Beginner’s Guide to Online Casinos
If you’ve never played casino games online for real money, you’re missing out. And if you haven’t tried it in a few years you’ll be surprised by how far the technology and player experience has come. Online casinos offer the excitement of all your favourite casino games, combined with the convenience and security of online gaming.
But for beginners it can all be a bit intimidating. Don’t worry. This article will clearly explain everything you need to know to get your feet wet in the online casino world. You’ll learn how to find the right online casino for you and how to make sure you get the best possible signup bonus. We’ll also explain the casino’s house edge, general online casino strategy and the new ultra-popular live dealer casinos that give you the most realistic online gaming experience ever. Consult our all of our games guides to find out what online casinos in general and more specifically, the most recent casino games have to offer you.
Best Online Casinos for Beginners
Finding the Right Casino
Playing casino games online starts with finding the right online casino. There are tons to choose from and different casinos specialize in different things so it’s important to figure out what’s most important to you and then find the online casino that does it the best. Obviously TopCasinoBonus is here to help you determine what’s the best casino for you. The easiest way to get started is to browse our comprehensive online casino reviews. You can see what sets the big casino brands apart from one another and which areas each casino excels in.
We’ll go into more detail later but here’s a quick look at the most important things to look for when choosing on online casino:
- Game Selection and Stakes – Most of the big casino brands have all the main games like blackjack, baccarat, casino poker and roulette but if there’s something obscure you love playing, make sure it’s offered before signing up. Also, just because a site offers the game doesn’t mean it’s available in the stakes that you like to play so check that out too.
- Signup Bonuses and Loyalty Rewards – We’ll explain bonuses in more detail in the next section but make sure to check out the casino’s signup bonuses and any other special promotions they’re running. Sometimes you can get big bonuses that only run for a limited time if you sign up at the right time. Also look into what kind of rewards the casino offers for continuing to play there. Different casinos focus on different games in their loyalty programs so find one that matches up with your favourite games.
- Software Look, Feel and Function – A big part of the playing experience depends on the casino’s software. It’s subjective so one person’s favourite site might drive someone else crazy. Check out our reviews for up-to-date screenshots and browse the site itself to see it first-hand before you sign up.
- Safety, Security and Customer Support – Check out what people have to say about cashing out money and dealing with the casino’s customer support team. You can also do some research to see where the casino is licensed and regulated. Choosing established online casino brands can give you peace of mind when it comes to security.
Getting the Best Signup Bonus
Online casinos compete for your business and signing up is the stage where they’re really generous in order to get you on the site. But with lots of online casinos offering lots of different signup bonuses, it can be tough to find the best one at a given time. There are a few key points to look for to understand how signup bonuses work. Usually the bonus matches a certain percentage of your first deposit. The bonus might say 100% up to $1,000 for example. That means if you deposit $100, they’ll add another $100 to your account. It’s also important to look a little closer to see what the rules are around clearing your bonus. Most signup bonuses put a hold on the cash until you’ve played a certain number of games or wagered a certain amount of money. Sometimes choosing a bonus with a smaller dollar value but a more lenient play-through requirement can be the best way to go.
Redeeming signup bonuses is easy. Just sign up using a link on this site and the bonus will automatically be credited to your account. Check out our casino bonus page to see who’s offering the best signup bonus when you decide to open a new account.
Strategy, House Edge and RTP (Return to Player)
Everyone has different priorities when it comes to what makes online gambling fun. Some people want to splash around and take risks for a shot at a big score while others try to play it smart and get the most out of their money.
If you want to make smart bets, you have to understand the casino’s house edge. That’s the advantage built in to most casino games and it can vary drastically from game to game or even bet to bet on the same table. House edge is expressed as a percentage so an edge of 5%, for example, means that for every $100 wagered by the player, the casino will win $5.
Another way casinos refer to the house edge is known as RTP which stands for “return to player”. It’s usually expressed as a percentage so an RTP of 95%, for example, means that for every $100 wagered by the player, on average they’ll get $95 back in the form of winnings.
Slots and video poker games often post the RTP but for other games you have to do some research. Check out our comprehensive casino rules and strategy section for detailed information on which games and bets have the lowest house edge.
Live Dealer Casinos
If you haven’t seen the latest versions of live dealer casinos, you’re in for a treat. Live dealer casinos use real people, cards and gaming tables to give you a super-realistic and social experience and the technology keeps getting better and better.
They’re so popular because live dealers allow you to interact with a real person while you’re playing. A lot of gamblers also appreciate that the outcomes are decided by a real deck of cards or roulette wheel, compared to random number generator software.
If you’re interested in live dealer casinos make sure to do some research before signing up to make sure the casino has a good selection of games and a top-notch production/streaming platform. Especially online casinos that provide Evolution Gaming‘s live casino tables are a must to experience. With industry leading technology and innovative features being added on a regular, this provider of live casino games gives one of the most rewarding experiences on the internet.