Hit frequency
What is Hit frequency?
Hit frequency is the percentage of spins that produce any win, even one smaller than the bet placed. A game with a 25% hit frequency pays out on roughly one spin in four. It is a volatility indicator: a high frequency points to frequent but small wins, while a low frequency signals rare wins that may be significantly larger.
What frequency measures and does not measure
Hit frequency indicates the probability of receiving a win, not its size. A game can show a 30% frequency while still being high volatility if most of those wins are very small. Frequency should always be read alongside the win distribution and the potential maximum win of the game.
Relationship with volatility and RTP
A low-volatility game generally shows a higher hit frequency with modest individual wins. A high-volatility game displays a lower frequency offset by occasional large payouts. The overall RTP remains the same in both cases, but the distribution of returns over time is very different.
Available data
Hit frequency is not always officially disclosed by publishers. Some include it in their game specification sheets; others do not. Players can estimate it empirically over extended demo-mode sessions, though a statistically meaningful sample requires a large number of spins.