Bustabit Rules and How to Play: The 99% RTP Crash Game

Bustabit is a simple game in which you predict how high a multiplier will climb on a chart like those often seen in stock trading. It is popular because it is easy to play and has a high return to player (RTP) of 99%, which keeps long-term losses small.

What You Will Learn

• Bustabit is a game in which you bet on how high the multiplier on a chart will climb.
• Many online casinos offer spin-off games with very similar rules, such as Aviator and Spaceman.
• The original game has an RTP of 99%. Long-term losses are small, but that does not mean you win more often.

This article takes about 11 minutes to read.

What Is Bustabit?

Bustabit is a simple game in which you predict how high the multiplier will climb on a chart like those used for stocks and cryptocurrencies. Although the game uses a chart, no knowledge of investing is needed, and its simple rules make it easy for beginners to play, which has helped make it popular.

As the “bit” in its name suggests, it began as a Bitcoin game. Today it can be played on the original site, and spin-off games with the same rules are also available at online casinos.

Bustabit has also inspired a large number of spin-off games with very similar rules, such as Aviator and Spaceman, which are offered at many online casinos. The recommended crash games are covered in “Recommended Bustabit-Style Crash Games” below.

Bustabit Rules and How the Game Works

In bustabit, you bet on how high the multiplier on a chart will climb.

The chart starts at 1x and rises gradually: 1.01x, 1.02x and so on. After climbing for a while, it suddenly stops at some point. This is called a “bust.”

Players place their bets based on how high they expect the chart to go. If the chart reaches your target multiplier, you are paid your bet times that multiplier.

For example, if you bet $10 with a target of 2x and the chart reaches 2.00x or higher, you get $20 back, including your stake. If it busts at 1.99x or lower, you get nothing back.

A round can end at 1.00x, in which case every player loses, or it can climb to 1,000x or higher. There is a 1% chance of a bust at 1.00x, and when that happens the house takes every bet. Some players cash out at around 1.1x, which is reached often, while others bet on the chart climbing to 1,000x or higher.

In theory, the expected value is the same whichever multiplier you aim for. Only the variance (the size of the swings in your results) changes. A defining feature of bustabit is that you can choose the level of risk that suits you.

How to Play Bustabit

The screenshots in this section come from Aviator, a spin-off game available at a number of online casinos, but the basic steps are the same in bustabit and Crash.

The Three Steps of Bustabit

1. Set up your bet
2. Place your bet and start the round
3. Cash out whenever you choose

Step 1

Set Up Your Bet

Before the round starts, set your bet amount. Bets are accepted for only about 5 seconds after the previous round ends. You can set your bet for the next round while the current one is still running, so it is best to do this in advance.

In bustabit, you normally bet in Bitcoin (the minimum bet is 1 bit, or 100 satoshis), while in Aviator you bet in the currency of your casino account. The value of a Bitcoin bet in your local currency changes with the price of Bitcoin.

Useful Feature: Auto Cash-Out

Auto cash-out is a feature that cashes out automatically as soon as the chart reaches a multiplier you set.

If you set auto cash-out at 2x, for example, you are cashed out the moment the chart reaches 2x, so you do not miss your target through a slow reaction or a mis-click.

Note that you are cashed out at the multiplier you set even if the chart keeps climbing. If you are aiming for a high multiplier, either leave the feature off or set it high. Changing the multiplier does not change the expected value; it only changes the variance.

Step 2

Place Your Bet and Start the Round

Once you have chosen your bet amount, press the button to join the round. Once your balance drops by the amount of your bet, your bet has been placed.

From this point until the result is decided, never reload the page. If the chart busts while the page is reloading, you could lose your money.

Step 3

Cash Out Whenever You Choose

As the multiplier rises, you can cash out at any point before the chart busts. When you cash out successfully, you are paid your bet times the multiplier.

For example, if you bet $10 and cash out when the chart reaches 5x, you get $10 × 5 = $50 back, including your stake.

At some point, however, the number on the chart suddenly turns red and “BUSTED” appears. If you have not cashed out by then, you lose your bet.

The same applies if your cash-out request does not reach the server because of a mis-click, a page reload or a connection problem.

Three Features of Bustabit

Bustabit stands out for its high RTP and for the freedom to choose your own target multiplier.

99% RTP: Easier to Limit Long-Term Losses

Bustabit’s RTP is high compared with many casino games. Return to player (RTP) is a theoretical figure that shows how much of the money players bet is paid back to them on average, and the original bustabit has an RTP of 99%.

Because a large share of what players stake comes back on average (in other words, the house keeps only a small cut), long-term losses are easier to keep down than in slots, roulette and many other games. However, 99% is still below 100%, so over the long run you will lose money. Keep in mind as well that a high RTP is not the same as winning often (a high win rate).

The spin-off games are also set at high RTPs. Crash, a crypto casino’s in-house (“originals”) game, has an RTP of 99%, and Aviator, available at many online casinos, has an RTP of 97%. Combining these games with cashback or rebates can reduce your real losses further, but it does not remove the house edge.

Simple Rules That Beginners Can Pick Up Easily

The rules of bustabit are simple. If you cash out before the chart busts, you are paid; if you are too late, you lose your bet.

No special knowledge is needed while you play. Unlike casino games that require you to learn a lot in advance, such as blackjack basic strategy or card counting, you can start playing bustabit immediately.

You Choose Your Own Target Multiplier

In bustabit, you decide how far to ride the chart. This is a major difference from baccarat and roulette, where the payout for each bet is fixed in advance.

The algorithm that determines bustabit’s results is published, and the probability of reaching a given multiplier is 99% divided by that multiplier. The probability of reaching 2x or higher is 49.50%, 10x or higher 9.90%, and 100x or higher 0.99%. The game is designed so that risk and reward balance out whichever multiplier you aim for, so no target multiplier is better or worse than another in terms of expected value.

The Original Bustabit

Bustabit started out as a Bitcoin casino game.

If you search for bustabit today, you will still find a site called “bustabit – The original crash game.” Once you sign up and send Bitcoin to the site, you can start playing bustabit.

Until 2023, the original bustabit was also available at some online casinos, but today it can only be played on its own site. At online casinos, the options are limited to other crash games such as Aviator and Spaceman.

Recommended Bustabit-Style Crash Games

Here are three crash games with the same rules as bustabit that you can play at online casinos.

None of them is listed under the name “bustabit.” They go by names such as Aviator, Spaceman and Cash It, so search for each game by its own name when you look for it at a casino.

Many casinos also group these games under a “Crash Games” or “Arcade Games” category, so browsing that category is another way to find them.

Aviator

Aviator is a crash game developed by Spribe.

Each round lasts from the moment the plane takes off until it crashes, and all players in the round share the same multiplier.

Watch on YouTube ↗

Spaceman

Spaceman is a crash game developed by Pragmatic Play. The multiplier keeps rising for as long as the astronaut stays in flight.

Besides using auto cash-out, you can cash out half of your bet and let the other half keep riding.

Watch on YouTube ↗

Cash It

Cash It is a crash game from Playtech, with a stated max win of 5,000x. Features such as collecting only half of your payout let you play with smaller swings.

Bustabit Betting Tips and Approaches

You Cannot Predict the Next Bust from the History

Bustabit shows the multipliers from past rounds in the lower half of the screen. Some betting approaches try to use this history to predict the multiplier at which the next round will bust.

However, no round is affected by the rounds before it; each round is an independent event. A prediction such as “the last round ended at 1.1x, so the next one should reach 10x” has no basis.

The history can show you how often your target multiplier has been reached, but it cannot tell you the result of the next round.

Cash Out at Low Multipliers

Another approach is to set a low target multiplier and lock in your winnings as soon as the chart reaches it.

As noted above, the probability of reaching 2x or higher is 49.50%, so more than half of all rounds bust below 2x. The probability of reaching 1,000x or higher is 0.099%.

For this reason, cashing out early rather than holding on, even when the chart looks like it will keep climbing, makes your balance swing less from round to round, although the expected loss per dollar bet is the same.

Lower targets also produce smaller swings from round to round, so the same bankroll can support a larger bet per round. As your total amount bet grows, so does the amount that counts toward a rebate or cashback. The example below compares two approaches, each starting with a $100 bankroll.

• Betting $10 per round with a 2x target for 100 rounds: 50 wins and 50 losses
• Betting $1 per round with a 100x target for 100 rounds: just one win

Both players break even, but the total amount bet is $1,000 in the first case and $100 in the second. The first player has bet $900 more, so a larger amount counts toward a rebate or cashback.

With the same net result, a larger total bet earns a larger rebate or cashback, which reduces your real losses. This does not change the expected value of the game itself, however, and it does not remove the house edge.

Three Betting Systems Used in Bustabit

The three systems covered here change only the variance and how you manage your bankroll. They do not change the RTP or the expected value.

No betting system guarantees a win. Still, following a set plan rather than betting on impulse makes it easier to manage your bankroll consistently.

Flat Betting

The first system we recommend for beginners is flat betting, which means keeping your bet the same every round. With the same bet and the same target multiplier, every round is played under the same conditions.

Because flat betting drains your balance slowly, even a small bankroll lasts a long time. It is not suited to growing your balance quickly, however.

Martingale System

The best-known betting system is the Martingale system. You set your target multiplier at 2x, double your bet after each loss and go back to your original bet after a win.

The steps are simple enough for beginners, and the system is popular because, in theory, a single win after a losing streak recovers all previous losses and puts you back in profit.

A long losing streak, however, carries the risk of losing your entire bankroll. There is also a maximum bet, so after a certain number of losses in a row you can no longer double your bet. Keep in mind that raising or lowering your bet does not change the expected value; it only increases the variance.

Some websites and social media accounts sell paid “systems” or “strategies” for bustabit.

When you look at what these guides actually contain, many of them are essentially the Martingale system. Because a betting system only changes the variance and not the expected value, buying an expensive guide will not reduce your losses.

Paroli System

The third system is the Paroli system. As its other name, the reverse Martingale, suggests, it moves your bet in the opposite direction to the Martingale system.

You set your target multiplier at 2x, double your bet after each win and go back to your original bet after a loss.

It is an aggressive system that produces a large return if your winning streak continues. Because the second and later bets come out of the previous payout, the most you can lose in one streak is your first bet.

When the streak ends, however, you lose all the profit from that streak, so you face larger swings. The expected value itself is the same as with flat betting.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bustabit

Which provider makes bustabit?

The original bustabit is run by bustabit.com. The spin-off games come from other providers: Spaceman from Pragmatic Play, Aviator from Spribe and 1000x Busta from 4ThePlayer.

The game called Crash is a crypto casino’s in-house (“originals”) version and can be played only at that casino.

Do you lose less playing bustabit than playing other casino games?

Bustabit has a higher RTP than slots or roulette, so for the same total amount bet, your long-term losses are smaller. Even at 99%, however, you still lose money in the long run.

Summary: A Crash Game with a 99% RTP, Where Every Target Multiplier Has the Same Expected Value

Bustabit asks you to predict how high a rising multiplier will go before it busts. You do not need any investment knowledge to play.

Its RTP of 99% is higher than that of most slots and roulette, so for the same total amount bet, your long-term losses stay small. Even at 99%, however, you still lose money in the long run. Your target multiplier changes only the variance; the expected value is the same at every multiplier. Choose an approach that matches the level of variance you are comfortable with.