How to Pick an Online Casino
There are close to 1800 online casinos on the internet today ... how are you going to chose one to play at? The Casino Sage helps you narrow it down by telling you what to look for in an online casino.
Every player has their own preferences when it comes to choosing a casino. Some players are Bonus Hunters, jumping from casino to casino looking for the newest and best bonuses. Some slot-machine junkies want the casino with the best slot payouts. While others are just looking for some entertainment, multiplayer capability, or certain games. Here, I'll tell you the major differences between online casinos, and what you should know before you download and deposit.
Software: first and foremost, you want to play at a casino with decent software. Software includes graphics, speed of play, rules, and more. Casino Sage makes it easy to view casino's graphics by the screenshots included in each casino's review, and The Sage's software rating is a good indication of overall software quality. All of the casinos listed on Casino Sage.com use software that is fair, reliable, and virus-free.
Speed of play is also important to many gamblers. Some software slows play by dealing cards slower than others. Some newer software vendors even have an 'Automatic Mode' on some games, where the software will bet and play hands very fast based on your preferences. Try Fortune Room Casino's new software with Automatic Mode.
Different software providers have different betting increments and rules on table games. For instance, some software only allows betting in increments of $2, up to $20, then $10 increments thereon. If you use a betting strategy, beware of software that restricts bet increments.
Payouts: Payout percentages indicate how much money the casino gives back to players every month. For example, If a casino received $1000 in deposits last month and their payout is 97%, they kept $30 of that $1000, or 3%. Usually, the higher the payout, the better the odds are for the player. Casinos often break down their payouts into total payout, table game payout, poker payout, and slot payout. Some even disclose payouts for the more popular games. If you exclusively play table games at casinos, you should always check the table payout before you play to determine your odds. A great bonus can be easily offset by a poor payout.
Most casinos only report monthly payouts which can vary greatly from month to month, so Casino Sage attempts to stabilize them by taking a 12 month running average of total, table, poker, and slot payouts, which is reported on Casino Sage.com. This allows the gambler to better gauge the casinos long-term odds rather than bet at a casino that had exceptional odds last month.
Match Bonuses: match bonuses are the reason why many people are attracted to online gambling from the get-go. Casinos will match deposits in order to entice players to download their software and make a deposit. A casino with a bonus of '150% match bonus up $50' means that they'll give you an additional 150% of your deposit free, up to $150. So if you deposit $100, the casino will give you a bonus of $150, allowing you to start playing with a balance of $250!
Players should beware of some restrictions of these match bonuses, though. Of course it wouldn't be fair to get a $150 bonus and then simply cash out, so the casino will require you to bet a certain amount of money first. This wagering requirement is usually a multiple of your deposit and bonus amount. Using the previous example, if the wagering requirement is 15x bonus & deposit, you have to wager 15 x $250, or $3,750 before you can cash out. This helps keep the bonuses fair, and gives players enough opportunity to win. All bets that you place count against the wagering requirement, but some casinos exclude bets in certain games. Most casinos don't count bets on craps, roulette, and baccarat toward the wagering requirement, but some leave out even more. Make sure to check the details before playing.
Wagering requirements vary from casino to casino, but Casino Sage has made it easier for you to pick the best bonus with wagering requirements by showing you all the bonus details, too. Just move your mouse over the 'details' link under each bonus for a brief description of that bonus's rules.
Free Money Bonuses: A lot of casinos will give away 'Free Money Bonuses' to try to attract players and introduce new people to gambling. These free money bonuses really are free money, and are a great way to get started gambling with no risk, and still feel the thrill of gambling with real money. Most Free Money Bonuses come with a catch, though -- you usually have to deposit a minimum amount before you can cash out.
Customer Support: Customer support at most casinos is cutting edge, and all of the casinos listed on Casino Sage.com have support reps available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Sage has never waited more than three minutes before being helped on the phone, and reps usually respond to e-mails the same day. Almost every major online casino offers 24/7 toll-free customer support, and you should use it! Online gambling support reps are friendly and available to help. If you have a question, ask!
Games: Online casino games are fun, and it's great to be able to play a wide variety of games in one casino. Most casinos offer a great variety of games, but you'll find all of the standard casino games in nearly every casino. If you specifically want to play video keno, you may have to look a little harder than if you were interested in playing blackjack or slots. In rating dozens of casinos I found that casinos that offer 50+ games are roughly equivalent to casinos that offer 25+ games. The only difference is the bragging rights. The medium sized casinos have all the major table, poker, video poker, and slot games. The bigger casinos have all the same games, plus slight variations of them.
The Casino Sage thinks that a variety of quality games is important, and has incorporated that into each casino's rating.
Deposit Options: Most casinos don't accept credit cards anymore because of a high rate of fraud, so it's important to choose a casino with secure and quick alternative deposit options. To gamble online, you'll need an 'Electronic Cash' account like Neteller or FirePay. Most casinos take these two major ones, and they provide decent customer service. Look for a review of Neteller and FirePay soon on Casino Sage.com.
Withdrawl Options: When you win big, you want a fast and easy way to withdraw your money. Most withdrawl trasactions are done manually by the casino manager, so they tend to take some time. Don't be surprised if your withdrawel takes a few days ... or even weeks. Casino managers must perform due diligence to make sure that you are frauding your account, have not registered before, have met the playthrough requirement, etc. Most casinos will return money to your Neteller or Firepay account, or will send you a check in the mail.
Comp Programs: Most online casinos have formed comp programs to rival the traditional brick and mortar casinos that keep players coming back. 'Comp' stands for Complementary, and that means free! Most casinos offer money back while some go so far as to raffle off cruises or offer plane tickets. The majority redeem betting points for cash. For instance, Roulette yields 3 points per $1 bet, and the redemption ratio is 100 points per dollar. Every $33 dollars you bet playing roulette you will get $1 back.
Many casinos now are joining forces and offering comps together with a group of casinos. Check out Omni Casino, 49er Casino, 3 Diamonds Casino, and The Sands of the Caribbean which all belong to the great Peak Rewards program.
We've only scratched the surface of online gambling in this article. Look out for more articles on online gambling soon on Casino Sage.com.
Good luck!
The Casino Sage
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