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Remember your first time years ago? Maybe you turned on your computer and saw an obnoxious flashing advertisement which piqued your interest. Or perhaps you heard a rumor and decided to check it out by doing a search on Yahoo or Lycos. After finding one of the few casinos online you download a heavy piece of software for an hour on your call up modem, join the site, get out your credit card, deposit, and play. Your choices of games were blackjack, video poker, slots, and roulette. The playing was slow for what you're used to now. The graphics would be considered ghastly today. The movement was choppy. Things have improved so much since then. Well, actually not everything has. Back in those days a bonus was a bonus, none of this 60X deposit plus bonus wagering requirements. You knew you could cash out with money if you received a matching bonus. Things aren't like that anymore. If that paragraph was self explanatory to you then stop reading this article now. This isn't for you. If you have never played online before and want to know what to look for, read on. There are things, in no particular order, which you should know before you even think about playing in an online casino. • Only take a bonus if you play slots or you have no intention of cashing out. There's nothing wrong with playing a game for the sheer enjoyment of it. If you gamble because you find it fun and you don't really care if you win or not (yes, there are people like that out there) then take the bonus. If you want to be able to cash out your winnings do not accept any bonus. Not even the sign-up one. You see, your bonus and any winnings you are likely to get from said bonus will most likely be eaten up by the dreaded wagering requirements. • Always check wagering requirement for each bonus or promotion individually. The average wagering requirement is for slots only and is 40X the deposit plus bonus. That means if you deposit $100 and you receive a matching sign-up bonus of $100 then your wagering requirement will be $8000 ($100 deposit + $100 bonus = $200 * 40 = $8000). That doesn't mean you have to spend $8000. Each wager is part of the wagering requirement. Some you win, which gives you more money to spend, and some you lose, which brings down your overall total but also adds to your wagering requirement. • Read everything on the site before you deposit. You never know what you will find out. Inspecting the promotional terms and conditions are important to make sure you do not do anything that could void your bonus or winnings, such as attempting a withdrawal before wagering requirements are met. It's also typically the place that lists banned countries. Finding out about deposits and withdrawals will make sure there is no confusion when you deposit via credit card and they will not put your winnings back to your Neteller account. FAQ's may even have something interesting hidden inside. You never know until you read. • Learn your skill games before you play. If you want the chance to cash out winnings knowing the strategy behind the game is essential. You can find all of the strategies behind the games online. If you play blackjack to its full potential you can walk away with money nearly every gaming session. • Play for fun first. Online casinos give you the ability to try before you buy. There's no reason not to take advantage. The odds are the same as in their play for real casino and you can practice your game and hone your skills before depositing. • Do a budget before depositing and stick to it. Good money management is essential in gambling if you want to make sure you don't get carried away in the adrenaline rush of playing. Consider gambling your form of preferred entertainment and only play with money that isn't allocated to an essential. Never play with your rent or food money, you can lose it and never get it back no matter what you may see in the movies. This is gambling, and casino odds are not in your favor. Set a maximum win and a maximum loss amount before you start to play. Walk away from the computer when you've reached that amount. This way if you didn't win you haven't lost your shirt and if you did win you have more money to play with later. • Try the customer service. If they can't answer your questions before you have deposited or they take forever to get back to you how do you think they will be when you have a withdrawal waiting and you want your money. Horrible customer service means an online casino that doesn't care about its clientele. Stay away. • If you want to play for a long time, don't play slots. They are a luck game which has the worst odds and the largest house edge. They also have the largest potential jackpot, which is why so many people like them. Skill games, if you are good, may always have you leaving the casino with more money than you started with. Slots won't. On the other hand, you'll never become a millionaire with just one $16 bet in video poker either – you can with slots. Hence the appeal. • Do your research. You don't know about the company behind the casino unless you do your research. Check out message boards (like the one we have on this site) and read what people have to say about the casino. Did they have financial problems in the past where they didn't pay people out on time? Did their CEO get arrested in the United States? Knowing these things could mean the difference between depositing and playing and depositing and losing your shirt before you even get to play. Posted on: September 14, 2006
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