Slot Variance Quickstarter
While all machines will pay out the very smallest prizes with some regularity in order to keep you interested, you will often hear of slot sites games being referred to in the following ways.
Variance is one of the most influential background mechanics in online slot games, and it can have a major effect on how a slot plays and pays out to you. Compare the best high variance slots and where you can play them, and brush up on the concept with our in-depth guide to how slot variance works.
Variance, or volatility, is arguably the most important factor to consider when you’re selecting an online slot.
Our guide below will take you through everything you need to know about what it is and how it works.
If you’re already in the know, or our guide whets your appetite, our rankings of the best high volatility slots will show you the best high-risk, high-reward slots and where you can play them.
Compare sites and slots, read expert reviews, and sign up to your best fit.
Rank | Slot Game | Reels | Paylines | VARIANCE | RTP | Claim Bonus | ||
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1
|
Reels
5
|
Paylines
10
|
VARIANCE
High
|
RTP
96.21%
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Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead of a classic online slot that you'll see featured at the top end of most online casino's slot catalogues. It's a firm favourite among players and it's frequently featured for free spins bonuses and welcome bonus packages. This Play'n GO game is a high volatility slot with a decent RTP at 96.21%, minimum bets of 1p and maximum bets of £100. The Egypt-themed slot features a free spins bonus round with an expanding wild, and there's a maximum multiplier of 5000x for the luckiest players.
Book of Dead slot review.
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2
|
Reels
5
|
Paylines
9
|
VARIANCE
High
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RTP
96.82%
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This gunslinging slot from NetEnt is another popular one among slots fans set in the Wild West. With high volatility it's not for the faint of heart, but it has a solid maximum RTP of 96.82% to sweeten the deal. You could accrue a huge multiplier of 13,888x your stake if you're lucky, with sticky wilds and free spins to help you along the way. Its maximum bet is £18, which isn't the highest, but lower limits can be beneficial for high volatility slots players expecting rare payouts.
Dead Or Alive slot review.
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3
|
Reels
5
|
Paylines
243
|
VARIANCE
High
|
RTP
96.86%
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In recent years, Microgaming’s Immortal Romance has been one of the best slots for winning. There are 243 different ways to win on this 5x3 video slot, producing an RTP rate of 96.8%. Wagers range from 30p to £30, with a jackpot payout of 12,150x the stake. Immortal Romance is a high variance slot – big wins are extremely hard to come by, and players should expect frequent but smaller payouts instead. In fact, Immortal Romance’s hit frequency of 31.21% means that on average, players will find a winning combination almost every three spins.
Immortal Romance slot review. |
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4
|
Reels
5
|
Paylines
243
|
VARIANCE
Medium
|
RTP
96.67%
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Based on the iconic Spielberg film adaptation, Microgaming's Jurassic Park slot brings the easy spectacle of dinosaurs while its high volatility replicates the terror one bearing down on you. There are 243 paylines on this slot across a 5x3 grid, with symbols featuring various dinosaurs and characters from the 1993 classic such as Dr Ian Malcolm, velociraptors, and the scene-stealing T-Rex.
Jurassic Park slot review.
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5
|
Reels
5
|
Paylines
15
|
VARIANCE
High
|
RTP
97.04%
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NetEnt’s Steam Tower comes with five reels, 15 paylines, and an RTP of 97.04%, making it one of the best paying slot games in the UK. Bet limits range from £0.15 to £150, with the biggest jackpot win paying out at 2,000x the stake. During the free spins bonus round – triggered by stacking Wild icons – all bet lines are subject to the in-play multiplier, which updates prior to each free spin and according to the level players are on.
Steam Tower slot review.
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Online gambling can be great fun, but it isn’t without its pitfalls. So before you wager your hard-earned cash, let Before You Play arm you with the essential knowledge you need to maximise your enjoyment and protect yourself from gambling’s potential harms.
Take a look at Before You PlayBefore we recommend any site on TopRatedCasinos.co.uk, it goes through a rigorous review process carried out by our experts. We look at a wide range of criteria, helping you select a high variance slots site based on your own preferences and needs. Let’s take a look at some of the factors we consider.
Before we do anything else, we check for a valid UKGC licence. This is a legal requirement for UK casino operators, and offers a degree of protection to players due to regulations around fairness, data protection, and responsible gambling. We’ll never recommend an unlicensed casino, slot site, or sportsbook and you should never play at one.
Our players are looking for a diverse range of games. In the case of high variance slots sites, we’ll be looking for both popular titles and new releases that meet this requirement. Alongside slots, we want to see broad coverage within the table game and live dealer categories. We’re also on the lookout for additional genres like bingo, poker, and instant win games.
It’s no secret that a generous welcome bonus can be the deciding factor in which slot site you opt to play at, whether it’s a hefty bundle of free spins or a flexible matched deposit. When we evaluate a site’s welcome bonus, we’re not just looking at size. We comb through the terms and conditions and give you a clear picture of the true value of the bonus.
Easily moving your money in and out of your account is an essential part of a great casino experience. The more payment methods supported, the better. We want to see debit cards and e-wallets at a minimum, but inclusion of alternatives like Trustly, Paysafecard, and pay by phone services is a good way to score top marks with our readers.
Many of our players like to enjoy high variance slots on the go, and top-notch mobile compatibility is a must. A fully optimised mobile site that can be accessed via the browser is the minimum we look for here, but the very best casinos with high variance slots offer a downloadable app for a more fine-tuned experience.
It’s good to know the casino has your back if you run into any problems. Live chat is a common option here, and we particularly love sites that offer 24/7 support. For less pressing matters, an in-depth FAQs section makes it easy to find answers in a pinch.
With so many casinos vying for your interest, how do you choose between them? If you’d like to play some of the best high variance slots around, all you have to do is follow these simple steps.
Low variance slots tend to pay out more often, but the value of these payouts will be quite modest. Low variance slots are a fantastic option for beginners, or for players who are looking for a more steady, low-risk and low-reward gambling experience.
These games pay out more often than high variance slots, at higher values than low variance slots. Medium variants slots are arguably the most popular, offering the best of both worlds, although beginners and high rollers alike will likely prefer playing on the low and high variance ends of the spectrum respectively.
The most volatile of the bunch, high variance slots pay out less frequently, but when they do the value of the payout is often large. These slots are recommended for high rollers or those looking for a bit more risk vs reward, as long losing streaks can often burn through smaller bankrolls.
Name | Release year | Developer | RTP | Variance | Paylines | Min bet | Max bet | Max bet | Mobile | Claim Bonus | Review | Information |
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Medusa Megaways |
Release year
|
Developer
|
RTP
97.6%
|
VARIANCE
High
|
Paylines
117649
|
Min bet
25p
|
Max bet
£63
|
Mobile
|
Progressive
|
Developed in collaboration with NextGen Gaming and Scientific Games, Medusa Megaways builds on the success of the original Medusa title by utilising the famous Megaways payline structure. The use of this mechanic generates 117,649 different ways to win on this high variance slot, which also comes with an RTP of 97.6%.
The game takes place among the ruins of ancient Greece, where Medusa has laid her snare. There are loads of bonus features to look out for here, including free spins, avalanche reels, multipliers, wilds and scatters. The free spins bonus round also incorporates a gambling function, where players can opt to spin again in the hope of more lucrative returns. Bets range from 25p to £63, and there’s a top prize worth 750x the stake.
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Jammin Jars |
Release year
|
Developer
|
RTP
95.25%
|
VARIANCE
High
|
|
Min bet
20p
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Max bet
£100
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Mobile
|
Progressive
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Head to the disco with Push Gaming’s Jammin’ Jars and feel like you’re on the set of Saturday Night Fever. Fans of Bejewelled Blitz and similar titles will be right at home here, with players required to find combos of four to trigger a win and launch the avalanche feature.
We’re only interested in fruit in this high variance slot, with apples, oranges, plums and all manner of berries filling up the reels. The only exception are the jam jar wilds, which build multipliers whenever they’re included in a win — land three of them anywhere on the 8x8 grid and you’ll receive some free spins, during which the jam jar wilds stick in place. There’s a max jackpot worth a huge 20,000x the stake and bets range from 20p to £100.
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Genie Jackpots Megaways |
Release year
|
Developer
|
RTP
96.52%
|
VARIANCE
High
|
Paylines
15625
|
Min bet
10p
|
Max bet
£10
|
Mobile
|
Progressive
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Another slot on our list that follows the Megaways payline structure, Genie Jackpots is a product of the Blueprint Gaming studio. The best thing about this slot is the genie himself, who will appear randomly to present players with three magic lamps: select one of them and you’ll receive a gift from the genie.
The base game itself will bring small returns, but players can make up for this during the free spins round, where locked wilds, unlimited multipliers and other bonus features come into play. Bets can start as low as 10p, rising to a modest £10 — players could win 10,000x their stake on this slot.
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|
|
Release year
|
Developer
|
RTP
96.21%
|
VARIANCE
High
|
Paylines
10
|
Min bet
50p
|
Max bet
£50
|
Mobile
|
Progressive
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Since its 2016 release, Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead has become a mainstay across the UK’s online slots scene. Regularly offered as the targeted game for free spins welcome bonuses — a rarity for slots with high payout potential — Book of Dead sees the eponymous Rich Wilde take on Osiris and Anubis in this 5×3-reel game.
Play’n GO offers a huge range of stake options here by giving players the chance to alter the number of paylines as well as the number of coins played on each spin. This slot’s multiplier can reach 10,000x your stake during the bonus rounds, with a potential max jackpot of £500,000.
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Pink Elephants 2 |
Release year
|
Developer
|
RTP
96.1%
|
VARIANCE
High
|
Paylines
4096
|
Min bet
20p
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Max bet
£100
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Mobile
|
Progressive
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Pink Elephants 2 from Thunderkick is the most alternative slot on our list in terms of style, owing much to the zany world of Lewis Carroll’s stories. Stakes range from 20p to £100 in this game, offering players a potential max jackpot worth 10,000x their wager.
As well as the striking pink elephants, which are this slot’s highest paying symbol, you’ll want to look out for the golden peanuts. Landing anywhere between three and six of these on the reels will trigger a round of free spins: three peanuts will gift seven free spins, while six peanuts will deliver the maximum number of 19. |
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You might have noticed the absence of three major software developers in the list above, but we’ve reserved spaces for high variance slot games provided by Playtech, NetEnt and Microgaming, starting with the three top titles from Playtech here:
Name | Release year | Developer | RTP | Variance | Paylines | Min bet | Max bet | Max bet | Mobile | Claim Bonus | Review | Information |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Release year
|
Developer
|
RTP
97%
|
VARIANCE
High
|
Paylines
4096
|
Min bet
40p
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Max bet
£200
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Mobile
|
Progressive
|
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Great Blue |
Release year
|
Developer
|
RTP
94.3%
|
VARIANCE
Medium
|
Paylines
25
|
Min bet
25p
|
Max bet
£125
|
Mobile
|
Progressive
|
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White King |
Release year
|
Developer
|
RTP
90%
|
VARIANCE
High
|
Paylines
40
|
Min bet
40p
|
Max bet
£2000
|
Mobile
|
Progressive
|
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Here are our top three NetEnt slots in the high variance category:
Name | Release year | Developer | RTP | Variance | Paylines | Min bet | Max bet | Max bet | Mobile | Claim Bonus | Review | Information |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Release year
|
Developer
|
RTP
96.82%
|
VARIANCE
High
|
Paylines
9
|
Min bet
9p
|
Max bet
£18
|
Mobile
|
Progressive
|
|
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The Wish Master |
Release year
|
Developer
|
RTP
96.6%
|
VARIANCE
High
|
Paylines
20
|
Min bet
20p
|
Max bet
£100
|
Mobile
|
Progressive
|
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Rome The Golden Age |
Release year
|
Developer
|
RTP
96%
|
VARIANCE
Medium-High
|
Paylines
20
|
Min bet
20p
|
Max bet
£100
|
Mobile
|
Progressive
|
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And finally, here are our recommendations for high variance Microgaming slots:
Name | Release year | Developer | RTP | Variance | Paylines | Min bet | Max bet | Max bet | Mobile | Claim Bonus | Review | Information |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Release year
|
Developer
|
RTP
96.86%
|
VARIANCE
High
|
Paylines
243
|
Min bet
30p
|
Max bet
£6
|
Mobile
|
Progressive
|
|
|||
Release year
|
Developer
|
RTP
96.67%
|
VARIANCE
Medium
|
Paylines
243
|
Min bet
30p
|
Max bet
£15
|
Mobile
|
Progressive
|
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Break Da Bank Again |
Release year
|
Developer
|
RTP
95.4%
|
VARIANCE
High
|
Paylines
9
|
Min bet
1p
|
Max bet
25p
|
Mobile
|
Progressive
|
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High variance slots offer larger payouts at infrequent rates. Online slots can be categorised into low, medium or high variance games.
Although variance and volatility refer to the same thing, there are slight nuances in their definitions. Variance is a term derived from poker, referring to the rate at which outcomes deviate from the expectation. Volatility simply refers to how often players win, and how big the win is when they do. But for the purposes of online slots, these two terms are interchangeable.
There are loads of low volatility slots available at online casinos. Three of our favourites are NetEnt’s Starburst, Microgaming’s Thunderstruck II, and Real Time Gaming’s Enchanted Garden II.
Medium variance slots sit between the high variance and low variance thresholds. This means that payouts will be a mixture of large and small and will occur at fairly regular intervals.
Yes, many slot developers host free versions of their titles on their own websites. Free games offer a good way to practise spinning the reels with zero financial risk.
Guy is a Writer and Editor for TopRatedCasinos.co.uk with three years’ experience in the online gambling space. You’ll find his name across the site, from detailed guides on all things to casino to reviews of the latest brands in the market. Outside work he’s a big fan of football and cricket, often found lamenting the fortunes of his beloved Tottenham Hotspur, and slings himself around the world as often as he can.