CasinoMan Blog - Archives November 2011

Seven Simple Tips for Poker Newbies

25 November 2011

Going into a casino and playing poker for the first time can be a daunting experience. It’s not the same thing as getting a bunch of buddies around a folding table at home. However, follow these simple rules and you might find yourself fitting in, and perhaps even winning, a whole lot faster.

1) Watch before you play: Some casinos will randomly place you at a table, but others will give you a choice as to what group you join. Either way, you should take a moment to watch the chemistry at the tables before you play. See how the betting is going and who the power players are. Having a feel for the rhythm of the table before you start to play gives you an edge.

2) Lurk for a bit: The worst thing you can do when sitting down at a new table is to try and take charge of the game, either by placing huge wagers in an attempt to control the hand, or by simply talking up a storm at a table where quiet contemplation is the norm. You don’t want the table to unite against you based off first impressions.

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Which Online Casino Has Comp Points worth Collecting and Why?

21 November 2011

Most of today’s online casinos have some form of loyalty scheme. It is actually quite uncommon to find one that doesn’t have a loyalty program or VIP scheme of some sort.

The main aim of these programs is to encourage players to carry on spending money and playing at their casino on a regular basis. They promise to then reward these loyal players for their efforts. The more frequently someone plays (in real cash mode) at a casino, the more points he or she will earn and therefore climb the ranks. These points can be referred to as comp points, loyalty points or frequent player points (FPP).

There are usually different levels or ‘tiers’ to each loyalty scheme ranging from between three to eight different levels. Each tier will come with its own special rewards and perks that a player can benefit from. Many casinos give the player the first level of loyalty complimentary, but others will make them work for their position within the ranks

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Which Online Casino Accreditations are real and which are Just Plain Fake?

19 November 2011

Players should consider online casino’s accreditations prior to signing up with them. The logos of these ‘seals if approval’ can normally be located at the bottom of the homepage, which you can hover over and they are usually clickable meaning that once clicked, you will be sent directly to the site which approved them for being a ‘fair’, ‘trusted’ or ‘certified’ site. There are several different types of accreditation that combine to make a casino a safe and secure website.

There are certain standards that players will notice with accredited online casinos that weaker online casinos simply won’t have. It’s simple, no certification, don’t trust them. If a casino claims that they are the ‘Number 1 Casino in Europe’, and have this advertised in bright neon letters, it is sure to fool hundreds of people, but where did they obtain this fact, who voted for them to become the ‘Number 1 Casino in Europe’, and what was the organisation that awarded the website with this accreditation?   

This is an obvious example of how some casinos can award themselves with fake accreditations that should simply be ignored. It is hard for a ‘newbie’ (new player) to ever realise that these websites will say anything to get you to sign up. Unfortunately many players get misled.   

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What are Wagering Requirements and how does it affect your Casino Bonus?

18 November 2011

Many online casinos today offer a loyalty program where players must wager a certain amount of cash within a certain period of time to receive a cash bonus. Other bonuses are available upon signing up for the first time, but to take advantage of either of these bonuses, players must adhere to the ‘play-through’ wagering requirements.

In simple language, players must spend a certain amount of cash before even thinking of receiving the bonus. This will require plenty of time spent at the casino and by only playing on selected games. If the wagering requirements are not met within the selected period of time, players can wave goodbye to their bonus, which seemed quite realistic when they first started playing.

When the actual wagering requirements are realised, it doesn’t take a genius to see that if a player does actually manage to wager the required amount, they have been very lucky. Players will need to spend plenty of hours on the computer. In fact, several hours of solid playing time per day is generally what it would take to fully receive the bonus cash. If you only have a few spare hours per week, there is very little chance that you will benefit from the special offer.

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Top 5 Online Casino Bonus Terms & Conditions to Look Out For

16 November 2011

When you enter any promotional offer at any online gambling site, whether it is a poker site, sports book or online casino, players should read the small print so they are clear about how special offer actually works.

Number one:

Everything is clearly explained in the Terms and Conditions (T’s & C’s) regarding all promotions. A player should thoroughly read through these and if they are unsure about any of the information, they should contact the customer support. Failing to fully understand the T’s & C’s could result in disappointment. If the support are either less than willing to help you or don’t explain things clearly, you should try your luck elsewhere and leave this casino alone.

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The State of Online Gambling on Mobile Devices

14 November 2011

The current state of online gambling using a mobile device with regards to the services and technology seems to just keep on improving at an exponential rate and is becoming more and more popular. The innovative apps and unbelievably high tech mobiles that are currently available have led to a sharp rise in players now playing ‘on-the-go’.

Just a few years ago, mobile gambling was introduced, where players could place a bet on their favourite sport, or even on the X-Factor results. Now players can enjoy playing on Poker Apps from their favourite poker site. If their favourite site hasn’t launched an App by now, you can be pretty sure that the company has an application that is currently being developed or is already in the pipeline.

From the birth of mobile sports gambling, and to the introduction of poker apps, payers can also now experience a range of casino games, accessible from their mobile device, wherever they may be. People could be sat on a park bench or on their way home from work on public transport, fully immersed in one of the numerous casino games such as Roulette, Blackjack or Video Poker that are now available. Players can also play on Slots and Instant Win Games such as a Scratch Card (Scratchies). Other games that are proving to be popular on mobile devices include both Keno and Bingo.

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How do you do your Due Diligence on an Online Casino?

12 November 2011

There is only so much a player can research when evaluating an online casino for the first time and when trying to determine the integrity of the owner and how they operate. There are many questions that a player must ask themselves before signing up with an online casino. The answer to these questions may not always be so clear, and how does a player even know if they are asking the correct questions?

This is where organisations such as e-Commerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) were set up to ask the right questions and perform the necessary checks on the player’s behalf. This (non-profit) organisation was in fact set up and established by one of the industry’s largest online casino software providers, Microgaming. The aim was to have an auditor who could scrutinise an online casino and carry out the necessary checks that a player simply could not do on their own.

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How do Online Casinos get Good Reputations and what makes them Trustworthy?

11 November 2011

Online casinos can acquire a solid reputation for several different reasons. There are many casinos that are still around today since the first online casino was launched in the mid 90’s, but many of the weaker ones no longer exist. The UK saw a boom in online casinos that stemmed from major high street bookies, so players who already knew the operator instantly trusted their new online ventures, which gave these casinos a huge advantage in gathering new players.

Casinos that have been around for longer generally have a better reputation compared with recently launched casinos, because of their impeccable track record regarding customer service, payouts, security and overall integrity, as well as the countless reviews that show them in a good light. It’s impossible for a new casino to instantly gain a good reputation, unless they happen to be owned by an already trusted and responsible operator.

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How can you Test the Customer Service at an Online Casino before you play?

09 November 2011

One way of checking whether or not the online casino that you are considering joining can be trusted or not is to check if their customer service is helpful and efficient. If they are not very helpful to begin with, this is not a good sign for the future, especially if you ever need to report a problem.

Prior to signing up and registering a real cash account at one of the many online casinos, players can test the water by contacting the customer service and asking a few questions. One way of contacting them is by using the Live Chat feature, but not all online casinos have this option. If a casino doesn’t have a Live Chat feature, they will definitely have telephone support and either an email address to contact them on or an online email entry form. Most of the reputable casinos have Live Chat. Some of the online casinos may only grant access to their live chat to registered members only.

There may be different telephone numbers available depending on which country you are located in. Therefore the support language may also vary so dial the number which is most relevant to you. If you send an email, or use the online email entry form, you can expect a response from the support within a maximum of 48 hours.

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At What Point do you start to Question an Online Casinos Random Number Generator?

07 November 2011

Most of the Random Number Generators that exist today have been carefully scrutinised and are constantly tested by a number of independent auditors. Although the outcome of a game is determined by an RNG, mathematically speaking, the results are just as random online as they are at land based casinos that have physical roulette wheels and dice tables with actual dealers.

The worst thing that a player can experience is a faulty Random Number Generator (RNG) when playing their favourite game online. Many people say that the games online are fixed, or rigged in some way to favour the house, but this is not true. However, this could be said of a rogue operator who is purposely out to scam people. These minority online casinos are very few and far between, but they do operate. Some players do occasionally get caught out and lose money at these casinos. This could be down to the RNG’s that have been used and manipulated to give less than fair outcomes.

Remember that the house always wins so just because you may have had a few straight losses in a row, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the online casinos RNG should be put under the spot light or questioned in any way. This is just down to both bad luck AND realistic outcomes. If you were to have 10 straight wins in a row, would you question the RNG?

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Are Online Slots Really Random? How does it Work?

06 November 2011

Players have always questioned the fairness of online slots. Are they really random? Are the outcomes as realistic as they are on a land-based slot?

The short answer is yes.

Online casinos use a Random Number Generator, which is usually abbreviated as an RNG. This is a computer program that is able to consistently produce a random and unique series of numbers every time it is used. The RNG’s used by online casinos determine the outcomes of thousands of Online Slots that are currently available. All outcomes today are determined by algorithm, a computer chip and an RNG. Software RNG’s apply to all online games including Roulette, Dice Games, Video Poker and most other Card and Table Games.

When it comes to randomness, both classic slots and the more advanced multi-lined video slots (including their bonus rounds) all have RNG’s constantly working to produce random outcomes and realistic results. The Random Number is in fact generated by a complex mathematical equation prior to producing a specific output.

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Top 5 things to lookout for on T&Cs of online casinos

01 November 2011

Players are often duped into signing up with an online casino without ever reading the terms and conditions of a promotional offer. If a welcome offer appears too good to be true, it probably is.

There are several rogue casinos out there who promise the world but do very little to keep their promise and when you contact the customer support, they simply throw the Terms and Conditions at you, which to be honest you should have read.

The good news is that most online casinos are operated by reputable owners. The bad news is that on occasion, some will slip through the vast net and go undetected for a while before they surface on the casinoman.net radar and arouse suspicion. There have been a few online casinos that are part of the Virtual Casino group who have been offering their players (both new and old) a string of daily and weekly special offers in the form of a coupon code system.

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