Slots
Go into any casino, be it land-based or online, and you will usually see that it has more slot games than anything else. That’s because these are
ideal for both newbies and experienced players alike.
The concept here is simple. Insert a coin, press a button (or pull a handle if the machine has one) and a number of vertical reels will start spinning. Each reel bears a number of different symbols. When the reels come to rest, if several matching symbols line up on the same pay line, you will win. If they don’t line up, you can insert another coin and play again.
You don’t need to do anything to receive a prize for a win because the game will pay out automatically. It is, therefore, possible to play slots without knowing anything about them. In fact, because some slots pay progressive jackpots that get bigger and bigger until someone eventually wins, it is possible for an extremely lucky beginner to win a life-changing fortune at the push of a button!
The range of available slots is vast. Every game has a different theme, which means that the symbols on the reels, the artwork on the machine and even the music and sound effects that you hear when playing will vary from game to game. Explore the slots section of your chosen casino, and you’ll see for yourself!
Roulette is a great game for beginners
Roulette
This is a traditional table game that focuses on a horizontal wheel containing numbered slots, which are called wells.
European Roulette has one green well with the number 0, whilst American Roulette has two green wells numbered 0 and 00. The green numbers favour the house, so European is slightly more favourable to players.
In both games, there are 36 additional wells, each bearing a unique number from 1 to 36. Half of those wells are coloured red, and half are coloured black.
The wheel is spun, and a metal ball is introduced in the opposite direction. The aim of the game is for you to predict the type of well that the ball will be resting in when the wheel comes to rest.
There are many different betting opportunities in this game, but the ones to focus on as a beginner are the Red, Black, Odd and Even chances. Here your bet will be paid at odds of 1:1 if you predict correctly that the well will be red or black, or that the winning number will be odd or even.
To place a bet, simply place a casino chip on the part of the table layout that says Red, Black, Odd or Even, according to your preference.
Blackjack
Blackjack is one of the most famous card games in the world. It is played against the dealer, and the aim is to achieve a hand that totals as close to 21 as possible without exceeding that value. If your total beats that of the dealer, your bet will win. If your hand is the same as that of the dealer, a Push will be announced. This means that the game is tied, and your bet will be returned to you.
You will be dealt two cards, to begin with. Number cards have their face value, all picture cards are worth 10 each, and an Ace can count as 1 or 11. If you are dealt an Ace and a picture card, you have a Blackjack. This is an automatic winner unless the dealer also has a Blackjack. A winning Blackjack will normally pay you odds of 3:2.
If you don’t have a natural Blackjack, you can elect to Hit, which means that another card will be dealt to you, or you can choose to Stand on the total that you already have. If you Hit and your hand exceeds a total of 21, you have bust the hand, and your bet loses. If you eventually win without a Blackjack, your winning bet will pay 1:1.
What makes this game so special is that its rules are quite easy to learn, so it is perfectly suitable for beginners. However, the ability to Hit or Stand (plus other options that you will discover for yourself) introduces an element of skill that you can work on developing over the months and years to come.
Close Contenders
The three games highlighted above are the ones that we would advise most beginners to focus on to start with. However, if you want a couple of additional options, you could also look at Sic-Bo and Keno.
Sic-Bo involves betting on how three dice will fall when shaken. As in Roulette, you should stick to bets that pay 1:1 to start with, as they will give you the best chance of success. You can explore the more risky - and potentially more rewarding - bets as you become more familiar with the game.
Would you like to know more about keno?
Click here!
Keno is a lottery-style game that simply requires you to pick a selection of numbers. A Keno draw will then take place, and the more of your selections that you match with the drawn numbers, the more you can win.
Open for Canadian players
