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Slots Beginners
Guide - introduction to slots
1: Know The
Local Law
Sad to say, but in some places it's
illegal to gamble on the Web. Know your legal status in your
home state, province, territory, country before wagering cash.
Online gambling laws are ever-changing and the best way to
definitively determine the current laws that apply to you is
by contacting your local authorities.
2: Play To A
Budget
Let's say you've got $600 and you
expect to gamble three times a week for the next couple weeks.
That's $100 per session and that's your budget for any given
session. Put the rest away, forget about it and enjoy the
money you've got in front of you. DO NOT under any
circumstances touch another day's bankroll. If you tap out,
walk away and come back another day. This is how you remain a
happy gambler and not a whining loser.
3: Don't Gamble With
Scared Money
We've all heard and said it before:
only gamble money that you can afford to lose. Anything you
can't afford to lose -- like the rent money -- is called
"scared money" because that's what you'll be if you even get
close to betting with it. And scared gamblers are
losers-in-training. If you play this way you may well need
professional counseling
4: Don't Play While Under
The Influence
A stoned/drunk/coked-up gambler is,
at the very least, a lesser player than they would be
straight. Why do you think the brick-and-mortar casinos give
the drinks away? They know the way it goes: you booze, you
lose.
5: Know The Casino
Good online casinos provide
extensive info pages that tell you where they are licensed,
who's behind the operation, what their game rules and cash
policies are, and how to contact them for help. .
Do your research. Check out message
boards to see if your casino has been stiffing its
players. Is the casino licensed by a government agency?
How long have they been in business? Know who you're
doing business with before you haul out your credit card.
6: Adequate Customer
Support
The better casinos offer toll-free
telephone support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Other
customer support options include 24/7 chat, local phone
numbers, fax lines, and lastly, email. How available are they
making themselves to you? Try out their service by calling to
ask a question, or hop on the chat to see if anyone is
actually there. As a prospective customer it's your right to
see if anybody's home. Because if you do have a problem,
you're damn sure going to want them to be available and as
helpful as humanly possible.
Keep in mind that a
one-size-fits-all email address is the lowest level of service
going because their box could be clogged with messages, they
may or may not be there, they might not get your email,
etc
7: Know Payout Options
Most online casinos will credit
your credit card up to the amount you originally deposited,
then send the remainder of your winnings to you by check in
the mail, which you'll usually receive in 1 to 2 weeks. Often
you can request a wire transfer for a small fee.
8: Check Out The Bonuses
Bonuses have become a standard
means of attracting and keeping players. These range from
sign-on and referral bonuses to frequent-player "comp"
programs. The bottom line is that a good casino will thank its
players for their patronage with these small gifts and
gratuities and that means your dollar will go a little further
when you play with them. A no-bonus casino is a rare thing
these days and generally deserves all the special attention it
offers.
9: Protect Your Data
When it comes time to actually sign
up to "Play for Real", there are a few things you should watch
out for. For the sign-on process the casino should open a
secure, data-encrypted link to protect your peronal info from
being scooped up by the bad guys. Believe it, it's no joke.
You must protect yourself by ensuring the security of your
link.
While the browser people will tell
you to check the little lock (Internet Explorer) or key
(Netscape) symbol at the bottom of your browser, there's more
that you can do to ensure your safety. In the address box of
your browser check that the sign-on page begins with
"https://" instead of the usual "http://". And don't assume
that the casino will just "do it". We've seen one case where
the casino made all the assurances that a secure link would be
provided and then they just gave us a plain old Web page to
fill in the data. Their "over-sight" could've cost us a lot of
aggravation if someone scooped our credit card number, or got
our home address and phone numbers. If there's one golden rule
of online gambling it's caveat emptor, which is
Latin for "watch your ass".
10: Know Your Game
Since you're playing online you can
take your time to make your decisions. You can even use that
handy-dandy video poker or blackjack strategy chart to achieve
optimal play.There is a wealth of information both on the net
and in print to inform you of the odds you face in any given
game and the strategies that will help shave the house edge to
a minimum. Spend a little time reading and you'll spend a lot
less time wondering what happened to your bankroll.
11: Not All Games Are Not
Created Equal
The Internet is a world of software
and that means that the payouts, house commissions, number of
decks in play, number of zeros on the Roulette wheel, and just
about everything else can be set to whatever the software
designers like. Please note that I'm not saying that casino
managers sit there and mess with the games whenever they feel
like it. What I am saying is that some online casinos have
better odds than others.
If roulette is your game, why play
a double-zero game when you can play single-zero? Prefer
craps? Find casinos that let you plunk down double or triple
free odds, or better. This information is generally published
in the casino's "rules and info" section. If it isn't, feel
free to contact their support people and ask. If they won't
tell you, find another casino.
Some casinos go so far as to
publish their payout tables right on their site. To be taken
seriously, these figures should be audited and certified by a
reputable accountanting firm, such as Price Waterhouse
Coopers.
12: Play By The Numbers
If you're playing to win, know the
odds of your game and play accordingly. The numbers may be
dull, but they are your roadmap to avoiding the losing plays.
Hunches, ESP, clairvoyance, tea leaves, remote viewing and
divination are all sorry secondary choices to the mathematics
of your game.
13: Play The Game, Not The
Gimmicks
That "insurance" bet in Blackjack:
house edge around 6%. The so-called "crapless craps": again,
about 6%. The side bet in Caribbean Stud: over 25% house edge.
What's the moral of this story? Aside from knowing your game
and being intimately familiar with the odds you face, the
moral is "forget the gimmicks". Sure there's the occasional
exception but in general the "add-ons" to the basic games are
sucker bets.
14: Take The Winnings And
Run
Have a plan for when to stop. Some
folks call it quits when they're up by 50%. Some when they've
doubled their session bankroll. Others bail when the tide
turns and they lose 20% of their winnings. Whatever your
break-point, it's important to have one and stick to it.
Otherwise you'll just keep playing until you can't and by then
you'll have lost all the money you won. Forget the pot of
gold, take the fistful of dollars. Greedy players make big
losers.
15: Expect To Lose
Casinos do not depend on luck to
stay in business. On virtually every bet you make in whatever
game you play, the house's win is designed right into the
rules of the game. And that edge generally means they'll be
the winner a lot more often than you will be. Players can find
and play games where the house edge is 1.5% or less but you'll
have to do your homework to find them. Sites like ours are a
good place to start your education, but never forget that the
casinos rule the roost and are in business to take your
money.
16: Enjoy Yourself
Unless you're a professional player
with a proven track record, you're playing for the pleasure of
it. For 98% of players casino gambling is recreation -- you're
spending money to be entertained. If the fun stops, so should
you. When you choose to gamble on
the Internet, you're forsaking the smoke, the free drinks, the
hangers-on and all the charms of the casino staff so you might
as well do whatever you can to get the most out of it. Light
up a cigar, play "The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly" soundtrack,
have a croissant, whatever. You're the floor manager when you
play at home so make it good. Who better to pamper the player
than you?
Slots machines have been around since the early
1800's and are as varied as their numbers. The first machines had only three
reels and 20 symbols. Today's slot machines have anywhere from 3 to 9 or more
reels and upwards of 100 symbols and take as little as a nickel to play or as
much as $100 a pull. Online casinos offer slots and have a tremendous clientele
or player base. Die-hard slot players can tell you which are the best online
casinos to play slots at, dependant on the casino software, the payout schedule,
the coin size and whether there is chat capabilities available. Remember those
are opinions and everyone's is different and may or may not work for you. As a
beginner you need to develop your on insight into slots and this is where I come
in. With the information here, you will be able to play with the best of them,
and determine for yourselves which casinos and which games are best suited to
you.
Slots Basics:
Determine your budget first, select a game that you feel comfortable with, there
are many many online slot games and each comes with it's own theme and design so
your choices are nearly unlimited. Some pick a particular game because they like
the name of the game, some choose a new game thinking that the game is looser,
the choice is entirely yours. Always consider the payout and the coin amount in
your decision.
Look at the payout table located on the top of
the machine at about eye level. Study the symbols and what each will pay you
should you win that combination. You have a choice of betting one, two or three
coins on most machines. Some have a two coin max. Whatever the coin max, bet the
max. You don't want to be sitting there stunned when you hit that top winning
combination only to realize you didn't get the jackpot because you were one coin
shy of the max bet required.
Next you want to begin your play by inserting
your money. Slot machines will accept coins or bills and payout in coins or a
credit slip that you take to the cashier to get paid. After your first spin
glance back up at the payout table to compare your spin to what is showing
there. You would have seen and heard the bells and whistles had you hit a
winning combination of a large size. But by keeping yourself familiar with
exactly what you are trying to achieve, you can start to play a bit more relaxed
and naturally and spin the reels with more confidence.
Slots Payouts:
The payouts on slots can be very confusing to the novice. In general, a good
rule of thumb to remember is that the lower the bet such on nickel slots, the
lower the payout.
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