Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Top Ten Online Casino Tips

Online casino gaming is extremely popular, and although most games cannot be beaten over the long term because of the house edge, there are ten tips that players can use to increase their chances of ending a gaming session in profit...
1 - Watch your cash
Money management is essential for online players, and you should always avoid putting all of your available cash at risk in any given session. A much better idea is to divide your total bank into smaller session banks and to stop playing for the day as soon as you lose one session bank. For example, if you have £/$500 cash available, you could divide this into ten session banks of £/$50 or five session banks of £/$100, depending on how much risk you are comfortable with.
2 - Bet sensibly
Online casino games are very entertaining, but they can also cost you a lot of money if you don't bet sensibly. A good way to learn to bet sensibly is to be just as cautious when playing at an online casino as you would in an off-line casino. Avoid putting large amounts of money on long-shots and focus instead on the bets that give you the best chance of winning.
3 - Play strategically
In some games (for example, Blackjack) playing strategically can help your reduce the house edge to the point where it is largely irrelevant. Even in online casino games that are determined solely by chance (such as roulette or craps) having a specific strategy will help you to play consistently. My third tip is therefore to find a strategy that you like for your favourite game and to use it whenever possible.
4 - Quit when you're winning
When you are winning it is easy to think that the success will never end - that Lady Luck is on your side and that you will end up breaking the bank at the online casino you are using. All of this is nonsense. The odds are generally stacked in the favour of the casino, so the longer you play, the more likely it is that your winning streak will come to an end. The sensible course of action is to quit when you are winning. If Lady luck is on your side then the winning streak will continue in the next session, but if she isn't you will still have walked away with a nice profit.
5 - Specialise
If you are playing with very tiny stakes then there is no reason why you cannot have fun playing a wide variety of games, but when you want to increase the stakes it makes more sense to specialise. The more you know about a game, the easier it will be for you to identify the type of bets that give you the best chance of winning, and the more effectively you will be able to make strategic gaming decisions.
6 - Study your speciality
When you have chosen a particular type of game as your own speciality (my personal favourite is baccarat), spend time studying that game closely. Read books and online articles about it, play it regularly and always learn something from both your mistakes and your successes. Aim to become a master in your field and you will find that your gaming become far more satisfying and rewarding than most people ever imagine possible.
7 - Consider value
The majority of online casino players think that the higher the potential prize is in a game, the better value it offers, but this conclusion is simply the result of faulty reasoning. To determine true value you need to look at both the potential prize and the odds of you winning it. If one progressive jackpot stands at $5,000 and another at $50,000, and the chances of you winning are 1 in 10,000 and 1 in 200,000 respectively, the $5,000 jackpot game would be offering more value for money. You should also look at the house edge of different wagers, as the ones with the lowest house edge are generally better value for the player.
8 - Control your play
Although online casinos allow you to play 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, such unlimited access to games can work against you, because it can encourage you to play for long sessions that make you tired. Fatigue, in turn, leads to one making poor gaming decisions and - as a result - losing money. To avoid all of this, control the length of your playing sessions so that you are never playing for longer than an hour or two. You will play better by following this tip, and you could end up winning more money to boot.
9 - Collect free money
Online casinos are constantly competing with each other for your patronage, and one way they try to attract new players is by offering bonus cash when someone signs up for a new account. You can have a lot of fun opening accounts with several online casinos and playing long enough to collect this free cash before moving on.
10 - Use simulations
If you want to try different strategies or learn to play new games that you aren't yet familiar with, use simulations. There are plenty of blackjack, video poker and other simulations available for personal computers, and these enable you to play for as long as you want without risk. Alternatively, you can play at "fun money" tables if your online casino offers these.
The ten tips given here won't guarantee that you will make money when playing at online casinos, but they will certainly help you to avoid many of the mistakes that tend to lead to more losses. Be wise, adhere to these top ten tips and have fun.
Jack Noble is a 47 year old casino enthusiast who specialises in baccarat and is now a full time casino reviewer. Find more articles by Jack at http://www.gamble.co.uk

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