It's no secret what a new player, or any player, wants when they decide to play. Good games at a reliable place that will pay them their winnings when they ask for them and slide them a few goodies every now and then for being a good player. It's the same with gambling anywhere really but because the online gambling world is so "virtual" it's worth digging a little to see how exactly one goes about getting what one wants.

Games

All internet casino packages include a variety of games. Pretty much everybody offers the standards: Blackjack, Roulette, Video Poker and Slots. Most also offer Craps and Baccarat, maybe versions of Poker too (Caribbean Stud, Pai-Gow, etc). Some toss in Keno, Sic-Bo, Red Dog and on and on.

The moral to this story is to make sure the casino you choose offers the games you want. More than once I've been disappointed that a place I really liked didn't have a particular game, say Craps for instance, and I had to go elsewhere to play that. Not the end of the world but a bit of a bummer.

Software

It may sound a little dull but all online games are driven by computer software. No matter what you see or hear on the screen it's all written in a program somewhere.

So the question is "do you like it?" and the trick here is to test drive the software you are considering. I personally really appreciate it when a casino offers both download and no-download game packages. With the no-download you just hit the "Play" button and you're off! Although their download software won't be exactly the same as the no-download it is usually fairly close so you're gaining a lot of info the easy way by trying the no-download stuff first.

There is of course an advantage to the download versions: in almost all cases they are noticeably more full-featured than the no-download versions. This may mean more games, or better looking games, or larger on your screen, or more sound effect options or ... on and on it goes. Obviously it's a trade-off. You pick it.

T&C

Ok, so you've found a casino package that you like and they have the games you want. So far so good. First on my list of must-do's is to read the casino's Terms & Conditions. I know, this is boring stuff and you just want to play, but you need to know what you're getting into and the T&Cs are where you find that out.

For the most part the casino's T&Cs will be pretty standard stuff: don't cheat, don't provide false information, don't have more than one account or in all these cases the casino can and will withhold your money and shut your account.

But there are other important things in the T&Cs. Do you have to fax them copies of your Drivers Licence and Passport before they'll pay you? Do you have to wait to receive a Personal Identity Number (PIN) in the mail before they'll initiate your withdrawal request? It's all in the T&Cs baby so read 'em!

Bonuses

Wow! What a subject! Free money is good, yes! - but free money almost always Always ALWAYS comes with strings attached. Sometimes the strings are no big deal but sometimes they are a very big deal indeed. Again, you need to know what you're getting into.

The most common string you're going to encounter with bonuses are "play-through" requirements. To make a long story short you take their play-through number and multiply that by the amount you deposited (and sometimes you need to add the amount of bonus you receive) and that gives you the amount that you have to wager before you can cash out.

Typical play-through requirements vary widely but anything from 5x to 20x are not unusual. Sometimes it's higher. Again, it's in the T&Cs. If you're going to take the bonus, you need to know those play-through requirements. Your money could be withheld, you could be banned from the casino, your favorite games may be disqualified from meeting the play-through requirements. Again, read those T&Cs. Did I say read the T&Cs yet? I'm sure I said read those T&Cs! If not, I strongly recommend you read the T&Cs.

If you're thinking "hey, who needs the bonus if it's so much hassle" then you need to know that some casinos don't give you a choice. The bonus may be given automatically and that means you're automatically beholden to the requirements attached to that bonus. Does the casino do this? Do they allow you to decline the bonus? Guess where you'll find answers to those questions? The T&Cs baby, the T&Cs!

Check back for Part II of "How To Play - And Enjoy It!"