Casino Guide for Beginners: Suitable Casinos, Games & Bets

Written by:
Jon Ridehalgh
Fact checked by:
Alex Windsor
Updated:
December 13, 2023

Casino Games For Beginners

Never played in casinos before? We’ve got you covered. Online slots are the easiest casino games for beginners, and you’ve got plenty of choices.

If you have looked at online casinos and felt lost, I get it – each table game comes with complicated rules you need to know, slots come with different payouts, and most importantly, there’s money at stake.

So, how do you approach gambling risk-free to learn the ropes? You create an account at sweepstakes casinos. Easy enough. These are online gaming sites that host all of the gambling games you can come across at brick-and-mortar casinos, including blackjack, roulette, baccarat, dice games, slots… you name it.

As a new player in sweepstakes casinos, you’ll receive special tokens — gold coins and sweeps coins – which you can use to play the games for fun instead of spending money right away.

I’ll begin with the games you should gravitate towards as a beginner, and explain what makes them ideal!

Let’s check them out.

Slots

The good news? Every slot game out there is easy. You just press spin, and the symbols go rolling. If you win, the game announces how much you’ve won, after which you can spin again or stop playing.

But as a newbie, it might be tricky to pick which game to play, which is where I’m going to step up. As someone who’s had more than 20 years of experience with slot games, I suggest you first do some research. These are the main points to decide on:

  • Make sure the return to player percentage is within the industry range of 95% to 96%. I’d go with RTP higher than 96% unless you want to play progressive jackpots.
  • The next thing is the volatility, and your choice should be based on your gambling budget. Low volatility means more frequent but lower payouts, while high volatile slots pay out less frequently, but the wins are more significant.
  • I’d pick a slot that allows a minimum bet of $1 to begin with. Lower minimum betting limits are welcome too.
  • I wouldn’t worry too much about the maximum win, as the chances of actually hitting it are rather low.
  • Check whether there are any bonus rounds/features, and look for games with multipliers.

What Slots Do I Play?

I enjoy playing cascading reel games because they allow me to win multiple times with just one bet. The cascading mechanics remove the winning symbols, and then new symbols tumble down on the reels. You guessed it – if they form a winning combination, that win is added to your balance, too!

Roulette

If you want to start your gaming experience with skill-based games instead of ones based on pure luck, it can be pretty intimidating for you as a beginner. The roulette wheel is one of the most recognizable parts of every land-based casino. Moreover, it’s among the easy casino games for newbies because it’s exciting and easy to play.

Roulette is not about betting on a single number or choosing red or black — it has over 20 different types of bets available, and the two main ones are inside and outside bets.

Inside bets are related to numbers from 1-36, and the options for inside bets are straight up, split bet, street bet, corner bet, line bet, and five bets. These bets have higher payouts but lower chances of winning.

When it comes to outside bets, there are well-known 50-50 bets, red or black, or odd or even. Another available choice is the dozen bet, where you can bet on one of the three groups of dozen numbers 1-12, 13-24, and 25-36. And finally, the column bet, where you place bets on one of the three columns of 12 numbers.

Great Roulette Variants for Beginners

American Roulette is one of the most popular casino games, also known as “double zero” roulette. It consists of 38 number pockets, including numbers from 1-36, single zero (0), and double zero (00). Numbers are colored in red and black, and zeroes are colored in green. It’s perfect for beginners because it has simple betting options, which are easier to understand.

Another popular option is European Roulette, which actually has a low house edge because it only has one zero (0). Therefore, this one’s a slightly better option than American Roulette for beginner players.

Blackjack

Ah, the classic card game that built the gambling halls in Las Vegas. Blackjack is the most widely played card game in the world, and it’s incredibly easy to learn. You play against the dealer, and the rule of the game is simple — score higher than the dealer without going over 21.

When you start each hand, you get two cards face-up, with the dealer getting two cards as well – 1 face-up and 1 face-down. Then, you can either ask for more cards, split your cards, double down your hand, or simply stay if you have a high number close to 21 with your initial cards.

The premise of blackjack is very simple, and most players usually need around 10-20 hands to learn it. To master the game, though, you will need to learn all the possible combinations and know exactly when to split, hit, double down, and so on.

Excellent Blackjack Game for Beginners

American Blackjack has better odds than European Blackjack because the dealer immediately gets both cards: face up and face down. In European Blackjack, the dealer gets only one card – with the second one coming in after all players make their moves.

Therefore, I strongly recommend that all newbies play the American version when getting started.

Video Poker

Video Poker - Jacks or Better

The odds on video poker are among the highest in the casino. The game is easy to understand: You have 5 cards and may select which ones you want to keep. Then you press the DRAW button to acquire new cards for the ones you didn’t keep.

You will win if you get a combination such as two pairs, a full house, flush, straight, etc. There are many different video poker variants, and the payouts and combinations will differ based on the game.

Top Poker Game for Beginners

Jacks or Better – The goal is to create a five-card hand that overcomes the “invisible” dealer’s hand. Because the dealer always holds a pair of tens, you must have “Jacks or Better” to win. As simple as that!

Baccarat

Known as James Bond’s favorite card game, baccarat’s popularity will never fade away. The name of the game comes from the Italian word “zero,” meaning that tens, jacks, queens, and kings have a value of zero.

Baccarat is about betting which hands out of two deals will win – the banker’s or the player’s hand. The winning hand has the highest points of possible 9.

Best Baccarat Variant for Beginners

Punto Banco Baccarat was introduced in the USA in 1950, changing the world of gambling forever. Punto Banco players need to place a bet before seeing the cards. We recommend it for beginners – and gamblers at heart – because it’s easy to learn and play.

Pro tip? Always take the banker’s bet.

Craps

Craps is by far the most thrilling casino game available. It’s the ideal combination of adventure and risk, with its fast-paced action and many bets. Craps has a clear goal: Bet on the numbers you believe a pair of dice will produce. That’s all!

I recommend it for beginners because it belongs among the easiest casino games that have nothing to do with experience and strategy but pure luck.

Smart Bets for Beginners

Some bets are simply better than others. You don’t agree? Go and place roulette bets on the green socket instead of playing it smart with outside bets, and see how long it is before you bust your bankroll.

Now, you’re starting to understand. Read on for the best bets you can place as a beginner.

Play Slot Games with Low Volatility

Lower volatility games may pay less, but in turn – you’ll win more often. Playing slots is great for beginners because you won’t run out of coins to play right away, as opposed to low-RTP jackpot games that can eat into your account budget faster than you can realize.

These low-volatility video slots are also great when you’re trying to meet a bonus wagering requirement or turn your free SCs into redeemable cash.

Blackjack – Double Down On a Hard Eleven

Getting hard eleven in blackjack means getting 5 and 6, 7 and 4… not ace and a ten. This immediately gives you big winning chances because if you hit another card and you get a 10 – you will get blackjack (21) and win the hand.

Even if you score something like an 8 or a 9, your hand will still be very strong.

Stay Away From the Green Socket in Roulette

Roulette Types

You shouldn’t care about your friend’s story of betting a hundred dollars on the zero and ending up a winner with $3,600. In reality, this is not likely to happen. It’s usually a one-way ticket to account balance zero.

Therefore, take the bets that give you close to a 50-50 chance of winning as a beginner, including red or black, odd or even, and so on.

Always Take the Banker Bet in Baccarat

Sometimes exploring is fun, and sometimes it’s definitely not. This is very true in the case of baccarat, where exploring outside the simple banker bet will, in the long run, provide many more losing hands.

The math explains that the banker bet has a 1.06% house edge, whereas the player bet has a 1.36 edge. Always trust the math.

Manage Your Bankroll

The absolute most important thing is to manage your bankroll properly. The smartest bet you can place is with money you can afford to lose. Everything beyond that is unacceptable.

Therefore, always remember to gamble within your means and never chase your losses.

Top 4 Beginners’ Tips for Casino Gambling

Always remember these casino tips, no matter how experienced you are with casino games:

#1 Practice Before You Play

Learn about the casino game by reading reviews, playing in demo mode, and practicing different strategies. Afterward, you can dive into playing for real money.

#2 Play When You’re Relaxed

The ideal strategy is to play when you’re completely relaxed. This reduces the possibility of making poor gaming choices that could put your finances at risk.

#3 Don’t Believe in Strategies

There is no such thing as a strategy to win a slot machine. The random number generator decides the game’s outcome, so whatever you think you’re doing, it’s not worth it. Some strategies may only work with table games, but even those will never give you an edge over the casino – just slightly increased winning chances.

#4 Know When to Stop

If you’re experiencing a losing streak, leave the game. Don’t chase your losses, ever.

Where to Start

At sweepstakes casinos, all you need to do is register to get your welcome bonus or no-deposit for free and start playing. When (if) you run out of gold coins, you can purchase a package with gold coins and receive sweepstakes as a gift.

You can use these to play slots, roulette, baccarat, blackjack, and poker – and you can even redeem your sweep coins for real money if you end up a winner.

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FAQs

  • What should a beginner play at an online casino?
    The best casino games for beginners are slot machines, especially low-volatile ones. Roulette also ranks high among the best games for beginners, but you must bet cautiously.
  • What is the easiest game to play at the casino?
    The easiest game to play at online casinos is slot games. It doesn’t require any skill or experience to start playing. However, it’s best to try the game in demo mode first to learn the features, paylines and study the paytable. You can do this at sweepstakes casinos like Pulsz.
  • What are the best bets to make money at online casinos?
    While we wish to say, “Do a, b, c, and you’ll be rich, “ there is no simple and precise answer. If you are an experienced player, your best bet is live poker and blackjack. If not, you should play low-volatile slot games.
  • What is the most profitable game at online casinos?

    There are no surefire answers on what is the most profitable game to play online. However, statistically speaking, live poker is the first on the list if you have proper training and skills. Afterward are blackjack, roulette, and craps.

AUTHOR
Jon Ridehalgh

As a passionate online slots enthusiast with 20 years of gaming experience and a decade of expertise in testing, reviewing, and writing about online slots. Jon’s current favorites are Relax Gaming and Push Gaming for their innovative offerings, but they can never resist the classics from Novomatic/Greentube when hitting the casino.

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