What exactly does Return to Play (RTP) and Hit Frequency mean?

What is Return to Player (RTP) and Hit Frequency mean?

RETURN TO PLAYER

The term "Return to Player" (RTP) is used by casinos to refer to the percentage of wagered cash that the machine, or VLT will pay players over time. It is possible to earn about $90 if you place 100 $1 wagers on a machine that has a RTP of 90 percent. RTP and the house edge can be calculated over a longer time. Don't bet funds that you might lose.

RTP is the reverse side of the house advantage as you could have noticed. A machine that has a 20% advantage in house will be able to achieve an RTP average of 80 percent. This means the machine will keep 20 percent of the money it bets and then return the remaining% to players through wins.

Hit Frequency

Hit frequency is the term that casinos employ to explain how often a machine stops when it comes to an winning combination. If the machine has an average hit frequency of 8.8 It means that the machine will stop when it hits the winning combination around 8percent of the time. It is also important to know that VLTs, and many slot machines, allow you to put multiple bets during each spin. This means that a player may win one or several winning combinations, as well as many losing combinations in the course of a single spin. For the player, it might seem like he's winning more frequently, but as is the case with all games it is the case that over time, losing combinations will significantly outnumber those that win.

There's a huge variety of hit frequencies that can be found between VLTs and slots. Some slots come with a hit frequency in the range of 3% however other games, like video poker, have a hit frequency of almost 45%. While the hit rate of video poker may sound appealing but keep in mind that the majority of "hits" result with the player winning his original bet. While a machine with three percent hit rates may not sound attractive, it's more likely to provide players with the chance of winning a huge jackpot. Machines that have large progressive jackpots come with a lower hit rate but have higher jackpots.

Low hit frequency games are usually perceived as being unwieldy by players due to the few wins.  RTP rate  can be perceived as loose , due to only a few wins.

Remember that hit frequency is the mean number of times a winning combination is seen. "Return-to-player" refers to the percentage or amount the machine makes over time.