It is important to have a basic knowledge of how to play any casino game no matter where you play, either in a real situation or at a live online casino. Here are some of the basic tips for playing casino games:

Know, learn and understand the game:

The first and foremost tip is that you must know the game that you are going to play in a casino. There are many free lessons that you can take part in at a good live online casino, most offer free sample games for most table games like blackjack, roulette, craps and baccarat. Before you begin playing, learn the rules of the game. There are many good tips available on Internet which is worth reading. When the practice sessions are finished and you decide that you want to play, try to pick a game table that is not totally full.

Selecting the right game:

Selecting the right game can increase the chance of your success. You must select a game that will optimize the chances of winning and profitable.

Money Management:

To manage money properly, you need to follow the rules of the game. When you go to a live online casino you should only risk what you have put out-of-the-way for that gambling session and only play for a certain time. Do not use any money that is kept for something else. Keep your winning money separately at the end of your playing session do not use this money. At the end of your play, you would be left with some money. The key to gambling is self discipline. Without it, you could be a loser.

Know when to fold:

Knowing when to fold is card games such as poker or blackjack is highly important if you want to walk away a winner. For example if you are playing blackjack and you seem to be a winner, the rational thing to do is raise your bets. If you don’t win the game, lower your bet back down to your first bet and then start again. This will make your live online casino gambling time last a bit longer and this means you will get to have more fun.

To have the best betting system, keep in mind three best gambling tips:

‘one-way’ winning strategy: Begin with minimal bets. Increase the betting progressively as you win so that you are risking only a small calculated portion of what you have won so far. Continue to play as long as profit is progressing.

Set your target profit in reverse: It is easier to achieve a target level backwards rather than forward. Backward profit level targeting is more suitable on low risk/win ratio betting systems.

Be realistic in your approach: You cannot expect to win every time when you play live online casino games. Plan the game session that lets you play with breaks, stop your gambling session once a certain criteria has been met. Don’t aim to win each one of them. What ultimately matters is the overall profit you may win.

In order for a player to enjoy a more pleasant and memorable time at a
casino, while taking precautions to minimise one’s losses, it is very
important to follow a basic set of gambling tips or guidelines.

Understand the game:

This may seem like a very obvious rule, but you would be surprised at
how many people place bets on games they don’t fully understand. This
rule may apply more to certain games (i.e. Roulette) than other games
(i.e. Slots), but generally speaking, it is more advantageous for a
player to fully understand the rules of a game before betting on it.

Budget your money:

Place a limit on the money that you can afford to gamble with and lose.
Never exceed that amount or gamble with money that you can’t afford to
lose. Leaving your ATM cards and credit cards at home may be a good way
to ensure that you won’t be tempted to exceed your budget limit.

Never borrow money to gamble:

To fall into the habit of gambling with borrowed money is one of the
most serious mistakes any person can make. Not only can one run the
risk of falling heavily into debt and perhaps having to sell one’s
possessions to payback the borrowed money, but the risk of alienating
friends and family members, or infuriating the “money lenders” should
be enough reason to avoid this practice at all costs.

Pace yourself:

Avoid betting all your money in one go. Remember, the objective is to
have fun and enjoy yourself. If your gambling budget is $50, then place
bets of $1 or $2 instead of betting the entire $50 on one single bet,
losing it and walking away empty handed. As long as the entire sum of
money is not lost in one single bet, the player has a chance to win.

Know when to quit:

Always quit while you’re ahead. The best time to quit is when you are
ahead of the casino. Many players make the mistake of thinking that
their streak of luck will last forever and continue to gamble until
they eventually lose it all. This is mainly the result of
overconfidence and greed.

Chasing losses:

‘Chasing a loss’ is a term used to describe the act of trying to win
back money that was lost during a previous bet. The problem with this
is that the player stands to lose even more money. In this case, it is
better to just accept the loss and quit or continue playing for the
sole purpose of just having fun.

Maintain a low profile:

Whether you are playing for fun or money, winning or losing, always
maintain a low profile at a casino. The main reason for this is that
one never knows what types of unsavoury characters may be present at a
casino. It is in the best interest of every player not to draw
attention to his/her own money or winnings.

Emotional states:

Never gamble when you are angry or depressed. Emotional states such as
anger and depression usually cloud a person’s judgment and impair
his/her ability to play the games properly. A person who is
experiencing an intense emotional state usually lacks the ability to
think as clearly as someone who is not.

Don’t gamble alone:

In some way, it is better to visit a casino with friends or family
members if you are planning on gambling. Friends and family members
will usually tell you if you are spending too much, drinking too much
or not playing properly. In the very least, it is in everyone’s best
interest to have a sober person in the group who can safely drive
everyone home.

Take frequent breaks:

As in any other activity be it reading, writing or playing computer
games, one should always take frequent breaks to feel refreshed and
alert. Although this may not apply to a person who places a few bets
before leaving the casino floor, it does apply to gambler who intends
on spending a considerable amount of time betting in a casino.

Have fun:

Gambling should be viewed as a fun and exciting recreational activity
as opposed to a means of making money. Even though most of us have
heard of, or read about the occasional gambler who won the big jackpot
that changed his/her life, this is usually not the case for the
majority of players. Let’s face it. The glitz and glamour of casinos
were not built on the good fortune of winners. Therefore always play
for fun and never for the sole purpose of making money.

Avoid alcohol:

Never drink and gamble. Not only can alcohol impair one’s judgement,
but it can also inflate one’s sense of self confidence to the point
where the person gambles away money which he/she would never have
gambled if he/she was sober. This is one of the main reasons as to why
some casinos offer free alcohol to their players.

Avoid distractions:

Distractions can come in many forms from the occasional cellular phone
ringing to the sexy girl walking past the table, and one should always
be mentally prepared to ignore them in order to better focus on the
game. Additionally, the loud sounds and flashing lights of a casino may
look and sound very exciting, but they are not there to help you
concentrate on the game. Try not to become distracted.

By following these basic set of guidelines, one can enjoy his/her visit
to a casino and have plenty of fun while minimizing the risk of falling
into any financial difficulties.

While many of the gambling facts you may have picked up in Las Vegas can be useful in online gambling it’s important that you realize there are some critical differences. But with a knowledge of the facts surrounding your chosen game, and armed with some gambling tips from experienced online players, you will find online gambling not only a fascinating and exciting adventure bit also an opportunity to turn your gambling hobby into a profitable venture.

Critical Rules for Every Game

1. Never chase after your losses. Don’t increase your bets because you’re losing and want to get even; only increase your bets as part of a pre-determined strategy.

2. Don’t gamble at any game that you don’t understand. Learn it first.

3. Don’t gamble and drink at the same. It’s hard enough to win at gambling even without dulled senses.

Money Management – General Guidelines

4. You will lose more often than you win and the longer you play the more likely that fact is. And it’s true whether you’re talking about hands of blackjack, rolls of the roulette wheel or throws of the dice.

5. The key to winning is to maximize your wins and to minimize you losses.

6. Learn and memorize the odds at the particular game you have chosen to play as well as the best strategies to use in an effort to maximize your winnings at that particular game.

7. Never gamble with “dear” money; only gamble with “excess” money. In other words, never gamble with money that you will need, or may need, to pay your everyday living expenses.

8. If you’re playing against other players online this is doubly important. The minute you start gambling with “dear” money the other player will sense your heightened stress and play accordingly – often bullying you out of a bet because they know you are more tentative with your “dear” money.

9. Set a stop loss amount and stick to it. Divide your total gambling bankroll into four separate amounts. Divide each of those amounts into four smaller amounts. If you lose one of the smaller amounts, change tables or games or just take a break. If you lose your entire first allotment, stop gambling for the day.

10. Be disciplined and avoid the gambler’s demise of going into your next allotment because you feel like your luck “just has to turn around.”

11. Plan ahead. When you start a gambling session determine the amount that you want to win (be realistic) and when you reach that point put the money away and walk.

12. When you are winning, draw some money occasionally from your gambling bankroll and put it into a “do not touch” bankroll to protect that portion from further risk.

13. No money management system will ever overcome the house advantage over the long term. You will always lose more often than you win. The key is that you must win more big bets and lose more small bets.

Money Management – Positive Progression Systems

14. A Positive Progression System is one in which you increase the amount of your bets when you win and decrease the amounts of your bets when you lose. To use this system properly you must establish a “standard” betting unit.

15. Your “standard” betting unit should be a comfortable percentage of the gambling bankroll that you will be working with for a particular gambling session. For example, if your session’s bankroll is $100, you might make your “standard” betting unit $10.00. This way you would be able to play at least 10 betting events before running out of funds even if you lost all 10 events in a row.

16. These systems allow you to win relatively large amounts during a hot streak while helping to minimize your losses during cold streaks.

17. A common example of this strategy is to add one-half of the amounts you win to your next bet. For example, at blackjack if you win a hand with your “standard” betting unit of $10.00 you would add $5.00 to the bet on the next hand for a total bet of $15.00. If you win that hand you would add $7.50 to the $15.00 for a bet of $22.50 on the next hand. When you eventually lose a hand, return to your “standard” betting unit of $10.00 on the next hand and start the system all over. Of course in practice these increases of 50% will be approximate.

18. Another more complicated system is to always keep your bankroll divided into a certain number of units and then bet one unit on each event. As you win, your total bankroll becomes bigger so each unit will grow and you’ll be betting larger amounts. As you lose, your units, and bets, become smaller.

19. Establish a system for drawing some of the winnings from your gambling bankroll occasionally to put it into your “do not touch” bankroll. For example, when you double your bankroll you might take one-half of the winnings to put into the “do not touch” bankroll. If you experience a long winning streak using a Positive Progression System the winnings can grow dramatically.

Money Management – Negative Progression Systems

20. A Negative Progression System is one in which you increase the amount of your bets when you lose and decrease the amounts of your bets when you win. Again, to use this system properly you must establish your “standard” betting unit.

21. The most common negative progression system is the Martingale System. Here you double the amount of your bet if you lose and return to your “standard” betting unit when you win. For example, at blackjack if you bet $10.00 and lose you would bet $20.00 on the next hand. If you win that hand you would then reduce your bet to the “standard” $10.00 bet for the following hand. In all gambling, the Martingale system will always fail in the long run.

22. This system can be very frustrating because during a hot streak you are winning only your “standard” betting unit. And during cold streaks you are continually losing bigger and bigger amounts.

23. Remember, draw some money occasionally from your gambling bankroll winnings and put it into a “do not touch” bankroll.

Playing Roulette

24. American roulette is one of the worst casino games that you can play because the house advantage under standard rules is 5.26% or higher.

25. European roulette offers a lower house advantage under standard rules of 2.7% because there are fewer slots with only one “0″ as opposed to the “0″ and “00″ in American roulette.

26. All bets on in American roulette give the house an advantage of 5.26% with one exception: the “0″, “00″, 1, 2, 3 combination bet gives the house a much larger 7.89% advantage.

27. All roulette betting systems rely on the inaccurate assumption that the result of previous spins can predict future results. Unless the system is defective or fixed, each spin carries the same odds as every other spin.

28. The most popular betting system at roulette is the negative progression system known as Martingale (see #17). As in all other games, the Martingale used in roulette will always fail in the long run. 29. Because of the heavy house advantage if you are playing not just for amusement but to win money you might as well take a shot at the higher payoff bets and hope that you get lucky.

30. Try a modified positive progression system at roulette. Divide the amount you are willing to lose at one roulette session into 35 “standard” betting units. Pick one number and bet one unit on that number (must be at least equal to the table minimum bet). Continue playing one unit on that same number until you either win or run out of your 35 unit bankroll. If you win, bet two units on the same number and continue betting two units on that number until you either win or lose your bankroll. If you win again, walk away!

31. Roulette is a relatively slow moving game compared to other online games, so it should take you a longer time to lose your bankroll.

32. Do not play roulette as a way to win money; the odds are too heavy in favor of the house. Play roulette only as a way to have fun and pass the time without losing a lot of money quickly.

Playing Baccarat

33. Baccarat is one of the easiest casino games to play and offers a relatively low advantage to the house of just 1.06%.

34. There may be as many as 12 to 14 players at a table, with the role as dealer passed around the table much as the dice are passed around a craps table.

35. All players may bet on each hand and the bets are either on the “player”, on the “dealer” or on a tie. With the exception of the tie bet, baccarat is much like betting heads or tails on the flip of a coin.

36. Neither banker nor player can make any decisions regarding play; the rules of the game stipulate what must be done with every hand and a house “dealer” supervising the game will direct the play accordingly.

37. Winning bets on the player or the dealer both pay even money, minus a 5% commission paid either at the time of the bet or when the player leaves the table.

38. Winning bets on a tie usually pay 8 to 1, again minus a 5% commission.

39. In an 8-deck game, the house advantage is slightly less for a “banker bet” and dramatically higher for a “tie bet”, so it seems most logical to bet only on the banker.

40. As in all online gambling, card counting is meaningless because the deck(s) is usually shuffled after each hand in baccarat.

Playing Blackjack

41. Blackjack offers one of the lowest house advantages at around .60%, but expert players can actually create situations where the player has an advantage.

42. For the serious player there are many complex strategies that require time and dedication to master.

43. Never just sit down cold at a table. Blackjack tends to be a game of streaks, so watch a table for a few hands to determine if it is a hot or cold table for the players.

44. A “soft” hand is a hand with an Ace that can be counted as either a 1 or an 11 in value and still keep the hand’s total at 21 or less.

45. A “hard” hand is a hand with an Ace that must be counted as 1 in value in order to keep the hand’s total at 21 or less.

46. A beginning or social player should stick to the generally accepted rules of the basic blackjack strategy.

47. Never be afraid to take a card that might bust you. Always play the odds; don’t let the fear of a bust stop you from taking a card when you know it’s the option with the highest probability of success no matter how small that probability may be.

48. Read one of the many excellent books on counting cards if you are serious about blackjack and willing to spend a lot of time practicing and perfecting your play. As in all online gambling, card counting is of little value because the deck(s) is usually shuffled after each hand. In blackjack, however, with many players at a table it may be beneficial for that one hand.

Playing Blackjack to Win – The Best Moves

49. Always split Aces and 8s as the odds are good that the two new hands will be dramatically better than either the soft 12 or hard 16.

50. Stand with a hard 12 or higher when the dealer is showing a 4, 5 or 6. The odds are good that the dealer may bust on the next card or that you will bust if you take another card.

51. Take a hit on anything below a hard 17 when the dealer is showing a 7 thru an Ace. Don’t be afraid to bust!

52. Always double your bet when you’re dealt an 11.