Hit frequency (definition and examples)
Hit frequency is how often a round pays anything. See why Sun Temple's 35.98 percent hit rate hides a 10.46 percent chance of beating your bet.
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Hit frequency is the proportion of rounds in which a game returns something. If a slot pays on 30 spins out of 100, its hit frequency is 30 percent. It tells you how often you will see a win on screen, and says nothing by itself about how large the wins are.
It is not the same as RTP. RTP is the total share paid back; hit frequency is how often the paying happens.
The catch: a "win" can be less than your bet
Many games count any payout, even one smaller than the stake, as a hit. That can make a game feel more generous than it is. Sun Temple's published odds show the difference:
| Result of one spin | Chance |
|---|---|
| No win | 64.02% |
| Wins up to 1x your bet | 25.52% |
| Wins from 1x to under 2x | 4.64% |
| Any win | 35.98% |
| A win bigger than your bet | 10.46% |
More than one in four spins shows a win animation but returns no more than the bet, so you end the spin level or behind. Only about one spin in ten leaves you ahead. When you read a hit frequency, ask whether a "hit" means any payout or a profit.
Hit frequency across games
The three-reel Slots game at its low-risk setting pays on about 68 percent of spins, because many small combinations return a fraction of the stake. At the high-risk setting it pays on about 30 percent of spins but has a much larger top prize. Same 97 percent RTP, very different feel. The Wheel makes it plainer: a high-risk wheel pays on 1 segment in 10, a low-risk wheel on 7 in 10.
Common misconceptions
- "High hit frequency means a loose game." The hits may be tiny.
- "If a game has not hit for a while, a hit is due." Each spin is independent. See Gambler's fallacy (definition and example).
- "Hit frequency is on the box, so it is the same as the odds of winning big." The chance of a big win is a separate, much smaller number.
Chances for every result in a Cashout Arcade game are on the Odds page. For how hit frequency, return and swing fit together see Volatility (definition and examples) and Volatility in Casino Games: Why Results Swing.