Have you seen movies like 21, Casino Royale, Casino, Ocean’s Eleven? There is no denying that casinos have a certain charm. There is an atmosphere of luxury, high stakes, difficult schemes, risk and, of course, money. The payoff is always high. And although gambling is not considered to be a very noble pastime, it looks so damn good. I’m willing to bet that everyone who enjoyed these films wondered what it would be like to take on a casino and win.
Bad news – life is not a movie and cheating in a casino will get you arrested. And to become a truly professional gambler you will need to devote a good portion of your life to studying math, probability theory and mastering certain skills. But there is good news as well, if you are new to the world of online casinos, you shouldn’t walk in blindfolded, we are here to help. We decided to make up a list of tips to any newcomers who would like to try their luck.
Quick disclaimer. We cannot teach you how to win in all games and score a jackpot straightaway. But we will tell you how to get into this world safely and enjoy your stay. Basically, we’ll try to give you a little head start.
So without further ado, this is a Newcomers Guide to Online Casinos.
Know the House Edge
The first principle of any casino: you bet some money and if you win you get more, if you don’t… Well, the house takes your wager. It’s pretty simple and it works for all games whether it is a tense poker game, a spin on a slot machine or a roll of the dice. Same rules apply. And the losing part is clear, but how much do you win exactly and what are the odds? Have you thought about it?
Poker is clear, as you play against other players and not the house so you take all the opponents money on the table. But the rules of playing against a casino has something called the house edge.
Casino games are games of chance in essence, so you rely on Fortuna’s blessing. Obviously, there is an element of skill involved in some of the games, but luck tends to be an overriding factor. Casinos, however, don’t rely on divine interference. There is always a little advantage that is built in every game, making the house always a winner in the long run. Mathematically, they always have an edge over you, hence the name.
We won’t go into long and boring calculations, all you need to know is that even betting black or white in a roulette has an odd of winning about 46.37% (or 48.6% depending on a type), not 50/50. And the chances decrease as bets become more specific. So with many players wagering money a casino always tends to win, but there is hope… There needs to be millions of bets for the house edge to fully apply, so you can try to get winnings from distortions so to speak, by betting on a small house edge, which seems counter-intuitive at first. Why would you bet on a single number where odds of winning are just about 2.7% in the same roulette. Simple – the payoff is higher.
If you wager $1 for 100 times and lose 95 times it would seem like a bad day, you just lost $95. It shouldn’t be, if you play on a small edge you can win 5 times with $175 prize. So winning 5 times out of 100 with given odds is statistically very plausible. And as a result you go away with 175-95=$80.
So remember, you can actually secure winnings by playing a high number of small bets against the small house edge.
Learn the Rules of the Game
The second one is really straight forward. You should know the rules of the game you are playing. But don’t try and dismiss it yet, just because you saw how they do it in a movie doesn’t mean that you know the rules. Did you know that there are types of roulettes that differ from country to country? American roulette is different from European and European is different to the French one … Are you following? And by the way each variation has a different house edge.
There are hundreds and thousands of variations of every type of game, so take your time, read the rules and pay attention to small details.
Stay Disciplined
Now, you’ve heard this one a thousand times. We ourselves have already written an article on responsible gaming. But this is important, if you are trying out some strategy and it works then stick to it, don’t go rogue all of a sudden. Learn how to bet first so you will have a payoff. Try to minimize your risks and that means don’t just bet everything because you are feeling lucky today.
Take breaks frequently. It will help you to clear your head. Remember, a clear head means good judgment. The world of gambling does not favor the foolish.
Manage your budget and don’t go overboard. If you feel like gambling starts sucking you in too much – get help!
Claim Bonuses
Now we will step away from nurturing and tell about the fun part – bonuses. Casinos use them to attract new customers. And I know what you are thinking: there are wagering requirements and the casino will always win. Yes but…
By the way if you are not aware of wagering requirements, it is a number of times you need to wager bonus money in order to claim and withdraw it. Always look at them prior to any deposits.
… a casino wins because of the high volume of wagers from a large customer base. This doesn’t apply to a single player like you. Use bonus money if not for the win, then for practice, after all it is a free way to play a game and learn it.
Hey, you don’t even have to look for promotions and bonuses. We’ve done this for you already.
So try and claim as many bonuses as you can, don’t go for maximum amounts, think of the budget.
Go for Jackpot Every Once in a While
That is perhaps the biggest casino dream of all. To score a Jackpot! That has even a certain sound to it, doesn’t it? Well, the chance of winning a jackpot is not particularly great, but there is still a chance, so try it every once in a while. People won gigantic prizes from $1 bets, so there is no reason why you shouldn’t be the next one. Who knows?
Play Only in Verified Casinos
And now we are back to lecturing to you. The final advice, play only in fair casinos that hold all necessary certificates and licenses. You cannot tell from the look of a website if an online casino is legit or not. You certainly can tell if a land-based casino is certified (quick tip: if it’s in the basement then it’s probably not).
There are professionals who investigate every website and look at all the paperwork and then write about it. Like us.
But seriously, you can get a second opinion – we won’t hold a grudge.
We hope that it will help some of you, newcomers. And for all who are thinking right now: “Well, I expected to learn something cooler, something more advanced…”. All in due time.