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How to read a game
The terms and labels worth knowing before the game guides make sense. These pieces do not forecast results, encourage play, or point to any operator.
- 25Microgaming's 36 releases since 2025, read by the numbersThis catalogue lists 36 Microgaming slots released on or after 1 January 2025. Here are the counts by quarter, the RTP and volatility spread, the formats and the titles whose published figures stand out — all from catalogue figures.MG releases · 6 minRead →
- 24Microgaming's Power Combo titles: what is published and what is notEleven listings — nine titles — in this catalogue carry “Power Combo” in the name, all from Microgaming. Here is the release order, the published RTP, volatility and format for each, the titles listed twice, and how much the catalogue actually says about the feature.Power Combo · 6 minRead →
- 23How to read minimum and maximum bet listingsOf the 2,458 slots in this catalogue, 919 publish both a minimum and a maximum bet. Here is which studios publish them, the typical values, the widest and narrowest ranges, the absence of any currency unit, and the single RTP each title lists regardless of stake.Bet ranges · 6 minRead →
- 22Hit frequency: what it tells you and what it does notHit frequency is the share of spins that return any win. Only three studios in this catalogue publish it, and one of them uses a different range altogether. Here is how to read the number, and why it should not be read as volatility.Hit frequency · 6 minRead →
- 21Feature buy: what the button actually buysA feature buy is an option to enter the bonus round straight away. Here is when it became common, how many titles carry it by studio, and what the button does not change — all from catalogue figures.Feature buy · 6 minRead →
- 20Microgaming vs Nolimit City: a broad catalogue and a narrow, deep oneNolimit City publishes RTP, a volatility index and a win cap for all 142 of its slots. Set against Microgaming's 145, the RTP spread, cap distribution and volatility labels all come out differently. Here are the differences and the limits of the comparison.Studio comparison · 6 minRead →
- 19Microgaming vs PG Soft: maximum-build RTP and a blank volatility fieldPG Soft's RTP is a maximum-build figure, and PG Soft entries on this site carry no volatility. Comparing Microgaming's 145 slots with PG Soft's 174, this piece shows how those two facts change the way the numbers read.Studio comparison · 6 minRead →
- 18Microgaming vs NetEnt: a grade and an index do not translateMicrogaming publishes volatility as a word grade and NetEnt as an index, and there is no conversion between them. This piece compares 145 and 230 slots by format, RTP, caps and years, and explains why NetEnt has no demos here.Studio comparison · 6 minRead →
- 17Microgaming vs Play'n GO: one grade against three figuresPlay'n GO publishes more figures than any other studio on this site. This piece sets Microgaming's 145 slots against Play'n GO's 479 by format, volatility, RTP and caps, and explains how a default-build RTP changes the comparison.Studio comparison · 7 minRead →
- 16Microgaming vs Pragmatic Play: catalogue shape and how each publishesOn this site Microgaming carries 145 slots and Pragmatic Play 733. This piece sets their format mix, volatility labels and published RTP and win caps side by side, and marks which of those comparisons are inexact.Studio comparison · 7 minRead →
- 15Reading a slot through its demoA demo is where you can check what a spec sheet leaves out. Here is an order for going through one — from the info screen to the bet levels — and how to note what you see.Reading demos · 6 minRead →
- 14A live table rules primer: baccarat, roulette, blackjackThe core rules of the three games that fill most of a live lobby, what tends to vary from table to table, and where to find a given table's own rules.Live casino · 6 minRead →
- 13Jackpot structures: fixed, progressive and named tiers“Jackpot” covers several different structures. Here is the difference between fixed and progressive, and what tier names such as Mini, Major and Grand do and do not tell you.Jackpots · 5 minRead →
- 12Clusters, cascades and pay-anywhereThe three often appear together but are different rules: two are ways of counting a win, one is what happens after a win. Here is how they differ and why they are combined.Pay mechanics · 5 minRead →
- 11Reading a Hold and Win roundRounds that lock symbols and respin only the empty positions go by many names, but the skeleton is similar. Here are the lock, the respin counter and the tier labels, in order.Feature rounds · 5 minRead →
- 10How Megaways counts its waysA number like 117,649 on a Megaways screen is the product of reel heights that change every spin. Here is the arithmetic, what the number does not say, and the similar names around it.Reel layouts · 5 minRead →
- 09What a “Speed” live table actually changesA live lobby usually carries a standard and a Speed version of the same game side by side. What the name changes is time — not the rules and not the odds. Here is what moves and what does not.Live casino · 5 minRead →
- 08What a win cap says, and what it does not“Max win 50,000x” is the loudest number on a spec sheet, and it is a rule-book ceiling rather than a probability. Here is how to read it, against the actual spread across the 1,954 titles here that publish one.Win caps · 6 minRead →
- 07Same game, different RTP — the idea of a configurationThe RTP on a spec sheet and the RTP in an actual lobby can differ. That is not an error — it is the concept of a configuration, and knowing the structure keeps the two numbers apart.RTP · 5 minRead →
- 06How to log felt volatility from a demo sessionThe studio's grade and your on-screen impression are different values. How to write the impression down without confusing the two.Session notes · 5 minRead →
- 05How to read a slot paytableThe paytable is where a game states its own rules. Here is what to look at, and in what order.Paytables · 6 minRead →
- 04Why volatility is not a prediction"High" and "low" describe the shape of results. Neither describes what happens next.Volatility · 5 minRead →
- 03A live blackjack table: key labelsA live table states its own rules on screen. Here is which label decides what.Live casino · 6 minRead →
- 02What RTP can and cannot explain96% is a theoretical long-run figure. It says nothing about one session.RTP · 5 minRead →
- 01How feature-round terms are usedFree spins, hold and win, cascades, Megaways — the same words are used differently by different studios.Feature terms · 6 minRead →