Why it pays to learn about casinos before you start playing

New to online casinos? You probably just want to get started, right? It’s like when you get a new gadget and want to play with it straight away instead of reading the instructions first. We know how that feels. But actually, it pays to learn about casinos before you start playing. (And when we say it pays, we mean it literally: money in your account!)

You see, the online casino world is a kind of adult playground—great fun, but with a few things to understand to get the most out of it. If you know what’s what, you can get a great bonus when you sign up and you can set limits to make sure it always stays fun. You can find a good VIP package to get loads of nice perks if you’re going to be a regular. And, perhaps most important of all, you can avoid making rookie mistakes. Our guide Gambling mistakes you shouldn’t be making is well worth a quick read.

Tips and tricks on how to get the best casino experience

Getting the best casino experience isn’t about luck. Of course, an element of luck is involved in playing the games themselves, but that’s not what we mean. We’re talking about the whole experience of online gambling, and that’s something that you can completely control.

For example, what’s the first thing you always do in an online casino? You sign up. You register. So, this is where your experience really starts. Should you sign up to a selection of sites or try and stay loyal to one? Is the site you like the look of even trustworthy? The trick is to be a clever customer—something our guides can help you do. Should you sign up to more than one online casino is a great little read; and How to know if an online casino is legitimate is really reassuring.

And what about getting the best live casino experience? Understanding what’s expected of you as a player is the best way to do that, like visiting a new country and having a head-start on fitting in by knowing a bit about the culture. Check out  Live casino etiquette: How to behave when playing live dealer games for the perfect introduction to a spot of live gaming.

How slot games’ paylines and variances affect game pay

Slot games are one of the most popular games in the online casino world. They’re great fun, they’re easy to play and, unlike Poker, they don’t require you to learn a load of rules before you can go and enjoy yourself. But two quick things to understand are “paylines” and “variances”.

So what’s the definition of a payline? Well, it’s quite literally the line of symbols you have to spin if you want to get paid, hence pay-line. (The classic is $ $ $ across the centre of the screen, meaning you’re in the money!) That’s just one kind of payline but you can get diagonals too and any number of different symbols—it all depends on the particular game you’re playing.

Now let’s explain variances. Variance is about how often you win and how big the payout is when you do. With online slots, you’ll find three descriptions: “high variance”, “medium variance” and “low variance”. High variance means that you’re not likely to win very often, but when you do win you win big. Low variance is the other way round: you’re likely to win quite often, but the amount you get each time isn’t going to be so high. Medium variance is somewhere in the middle. You can always find out the variance of a game before you start to play, and what you choose really depends on your style of play and your budget.

Check out our guide to gaming terms below for more useful definitions. It’s called The Complete Guide to Slots Terminology and is the first guide in our list.

What different types of slot games exist?

Slot games come in all shapes and sizes and there’s a game out there to suit everyone.

If you’re a beginner then there are nice simple games to ease you in, and if you’re an advanced player then there are more complex games to challenge you.  Likewise, if you’re a patient player then there are high variance games and if you’re someone who likes constant action then there are low variance games.

Then you’ve got 3-reels slots and 5-reel slots—games with either three reels of symbols or five reels across the screen.

And when it comes to the theme of the slot games, the variety is endless. Mustang Gold is a popular new game set in the Wild West whilst Rome: Rise of an Empire is set in the tough and exciting world of Ancient Rome. Then there’s Mighty Africa, which is set amongst wild elephants and rhinoceros. (…These are just a small sample of what’s available!)

Tried and tested casino slot tips by players

If you’re after tried and tested casino slot tips then the best people to ask are surely the players. The veterans of the gaming world are the people you want to hear from, right? Well, our guides are like little conversations with highly experienced players. They take their great advice and get them down in writing so you can go back to it time and time again.

A great example is How to avoid playing at a loss. It’s a top guide that sets out the facts and offers some brilliant player insights. Among other invaluable tips, it reminds you to always set a loss limit and that, however good you’re feeling, winning streaks don’t last!

Another interesting guide we’ve put together is called What is the house edge in online casinos? This gives you a proper understanding of the true relationship between the player and the house and means you aren’t under any illusions when it comes to your online gambling.