Top 10 Tips

The majority of casino games cannot be influenced by the player. Instead, games such as roulette, craps, sic bo, slots and so on are determined solely by chance.

There are no guaranteed winning systems, formulas or secrets that anyone can use to make certain profits from games of chance, despite what you read in over-hyped books written by over-enthusiastic authors, so don't expect to find the impossible here. What you will find are our Top 10 Tips for giving yourself the best possible chance of success...

01 - Play with money you can afford to lose
You should approach online casino gaming with the view that you are paying for entertainment and the chance - though by no means the promise - that you will make a profit. That said, you should only ever play with money that you can genuinely afford to lose. Playing with money that you really can't afford to lose (for example, the mortgage money!) could make online gaming stressful, and that is no fun at all. We recommend that you set aside a specific sum of money that you are prepared to lose - a sum often referred to as your bankroll - and that you resist the temptation to bet any more than that until your finances allow.

02 - Know the game you're playing
Many people lose money at online casinos simply because they don't know how to play the games they are betting on. You can avoid making this mistake by learning as much as you can about a game before investing a penny. All online casinos have rule pages that explain how games are played, and here at casinoreviewers.com we have a number of detailed game guides that you can study. When you have familiarised yourself with a particular game, spend some time playing in "fun mode" at the online casino of your choice so that you can learn how to play the games really well without losing any of your real bankroll.

03 - Make bets based on the size of your bankroll
The best way to bet is to make bets that are based on the size of your bankroll. Some players do this by betting a fixed percentage of their bankroll on any given spin. For example, a player might bet 1% of his bankroll on each hand of video poker that he plays, and this would allow him to play 100 hands before "blowing out". If the bankroll increases, the value of his 1% would also increase, so a successful run might see him betting larger sums whilst still having enough for 100 hands. Of course, smaller or larger percentage figures can be used according to how much risk you want to take. Use small stakes to extend your playing sessions or use larger stakes to take a shot at the big time - it's your money and you should make your own choice in this matter.

04 - Don't play if you're tired or drinking alcohol
Playing when tired or under the influence of alcohol will increase your chances of making silly - and potentially expensive - betting decisions. Of course, because many casino games are determined by chance it is quite possible that a silly decision could result in a big pay day, but losses are generally more likely. If you are tired then it is better to have a rest before playing at an online casino, and if you are drinking alcohol you should make sure that you don't drink enough to cloud your judgement.

05 - Use session banks
A good money management tip is to divide your main bankroll into several "session banks" and to use one of these for each gaming session. For example, if you have a bankroll of £1,000 you could divide this into ten session banks of £100 or five session banks of £200. Then take your session bank and play with it as you wish, but if you lose the session bank stop betting. This approach prevents you from losing your entire bankroll in a single unlucky session.

06 - Check progressive rules
If you are playing a game that has a progressive jackpot, you should check the rules of that game so that you understand how a player can qualify for the progressive. Some games will only pay the full amount of the progressive jackpot to players who are betting the maximum number of coins, or maximum stakes. If this is the case with the game that you are playing you need to know beforehand - otherwise you could be massively disappointed to hit a Royal Flush and only come away with a slice of the progressive jackpot instead of the whole thing!

07 - Don't chase losses
If you lose money it is very tempting to play more aggressively in an attempt to win back your losses. Unfortunately, chasing losses usually leads to more of the same, so a better option is to take a losing session on the chin and quit playing or use minimum stakes until your luck changes. In the world of online casino gaming, running away from a losing session so that you can come back to play another day is a perfectly good strategy that we think all sensible players should adopt.

08 - The shorter your sessions, the better your odds
If a gambling expert had £200 to bet and he was only interested in winning (and not playing for fun) he would probably put it on one hand of blackjack or on an even money shot at the roulette wheel. This is because he has a fair chance of winning (just under 50%) and if he does win he can immediately walk away £200 richer. The longer your play sessions are, the less chance of winning you have overall because the casino house edge will constantly wear you down. The tip here is simple - keep your sessions short and quit when you're ahead.

09 - Choose your games wisely
Not all games are equally good for the casino player because the house edge varies from game to game, and the larger the edge against you is, the more likely you are to lose in any given session. Blackjack is one of the best casino games to play because it has a low house edge and, as it is a game of skill as well as luck, you can increase your chances of winning by adopting a proper blackjack strategy. Even money bets in roulette, craps and baccarat are also well worth looking at. See our Strategic Info pages for advice on these and other games, then choose the games you play wisely!

10 - Have fun!
Our most important tip of all is for you to have fun. This shouldn't be difficult as long as you only bet with money that you can afford to lose and you adhere to all the other recommendations we've made here. Online casino gaming can be hugely enjoyable whether you win or lose. After all, you can play when you want, wear what you want and get a bone fide Las Vegas experience from the comfort of your own home.

Good luck!

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