What
You Should Know About Online
Gambling
Online
gambling at both casinos and poker
rooms has become a very popular
pastime. Many people are interested
in getting started on one of the
many sites that are available but
are intimidated by the different
choices that each different online
site gives. This little guide will
give some basic information on what
the potential player is looking at,
the choices they can make, and what
to look for when choosing a website
to play on.
Download, No Download, Cash Play And
Free Play
Most
online casino and poker room
software comes in variety of types.
Downloadable sites actually place
the program onto your hard drive and
connect to the Internet in the
background when you log on to play.
These programs are usually the
complete version of the room you are
playing in with all the bells,
whistles, and games available.
These programs run using Macromedia
Flash and are the most stable of all
the gaming systems.
No
download sites are web-based,
meaning you play them right on your
Internet browser using the Java
platform. They will launch
immediately, but usually the player
does not have access to all of the
games available in the downloadable
version. The web-based version is
great for a quick game on the run or
for testing out the site.
Cash
play is where the player opens up an
actual real money account that can
be used for wagering on the site.
This account is funded from a
variety of different options and if
the player loses at the game they
literally lose that amount of
money. Free play is where a player
registers to play at the casino or
poker room and is given ‘play’ or
fake money to wager with.
The
Games
Depending on whether you have joined
an online casino or an online poker
room will determine the types of
games that are offered. Casinos
should offer their players a wide
variety of casino games such as
Roulette, Blackjack, Craps, Video
Poker, Slot Machines, Baccarat,
Keno, and more. Most casino
software will have these all
separated into the appropriate
category for ease of navigation and
there will be instruction available
for each game including how much the
player must wager to play.
Online
poker rooms are set up the same way,
but the table will all be poker
related. Players will find tables
for Texas Hold’Em, Seven Card Stud,
Omaha, and more as the list of poker
variations is pretty substantial.
Some sites offer a ‘poker school’
where you can play and learn the
different variations before sitting
and wagering for real.
Bonuses
Bonuses are player incentives that
the casino or poker room offers in
order to attract new players and
keep current ones. They can be
awarded immediately or over a period
of time as set by the website the
player has joined. Always read the
terms and conditions listed on the
website in order to understand what
wagering restrictions may need to be
met before the bonus can be
collected.
Deposit And Withdrawal Methods
Real
cash play on online casinos and
poker rooms require that the player
set up a ‘bank account’ with the
site. These accounts can be funded
using a variety of different methods
from a player’s credit card to their
PayPal Internet wallet account.
Withdrawals or ‘cash outs’ are paid
to the player in the same way. Each
online gaming room will have a
comprehensive list of deposit and
withdrawal methods in their FAQ
section or in a separate ‘banking’
section listed in the menus.
Players should be familiar with
these before registering to ensure
that they can fund their gaming
account.
