If you compare low stakes with high stakes online slots, it’s pretty natural to think it’s essentially the same thing only with larger numbers involved. While nobody could blame you for thinking that, it’s actually a bit more complicated than that because of certain issues that low stakes players will never have to encounter and the difference in the relative risk involved. To help high rollers deal with these anti-intuitive differences, we have a set of tips and strategies here to help you out to make sure you have the best overall experience that you can.
Getting started with the basics
There are a few basic concepts that players need to know, and high rollers who are just getting started might not be very aware of what the online environment entails. To begin with, players might have concerns about the safety and security of the games. The bottom line is that if you play with reputable software companies and reputable operators that have a license to operate from a jurisdiction that has proven itself to be reliable, then you really have nothing to worry about. The games are proven to be fair by regular audits, especially if they have an independent certification to their name like the eCOGRA Safe & Fair Seal.
Something else to consider is how you will get paid. While there are a variety of banking methods out there, they generally get broken up into three categories: credit/debit cards, electronic wallets and everything else. For high rollers, we suggest sticking to the top electronic wallets like Skrill and Neteller because they offer faster transaction times with relatively lower fees when dealing with large transactions. For withdrawals with major wins, you might want to go with a bank wire transfer instead because of transaction maximums for these e-wallets, but for deposits, they’re usually going to be your best option.
Comparing online and land-based slots
High rollers who are looking to see if online slots are right for them should know something very important about the difference between online and land-based slots. Online slots almost always give you a better overall payout rate, known as “RTP,” than land-based slots because of the realities of competition. RTP means “return to player” percentage, so an RTP of 97 percent would mean that for every $100 you wager, you’ll get back $97 on average.
The fact of the matter is that land-based slots simply have a lower RTP, and that’s because of the relative nature of competition. On the Internet, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of online casinos with slots to choose from, so they really have to compete with each other in a major way to get players to enjoy their games. That competition causes an upward pressure, which in turn will keep the RTP of their slots fairly high. Land-based casinos don’t have anywhere near this level of competition, and it’s not uncommon to see these games have RTPs in the range of 88-92 percent instead of the range of 95-99 percent like what you typically see online.
Online casino selection for high rollers
When it comes to choosing an online casino, one of the critical differences between high rollers and everyone else is the size of the potential wins and how that affects where you should play. In short, high rollers and VIP players should stick to reputable sites, which is obvious enough, but they should also stick to the larger, more successful casinos with a longer history (and presumably a larger bankroll themselves). The reason for this is that when a high roller hits a big win, it can easily be more than some smaller casinos are capable of paying out simply because they don’t have the cash on hand.
You want to avoid this situation as much as possible by sticking to brands like the ones we recommend that are larger and more established with a history of paying out quickly and reliably to high rollers who score major wins in the six-figure, seven-figure and even eight-figure range.
Maximum betting limits on slots
Another issue that low stakes players simply don’t have to worry about is the maximum level of stakes available for the slots they want to play. Many games have adjustable maximum betting sizes that can changed by the casino to limit their liability to big wins from VIP players. As a high roller, you want to go with online casinos like the ones that we recommend that have already been scouted so that you know they have high limits on their slots.
High roller online slots allow you to bet a whole lot more per spin than what you’d find in the average site, and they also have the financial backing to cover your big wins that can come from such high stakes play. In fact, the sites that we recommend have the highest limits of all of the reputable online establishments out there today, and that puts your in control of exactly how much you want to wager without having to worry about artificially low limits.
High roller comps, bonuses and promotions
If you’re used to playing in a land-based environment, then you’re probably used to getting comps like free meals, drinks and even hotel stays. However, in the online world, the way these comps work is a bit different. High roller bonuses are a good example, especially for slots, and they essentially end up being money that you get for playing games you would have played anyway, and they can be applied directly to future play on the same games you’re already enjoying.
Loyalty and VIP programs can also be a lot more extensive, on average, in online casinos. We’ve scouted the top programs available, including overall bonus value and the ability to exchange comp points for cash, when deciding on our list of high roller slot casino recommendations for players reading this. Because you’re a high stakes player, you’ll be able to get high stakes deals, and you won’t have to settle for the usual bonus offers that everyone else gets. Instead, you can get something tailored specifically for what you’re looking to play and for the stakes you’re looking to play at.
RTP database reference for slots
While there isn’t a huge amount of strategy in online slots, which is part of the appeal for most people, there are still things that you can do to maximize your chances of coming out on top. To start with, you should take a close look at the RTP of the slot games that you’re playing, and when at all possible, you should seek to maximize the RTP of these titles as much as you can. There is an enormous difference between playing a game with a 93 percent RTP and a game with an RTP of 97-98 percent, and it makes a world of difference to your bottom line.
These differences are made even more apparent when you’re a high roller playing for larger stakes than average. If someone is playing for $1 per spin, a 5 percent difference in RTP would average out to just $1 for every 20 spins. However, if you’re playing for $100 per spin, that comes out to a whooping $5 per spin. Multiply that by 300 to 400 spins per hour, and that’s a tremendous difference in the amount of money that you’re putting into the game.
To avoid issues with this and maximize your RTP, check out our RTP database of slots. We include the RTP of each game, the software provider and any other information you need to know. Because you can sort by software developer and RTP, it’s easy to find a set of favorites at your online casino of choice that have a high enough RTP to be worth your time.
Don’t forget about volatility
The volatility of a slot machine is also an important figure that you should keep in mind, though many people have a misunderstanding of what this means. Volatility is a statistical measure that has to do with how wide and frequent your swings will be in the game. For example, a game with a high volatility will tend to have fewer wins, but the wins will be larger on average. On the other hand, a low-volatility slot will have a higher hit-rate with more frequent wins, but your wins will be lower than they would be for other games, again, on average.
A game’s volatility is pretty important for high rollers because it can change how your approach the betting of a game. It’s recommended that people who like high-volatility slots play with a somewhat smaller bet size and longer sessions to smooth out the swings a bit. On the other hand, you can play with larger bet sizes than usual when the volatility is particularly low because your swings won’t be very serious at all.
In any event, you should pick out games based on volatility along these lines so that you end up with an experience that matches your preferred play style. This will help you to enjoy your play better overall, and it’s generally the recommended approach for players at all stakes, though it’s especially important because of the huge difference that a change in volatility can make for high rollers.
The role of progressive jackpots
Progressive jackpot slots are clearly responsible for the largest wins to ever happen in the online gambling world, and they hold the top several spots according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The largest jackpots have been worth around $20 million, and this is a prize that will definitely get the attention of high roller players.
High rollers have an advantage in progressive jackpots that other players can’t get. The fact of the matter is that virtually all slots that have a progressive jackpot will scale your chances of winning to the size of your wager. In short, your chances of hitting the progressive will increase proportionately, so betting $50 per spin will give you 100 times the chance of hitting the jackpot compared to wagers of $0.50 per spin. They have to do this to keep things fair, but you can take advantage of it as a high stakes player.
Verified, licensed, reputable software developers
As a high roller slots fan, one of your biggest nightmares would be playing on games that have actually been rigged for you to lose. If you play with the recommended sites that we’ve offered here, then this won’t be an issue for you since they have been completely and totally vetted. However, there have been cases in the past where unlicensed and modified versions of games from popular providers like Net Entertainment and Microgaming have been offered up to players who were completely fleeced in the process.
Avoiding this type of situation is easy, and all you have to do is stick to the major brands that we have suggested here. Going with shady or lesser known operators can only lead to a massive headache at best and the loss of a ton of money at worst, so do yourself a favor and stick to the big names like those that we’ve offered up as the top options for high stakes players.
Withdrawal limit issues
One final tip we have for high rollers is to stick to sites that have high withdrawal limits. Some have extremely low limits that can go down to the $500 to $1,000 per week level, and that’s simply not going to work for someone who can bring down several thousand dollars in winnings at one time like most high stakes players can. Winning a big prize at sites with unacceptable withdrawal limits could take you months or years to completely claim, and nobody wants to deal with that. You can avoid it by staying with the sites that we have suggested here.