Starting any new activity can sometimes prove to be quite a daunting prospect. This is as true of something like skiing as it can be of taking that first plunge into the world of online casinos.
But the fact that both activities have literally millions of fans all over the world suggests that initial hesitation can be easily overcome.
In both cases, it’s simply a question of starting gently and slowly, gradually easing yourself in. For skiing, it means taking on the nursery slopes first and working your way up to the black run.
In an online casino, it’s playing the simpler and most straightforward games first before you tackle the real toughies like poker.
The good news is that online casino operators know and understand that you might be a little tentative at first. That’s why their sites make it easy for you to get into the games and here are four that you’ll be able to pick up in no time at all.
Slots
It’s hard to believe it, but the history of slots is a long one. We’ve been playing these games for well over a century now.
In fact, the very first machine was invented in California in the late 19th century. The machine, called the Liberty Bell, was the brainchild of a young electrical engineer called Charles Fey and offered a jackpot of 50 cents.
We’ve come a long way since then but the good news is that the hundreds of bingo slots games that you’ll find on sites like JackpotJoy are almost as simple to play as the original. You just pick your game, choose your stake, and away to go.
You’ll find that there are countless different themes to the slots.
For example, some have movie or TV show tie-ins while others take you back to the times of Ancient Rome or the pharaohs. Packed with features like the chance to win free spins and multipliers for your winnings, you’ll soon find your favorites to play.
Roulette
If you were to go to a bricks and mortar casino, roulette is probably the first of the table games that you’d see being played. For many people it really is the quintessential casino game – and the one which you’ll most likely find James Bond playing, relying on his lucky number 17.
But don’t be intimidated, either by the real or the online version of the game. At its simplest level, you are betting on which number, from 1 up to 35, the little white ball is going to land in.
The complication may seem to come from the many betting options available to you on the table. But when you study it for a little while it soon starts to make sense. For example, you can bet on a single number which will earn you a very good payout of 35 times your stake if it comes up.
Or you can choose simple options like red or black or odd or even which will win you the amount of your stake back.
Online roulette also has a “live” version in which a game is run by a real dealer and the action is streamed to you as it happens. Before long, you’ll be playing this version like an expert.
Blackjack
If you’d like to try your hand at cards then blackjack makes for an excellent starting point. The rules are very simple. It’s you against the dealer and the aim is to get closer to scoring 21 than they can.
When you play, you are both dealt two cards.
Yours are face up and the dealer has one card face up and the other face down. Ideally, you’ll score 21 with an ace and a ten or a picture card. This is unbeatable unless the dealer gets this too in which case your stake is returned to you and the next round begins.
If you’ve not got that magic 21 then you need to decide whether to stick to your score and hope the dealer can’t manage to beat you. Or you can take your chances and ask for another card, or cards.
The risk with this is that you will bust and automatically let the dealer win. But, unlike other card games, there is a system called the Basic Strategy that will teach you the best move, statistically speaking, in any particular situation.
It takes a little learning. But it’s sure to pay dividends if you can put in the time.
Baccarat
Another card game that is great for beginners is baccarat. In this, you have the option of betting that either you or the dealer will have a hand that is closest to the number 9.
You might be wondering how this can work. Surely any card with a value of over 9 will automatically mean you’re bust.
In fact, tens and face cards count as zero, and other cards are worth their face value. Plus if the total of your hand is over 10, the second digit is the value of the hand. So a 9 and a 6, which add up to 15, make a 5-point hand.
This, along with blackjack, is another game you’ll find in a live casino. Just spending a few minutes watching the play will get you into the swing and ready to take part yourself.
So hopefully you’ve found this quick primer to online casino games useful. Now it’s time to put some of it into practice for yourself!