What Does the Payout Percentage in a No-Limit Casino Say?

March 7, 2023

Anyone who has ever played for real money in a casino will surely have come across terms such as payout percentage, variance, and house edge. What do these terms actually mean? How important are they really? We explain what the payout percentage really means when playing in online casinos that accept Interac payment. In addition, we go into the differences between various games.

 

RTP (Return to Player) – What is the payout ratio?

The Return to Play (RTP) is a statistical value. It indicates how much you get back on average from your bet in a game of chance. However, this is a statistical value that is formed over thousands of game rounds.

Thus, for example, a payout ratio of 94% does not mean that you will get back exactly 94 cents of every dollar you bet in every game round. This value is only achieved over a huge number of game rounds. Each round of play in itself can deliver completely different results. Sometimes you lose the entire bet, sometimes you get a multiple of the amount paid out as a profit.

In our example, if you get back an average of 94 cents from each dollar, what happens to the other 6 cents? The casino takes this as profit. With a payout ratio of 94%, the house advantage of the casino is 6%. The house advantage is thus the elementary counterpart of the payout ratio.

Why is the payout ratio so interesting for us players? It can be used to quickly estimate how good a particular bet is. If you play craps, for example, you will quickly notice that certain bets seem to be better than others. The reason is simply that some bets have a particularly high house edge and thus take money out of players’ pockets faster than others.

What is variance?

Another term that is often used is variance. The variance is often mistakenly equated with the payout ratio. Although both terms come from statistics, they are more or less independent of each other.

The variance tells how risky a bet is. A bet with a small variance has a good chance of winning, but the payouts are usually much smaller. A bet with a high variance, on the other hand, is very difficult to win, but is then often rewarded with a particularly high payout.

To understand this, a look at the roulette table helps. There you can choose between a dozen different bets.

A so-called simple bet, for example, a bet on red, has a very low variance. On average, you win it every second time. A longer series of losses is, therefore very unlikely. On the other hand, the possible profit is relatively small.

In contrast, betting on a single number has the highest variance in roulette. You will win it on average only every 36th time. But then you will get 35 times your bet as a profit.

Variance and payout ratio are not always linked. In fact, roulette bets all have the same payout ratio but different variance. This is why roulette is so popular: here, you can choose the bet that suits your risk profile without sacrificing the payout ratio. In the long run, every roulette bet pays out equally well, so you can play as you see fit.

What are the differences between local casinos and online casinos?

Many online casino players are convinced that slot machines in online casinos without limit pay out better than the same machine in the arcade. This is not wishful thinking.

Rather, it is true that the same slot machine in an online casino has a higher payout ratio than in a local casino. This is achieved, for example, by giving the online version an additional payline or by increasing the main prize.

But why are online casinos so generous? Among other things, it has to do with the cost. A slot machine in an online casino without a deposit limit hardly causes costs the operator. In the arcade, on the other hand, machines have to be purchased and maintained for a lot of money.

Thus, an online casino can offer a higher payout ratio in its games of chance and still make a profit. The low cost is passed on directly to the players.

Are there different payout ratios at German casinos and casinos without a German license?

How does it look now between the individual casinos? Do the online slots in a German online casino pay better than in a casino without a German license?

The answer here is a resounding No. The payout ratio of a given casino game is the same across casinos. In fact, most gambling licenses stipulate that there must be no major differences in the payout ratio of a casino game between different casino sites.

Therefore, for instance, a NetEnt slot must have the same payout ratio in online casino A as in online casino B.

Of course, there can be big differences between the different games. For example, there may be different payout ratios for Microgaming and Playtech blackjack games. This is partly due to the fact that different house rules are used to play.

Finally, a tip: as a player, you have some influence on the payout ratio. For example, with certain games, such as Blackjack, it depends on the right game strategy. In addition, bonus offers can also reduce the casino’s house edge. Visit websites like these to learn more about alternative online casinos.

Conclusion

Payout percentage, house edge, and variance are thus important statistical information about a casino game. They can help in choosing a new game. What they can’t tell us, of course, is how much fun an online slot or blackjack variant is. Every player has to find that out for himself.

Nevertheless, it is worth taking a look at the RTP value with every new game. A high payout ratio is usually a good sign. Then your own gaming budget will last much longer.

About the Author Kyrie Mattos

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