We've offered a few beginners articles in the past (see
http://www.winneronline.com/articles/may2000/10commandments.htm) "The 10
Commandments of Online Gambling and 7 Things Every Online Gambler Should Know (http://www.winneronline.com/articles/june2002/7things.htm).
We thought it might be helpful to add a basic walkthrough for gamblers familiar
with land-based casinos but new to the online gambling scene, kind of a "here's
where to find what you're looking for" walkthrough of the basic features and
services of your typical online casino.
Where do I start?
That's a very good question. Two things you should know before you start
playing online is that (1) not all internet casinos are created equally and (2)
internet casinos are not regulated as uniformly as the land casinos are. In some
jurisdictions, such as the UK and Australia for instance, there are government
regulatory bodies that define exactly how the online casinos can and will
operate. But many other countries, Canada and the USA for instance, have not
formed such policies and as such the legal issues are a lot murkier.
To avoid nasty surprises it's wise to play at reputable and established
casinos. To find out which casinos satisfy these requirements you'll have to do
a little research. Fortunately there are a few exceptionally informative sites
on the web that can help you and they usually have (http://www.winneronline.com/toppicks/)
Top Picks lists that are a good place to start.
Another valuable resource that the better sites offer are their message
boards. You'll find our's here
http://mb.winneronline.com.
Spend a little time reading and you'll quickly see which casinos have a
reputation for fairness and prompt payouts. You'll also find out which don't and
are best avoided.
Wow! Look at the pretty lights!
Before you set foot in any land casino you get to see what it looks like from
the outside. For internet casinos their website serves the same function. It's
the first thing you see and it offers the basics: a nice paint job, some pretty
graphics, a preview of the games, any special offers they have going (they're
called "bonuses"), some basic rules and regulations info, a list of contact info
should you need to get in touch with their Customer Service people and such
like.
Two key things of particular note at this point are:
1) The details on what you need to do to actually play the games. Often it's
a link to download or order their software. Or the casino may offer
"no-download" software that will have you up and playing in seconds. In any case
you'll need to decide which way you want to go and follow their instructions.
2) The Terms & Conditions (T&Cs). These are not something you normally need
to care much about at a land casino but at online casinos it is essential that
you read the T&Cs. Yes, it is boring fine print and you're not alone in thinking
that you shouldn't really need to read it but trust me, you do. All internet
casinos have to protect themselves and their customers from fraud and abuse: the
T&Cs are the first line of defense.
Also the T&Cs will spell out the rules and requirements on those attractive
looking bonus offers. These are binding to all players, they change frequently
and they directly affect how much money you'll get, when and after what
conditions have been met. It's a serious, though admittedly tedious, part of the
process.
Walkin' in the door
One of my favourite things about a place like Vegas is walking in the front
doors of a casino and just feeling the place hit you. Sure there's the noise and
lights and the smell of their particular perfumed carpet cleaner but the
character of the place is there too in those first few seconds that rush over
you.
Online it starts when you fire up their software and click through the
introductory splash screen. In a regular casino you'd take quick note of the
cashier's booth, the different game areas, the bar and things like that: same
thing online. You'll see all the same basic services in your game software.
Click on them, check it out, see what's there to see. Most casino software is
well enough designed that you can basically just wander around for the first
little while getting to know the layout of the place.
Earlier you may well have been faced with the option of download or
no-download games. What's the diff? In 50 words or less: download is a little
more hassle to get started but usually offers more games and more playtime
options like sounds, animations, multi-player, etc; no-download games will let
you get started pretty much instantly but they don't have all the bells and
whistles and usually offer a subset of the casino's game varieties.
Of course cashing in and out is one of the basic things you'll want to do and
you'll find all the necessary info in the "Cashier" section. You'll want to
decide which of their cash services you prefer and then go through whatever
process is required there. Neteller is a good option if you're patient enough to
go through that registration process. Some casinos offer their own e-cash
services. It's normal to get a bit bogged down here but you'll be through it
soon enough so press on and get it done with.
It is worth noting that most casinos allow you to play in Free mode so it's
often a good idea to do that in order to familiarize yourself with the place.
It's a small perk that you don't get at the land casinos and it's wise to take
advantage of it. Among other things it gets you up to speed for the Real mode
games.
Step right up!
Once you've done your cash-in business it's time to hit the floor and play a
little. Most casinos offer a variety of buy-in levels for the various games so
pick one that suits you and go for it. Almost all the typical casino games are
offered and it's not unusual to find a bunch that are unique to the online
scene. Many casinos offer single and multi-player versions of the games so
unlike the land casinos you can have a private Blackjack game if you are so
inclined. The A word of caution: check your game's rules and its payout tables.
Payouts on internet games can and do vary widely from what you'd expect at a
land casino. This isn't true for games at all casinos but it's not at all
uncommon either. "Caveat emptor" is latin for "it's your money baby, watch how
you spend it" ... or something like that.
Cashing out
After all the fun and games you're going to want to cash out. It's not quite
as easy online as it is at the land casinos. All online casinos have cash-out
procedures that you'll have to follow if you want to see your cash. In some
cases it just takes a few hours, others it might be a few days. In any case that
kind of info is usually found in the T&Cs that we mentioned earlier and by the
time you get around to hitting the "Withdrawal" button you should have read the
T&Cs and will therefore know what to expect.
So there you have it, the nickle tour. From here you might want to read a
little more or you might just want to jump in and get your feet wet. If it's
further reading you're interested in I'd recommend
http://www.winneronline.com/articles/april2004/how-to-play-and-enjoy-it.htm
- How To Play - AND Enjoy it! and
http://www.winneronline.com/articles/april2004/the-bonus-game.htm" "The
Bonus Game" as a good place to start.
