Do 5-Dollar Slots Pay Better?

Mike Lorente
Senior Author
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Slot players try out many slot games with different themes, mechanics, and betting limits. The return percentages are directly related to the betting limits. In this article, our experts at CasinoTopsOnline will discuss whether five-dollar slots pay better than lower denomination slots. 

Payout Percentages Versus Denominations

As mentioned, it’s a fact that payout percentages increase with betting limits. A slot’s payout percentage will be higher with a $5 denomination stake than with a five-penny stake. This makes sense mathematically. 

Should you get a nice payout betting $5, you’d have done way better while playing a five cents bet. Therefore it could be said that playing a $5 machine could be a better bet for you in the long run. However, your luck in each session is unpredictable. Using this argument, it must be mentioned that losses could also be substantial. 

Progressive Jackpot Slots

Many ask whether playing a $5 bet on higher progressive jackpot slots is better. There are two scenarios. Progressive jackpot slots with payouts above $100,000 more than likely require maximum bets of $100 for the progressive jackpot to pay out. The minimum bet maybe $5; if you bet $5, you’d only play one payline. One could conclude that this isn’t worth your five bucks or even the effort. 

On the other hand, a progressive jackpot slot with a lower jackpot (around $10,000) may have a maximum bet of $5 and a minimum bet of 10 cents. Should you play with your five bucks, it would cover all paylines, thus increasing your chances of a good payout (plus a chance at winning the jackpot).

Hitting the Paylines

Slot machines don’t typically differ when it comes to line payouts. Suppose you’re playing a 10 cents low-limit game with a maximum bet of five dollars. You may get 25 paylines for your stake. Each payline will pay more. However, there are fewer lines that you can hit. This type of game will more than likely be rated as a slot with high volatility. 

Now, suppose you’re playing a slot game with high betting 10 cents denomination limits. You’ll more than likely see 50 paylines. This is twice as many lines as the 25-pay line game, which means payouts will also be half. However, you have more chances of hitting a line more often. This slot will indeed be rated as a medium or low-volatility game. Playing a $5 maximum bet could result in more considerable payouts.

Remember the RTP Percentage

The Return to Player (RTP) percentages are of great significance. RTP percentages are obtained after millions of spins on a slot machine and represent the average payouts that you can expect from a slot machine (should you play it millions of times). It doesn’t directly mean that if you play $100, you’ll get $97 back in return from the slot machine (should the RTP be 97%).

This is a terrible misconception. All slots are unpredictable as they’re powered by Random Number Generators (RNGs) that are programmed to work according to specific algorithms. Although we’ve tried to explain the mechanics of paylines and betting limits, it doesn’t guarantee a payout. This is merely a guideline. 

Mike Lorente

Mike Lorente

Author & Casino Bonus Expert

829 Articles
With expertise and a knowledge base on casino bonuses that has become extensive over the years, Mike delivers detailed articles and goes the extra mile to help players around the world make an informed decision which is beneficial to them.
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