How pokies work: RTP, volatility and the random number generator

The random number generator decides every spin

Inside every online pokie is a random number generator, or RNG. Typically it produces numbers continuously, thousands of times a second, whether or not anyone is playing. When you press spin, the game takes the current number and maps it to a position on each reel. The spinning animation that follows just shows you a result that's already been decided.

Three things follow from that:

• Spins are independent. The game has no memory. Fifty losing spins in a row don't make the fifty-first more likely to win.
• Stopping the reels early changes nothing. The slam-stop button skips the animation, not the outcome.
• A near miss is still a miss. Two jackpot symbols and a third one just above the line looks close. It was a loss from the moment you pressed spin.

Reels, paylines and ways: how a win is counted

The RNG picks the symbols. The game's pay structure decides which symbol patterns pay. There are three common designs, and Fair Go's library has all of them:

• Paylines. Fixed paths across the reels. Matching symbols along an active line pay. Kev's Bush Bonanza has 50, and Count Spectacular has 25 that you can switch on or off.
• All Ways Pays. No lines. Matching symbols on adjacent reels pay in any row. On five reels of three rows that's 243 ways, as in Halloween Treasures and Asgard.
• Cluster pays. Groups of touching symbols pay in any shape. Dr. Winmore works this way, with cascading reels on top.

The structure changes how wins feel. It doesn't, on its own, make a game more or less generous. That's set by the RTP.

RTP: what the percentage really means

Return to player (RTP) is the share of all money staked on a game that it pays back over a very large number of spins. A 96% RTP pokie returns $96 for every $100 staked across millions of spins. The other 4% is the house edge, the casino's built-in margin.

Fair Go says its pokies average approximately 97% Operator claim. That's Fair Go's own claim, and it's an average across the library. Fair Go doesn't publish a per-game RTP for most titles, so an individual game could sit above or below it.

RTP is easiest to understand as a cost per hour. This illustration uses Fair Go's 97% average and 500 spins an hour, a steady pace with autoplay:

That cost is an average over a huge number of hours. Any single hour can finish well ahead of it or well behind, and that spread is what volatility describes. Doubling your stake doubles the expected cost. Playing faster does the same.

Best RTP pokies: how to find a high-RTP game

Searching for the best RTP pokies only gets you so far, because the number that matters is the one inside the game you're about to play. Here's how to find it:

1. Open the game's info or paytable screen. If the game discloses its RTP, this is where it's printed, usually near the bottom of the help text. Some games show a range when the casino can pick between versions.
2. Don't borrow a figure from another website. The same title can run at different RTP settings at different casinos, so a number quoted elsewhere may not match the version you're served.
3. Treat Fair Go's figure as an average. Fair Go publishes one number for its pokies, around 97% Operator claim, across the whole library. It doesn't publish per-title RTPs, so we don't list any "best RTP" pokies.

If return is what you're after, the highest figures Fair Go publishes aren't on pokies at all. They're in video poker: 99.78% for Aces and Eights and 99.54% for full-pay Jacks or Better. Both are Fair Go's own figures and assume perfect play, so mistakes bring the real return down.

Volatility: why two pokies with the same RTP feel different

Two games can share an RTP and still behave nothing alike. Volatility, sometimes called variance, describes how the return is spread out.

• Low volatility pays small wins often. Your balance moves in small steps. Fair Go rates Dr. Winmore low, and its top award is just 300 coins.
• Medium volatility mixes regular small wins with occasional bigger hits. Fair Go rates Kev's Bush Bonanza medium.
• High volatility goes quiet for long stretches and saves much of its return for rare, large wins. Fair Go rates Devil's Jackpot high.

When Fair Go doesn't publish a rating, the spec sheet gives clues. Very large top awards, progressive jackpots and big multipliers usually mean more of the return is held back for rare events, which points to higher volatility.

Volatility should shape your budget, not your hopes. On a high-volatility game the same budget may last fewer spins, and a session that ends early with nothing is a normal result, not bad luck.

Features: where much of the return is hiding

Free games, multipliers, expanding wilds, hold-and-spin rounds and jackpots aren't extras on top of the RTP. They're part of it. A game with a rich bonus round often pays less in the base game to fund it, which is why ordinary spins can feel lean between features.

Features trigger at random, like everything else. You can't make one more likely by changing your bet mid-session or by waiting. For a plain-English list of feature names, see our pokies glossary. Jackpots get their own explainer in our progressive jackpots guide.

Pokie myths the maths doesn't support

• "It's due to pay." No pokie is ever due. Each spin is independent of the last.
• "It just paid big, so it's empty now." The same logic in reverse, and just as wrong. The next spin has the same odds as every other spin.
• "Late at night the games pay better." The RNG doesn't know the time.
• "Bigger bets win more often." On most pokies a bigger stake scales the payouts, not the odds. A few jackpot games have bet-size rules, which the paytable states.
• "I can sense a pattern." People are wired to see patterns in randomness. The RNG doesn't produce them.

So what can you actually change? Your stake, your pace and when you stop. Our guide to how to win on pokies works through each one with the numbers.

How to read a pokie before you play it

• Open the info or paytable screen and find the RTP, if the game shows one.
• Check how wins are counted: lines, ways or clusters, and whether lines are adjustable.
• Find the bet range and what one spin costs at the stake you'd use.
• Read how the main feature triggers and what it pays.
• Decide a dollar limit for the session and how long you'll play, before the first spin.

If you're using a bonus, two of Fair Go's terms apply while you wager it: bets are capped at $10, and deposit bonuses carry 30x wagering on deposit plus bonus. Our responsible gambling page has tools for setting limits and where to get help.

How pokies work: FAQ