hoskib

iTrader: (1)

fancy a flutter but i've never been in a real casino let alone the jargon that is the online casinos.

not got a problem with blackjack which i want to play, but would like to clear a few bits up before i put my money on the table so to speak.

there's a bonus scheme for newbies, they'll match £25 deposited in your account and then the same again with another £25. but you have to play £500 worth of bets to be able to draw on the promotional bonus.
does this bonus amount appear as a different account 'pot' so you can play with just the money you put in originally (and can therefore cash in winnings at any time) or is it included in your balance and you have to play £500 worth of bets(which with my luck WILL cost me £500)

is there any minimum monthly usage on an account of can you have a flutter then cancel/never use your account again with no further invlovement/money drawn from your bank account?

it all seems a bit like hard work at the mo, i just want to spunk a small amount of money,have a giggle and be done with it.

any advice would be MUCHO appreciated.

Jaybird-UK

Ive always been cautious of online casino's. The real deal involves a night out, social interaction a few drinks and at the end of the night they do close. Not so with online, Id imagine it'll be very easy to get carried away and over spend

Also it depends where these casino's are hosted, they may not operate under UK law and therefore your rights may not be as you expect.

Having said that there are Im sure lots of legitimate online casino's that are audited by independant bodies

Good luck, and bet wisely!

LG John

Just be very careful. You can spend money MUCH quicker than in the real casino. If you stick £25 in and get a double bonus your account will show £50 but you'll only be able to withdraw £25 until you've made £500 worth of bets. Some casinos will allow you to play roulette for this. Best things is to put £25 on red and £25 on black and rebet until you've done it 10 times. If you don't hit a zero you gain £25 but if you do you lose £25. If you only have to bet £500 to gain £25 I don't have to tell you that you are statistically unlikely to hit a zero within 10 hands. To be ultra safe you could just bet £12.50 on red/back for longer so that if you do lose you still have some money to play with

Remember the house always wins in the end so get out if you get nicely up Better yet play a game where you can get an edge yourself - poker for example

hoskib

iTrader: (1)

cheers guys, had a go last night on one called getminted, quite good as you don't need to download anything, just select a game and off you go.

lost my money (shocker) and had a bit of a giggle, but i can't say i'll be rushing to do it again, not quite the same coz it doesn't seem like REAL money, just a number on the screen. i suppose this is were a lot of people get unstuck.

gotta be honest i get more of a buzz playing for coppers and 5p's with my mates over a few beers.

fitzscoob

william hill online have a good cards section for poker and a few varients.

they have play for free tables to get some practise on so you dont have to play for cash, then you can play tournaments which cost you $5 to play, winner gets $25 (won my first one the other night). you can bet what you like, tournament tables range from $5 up to £200 entry, bigger the bet bigger the take

good luck, just be aware of how much cash your putting in, because it doesnt feel like your spending anything when your not taking the reddies out of your pocket.

LG John

For a total newbie to poker the £5 10 seater tourneys can be fun and if you REALLY don't know how to play try using Skalansky's 'system'. Basically whenever you get dealt a pocket pair higher than 66 or AK or AQ put all your chips in (UNLESS someone has already put in a big raise before you in which case fold anything but AA, KK, AK, QQ). Otherwise fold EVERY other hand. You'll be folding a lot using this system but there is a good chance of you lasting quite well in the tourney. If you get heads up or the the last play you might have to loosen up a bit

carl

Anyone used 888.com? I keep seeing their ads on the tube. I've had a play in the "practice" area, but not actual real money.

P1Fanatic

I play Texas Hold Em Poker on Partypoker.com - Im only using play money at the mo but you start off with $2k and Im just over $30k balance now.

When I first started it was really easy to lose money but to be fair I only really played poker with my mates every once in a while. Its certainly sharpened my game in terms of looking at the potential better hands that other players can have using the flop, turn and river.

Im a lot more cautious now but its still easy to get bullied if you join a table (max start money is $2k) where someone has $15k plus as they can make some big raises which you cant justify calling unless you have a decent hand.

As SB says - try picking something like poker which requires a bit more skill & knowledge. But Id play lots of practice games before betting with your hard earned.

Simon.

LG John

Online poker is a god-send to be honest 6 months ago I had only ever played poker with my mates and we weren't very good. We found online poker and started to play and suffered all the ups and downs. We quickly adapted to it and started to learn and learn and learn. We then started to read books and soon me and my mates were all making money online. The trick with online poker is it teaches you disapline. Last night I folded KQ of clubs from a mid-position when nobody had raised. To an unexperienced player KQ is an AMAZING hand and given its the nicest hand they have seen in 45 minutes it will be played. I however, know that its usually a dominated hand and wasn't worth 1/10th my chip stack to play. Some B&M (Bricks and mortar (i.e. real casino's)) players haven't even learnt these lessons because they are always in a casino environment where they can quite easily get bored not getting the hands and also because they don't get through so many hands. Consequently disapline can go right out the window and I see it week in week out.

About a month or so ago me and my mates trotted off to the Casino to take part in the weekly multi-table hold'em tourney and we expected to get gubbed! Players come from all over Scotland and one of them is the current Scottish Champion. How have us new internet bucks done??? Well, I've made the final table 4 times out of 5 and placed in the money each time making me a nice healthy profit of serveral hundred pounds. My flatemate has won it a few times making him £2k and my brother has won about the same. Playing internet poker and studying the game can transform you into a brilliant player but you have to put the hours in and you have to study, read about the game

Right now on Ladbrokes I have an account that started at £20 and is now £450 and I've been playing £5 tourneys to no BIG bets or risks.