Tips for New Online Gamers: Getting Started the Right Way

Posted by

Online casino gaming has really come into its own as of late. With (literally) thousands of casinos available 24/7 at the touch of a button, millions of newcomers are getting in on the action.

Even those who would never have considered visiting a traditional casino are making the most of what’s on offer.

Flexibility and accessibility have made the online gaming sector a phenomenal success story. The industry has grown massively over recent years, and is pegged to maintain its momentum indefinitely. 

But given how there’s money on the line when gambling online, it’s important to get started the right way. Diving head-first into a random online casino and expecting to walk away with pockets full of cash really isn’t the way to go.

Instead, it’s about adopting the right strategy and getting started the right way. Something you’ll find much easier to do, with the following tips and guidelines from the pros:

1. Have Realistic Expectations 

First up, don’t make the mistake of seeing online casino gaming as a money making venture. If you’re lucky, you may occasionally walk away with a prize in your pocket. In most instances, you’ll walk away with nothing but the memory of an enjoyable experience.

Which is precisely what online casino gaming is supposed to be about – enjoyment and entertainment. Having realistic expectations is therefore essential, in order to avoid setting yourself up for disappointment. Unless you can accept that it’s all in the name of fun and entertainment, set your sights on a different activity.

2. Use the Right Device 

From a more technical standpoint, you also need to ensure you have a device that’s up to the job. Luckily enough, online games usually aren’t too demanding in terms of internet speed and strength. Your laptop or desktop computer will most likely the more than enough to cover the basic hardware requirements.

If you plan on playing via a mobile device, you need to ensure it is reliable enough to keep you connection. The last thing you want is an unexpected outage to disconnect you from a game, just when things are getting interesting.  Always remember that a technical glitch on your side that cheats you out of a major cash prize is inconsequential to the casino.

3. Make the Most of the Variety on Offer

Some guides will tell you to find an online casino you like and stick to it like glue. Realistically, it’s far better to play the field. After all, how will you know if there’s something even better out there to be found, if you don’t make the effort to find it?

Different casinos bring different things to the table, in terms of gaming variety, special features and so on. If the preferred, feel free to spend most of your time online with the casinos you like best. But at the same time, make the effort on occasion to take a look at what else is available. You might find something you like even more, or discover new types of games you didn’t even know existed.

4. Understand How the Games work 

When playing at a casino online, all you need to do is repeatedly hit the button and see what happens next.  There are even plenty of games with ‘Autoplay’ features, where you don’t even have to hit the button – the machine does so on your behalf. All well and good, but this doesn’t really make for an enjoyable experience.

If you really want to get the most out of your time spent online, you need to get to know how the game to work. This means learning the gameplay mechanics, getting to grips with the paytable and perhaps even getting to know some other variations of the game. Studying odds and margins at great length isn’t essential, but learning the most basic odds that apply to the wagers you place is. 

5. Play for Free at First 

With most online casino games – almost all online slots – there’s the option of playing for free. You’re handed an unlimited supply of virtual currency, with which you can play and experiment to your heart’s content. Not quite as exciting as playing for real money, and with precisely zero up for grabs in terms of cash prizes.

Nevertheless, playing for free is the best way of getting to know a new casino game – without putting any of your own money on the line. You play it for free, you learn how it works and you master its basic mechanics. After which, you’ll be in a far better position to wager real money, with a much lower risk of making rookie errors. 

6. Don’t Be Fooled by Bogus Bonus Offers 

While playing the field, you’ll encounter a long list of weird and wonderful incentives on offer for new customers.  Introductory bonuses can be fantastic for stretching your bankroll that little bit further.  They can also provide the opportunity to check out what’s on offer for free, without putting any of your own money at risk.

However, a lot of the bonus offers you come across aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. As a rule of thumb, any introductory incentive that seems too good to be true most likely is. Never accept a bonus offer or promotion of any kind, without carefully consulting the published terms and conditions. Pay particularly close attention to wagering requirements, which indicates how much of your own money you’ll need to wager before you can withdraw a penny.

7. Take Heed of Reviews, Recommendations and Warnings

Last but not least, don’t put your time, trust and money in any casino without first gauging public opinion. Real-life customer reviews and recommendations are the only 100% objective source of information at your disposal. Perform at least a couple of basic background checks before signing up, in order to see what people have to say about the brand in question.

Of course, you’ll never find an online casino with 100% positive feedback. It simply doesn’t happen, as there will always been a handful of dissatisfied customers in the mix. Nevertheless, if the number of negative reports outweighs positive recommendations, take your business elsewhere.

You might also find the following articles interesting:

  • SHARE:

TRENDING POSTS