Pokies and casino game guides

Three numbers that explain every casino game

Return to player (RTP) is the share of all money staked that a game pays back over a very long run. Its mirror image is the house edge: a 97% RTP is a 3% edge. It tells you the average cost of playing, per dollar staked, and nothing about what happens in one session.

Volatility describes how that return is spread out. Two games can share an RTP while one pays a little on most spins and the other saves its return for rare, large wins. Volatility decides how long a budget tends to last and how wild the ride feels.

Hit frequency is how often a game pays anything at all. On pokies it's rarely published. On table games it's simple probability: an even-money roulette bet wins 18 times in 37 on a European wheel, and a 1-spot keno pick is caught 1 time in 4.

Put together, the three explain why a game feels the way it does, and what it costs you to play it.

What Fair Go publishes, and what's standard maths

Not every number on this site comes from the same place, and the guides say which is which.

• Fair Go's own figures. Fair Go says its pokies return around 97% on average Operator claim, and it quotes 99.78% for Aces and Eights and 99.54% for full-pay Jacks or Better. We label these as Fair Go's claims, because nobody else has confirmed them.
• Standard maths. The house edge of a roulette wheel, the odds in keno or the best play at blackjack follow from the rules of the game, so they hold anywhere those rules apply. We mark them as standard maths and tell you to check Fair Go's rules in the game.
• Gaps. Where Fair Go doesn't publish something, such as a pokie's own RTP or a table's deck count, we say "not published" rather than borrow a figure from another casino's version of the game.

Where your decisions matter, and where they don't

On pokies, keno and roulette, every result is pure chance. Your choices change the cost of playing (which game, what stake, how fast) but never the odds of a spin. That's why the how to win on pokies guide is about budgets and limits, and the roulette strategy guide shows why betting systems only rearrange losses.

Blackjack and video poker are different: the best decision on each hand is known, and making it lowers the house edge. Our blackjack basic strategy chart and the hold lists on our video poker pages are the tools for that. Even then, the edge stays with the house. Good play lowers the cost; it doesn't turn it into a profit.

Where to start

New to pokies? Read how pokies work first, then keep the pokies glossary open while you browse the lobby. Interested in a jackpot game? Progressive jackpots explained covers how pots grow, how they're triggered and what Fair Go's weekly withdrawal cap means for a big win. Heading to the tables? Start with the table games hub, which compares the house edge of every game Fair Go lists.

Whatever you play, set your limits first. Our responsible gambling page lists free, confidential help lines and practical tools.

Game guides FAQ