OK- we are going to spend some time on our soap box today, so I apologise in advance. I have lost count of the amount of emails we have had from people who have pressed the wrong button/bet too much by mistake/lost money due to a silly typo.
The moral of the story here is ALWAYS practice for free on a guest account before you play at an online casino (or online poker or bingo for that matter). Particularly if you have recently signed up and aren´t especially familiar with the software. Most casino sites offer their customers free accounts with which they can test out the games on a guest account. You don´t have to bet for real or lay any money down- you just get a virtual balance with which to make bets. The software is identical to the real play version and you can spend some time getting familiar with the buttons and the layout so that you don´t make silly mistakes.
And when you are playing for real, be methodical about your betting (this is good practice- always play within your limits and don´t go crazy- this will minimise the chance of you pushing the wrong button). Always check the amount of the bet before you press “BET NOW” and remember to clear your last bets if you are running a progression system or a system where the bets ramp up on subsequent rounds. I have been playing roulette when I forgot to clear the previous rounds bet on a Martingale progression and realised halfway through the spin that I had bet £64 again when I had meant to bet £2. Luckily my colour came in, but it was a heart in the mouth moment for a moment.
In fact, many people actually use the free practice accounts to test systems, particularly on roulette and blackjack. The guest account uses the same RNG (random number generator), so you can use the account to track the effectiveness of one system over another. Track the results on a piece of paper or spreadsheet (or download a roulette tool like Roulette Xtreme for example). You can quickly build up a log of your play.
Games like roulette are pretty straightforward, but some games like craps and baccarat are less so. Learning how to play them online is ideal- but again use the practice account before you bet for real. The beauty of learning the game in this fashion is that you can do it in your pyjamas without feeling self concious with your skill levels. Once you are comfortable with the game, you can have a real flutter online or indeed at the tables in Monaco.
And of course, you might just want to play fro free and not be interested in betting for real. And there´s is nothing wrong with that. Just sign up and off you go!
