can...trying to stay within that budget I set. There are a few games like Lightning Link where you can get a good return on smaller bets when things get tight but even then the bonus pays off better when you are betting a least $2.50. I feel your pain and wish I had the answer cause the casinos have been kicking me butt for the last two or three years. The only way I manage it is less trips to the casino.

[moemoe]

The more I think I know about slots, they always find a way to make me look like I know nothing HHH! Right now find myself gravitating to Ainsworth - the line hits truly suck but the bonus rounds, well, if you can get one Oh Mommy!

[Reen]

I think I'm somewhere in the middle of the volatility chart. I get bored easily playing 9/6 JOB and have recently been switching to DDB and DW, a lot of times the bankroll goes fast! Also I have a hard time staying away from those Konami games. Hope to try some of the older games in Vegas next week, hope I can stick to my plan.

[kdk]

I'm with you on this. I find the low volatility games boring too, thinking what's the point of playing when the most I can win is $100 or something like that.
I'm the same on video poker too. Used to play JOB regularly but now find it boring. Plus if a game is playing bad, even if it's a low volatility game I don't win on it anyway, so why bother.

Now in order to preserve bankroll, I do adjust my bets/play knowing the type of game. I'll still bet just 50 cents on a game like WW, then if it seems to be playing well enough I may bet $1 but rarely more. If it is a low volatility game I'll bet more if it's playing good. If I decide to play a high denomination game then I am okay playing a low volatility game, knowing how fast money can go, but also knowing I can win a handpay on a low volatility high denom game.
I guess I look at how much can I win? If I know I can get a handpay on a 50 cent bet then I'll play that game on a low bet. Seems to work for me. In video poker I'll still play JOB or BP if I venture up to dollars. On quarters though its usually DDB for me.

good topic by the way

[tee2green]

One thing I do is play some of the aristo's Kenny Style. Black out the last row and kick up the bet and hope to land something in that one lit square....I have done ok like that never hit the big one like Sharron did in KC but it still has the possibilities.

I think I'm probably middle of the road with volatility.

What I do know is CPT better trademark the phrase "Kenny style" before someone decides it's a good name for some new sexual position. [emoji57]

[dvandentop]

Prefer to go for high volatility a d also know what machines have been good to others and myself in the past and gravitate towards those. Also some of the newest ultra volatile has a damn long dry streak. It is best to be in the right place at the right time to strike big on those.

[Georgiagambler]

Hmmm I have to think about this one, I'm think my gambling style is more volatile than the slot machines haha. I'm all over the place, you might just want to use me as the poster child for what not to do. I love the possibility of the big wins on the volatile slots but I hate losing my money fast because I would like to extend my entertainment time. I was lucky at Aria playing Samurai (ww clone) at $1 per spin and played quite some time. I think the only reason I played at the bet level is because I have seen TAB do well. Of course I didn't have the same luck he did but I did extend my playtime and cashed out ahead. To be honest, I try not to think about it- I just try to play games that I think are fun like 88 Fortunes and Gold Pays. We won't even talk about the crazy things I do on HL machines :-)




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[goldengreeke]

I'm down to playing only 3 games, Buffalo, WW (any version of the four), and Triple Strike reels.

All are high volatility.
Konami, WMS, and Bally can blow me!

[treyster]

I'm down to playing only 3 games, Buffalo, WW (any version of the four), and Triple Strike reels.

All are high volatility.
Konami, WMS, and Bally can blow me!

I completely understand where you're coming from.

At my local, I'm down to just WWII. Many times that's the only machine I play.

[Stephiede11]

I have to be honest and don't really know what machines are what, lol. I just kinda play whatever I like or I play machines that I see some of you guys play and win big on. I will try just about any machine but my favorites are buffalo stampede and the babies.

[MrsPenguin]

Ok, so the Penguins (especially Darrell) have looked at volatility from about every angle...and we're still not sure what's what! Our primary goal at any casino is to play as long as possible on the least amount of BR while earning as many TC's as possible. We aren't ones to chase big jackpots or handpays and never play progressives, so I don't know if our thoughts are relevant to your question. Lately we've started playing more reels because of the possibility of better payouts, but the first thing we look at is the highest payout on a machine. The higher that is, the more volatile the machine...our reasoning is that in order to be able to pay more (a hand pay) for 'the big one', there have to be fewer of the lower line hits. That being said, on the lower top-payout reels, we think there's a better chance of the mid-range line hits, which can still be enough to let us walk away ahead. Of course, every machine can go hot or cold on any given day LOL! Is this the way to look at volatility?

[Jackpot]

I'm playing Buffalo and 50 cent reels right now, but usually only $2 max. I like the high volatility slots and find it more exciting. This also takes a bigger bankroll, so I have adjusted by not going as often.