According to the UK Gambling Commission, nearly 50% of adults have played online casino games. It makes this form of entertainment one of the most popular pastimes in the world. If you consider joining the gaming community, this article will be useful.
Here, you will learn about the best games for newbies, how to play them, and why you will want to play them.
Why Play Casino Games for Free?
There are several reasons why you should try these games for free:
- You do not spend your own money. With no money involved from your side, you can still win a decent prize. The games give you not only fun, but also a monetary reward. In some cases, a prize can be life-changing.
- Free games allow you to examine a casino carefully. Since you avoid any risk of money loss, you can examine the quality of the services offered by a certain gaming room. And then you decide whether it’s worth playing at the website or not.
- You try the games and decide whether they suit you or not. Without playing a certain game for a while, you cannot clearly understand whether gambling suits you or you would better do something else. Free games allow you to make up your mind.
- You practice your skills for free. It is a good chance of becoming an expert in gambling and making a real profit from it in the future. Experience is your best friend and greatest tool.
What Are the Most Popular Games for Newbies?
When you visit a casino website for the first time, you would better avoid playing poker. Poker requires a lot of practice. Hence, it would be good to start with something easy and comprehensible. In this regard, the best games are slots, roulette and blackjack.
Their rules are quite simple. Besides, they belong to the games of chance. There is no experienced rival who smashes you in minutes. All you need to do is to manage your bets properly. We will explain how to do it in each game below.
Free Slots
Online slot machines comprise the most diverse amusements in the gaming industry. Each software developer releases dozens of slots yearly. The gameplay is simple. Generally, there is a grid with vertical columns (with symbols on them) named reels.
You press a “spin” button and the reels start spinning. When they stop spinning, particular symbols “land” on the reels. Your winning sum depends on the combination of symbols and their nature. There is a particular payoff per symbol.
The number of reels ranges from 3 to 5. Each slot machine has a paytable and a payline. They determine the possibility of the winning combination. The more paylines the game has, the more winning combinations can occur.
There are several types of slots:
- Classic. This category includes digital fruit machines with 3-5 reels. It is an old format adopted from onsite gaming rooms.
- Themed. They are based on a particular movie, comic strip, historical period or event, video game, etc. For instance, you can play Marvel and DC, James Bond, Aliens slot machines.
- Progressive. These titles have a progressive jackpot. Software suppliers usually combine games into a single pool, thus increasing the total jackpot size. The biggest progressive slots are Mega Moolah and Mega Fortune.
- 3D. These titles combine the latest graphics, animation and visual effects. They simulate the 3D environment similarly to the 3D cinema movies. However, in gambling, you are not required to use special glasses.
RTP and RNG specifics
When you enter an online casino, you will probably notice the RTP value tagged to many games. This is the Return to Player percentage. It determines the percentage of the wagered money paid back to the player. For instance, a game has 96% RTP.
It means if you wager $100, you will get back $96 in winnings in the long term. This value is calculated over thousands of spins.
The Random Number Generator is a built-in module of a slot machine which generates an outcome of each spin. Therefore each spin is independent.
Symbols in Slots
Slot machines feature several types of in-game symbols:
- Wilds. Their purpose is to substitute a combination of regular symbols making them winning ones. As a rule, they are the highest paying symbols.
- Scatters. Their purpose is to unlock bonus features and generate big payouts. They cannot be substituted by wilds.
- Bonuses. They also trigger bonus rounds and features.
- Regulars. They comprise the majority of the symbols featured in the game. You need to match them to create a winning combination.
Why Play Slots?
Slot machines offer the simplest gameplay — just press a “spin” button. Most games of this type have an autoplay feature. In this case, the reels spin automatically with a set coin value. The variety of themes, advanced graphics and animation altogether become the second reason why players prefer gambling machines.
The possibility to hit a million-worth jackpot is the third reason. Moreover, each title has in-game bonuses, bet multipliers and gives you the chance of winning thousands of dollars every time you play it.
Online Roulette
Roulette is a wheel with colored pockets that are numbered from 0 to 36. The player places a bet on either black or red, odd or even numbers (high from 19 to 36, and low from 1 to 18). They can also bet on number combinations, dozen or column. When the player claims their bet, the dealer spins the roulette and the ball eventually falls into one of the pockets.
In virtual roulette, the rules are the same. However, the outcomes are generated by the RNG. It makes the gameplay transparent and unbiased.
The game has a house edge. It is a part of your bet which goes to a casino regardless of the outcome of your spin. It is possible due to the 37th “zero” pocket. The maximum payout is 36:1 (not 37:1). In this case, the house edge reaches 2.7% of each stake.
This game gives you almost a 50% winning probability with red/black, odd/even, high/low. The rules are fairly simple, and the gameplay resembles slots.
Roulette has several common variations:
- European. It is also named French. It is a regular game with 37 pockets on the wheel.
- American. This variation has 38 pockets meaning “double zero”. It doubles the house edge.
- Live-dealer. It is played with a real dealer and real physical wheel in the form of a stream. You can play it online wherever you are, however, the dealer is at a casino. You tell him or her which bets you want to make.
Online Blackjack
Blackjack is a card game often named 21.
The basic rule of this game is to reach the highest possible hand value before reaching 21. If your hand ends with 21, you lose. To beat the dealer, you need to get a higher card value. The cards have specific values. Numerals stay the same.
Each of the face cards equals 10. Ace can be counted as 1 or 11 (unless this causes your hand to reach 21). In the case of online blackjack, the cards are dealt randomly using the RNG. You are given 2 cards at the start. The dealer (meaning a casino) also has 2 cards (one of them is exposed) initially.
Generally, you are provided with 3 options:
- Hit. It adds the third card to your initial hand.
- Stand. You leave your hand as it is hoping for the next draw to be winning for you.
- Double. You double your bet, and then the additional card is drawn.
The game has hundreds of variations. Each of them comes with slightly different rules. For instance, the Double Exposure version features two dealer cards face-up. It gives you a significant advantage.
How to Start Playing for Free?
Here is a brief step-by-step guide on how to play for free:
- Find an online casino. Pay attention to the game provider, the license and the Terms and Conditions page.
- Register at the gaming room. You are required to provide proof of identity and choose a payment option.
- Claim no-deposit bonus. Casinos reward players with welcome and regular prizes to make their experience better. A free gift may be in the form of free spins (for slots usually), free money and an hour of play with a fixed sum (for other games).
- There is a navigation section with games. Choose the one you like.
- Enjoy the games.
- Make a withdrawal.