Online Casino Guide

Playing at an online casino is entertaining, fun and offers the chance to win some money. Online casinos have developed significantly over recent years and the whole experience is vastly superior compared to the early examples of online casinos. At OnlineBettingSites, we have compiled this online casino guide to provide our readers with strategy and advice based on our own years of experience of gambling in live and online casinos.

Online casino sites differ from other betting sites in one significant way. You are playing against the house in games primarily of chance. At an online poker site you are playing against other players and if you can learn the game well enough to be better than the majority of your opponents you will win money. At an online sports betting site, you can use your skill, knowledge and judgement to make informed bets and give yourself an excellent chance of being a winning bettor. At an online casino luck plays a far bigger role.

Playing online casino games for money should primarily be about entertainment - enjoying the experience and hoping that fortune shines on you and win some money. The key to getting the most of your online casino betting experience is to make sure you get the best value you from the websites you wager at and give yourself the best chance of winning. Our online casino guide will help you achieve that.

Game Specific Casino Betting Information

All casino games are different, and many games offer many different variations and betting rules depending on which format you are playing.  Below is a list of detailed "game specific" betting guides for all types of online casino games:

For now gambling games will be listed alphabetically, with frequent updates and additions.

We have also added a new page detailing playing live dealer casino games for real money.

Choosing an Online Casino

The first step, somewhat obviously, is choosing the best online casino to play at. There are hundreds of different online casinos to choose from so this is not necessarily an easy task. Not everyone wants the same things from their online casino, of course, so what is good for one person is not necessarily right for another.

The key considerations are the reputation of the casino, the sign-up bonus, the software and the range of online casino games. There are some shady online casinos out there so it is really important to avoid them. We would advocate trying out an online casino with small deposits in the first instance, to get a feel for the software and different games. If you feel comfortable there, then try out a larger deposit and keep playing. It is advisable to try out a few different casinos and find your favourites that way, and many casino players play at multiple casinos on a regular basis.

We provide more information and advice on choosing an online casino in our section on Online Casino Sites.

Online Casino Sign Up Bonuses

Sign up bonuses are a fundamental part of online casinos’ strategy to attract new customers. From the player’s point of view, they are an excellent way to try out a new online casino while gaining some extra value at the same time.

Online casino sign up bonuses can come in a variety of different forms, with the most common being the deposit bonus. A deposit bonus is when the online casino matches your initial deposit with some free chips based on a percentage of your deposit, giving you extra money to play with from the start. Some of these bonuses can be incredibly generous and well worth taking advantage of.

It is vital to fully understand the terms of conditions of the sign up bonus being offered by the online casino before going ahead with it. For example, there will almost certainly be wagering requirements attached to the bonus, meaning that you have to make a certain amount of bets in the casino before the bonus is cleared and you can make a withdrawal. Often, only certain games will count towards the required wagering so you should make sure your preferred games are included, or be prepared to try other games.

You will usually only have a certain period of time to meet the wagering requirements too, before the bonus is forfeited. If you have 7 days to clear the bonus, for example, be sure you can fit in the wagering requirements during that period.

A bonus may be what is referred to as a “play bonus” - this means you can’t actually withdraw it as real money, but you can play with it and keep any winnings. Play bonuses can still offer good value, but a real money bonus is much better.

Sometimes casinos will offer new customers a choice of sign up bonuses. You may have the choice of a no-deposit bonus, free spins, or a deposit match bonus for example, but only be able to take advantage of one. Sometimes, there are different bonuses depending on which games you play. A casino might have a choice of a $50 deposit bonus for blackjack players or a $100 bonus for slots players.

Online Casino Promotions And Loyalty Rewards

Most of the best online casino websites work hard to look after and retain their customers, as it is a very competitive market place. This is usually done in the form of loyalty schemes or regular promotions. Similarly to sign up bonuses, these can offer some great added value to your online play.

Loyalty schemes and promotions will vary greatly from one online casino site to another. A common form of loyalty reward is where a casinos offers “comp points” which be awarded to you every time you make a wager in the casino. As your points build up, they can be exchanged for cash. This can be a great way to get some extra cash back from the casino.

Other promotions might include a weekly or monthly leader board where you earn points every time you play in the casino. The more you play, the more points you earn for the leader board. At the end of the set period, the players in the highest positions will win cash or other prizes.

As with online casino bonuses, it is important to make sure you fully understand the terms of conditions of any loyalty schemes or promotions.

Online Casinos for High Roller & VIPs

As you can imagine, online casinos will want to a bit extra for their high rolling customers – in much the same way as live casinos do. If you spend a fair bit of time gambling in online casinos then you can expect to be rewarded over and above the regular customer.

If you consider yourself a high roller, then it is advisable to check whether an online casino has a VIP programme and what the benefits might be. Always make sure you get maximum value for your play.

Online Casino Game Betting Rules

Online casinos tend to offer a very large range of games to their players – usually more than you would expect to see at a bricks and mortar casino. Part of the fun of playing at online casinos is trying out new and exciting games – some of which can be very different to what you are used to.

Whether you are trying out a new game or playing an old favourite, we strongly suggest that you have a solid understanding of the betting rules of each game.

Online Casino Games Strategy

As we’ve mentioned, playing at a casino involves a large amount of luck. However, for most of the games you can play at online casino there are certain strategies you can employ to ensure that you have the best chance of winning. In the game of blackjack, for example, there is a tried and tested basic strategy that tells you exactly what action to take in any circumstance.

To give yourself the greatest opportunity of winning money at in an online casino, we would recommend that you try to learn some of the strategies that can be applied to various games. A bit of time spent learning a solid strategy will definitely be time well spent.