Difference between standard and progressive wheel

Difference between standard and progressive wheel

Material refers to "What are prize wheel slots?" and systematically parses two key wheel formats: standard (fixed prizes) and progressive (savings banks/jackpots).

1) Basic definitions

Wheel of prizes - bonus interface with sectors. The outcome is selected by the server RNG before the animation; visualization does not affect the result.
The standard wheel is a set of fixed outcomes (money, multipliers, freespins, upgrade/transition), their values ​ ​ and weights are constant for the game version.
Progressive wheel - among the outcomes there are accumulative prizes: their value increases from the contributions of players and/or time, then resets to seed (starting value).

2) Standard wheel architecture

Composition:

• Sectors: fixed cache in bets (5 ×, 20 ×, 100 ×), multipliers, packages of freespins, upgrades to the next wheel.
• Weights: set the frequency of loss (large prizes - small weights).
• Triggers: scatter/bonus, progress bar, casual prok, buying feature.

Math (waiting for one spin):

• $$
• EV_{ext{std}}=\sum_{i=1}^n p_i \cdot V_i
• $$

where $ p _ i $ is the probability of the sector, $ V _ i $ is the value of the prize in the bets.

Contribution to RTP on spin:

• $$
• RTP_{ext{std}} = q \cdot \frac{EV_{ext{std}}}{B}
• $$

$ q $ is the probability of the wheel starting on one spin, $ B $ is the bet.

Profile: higher bonus frequency, predictable payout range, low/medium variance.

3) Progressive wheel architecture

What is added:

• Sectors with jackpots (Mini/Minor/Major/Grand) or access to a separate jackpot wheel.
• Accumulation mechanism: the share of each rate (contribution, e.g. 1-5%) goes to the bank (s).
• After winning, the bank is reset to seed.

Types of progressives:

• Local - accumulates within one casino/instance of the game.
• Network (pooled) - fills with bets from many sites, grows faster.
• Must-drop - required to fall in amount (amount-by) or time (time-by); the probability of a trigger is programmatically increased in the "window" before the deadline/ceiling.

Jackpot component math (per spin):

Per-spin chance of breaking a specific jackpot:
• $$

\lambda = q \cdot p_{J	wheel}
$$


Expected jackpot value:
• $$
• EV_J = \lambda \cdot J
• $$

Contribution to RTP:
• $$
• RTP_J = \frac{EV_J}{B}
• $$

Total: $ RTP _ {ext {total}} = RTP_{ext{baza}} + RTP_{ext{std}} + RTP_J$.

Profile: less often trigger, high potential payout, high variance. In the must-drop "window," the variance is locally lower, but the large variance persists.

4) Comparison by key parameters



Parameter	Standard Wheel	Progressive Wheel
Prizes	Fix Cache/FS/Multipliers/Upgrades	Same + Progressive Banks/Jackpots
Value Source	Table of Values and Weights	Table + Dynamic Bank $ J $
Bonus frequency	Relatively higher	Lower (sometimes wheel → jackpot wheel access)
Payout Range	Narrow/Medium, Predictable	Wide, Rare Large Peaks
Dispersion	Low/Medium	High/Very High
Bet Management	Linear Prize Scale	Often Jackpot Chance ∝ Bet and/or Minimum Denominations Required
Psychology	Frequent "small joys"	Long "dry" segments for the sake of a rare peak
Best case	Short sessions, budget control	"Hunt" for a major hit, long sessions/bankroll


5) Frequent wheel configurations

Standard single-level: frequent hits 2 × -20 ×, rare 50 × -100 ×; apg sectors for repeat/improvement.
Standard ladder: wheel-1 (small caches + upgrade), wheel-2 (larger), wheel-3 (peaks).
Progressive straight: Mini/Major/Grand sectors on wheel; $ p _ {J'wheel} $ very small for Grand.
Progressive through access: wheel-1 → "jackpot wheel" (choice from Mini/Major/Grand).
Must-drop amount-by: pot in the range $ [S; C]$; closer to $ C $ trigger chance higher in design.

6) Practical selection scenarios

Mini-bankroll, short sessions: standard wheel - stable mini-winnings, higher frequency.
Long session, goal - major peak: progressive wheel - readiness for "dry" series.
Hunting for EV in must-drop: play closer to the threshold/deadline, but take into account competition and still high variance.
Comfortable pace: look at the trigger frequency $ q $ (indirectly - according to the description/experience), the presence of upgrades and repetitions.

7) Numerical mini-example

Let the bet be $ B = $1.
Standard wheel: $ q = 1/$ 80, $ EV _ {ext {std}} = 18B $.
RTP contribution: $ RTP _ {ext {std}} = (1/80 )\cdot 18 = 22 {,} 5% $.

Progressive component: $ q = 1/200 $, $ p _ {J'wheel} = 1/500 $ ⇒ $\lambda = 1/100 {,} 000 $.
Current pot $ J = 50 {,} 000 $. Then
$ EV _ J = 0 {,} 00001\cdot 50 {,} 000 = 0 {,} 5 $ c.u.;
$RTP_J = 0{,}5 / 1 = 50%$.
Bottom line: with this $ J $, the jackpot makes a big contribution, but in practice $ J $ fluctuates, and basic payments are often "restrained" to meet the target RTP game.

8) Risks and limitations

Bet/par qualification for jackpots.
Contribution reduces the share of bets available on regular payouts (balance at the level of the entire game).
Max win games/features limits the resulting multipliers even at the jackpot.
Control illusions: Click/platform timing does not affect outcome; result selected by RNG prior to animation.
Series length: progressive requires more bankroll and exposure to dispersion.

9) Checklist before start

1. Type of wheel: are there progressives/must-drop, single-level or multi-level.
2. Conditions of admission: minimum rate, participation of bonus funds.
3. Prize details: what the multipliers apply to (bet/win/total), caps, upgrades.
4. Frequency $ q $: how often you actually see the wheel (by description/experience).
5. Bankroll and limits: set stop loss/stop wines and session duration in advance.

10) Withdrawal

Standard wheel - more often, smoother, more predictable; optimal for short sessions and variance control.
Progressive wheel - less often, riskier, but with a chance of a major peak; rationally with sufficient bankroll and readiness for "dry" periods.
The choice depends on the goal (stability vs "jackpot hunt"), risk tolerance and available budget, with the requirement unchanged: to play only on licensed platforms with a certified RNG.