Online gambling is as exciting as it is potentially dangerous. Before you jump into the fray and sign up for a casino, read these ten tips carefully: they will help you get the most out of the game and keep you out of the red.
1) Choose your welcome bonus carefully
While all online casinos offer welcome bonuses, not all offers are equal and some casinos make promises that are too good to be true. To make the right choice, you need to be informed: read the bonus terms and conditions, often written in the small print at the bottom of a page. It is important to know that most welcome bonuses multiply your first deposit by 2, 3 or 4. Some bonuses cannot be released immediately, so you have to wager 10 or 20 times their equivalent to be able to benefit from them.
2) Find the games that give you the best chance of success
Not all casino games are created equal, and some are clearly more beneficial to players than others. Slot machines, although very fashionable and easy to use, are the least interesting because the payout rate is low. It is better to choose table games, which offer much better odds. Blackjack is, according to the experts, the most favourable game for players. Craps and roulette are also good choices.
3) Practice by playing for fun money
Most casinos allow you to play for free to test their games. If you're just starting out, this is a must: it will allow you to see which games you prefer, and which room suits you best. Once you feel comfortable, you can move on to real money play.
4) Understand the "gambler's fallacy
Beginning players often fall into the trap of the gambler's illusion. This is the belief that, in gambling, a series of losses is necessarily followed by a win. Just because the coin has come up heads ten times in a row in a coin toss, there is no guarantee that it will come up heads the next time. In reality, there is always a 50/50 chance that the result will be heads or tails.
5) Don't mix gambling and alcohol
This goes without saying, but it is worth remembering. You can play roulette or slots for fun, but you shouldn't party when you log in to your player account: it's the best way to get ruined in a few clicks.
6) Only play what you can afford to lose
When it comes to managing your gambling capital, the basic principle is always the same: only gamble an amount you can afford to lose. This amount should only be a small part of your bankroll, 5% being a reasonable percentage: even in case of successive losses, you will still have enough money to continue playing.
7) Look out for promotions
To spice things up, online casinos offer promotions, whether they are one-off, seasonal or regular. Some of them organize "happy hours" with deposit bonuses, or special bonuses on certain days of the week. So keep an eye on your operator's promotion calendar to see when the best times to deposit and play are.
8) Don't try to make up losses
It's very tempting, when you've just lost a lot of money, to bet larger and larger sums thinking that your luck will change at some point. Instead of spending more, be more careful. If you really feel the frustration, anger and anxiety building up, just stop gambling: it's the best way to stop losing.
9) Take breaks and don't play tired
Fatigue is the enemy of your bankroll; it makes you make careless mistakes and irrational decisions. If you are exhausted from your day in the evening, it means that it is probably not the best time to play. Don't sit in front of your screen for hours on end, and stop playing at the first sign of fatigue.
10) Learn the rules of the games
It goes without saying: to win, you need to know the rules of the games. Many Internet users like slot machines because of the simplicity of the rules, but as we have seen, they are not the most profitable games. It is better to take the time to learn the more complex rules of table games if you want to make money at online casinos.