AP Glossary
WhatIsBaseGame?
The regular slot game excluding progressive jackpots and bonus features. The base game return is typically 85-92% for modern slots, with the remaining return coming from bonuses and progressives.
Why It Matters
Why this matters for advantage play
Base game return is the floor of your expected cost during a +EV chase. If a machine's base game returns 90%, every $100 you put through costs you about $10 in expected loss before you factor in bonus or progressive value. Knowing this lets you compute how high a meter needs to climb to flip the play to +EV.
Cross-Reference
Related terms
Base Game Return
The expected payback percentage of the slot's regular spins, excluding progressive contributions and bonus features. Knowing this helps calculate total RTP when adding progressive and bonus value.
RTP (Return to Player)
The theoretical percentage of wagered money returned to players over time. A 95% RTP means $95 returned per $100 wagered on average. RTP above 100% indicates a +EV situation.
Hold
The percentage of coin-in that the casino keeps. A machine with 8% hold returns 92% to players (92% RTP). Hold is the inverse of RTP.
House Edge
The casino's built-in mathematical advantage on a game, expressed as a percentage. On a slot with 92% RTP, the house edge is 8%. Advantage play temporarily reverses this edge on specific machines in specific conditions.
Frequently Asked
Common questions about base game
Total RTP includes payouts from bonus rounds and progressive jackpots. The base game alone returns less because some of the certified payback is held back to fund bonus triggers and progressive contributions.
Some manufacturers publish par sheets, but most are confidential. Reverse-engineering from observed bonus rates and total certified RTP is the practical way advantage players estimate base game return on unfamiliar games.
Yes — many games ship with multiple certified RTP versions, and casinos choose which version to deploy. The same title can run at 86% in one property and 94% in another, which directly changes the AP threshold.
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