Sunday, November 14, 2010

Online Casino Starter Tips

Online casinos are great because you have all the thrills of a real casino without all the hassle. You can play from the comfort of your own home. You don’t have all the lights and sounds to distract you. And, there are tons of games, bonuses, promotions and tournaments to take advantage of. All your favorite casinos games are available like poker, blackjack, roulette, slots, baccarat, craps and more. Another draw is that most online casinos offer better payouts than what you would find on land. Sounds pretty good, right?

There are a few tips you should be aware of before gambling online. Research your local laws before joining an online casino. Make sure it is legal to gamble online where you live and that you are of the legal age. Otherwise, your winnings will be forfeited if they are accepted illegally and you could be prosecuted. Learn the rules and strategies of each game before playing. Don’t waste your real money playing a game for the first time. Do the play for free option to learn everything about that game, then gamble with real money.

Look for licensed casinos from a third party regulator like eCOGRA (eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance). That way, your personal information is secure. Check for reviews of the casino from other gamblers. See what bonuses and promotions are currently being offered. Read the fine print with each bonus to see what kind of wagering requirements there are in the form of playthroughs. It should be noted that match bonuses are usually only allowed to be played on certain games. Test the quality of the website. See if you can play online or if you must download their software to play. Find out the payment options and deposit/withdrawal limits. There should be a variety of different casino payment options. These are just a few of the best tips for a successful and safe online gambling experience.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Bonus Wagering Requirements

The best thing about playing at an online casino is the bonuses. You won’t get a $20,000 bonus for playing at any land-based casino. But, if you sign up with an online casino like Go Casino, you will get a $20,000 match bonus over the span of your first deposits for joining. It sounds like a great deal, but, as the saying goes, “there is no such thing as a free lunch.”

Online casino bonuses have wagering requirements, usually in the form of playthroughs. In other words, you must play through to a certain amount before you are allowed to withdraw the bonus. It gives you more wagering power as a gambler, but you won’t actually see the free bonus money until you have gambled up to that amount at the casino. It’s a way for the online gambling site to keep you coming back.

Most online casinos put a 15-30 multiplier (x) play through on a free bonus. For example, let’s say the casino is offering a $100 match bonus on a 15x play through. So, if you deposit $100, you will get a $100 match bonus if you play through to $3,000 ($100 deposit + $100 bonus x 15 = $3,000). It doesn’t matter if you win or lose your way to $3,000. It just matters that you have gambled that much at the casino. Bonus wagering requirements like this help weed out the bonus abusers who leave the casino for a new once they receive their bonus. Playthrough requirements commit players to keep gambling.

No-deposit bonuses have no minimum deposit but usually have a higher playthrough, such as 30x. That means you would have to bet all the way to $600 before withdrawing the $20 free no-deposit bonus. Some online gambling sites allow play on only certain games. Many no-deposit bonuses are not eligible on progressive jackpot slots because those are very popular. Other bonuses restrict you from playing certain games and may be limited to table games.

Basically, just read the terms and conditions for each bonus before you accept it. You always have the option of declining a bonus and it may sound ridiculous to refuse free money, but sometimes these bonuses aren’t as free as they first appear. Just like you read the terms and conditions before signing up with a car insurance or cell phone company, read the fine print with any bonus offer before accepting. If you don’t plan on gambling through to that amount, don’t accept the bonus.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Joining an Online Casino

Online casinos offer every type of gambling game you would find at a brick and mortar casino. In fact, you can find more casino games online than you would find if you walked into a casino in Las Vegas. Do you know why? It’s because the Internet is endless and brick and mortar casinos are limited to the size of the gaming floor.

Imagine walking into a casino and the gaming floor doesn’t end. That’s what online gambling is like. Technically, you are limited to what games the online casino offers. But, if you can’t find a certain game, there are literally thousands of other online casino sites to choose from. Best of all, they are generally free to sign up and you get an awesome welcome bonus just for joining. Not to sound negative, but just remember that each additional online casino you join is another way for you to potentially lose money. Stay tuned to this blog if you don’t want that to happen. It’s wise to start with one online casino that offers your favorite games and has good bonuses so you can build up loyalty rewards. But, that’s a discussion for another post.

The point of this post is to offer advice about joining an online casino. Obviously, your most popular games like poker, blackjack, roulette and slots can be found online. But, it doesn’t end there. Other casino games available at your disposal include
baccarat, craps, bingo, keno and more.

Start with the games you know the most. Most online casinos allow you to practice for free with fun money. Then, you will know if that game is for you. If it’s not, try another game. It’s important to understand the rules, strategies and odds of the game before you begin. This blog will outline some professional advice related to that in future posts.

Research the online gambling site before you start playing. Make sure the online casino is licensed by a third-party organization like eCOGRA (e-Commerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance). Make sure it is owned by a trusted company, has secure banking procedures and uses reputable casino software. These days, you want to make sure your personal information is safe and secure.

Lastly, stick to your bankroll. Don’t keep gambling to try to break even. The business calls that “chasing your losses” and you’ll soon realize you’re just digging yourself a deeper hole of debt. On the flip side, if you keep winning big, realize that you’re bound to lose eventually because the house still rules online. Statistically, the online casino will always have the advantage over the player. Think about it. How else would they still be in operation? In other words, know when to quit. It can be tricky but keep reading to find out how.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Online Gambling Strategy

Online casinos try to recreate the experience of gambling at a brick and mortar casino like you would find in Las Vegas, Macau or Monte Carlo. While in many ways they succeed, there are some differences in the game that are unavoidable and they have an impact on your strategy.

The most obvious difference in the online game is that there are no players sitting or standing around you. That has a huge impact on strategy for poker. For regular poker, strategy is equal parts playing the odds and playing your opponents by reading their reactions. With online poker, part of the strategy is gone. Those tells you look for to determine if someone’s bluffing won’t work on a computer-generated avatar.

The good news is because no one is sitting at the poker table with you, it means they can’t read your tells, either. It also means if you are newer to the game, you can look at a cheat sheet while you play. You can print a list of probabilities or, if you’re really new, a chart of poker hands, to help you play. Since you’re still playing against real people, you don’t want to take a lot of time to look over strategy, but it is an option available. Rest assured that all poker tables in Vegas frown upon such a thing.

Online blackjack is also different from the kind you play at a brick and mortar casino. Here, you’re not really playing against a dealer. The cards you and the dealer draw are determined by a random number generator. Since there is no dealer or other players at the table, you can take as much time as you want to make a decision. Again, for new players this means you can look over a basic strategy chart while you play. One disadvantage, though, is that card counting doesn’t work online, due to the RNG.

In most ways, the games at online casinos are played the same as in a brick and mortar casino. However, with the skilled games of blackjack and poker, there is different strategy involved. I have one more piece of good news, though: When playing at an online casino, you’re not expected to tip the dealer.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Making Online Casino Deposits

Okay, so you’re ready to start playing games at an online casino when you get to the deposit screen. Just one problem: You can’t use a credit card. This can happen for a variety of reasons. Maybe it’s maxed out. Maybe you cut up all of your credit cards to take away the uncontrollable temptation to order Snuggies off of the home shopping channel. Maybe you have suddenly discovered that your wallet is gone and you find yourself wondering if that woman rubbing your thigh at the bar wasn’t just being friendly.

Hey, it happens to the best of us. The good news is that most online casinos allow you to make deposits even if you don’t have a credit card. You can use a debit card, if you’re crazy, but I recommend against that because I don’t like having my money stolen. Instead, there are other secure methods of payment that don’t involve a credit card.

One thing you can do is use an online payment processor, such as PayPal, eWalletXpress and UseMyWallet. These sites allow you to transfer funds directly from your bank account to the payment processor. That processor then pays the online casino for you. That way, there is never a direct link between your account and the casino. In some ways, this makes the transaction safer.

If you don’t want to or can’t use an online payment processor, you can sometimes use a wire transfer or a money order to make your deposit. Both of those methods are slow and usually carry extra charges, though. Before joining any online casino, you should check to see what payment options they have. Or you can just get a credit card. Come on; man up. Everyone else has one.

Okay, I feel that I should apologize for pressuring you into getting a credit card. In truth, they’re pretty dangerous things to have, as my credit card debt can attest. The good news is, according to my bill, if I continue to pay the minimum payment every month, my debt will be paid off in the year 2036. In any case, it’s good to know that there are many different payment options available at most online casinos.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Myths About Slots Games

There are a great number of people in the world who love playing online slots games. They are easy to play and with today’s gaming and video graphics technology, slots games developers have produced some truly incredible games.

But just like with the slot machines in brick and mortar casinos, there are myths about strategy for online slots games.

I say myths about strategy because there are no real strategies for slots. It is the nature of the game. Slots are games of chance, meaning the players have no direct way to have in impact on the outcome of the game. The outcome is purely up to chance. And without a way to directly impact the outcome of a round there can be no strategy.

One myth is that the ‘Stop Spin’ button can impact what lands on the reels. This is not true. Online slots games have a Random Number Generator (RNG). The RNG is programmed with all possible outcomes for that online slots game. As soon as the ‘Spin’ button is clicked, the RNG will randomly select an outcome. This happens in less than a second. So online slots players would have the same result regardless of whether they let the virtual reels stop on their own or if they clicked ‘Stop Spin.’

So is there anything that online slots players can do?

Yes. They can do a bit of research about various online slots games and find one a high payout percentage. Remember, the higher the payout percentage the more that slots game is paying back. While it is not a guarantee, the chances of a player receiving more payouts or higher payouts are higher than an online slots game with a lower payout percentage. Payout percentage is the amount of total wagers on that game that the game pays back in winnings.

Thankfully online slots games tend to have higher payout percentages than the slot machines found in brick and mortar casinos. So online slots players do have that in their corner.

Look for the best payout percentage that you can find and then sit back and enjoy spinning the reels. Beyond choosing an online slots game with a high payout percentage there really is not anything else a player can do. So just enjoy the game.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Casino Software

So you’re looking at your credit card statement and something seems like it doesn’t belong. “What? A charge for 3,500 euros on a scooter in Turkmenistan? But I live in Alabama! And I don’t own a scooter! And they don’t use euros in Turkmenistan!”

Identity theft can happen to anyone, though being an idiot greatly increases your chances of it happening. No, that site doesn’t really have nude pictures of Anna Kournikova. No, that email about your credit rating isn’t real. No, that nice man in Nigeria who wants to make you a business partner if you let him use your bank account is not legitimate.

There are a lot of scams online that prey upon the trusting, ignorant and those who feel that nothing bad can happen to them. Bad things can happen to you; see my in-laws for Exhibit A. There is a way you can protect yourself, though.

With all of the online casinos on the net, it can seem like a daunting task to find a legitimate site with which you can trust your personal information. It’s easier than you might think, though, if you know where to look. First of all, the key to an online casino’s safety is its software.

Most online casinos use licensed software from third-parties rather than creating their own games. Therefore, if the software is legitimate and safe, the casino is as well. The software doesn’t want its name associated with a shady casino. Also, it’s the software that is designed for safety, security and fairness.

So how do you know if the software is safe? Check it see if it is licensed and approved by a recognized regulatory agency. This can be a government agency, but it doesn’t have to be. There are some third-party regulators out there that ensure the safety of casino software. The biggest such regulator is called the eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance, or eCOGRA.

eCOGRA tests casino software to make sure it is safe from hackers, it pays out an accepted percentage of time, the games give everyone the same odds, and more. If they approve a casino, they will also mediate any disputes that arise between a customer and the casino, with the casino bound to their decision. With the encryption used on eCOGRA-approved software, your financial information is as safe at those online casinos as when online banking. That means it’s not 100% hacker-proof, but it’s pretty close.

Aside from looking for licensing and approval, it’s a good idea to simply check out the company’s reputation. Simple searches online will yield many message boards, casino-rating websites, consumer reports sites and more.

If you find an online casino that has approved software and has a good rating by consumers, it should be safe to use. To be on the safe side, you should never use a debit card. Instead, use a credit card or a payment processor like eWallet. That way, you have the ability to dispute charges. It’s better to be safe than to pay for a scooter in Turkmenistan.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Online Casino Bonuses

One of the great things about online casinos is that it’s a more-or-less free market with lots of competition. What that means is that you, as the customer, are in a uniquely great position. You have tons of online casinos fighting over you.

You didn’t know that, did you? Sure, it’s not as obvious as thousands of screaming girls fighting over the Beatles or the midway barkers yelling at you as you walk through the fairgrounds. Make no mistake, though, they are competing for your business.

Online casinos offer the same product. Sure, there are differences in which games they carry, how many games they offer, whether or not they hold tournaments and all that, but when it comes down to it online casinos are all websites offering you casino games that you can play from home. Online blackjack isn’t going to vary too much from casino to casino. It is for that reason that they come up with different incentives for you to play with them rather than their competitor.

What does that mean for you? It means you should act like a free-agent professional athlete. By that, I don’t mean get arrested at a strip club. I mean hold out for the best offer. If one online casino offers you a 100% match bonus to welcome you to the site, that might sound great until you see that another casino is offering a 400% match bonus. Different casinos also have different wagering requirements for those bonuses.

Some online casinos offer random bonuses just for playing, most offer loyalty points to reward repeated business, and most will hold promotions on specific games when they want to promote that game. Want to play in a free slot tournament? Many online casinos have those. Want to win a trip into space? Believe it or not, there’s an online casino that offers it. Whatever bonus you can think of for a casino, there is probably one that has it. Casinos give away cruises, cars, Xboxes, trips to poker tournaments and more.

Want a new sports car? There’s a casino giving them away. Want a Mediterranean vacation? There’s an online casino giving it away. Want a Russian bride? Well, I don’t think any casinos are giving those away. Besides, that kind of thing is illegal in most countries.

Before joining an online casino, you should do some checking up on it to make sure it has a good reputation for safety and fairness, offers the games you want to play, and uses a software that you like. When doing that due diligence, you should also look into casino bonuses. Once you find a fair, safe casino that offers the games and bonuses you want, now you’re ready to get playing.