If you are a 'Go Big or Go Home' kind of person, high volatility slots are exactly what you need.
But what on God's earth are those?
Well, high volatility slots, also known as high variance slots, are slot machines that come with the promise of a significant payout, if you can be patient enough to wait for it. In other words, they are high-risk slots whose payouts are huge, far apart, and not guaranteed.
Again, these slots are for 'go big or go home' kind of people. Anybody who is willing to stake it all with the hope of hitting a jackpot. It has to be a person who is not afraid of losing the money, but the mere possibility of winning big is enough for them.
Besides being gutsy, the player must also be very patient. Highest variance slots take a long while before the payout comes through, so you could be playing for hours or even days before hitting your goal.
Last but not least, the player must have a big bankroll. Playing round after round of slots costs money, and you have to be prepared. Most people spend hundreds or more trying to hit the jackpot, which sometimes doesn't happen soon enough.
Unfortunately, volatility information is not something casinos give out to anyone. You can only determine whether a slot is high or low variance by playing it in demo mode. Alternatively, you can check the paytable; if the prizes or payouts offered on the game are very generous, the game must be high variance because such payouts don't come along often.
While all those options are great, nothing comes close to reading first-hand reviews from top industry players. From yours faithfully, here are the top 5 high variance slots.
Book of Ra from Novomatic is hands down the king of high volatility, thanks to its amazing features. It has an Egyptian/archaeological theme with great graphics and animations. What keeps people coming back, however, is the possibility of winning up to 7500x your stake if you find the supreme treasure.
Guns, bourbon, cowboy boots and sheriffs badge. These are the symbols you can expect to see on this NetEnt legendary slot. The Wild-West themed slot has a 5-reel, 9-payline set up, which means it's very easy to understand and play. However, the fun begins when you catch the free spins and start the bonus round that can see you win up to 4000 times your stake.
You cannot talk about highest variance slots without mentioning Bonanza. This Big Time Gaming slot needs no introduction as it is one of the most popular slots out there. Why so popular you ask? How about a chance to win big on the base game? If that isn't enough, the bonus, though it comes once every 500 spins, can make you an overnight millionaire. And the best part, the bonus retriggers, and every single win is counted as a multiplier.
Stepping from the oldies for a second, Fat Rabbit from Push Gaming is a newcomer in the scene, but don't underestimate it. While it looks rather cool and innocent on first glance, the game is a monster once you start using the bonus feature. This is not the game where you can win on the base game, it's all about the chase, quite literally as you try to catch that elusive rabbit and win big.
Queens Day Tilt Slot from Play'n Go sets the standard for extreme volatility. It's a simple video slot with a 3 by 3 grid, and matching two symbols, whether horizontally or vertically, will give you a win. Every time you win, the winning symbols are removed, and the remaining symbols fall, reducing the grid even further. Seems easy enough, right?
Wrong. That win seldom happens, but when it does, you can walk home with a huge smile on your face.