What Casino Games Are Best for New Players?

Getting started at an online casino for the first time can be overwhelming. Even the most average casinos have about 1,000 games in their collection, so I can imagine what a hard time beginners must be going through. Choosing the right casino game can make all the difference in your online gambling experience.

For beginners, I would advise you to start with games that are easy to learn and take them step by step in a roadmap fashion. Let’s say, for example, you start with slots, where you press a button to place your bets. After a while playing slots, you can then proceed to roulette, which is a favourite of mine. In roulette, you have to place simple bets on black or red or choose numbers if you’re feeling lucky. After building confidence in roulette, you can then proceed to strategy games like Blackjack.

You can go wrong following this simple guide if you do not play the right games. Let’s take roulette, for example, where there are two versions (the American and the European). As an expert in the field, I know that my chances of winning are higher if I play European roulette, which has a lower house edge. In this piece, you will be learning all the games I would advise beginners to play and share the roadmap to becoming an expert, so you can avoid making beginner mistakes.

Slots

If you have no prior experience betting or playing casino games, it’s best if you head right over to the slots section. Slots are very popular among casino players, and some gamers never outgrow them. The gameplay is straightforward; all you have to do is choose your bet amount, spin the reels, and see if you win. No strategies have to be employed, and it does not take any skill; all you have to do is rely on luck, determined by Random Number Generators.

Take it from me, slots are a lot less intimidating than other games like poker or blackjack. I would recommend you avoid 3d slots and go straight to playing classic slots that have fewer reels and paylines. Try out some of these popular classic slots and see if they feel right to you:

Mega Joker: This slot was developed by NetEnt and has the complete traditional look and feel of a proper slot machine. The Return to Player Percentage is 99%, and you get a supermeter mode along with a progressive jackpot.

777 Deluxe: This slot features a vintage three-reel layout and modern visuals. The best part is that it has a growing jackpot. I like this feature because it gives everyone, including beginners, an equal chance to win a life-changing win.

Slots offer the most variety among casino games, with themes to suit nearly any preference. It’s helpful to be aware of a game’s Return to Player (RTP), ideally around 96% or higher. While RTP is a long-term average and not a guarantee of short-term outcomes, choosing high RTP slots can contribute to a more favourable experience, especially for beginners.

If you’re just starting out, Gamezone Casino is a great choice with its user-friendly design, wide range of slots, and helpful beginner guides.

Roulette

With roulette, there’s no need to outsmart anyone. It’s all based on luck. All you have to do is place your bet and enjoy the ride. It’s a perfect game for beginners with simple bets like red/black or odd/even. The entire theme of the game is centred around a spinning wheel and a small ball. The wheel has numbered pockets within the range of 1 to 36, and each section is coloured red or black.

How it Works

The setup is quite simple; the wheel spins in one direction, and the ball rolls in the opposite direction. After a couple of spins of the wheel, the ball will settle in a numbered pocket. Where it stops is what determines the return on your wager. You can place bets on the probability of the ball landing on:

• A specific number on the table (e.g. 17)
• A colour (red or black)
• A range of numbers (odd/even, high/low)

The winning number and colour will be shown, and your payouts will depend on your predictions. Even as a beginner, you should be able to guess that betting on a single number has the highest risk, but the reward is also high. Betting on a single number pays 35 to 1, while betting on a colour pays 1 to 1.

There are two roulette types, the European and American variants. As a beginner, you should avoid playing American Roulette. If you ever have to choose between the two, always go for European Roulette. Why? You may ask, I’ll give two reasons.

1. House edge: House edge is the casino’s built-in advantage. The house edge on the American variant is worse than that of the European. The house edge on the European version is 2.7%, while that of the American variant is 5.26%.
2. Pockets: The main difference between the two versions is the number on the wheel. The European variant is numbered 1-36 plus a single zero, while the American has a double zero.

Blackjack

Let’s say you’ve played slots and roulette for a while and feel like it’s time to graduate. A good game of blackjack will expose you to the real casino world, where you meet experts who are playing strategically. It’s not as complicated as other strategy-based casino games because the objective is quite straightforward; all you have to do is get a hand value as close to 21 as possible without going over it. You don’t need to learn complicated betting systems.

One thing you should never forget when playing blackjack is that the dealer is your competition, not the other players. You have no reason to feel intimidated by other players.

Blackjack Card Values

• Number cards (2 through 10) are worth their face value.
• Face cards (Jack, Queen, King) are worth ten points.
• Aces can be worth 1 or 11 points, depending on which one would benefit your hand more.

How the Game Works

Initial Deal: You and the dealer get two cards each. You must place your cards facing up, while the dealer has one card facing up (the ‘upcard’) and another facing down (the ‘hole card’).

You turn to make a move: What you will need to do now is either ‘hit’ or ‘stand’. If you choose to hit, you get to take another card to increase your total. On the other hand, if you stand, you get to keep your current hand and pass to the dealer. Other options like ‘double down’ or ‘split’ exist, but it’d be best if you avoided them till you get a hang of the game.

Dealer’s turn: The dealer reveals their hole card, which, if you remember, was kept hidden. They will have to hit until their total is 17 or higher.

Win or Lose: You get to make your decision at this point. If your hand is closer to 21 than the dealer’s without going over, you win. If you go over 21, you lose. There are rare cases where you and the dealer end up with the exact card total. We call that a ‘tie’ or ‘push.’

While strategy can improve your odds, it’d be best if you ignore that, as you are a beginner who’s just trying to get a look and feel of everything before deciding what’s best. It’s best if you play casually using your gut instinct, you’ll enjoy it a lot more that way. The house edge for blackjack is around 2-4%, so it’s a good enough option if you want to keep your money longer while getting a real casino experience.

Baccarat

My final recommendation to you is Baccarat, a simple card game where the goal is to bet on which hand (player or banker) will have a total closest to 9. Baccarat is a nice option to fall back on if Blackjack seems to be too much to handle. Unlike Blackjack, where you decide to hit or stand, you don’t have to do anything besides place your bet.

How it Works

The rules are simple; it is played with a standard deck with cards 2-9 worth their face value. 10s and face cards are 0, and Aces are 1. The dealer deals two cards to both the player’s and banker’s hands, and the hand with a total nearest to 9 wins. If the total exceeds 9, only the second digit counts. Let’s say a 15 is pulled; it becomes a 5.

You get to bet on three options:

• Player
• Banker
• Or tie

The easiest and most popular bets on this list are player and banker. The rules are simple: If the player’s hand is closer to 9, it wins, while the same applies to the banker. As a beginner, you should bet more on the banker, as it has a low house edge of 1.06%. You can try out player bets if you’re feeling lucky, but it’d be in your best interest to avoid tie bets altogether.

To Wrap Up

The sheer variety of games at a casino can be overwhelming, especially for newcomers. However, beginning with simpler games such as slots and gradually moving on to options like Roulette, Blackjack, or Baccarat often leads to a smoother learning curve. This progression tends to help players become more familiar with betting mechanics and overall gameplay.

Iria Mon is a seasoned online casino expert with over a decade of experience in the gambling industry. She specialises in in-depth casino reviews, offering reliable insights and authentic analysis of gambling platforms.