Gambling Online
10 Rules for Successful Play
by J. Phillip Vogel
Gambling
Teachers offer 10 rules for successful gambling online in this
lesson for
Online
Gambling Guide.
When a street thug steals your money, it’s classified as a crime. When
a casino does it, we simply chalk it up to bad luck.
It
seems odd since it seems that at times the only difference is that you
don’t spend hour after hour trying to react to the street thug.
All
jokes aside, being successful at casino
gambling is a very tricky
business. The odds are almost always stacked against you whether
gambling online or off. The games require a lot of skill,
self-discipline, resolve and guile to be successful at it.
You certainly cannot always expect to win of course, no matter how well
you play but you don’t always have to lose either.
By
simply making an extra effort to learn some basic rules to be
successful and make them part of your play, you can increase your odds
of winning significantly.
Gambling Online Rule #1: Learn First, Play
Later
Gamblers
often dive right into the game because they have some basic familiarity
with a game. This is not wise because you don’t usually fully
understand the risks and attributes of the game in question. Even if
you have been playing for years, you are sometimes at a disadvantage
because you’ve only learned the mechanics of a given game and not its
intricacies.
Do you know what the house edge is? Is the strategy
that you are using for the game based on 2 decks or 6 or even 8? Should
you hedge your bet? At the slot machines, should you always play the
maximum bet on a single payline machine with a multiplier?
If you
cannot answer any of those questions about rules and strategies, you
will unwittingly increase the house edge and give them more money than
you would otherwise.
If you want to head down the road to
successful gambling online, then you need to learn the ins and outs of
the rules and strategies. Practice play in the free game mode and don’t
risk your money until you have the game mastered.
Remember too, that Gambling Teachers Learning Center is ready
to assist you with a comprehensive gambling education.
Gambling Online Rule #2: Bet Sensibly
Casino
gambling is negative-expectation entertainment with very few
exceptions. What I am saying is that the games are designed to lean in
favor of the house, every time. In the long run over the course of
time, even the very best players will ultimately lose.
Just about
every game will subject casino players to its insidious
bankroll-depleting nature including Craps, Caribbean Stud, Blackjack
and Stud Poker. The house edge varies from one game to another. Some of
these games will be minimally or moderately costly while others are
horrendous. Even some of the best games will have bad betting options
that will wreak havoc on your bankroll complicating the casino
experience further.
Let’s take Craps for example. This game is a
relatively low vigorish game and it offers many sensible bets like the
combined Pass/Odds (2X) at 0.6% while you look a little further in the
table and you will see the “Any Seven” bet that is an absolutely
horrible wager that will cost a whopping 16.7%.
With blackjack, a
player can easily find a game with a vigorish less than 0.5%, depending
on game rules. Players then give into fear and temptation and take
insurance and the edge then becomes 7% on the bet.
Simply put,
whatever game you are playing, be sure that you know which bets are
good and which are bad. Stick with the rules that offer the house the
least portion of your action.
Gambling Online Rule #3: Gambling is Like Sex, Slower is better!
Speed
can be good if you are running a horse race like the Kentucky Derby.
The race wouldn’t be much fun if the horses just trotted along at a
comfortable pace. When we talk about sex however, speed in not a good
thing. In fact, a speedy delivery gets low marks and the same holds
true when gambling online or at a land-based casino.
Gamblers
consistently pay for the luxury of playing because of the house’s edge
that comes attached to each game. The faster you play a given game, the
more hands you will see or reels you spin, the faster you bankroll is
depleted. This becomes increasingly evident in a computer generated
online environment. The games online move much faster than they would
if you were in a land-based casino. You have to slow down and take it
easy. Take a few breaths before you deal the next hand or spin the
reels again. Count to 10, relax. Anything you can do to lower the
number of bets you are making every hour is a good thing. While it’s
true that it will not reduce the house’s edge, it will keep you playing
longer and will teach you one of the toughest skills to be learned when
gambling and that is self-control.
Gambling Online Rule #4: Choosing the Best
Game Versions
Gambling online has some great features, and one of the best is the
freedom of choice that the accessibility offers you.
Instead
of being at the mercy of where you are located, online gamblers can
choose from hundreds, even thousands of online casinos in the quest to
find the best games available.
Players frequently have
international rule variations in their favor because of the need for
online casinos to have a global appeal.
For example, the US
version of Roulette. The players are usually stuck with the “0” and
“00” version of the game that carries a vigorish of 5.26% at land-based
casinos.
However, online casinos will typically offer the European
version of the game with the single “0”. Moreover, they offer the “en
prison” rule in which even money bets that land on the zero will either
return half of the wager to the player, or the bet becomes imprisoned
and the outcome will be decided on the very next spin of the wheel.
This carries an edge for the casino that is drastically lower coming in
at around 2.70%.
Gambling Online Rule #5: Avoid Those Costly Side Bets!
There
are more than just a few casino games that will offer optional side
bets that proffer huge jackpot winnings should you be lucky enough to
overcome those huge odds. Let it Ride, Caribbean Stud, and a few
variations of Blackjack and Roulette are the most common culprits. They
lure players in with potentially large paydays in the hundreds of
thousands.
Sure, these bets are tempting when both gambling online
and offline. The reality is that you are much better to decline the
action in favor of the main game you are playing.
The primary
reason is that the vigorish comes in at somewhere around 25% that
equals $25 an hour if you are paying at a speed of 100 hands per hour.
In the long haul, the wager is too expensive when there is little
chance for success.
Gambling Online Rule #6: Set Valid Limits
and Stop the Bleeding
Successful online gambling hinges on the ability to control impulses
and properly manage your money.
DO
NOT adopt the mindset that you are going to stay and play until your
last dollar. Setting a limit to how much you will play in a given day
is a tool that is useful to help you develop the self-discipline you
need to play online or offline. It serves to protect you from being
wiped out during an especially tough run of bad luck.
Set a loss
limit on your bankroll of say, 50%. This may sound like a high number,
but the truth is, many players are comfortable with somewhere around
50%.
This way, you can walk away and still have a sizeable portion
of you money in your pocket. Go grab a break. Talk a walk and relax.
Come back later, or even the next day to give it a go again.
Gambling Online Rule #7: Set Clear Goals
Goals? What are goals in gambling? Well, the obvious goal of course is
to win money. Such a broad description however is counter productive in
the mania-inducing casino floor or screen, if gambling
online. How much is enough do you think?
If
we start with $100 and our winnings have brought us to $600, then how
much of the $600 should we put at risk? Suppose we lose $300 of that?
That would then leave us with $200 profit, so should we stop there or
continue to try to get back to where we once were?
Most players arrive at a point in time where they are ahead.
The
problem is that we just don’t seem to know when to quit and we want
more and more. Then, the losing begins. Therefore, just wanting to win
money is not a goal that is clearly defined.
Set your goals for a given gambling session, and then do your absolute
best to stick to it whether gambling online or offline.
Be sure to set realistic goals that are based on your skill level and
your bankroll.
If
you are a solid player and you are starting with $1,000, set you goal
at winning $300 and then stop. If you are a beginner, you may want to
set it at less than that, say $100-$200.
Once you have reached the
goal that you have set, put the original bankroll away, plus some of
your profit and use the rest to play with. This keeps you playing to
possibly win more while you have a profit at the same time.
Gambling Online Rule #8: Heed the Payout
Percentages
With
online gambling, the more reputable sites will allow you to view the
payout history or percentages. It usefulness is limited to games of
skill. The percentages for the games of chance will show you the type
of battle you will be fighting.
Gambling Online Rule #9: Take Comps
but Don’t Chase Them
Unlike
the traditional casino where the comps involve cash, rooms, food and
entertainment among other things, the online casino is limited to cash.
These comps are available in many different forms and include the new
player bonus, VIP Points, returning player bonuses and so on. You can
even collect referral fees when you refer your friends to a casino
online. You want to maximize the special rewards whenever possible.
For
instance, if you are a new member and you plan on wagering $200, you’re
ahead if you deposit the amount all at once rather than splitting it
into 3 or 4 deposits.
This will earn you more bonus cash because most new player bonuses are
based on the initial deposit.
Some
casinos have begun a trend in which they will allow you to spread the
bonus over several deposits, but not all of them do, so be sure to read
the facts before depositing.
Familiarize yourself with the ongoing promotions of the site.
Then learn how you can best use these bonuses to your advantage. Are
there monthly player deposit bonuses?
Do
they have a players club where you earn comp points for your play?
These points translate into dollars, and online casinos have different
ways of rewarding the players.
One casino may give $10. at one thousand points, while another might
only offer $5. on five thousand points.
Now
that we have discussed the bonuses, and we know that they are indeed an
important way to boost your bankroll, don’t let them dictate
your
play and sway your better judgment to a point where getting the bonus
becomes the be-all end-all of your playing to the point of decimating
your bankroll.
These comps are a reward for your natural play and they are
fantastically wonderful treats, but don’t chase them.
They simply aren’t worth it in the end.
Remember
too, that most online casinos have play-through requirements for these
bonus dollars that will vary from one casino to the next. Read the
terms and conditions so you aren’t surprised when you are not able to
cash out right away.
Gambling Online Rule #10: Play Casinos
Supporting Your Preferences
There
is one last rule that many of the new online gamblers tend to overlook.
When you are looking for a suitable site at which to play, don’t buy
into the hype and marketing gimmicks used by these casinos.
Conduct
your own research by visiting web portals. Read unbiased reviews that
are featured online and in reputable gaming magazines. The information
provided by these sites and materials will aid you in finding an online
gambling location that is most suitable to you.
For instance, a
player who loves slots should choose a site that has a large selection
of these types of games. Your choice should be one that features
reduced edge rules. You’ll know if they do because this will be their
marketing message.
Following these 10 rules will not transform
you into a gambling guru overnight because there’s more to learn to be
successful gambling online, but it is a good way to start.
Incorporate
these rules into your play and work on improving your basic skills.
Strive to become the best player possible: one that is knowledgeable.
One thing you should always remember is that unlike the typical street
thug, you don’t have to give the casino anything.
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