Gambling Online
10 Rules for Successful Play

by J. Phillip Vogel

Gambling Teachers offer 10 rules for successful gambling online in this lesson for Online Gambling Guide.
When a street thug steals your money, it’s classified as a crime. When a casino does it, we simply chalk it up to bad luck.
It seems odd since it seems that at times the only difference is that you don’t spend hour after hour trying to react to the street thug.

All jokes aside, being successful at casino gambling is a very tricky business. The odds are almost always stacked against you whether gambling online or off. The games require a lot of skill, self-discipline, resolve and guile to be successful at it.
You certainly cannot always expect to win of course, no matter how well you play but you don’t always have to lose either.
By simply making an extra effort to learn some basic rules to be successful and make them part of your play, you can increase your odds of winning significantly.

Gambling Online Rule #1: Learn First, Play Later
Gamblers often dive right into the game because they have some basic familiarity with a game. This is not wise because you don’t usually fully understand the risks and attributes of the game in question. Even if you have been playing for years, you are sometimes at a disadvantage because you’ve only learned the mechanics of a given game and not its intricacies.
Do you know what the house edge is? Is the strategy that you are using for the game based on 2 decks or 6 or even 8? Should you hedge your bet? At the slot machines, should you always play the maximum bet on a single payline machine with a multiplier?
If you cannot answer any of those questions about rules and strategies, you will unwittingly increase the house edge and give them more money than you would otherwise.

If you want to head down the road to successful gambling online, then you need to learn the ins and outs of the rules and strategies. Practice play in the free game mode and don’t risk your money until you have the game mastered.
Remember too, that Gambling Teachers Learning Center is ready  to assist you with a comprehensive gambling education.

Gambling Online Rule #2: Bet Sensibly
Casino gambling is negative-expectation entertainment with very few exceptions. What I am saying is that the games are designed to lean in favor of the house, every time. In the long run over the course of time, even the very best players will ultimately lose.
Just about every game will subject casino players to its insidious bankroll-depleting nature including Craps, Caribbean Stud, Blackjack and Stud Poker. The house edge varies from one game to another. Some of these games will be minimally or moderately costly while others are horrendous. Even some of the best games will have bad betting options that will wreak havoc on your bankroll complicating the casino experience further.

Let’s take Craps for example. This game is a relatively low vigorish game and it offers many sensible bets like the combined Pass/Odds (2X) at 0.6% while you look a little further in the table and you will see the “Any Seven” bet that is an absolutely horrible wager that will cost a whopping 16.7%.
With blackjack, a player can easily find a game with a vigorish less than 0.5%, depending on game rules. Players then give into fear and temptation and take insurance and the edge then becomes 7% on the bet.
Simply put, whatever game you are playing, be sure that you know which bets are good and which are bad. Stick with the rules that offer the house the least portion of your action.

Gambling Online Rule #3: Gambling is Like Sex, Slower is better!
Speed can be good if you are running a horse race like the Kentucky Derby. The race wouldn’t be much fun if the horses just trotted along at a comfortable pace. When we talk about sex however, speed in not a good thing. In fact, a speedy delivery gets low marks and the same holds true when gambling online or at a land-based casino.
Gamblers consistently pay for the luxury of playing because of the house’s edge that comes attached to each game. The faster you play a given game, the more hands you will see or reels you spin, the faster you bankroll is depleted. This becomes increasingly evident in a computer generated online environment. The games online move much faster than they would if you were in a land-based casino. You have to slow down and take it easy. Take a few breaths before you deal the next hand or spin the reels again. Count to 10, relax. Anything you can do to lower the number of bets you are making every hour is a good thing. While it’s true that it will not reduce the house’s edge, it will keep you playing longer and will teach you one of the toughest skills to be learned when gambling and that is self-control.

Gambling Online Rule #4: Choosing the Best Game Versions
Gambling online has some great features, and one of the best is the freedom of choice that the accessibility offers you.
Instead of being at the mercy of where you are located, online gamblers can choose from hundreds, even thousands of online casinos in the quest to find the best games available.
Players frequently have international rule variations in their favor because of the need for online casinos to have a global appeal.

For example, the US version of Roulette. The players are usually stuck with the “0” and “00” version of the game that carries a vigorish of 5.26% at land-based casinos.
However, online casinos will typically offer the European version of the game with the single “0”. Moreover, they offer the “en prison” rule in which even money bets that land on the zero will either return half of the wager to the player, or the bet becomes imprisoned and the outcome will be decided on the very next spin of the wheel.
This carries an edge for the casino that is drastically lower coming in at around 2.70%.

Gambling Online Rule #5: Avoid Those Costly Side Bets!
There are more than just a few casino games that will offer optional side bets that proffer huge jackpot winnings should you be lucky enough to overcome those huge odds. Let it Ride, Caribbean Stud, and a few variations of Blackjack and Roulette are the most common culprits. They lure players in with potentially large paydays in the hundreds of thousands.
Sure, these bets are tempting when both gambling online and offline. The reality is that you are much better to decline the action in favor of the main game you are playing.
The primary reason is that the vigorish comes in at somewhere around 25% that equals $25 an hour if you are paying at a speed of 100 hands per hour. In the long haul, the wager is too expensive when there is little chance for success.

Gambling Online Rule #6: Set Valid Limits and Stop the Bleeding
Successful online gambling hinges on the ability to control impulses and properly manage your money.
DO NOT adopt the mindset that you are going to stay and play until your last dollar. Setting a limit to how much you will play in a given day is a tool that is useful to help you develop the self-discipline you need to play online or offline. It serves to protect you from being wiped out during an especially tough run of bad luck.

Set a loss limit on your bankroll of say, 50%. This may sound like a high number, but the truth is, many players are comfortable with somewhere around 50%.
This way, you can walk away and still have a sizeable portion of you money in your pocket. Go grab a break. Talk a walk and relax.
Come back later, or even the next day to give it a go again.

Gambling Online Rule #7: Set Clear Goals
Goals? What are goals in gambling? Well, the obvious goal of course is to win money. Such a broad description however is counter productive in the mania-inducing casino floor or screen, if gambling online. How much is enough do you think?
If we start with $100 and our winnings have brought us to $600, then how much of the $600 should we put at risk? Suppose we lose $300 of that? That would then leave us with $200 profit, so should we stop there or continue to try to get back to where we once were?
Most players arrive at a point in time where they are ahead.
The problem is that we just don’t seem to know when to quit and we want more and more. Then, the losing begins. Therefore, just wanting to win money is not a goal that is clearly defined.

Set your goals for a given gambling session, and then do your absolute best to stick to it whether gambling online or offline.
Be sure to set realistic goals that are based on your skill level and your bankroll.
If you are a solid player and you are starting with $1,000, set you goal at winning $300 and then stop. If you are a beginner, you may want to set it at less than that, say $100-$200.
Once you have reached the goal that you have set, put the original bankroll away, plus some of your profit and use the rest to play with. This keeps you playing to possibly win more while you have a profit at the same time.

Gambling Online Rule #8: Heed the Payout Percentages
With online gambling, the more reputable sites will allow you to view the payout history or percentages. It usefulness is limited to games of skill. The percentages for the games of chance will show you the type of battle you will be fighting.

Gambling Online Rule #9: Take Comps but Don’t Chase Them
Unlike the traditional casino where the comps involve cash, rooms, food and entertainment among other things, the online casino is limited to cash. These comps are available in many different forms and include the new player bonus, VIP Points, returning player bonuses and so on. You can even collect referral fees when you refer your friends to a casino online. You want to maximize the special rewards whenever possible.
For instance, if you are a new member and you plan on wagering $200, you’re ahead if you deposit the amount all at once rather than splitting it into 3 or 4 deposits.
This will earn you more bonus cash because most new player bonuses are based on the initial deposit.
Some casinos have begun a trend in which they will allow you to spread the bonus over several deposits, but not all of them do, so be sure to read the facts before depositing.

Familiarize yourself with the ongoing promotions of the site.
Then learn how you can best use these bonuses to your advantage. Are there monthly player deposit bonuses?
Do they have a players club where you earn comp points for your play? These points translate into dollars, and online casinos have different ways of rewarding the players.
One casino may give $10. at one thousand points, while another might only offer $5. on five thousand points.
Now that we have discussed the bonuses, and we know that they are indeed an important way to boost your bankroll, don’t let them dictate your play and sway your better judgment to a point where getting the bonus becomes the be-all end-all of your playing to the point of decimating your bankroll.
These comps are a reward for your natural play and they are fantastically wonderful treats, but don’t chase them.
They simply aren’t worth it in the end.
Remember too, that most online casinos have play-through requirements for these bonus dollars that will vary from one casino to the next. Read the terms and conditions so you aren’t surprised when you are not able to cash out right away.

Gambling Online Rule #10: Play Casinos Supporting Your Preferences
There is one last rule that many of the new online gamblers tend to overlook. When you are looking for a suitable site at which to play, don’t buy into the hype and marketing gimmicks used by these casinos.
Conduct your own research by visiting web portals. Read unbiased reviews that are featured online and in reputable gaming magazines. The information provided by these sites and materials will aid you in finding an online gambling location that is most suitable to you.
For instance, a player who loves slots should choose a site that has a large selection of these types of games. Your choice should be one that features reduced edge rules. You’ll know if they do because this will be their marketing message.

Following these 10 rules will not transform you into a gambling guru overnight because there’s more to learn to be successful gambling online, but it is a good way to start.
Incorporate these rules into your play and work on improving your basic skills. Strive to become the best player possible: one that is knowledgeable.
One thing you should always remember is that unlike the typical street thug, you don’t have to give the casino anything.

From Gambling Online to Gambling Strategies 101
Return to Gambling Strategies-Tips Main page
OR
To remain at Online Gambling Guide lessons, the next lesson
is Online Gambling Security

Gambling Teachers home

GT is attentive about getting the word out about our free programs, lessons and add-ons offered, however, we ask your assistance and consideration in promoting us.
Click link below that reads, "Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how..." to add a link to your site, blog or personal page.