Online Gambling 101 – Finding Your Feet as a First-Timer

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Trying to offer help and advice to seasoned gamblers is a bit like telling a dolphin how to swim. Not only do they already know what they’re doing, but there’s a pretty good chance they’ll be rather riled by the idea of someone giving them advice. For newcomers however, things are somewhat different as while it is often assumed that diving at the deep end is the best way to go, it can be nothing short of a recipe for disaster when it comes to online gaming.

The simple fact of the matter is that the ease of accessing and enjoying online casinos often leads to underestimation of what’s actually going on. Sure, there’s big money up for grabs, but at the same time it’s technically never been easier to lose every single penny you have in the push of a button. Worse still, there’s a very real potential for this to happen entirely by accident.

So at the risk of being preachy and taking things back beyond basics, what follows is a brief introductory 101 guide to online gambling in general, specifically aimed at those looking to find their feet for the first time:

Learn the Rules

First of all, it takes a great deal of experience and practical gaming to fully get to grips with how everything works. Nevertheless, it is still of the utmost importance to learn the rules to each and every game you wish to play, before you begin playing for real money. This is why it is always highly recommended to check out the online casinos and games that allow you to play for free, without having to put a penny on the line. From slot games to poker to craps to roulette and so on, the deeper your understanding of how the game works, the higher your chances of staying safe and indeed taking home a prize or two.

Take Your Time

Rushing into things is never a good idea when it comes to online gaming – making the best possible decisions takes time and thought. Try to remember that there are literally hundreds of casinos out there and tens of thousands of different gaming experiences to try out, so there’s really very little to gain from rushing into the first game you see and blowing your wad in minutes.

Play for Fun

If you enter the world of online gambling purely as a means by which to make money, you are most likely in for a serious disappointment. The simple fact of the matter is that online gaming across the board exists for fun and enjoyment only – not as a source of income. Of course there will always be those who make a fortune, but more often than not this comes down to blind luck – that or decades of experience doing what they do. As a newcomer, you should be playing for fun only and treating all wins as welcome added bonuses.

Plan a Budget

To make sure you don’t find yourself getting in over your head when it comes to expenses and losses, always give yourself a budget to play with and don’t even consider overstepping the mark. One of the best ways of going about this is to credit your account with a certain amount of money and to use this as your total budget for any given day, week or month. What you should never do is open up a service whereby the casino in question can automatically take money from your accounts or credit cards when your balance hits zero – doing so can be lethal.

Chasing Losses

Perhaps the single most dangerous thing any gambler at any level can do is to attempt to chase losses in the midst of a losing streak. Winning every time is a fundamental impossibility, which in turn means that losses must be accepted. The temptation to place increasingly heavy bets in order to make up for losses can be enormous, though will only ever make things worse than they already are. The only effective way of breaking a losing streak is to walk away.

Take Breaks

Another important rule which even the professionals live by is that of being sure to take breaks on a regular basis. The reason being that you can find yourself so engrossed in what you are doing and what you are striving for that you begin making moves automatically without even thinking about them. By contrast, to step away from what you’re doing and clear your head for a while is to once again return to the game ready to make logical and informed decisions.

Beware Emotion

There’s almost nothing in the world that can lead gamblers down entirely the wrong path quite like emotion. From anger to sadness to depression to frustration and so on, each and every example of extreme emotion will inevitably cloud judgment and lead to poor decision-making. Unless you can honestly say you feel 100% fine and are not carrying an excess of emotional baggage, you might want to delay your gaming.

Straight Edge

Last but not least, perhaps the only thing worse than emotion when it comes to clouding judgment and making entirely the wrong decisions is intoxication. Think of it this way – there’s a very good reason why so many casinos in Las Vegas happily hand out alcoholic beverages 100% free of charge and with no questions asked. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t in fact have to be steaming drunk to make exactly the kinds of decisions you would otherwise be unlikely to even consider. Suffice to say, intoxication and gambling do not make the best of bedfellows – at least if you don’t want to find yourself facing heavy losses.

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