In the past few months, as we had to stay inside to comply with lockdowns and new health protocols, we spent so much time at home that we practically exhausted all our entertainment options, from streaming catalogs and podcasts to video games and music playlists. Therefore, most of us found ourselves on the lookout for new entertainment alternatives to cope with those harsh times we were facing.
As a result, online casino games became an attractive option, with operators providing some of the most beloved casino classics and authentic casino experiences for bettors playing from the safety of their homes. Succeeding at these games, however, isn’t always easy and many players end up feeling discouraged after a few setbacks.
With that in mind, in this article, we’ll provide you a few basic pointers that can help you avoid some common blunders and even improve your gaming results when playing some of the most popular online casino games.
Blackjack
Blackjack is arguably the most popular card game in the world, with millions of people playing it at home, in traditional brick-and-mortar casinos, and online casinos. Today, blackjack and its variants by most trustworthy iGaming operators, such as Bovada, BetMGM, or STS, with varying payouts, bet limits, and even with live dealers.
Blackjack requires a lot of practice, and you should always keep studying the game and its many strategies – including a blackjack strategy chart. But selecting the games with the best payout is a quick way to improve your results. Most casinos offer blackjack tables with 3:2 and 6:5 payouts for a natural blackjack (Ace, plus 10). A 6:5 ratio means a $100 wager would result in a $120 payout, whereas the 3:2 ratio would result in a $150 payout. Furthermore, in 6:5 tables, you only get the 6:5 payout on amounts divisible by five, and any overage is paid off in even money.
Apart from that, you should stay away from side bets and insurance bets. Despite seeming attractive options due to the higher payouts or the possibility of breaking even, these wagers increase the house edge to over 7 percent, which is higher than most casino games.
The essential thing to remember in blackjack is that you should always expect the next card to be a ten. With every ten, jack, queen, and king being that value, you can second guess the probability of what the dealer’s total might be. If, for example, the dealer’s upcard is a four, you might now reasonably assume their downcard is ten, giving a vulnerable total of 14.
The dealer will need to take a third card and likely go bust. In this scenario you might double down more often to get more money on to the table – or, to be safe, you can stand on a wider number of hands because you believe the dealer will bust.
On the flip side, if the dealer shows a nine or ten upcard, you must assume their downcard is a ten, giving them a strong total. Now, you would be unwise to double down on anything other than a strong hand of your own, plus you must be more aggressive to reach a higher total of your own.
The final, basic piece of blackjack advice is never to split tens – it’s likely 20 is already a winning hand, so why risk exposing yourself further?
Roulette
Roulette, perhaps one of the most well-known table games in the world, is a favorite option among online bettors all over the world, and has been available at online casinos since their inception in the 1990s. The game is offered in its many variants, and with different wheel layouts, including the most popular American and French layouts.
Since roulette is purely a game of chance, there are no precise strategies that can help you improve your results. However, by taking a few simple measures, you may prevent significant losses and stay in the blue. When it comes to game selection, the French wheel layout should always be your choice, since it has just one zero pocket and a house edge of 2.7 percent, which means that on average, players lose $2.7 for every $100 wagered over time. The American wheel layout, with one extra zero pocket, has a house edge of 5.26 percent.
Additionally, you should avoid novelty versions of roulette, such as multiball and multiwheel roulette, because their house edges are significantly higher, and instead look for games with special rules like the surrender rule, which provides a refund if the ball lands on the zero, or the en prison rules, which gives players an extra ball if the first one lands on the zero.
Poker
Since the mid-2000s poker boom, online poker has evolved into a cultural phenomenon, with millions of people playing it throughout the world, and representing a significant market in the gambling industry. Today, there are several guides and strategy books to help players improve their game, and studying really is the best approach to become a better poker player.
But there are some quick steps that can help you improve your results. If you are a novice player, start at lower limit tables to have a better knowledge of the game, before moving up to the higher limits tables. Game selection is also vital, and you should always play with players of similar skill levels rather than high-rollers.
After selecting the game, you must be able to identify the best positions in the table. The best place on the table is always the dealer button, and the second best spot is to the right of the dealer. Play aggressively and with a larger range of hands from these positions. When sitting in the two spots to the left of the dealer button, you shouldn’t get into many hands.
