Quick guide to online casino games

Looking for a quick guide to online casino games?

Gone are the days when you had to go into a land-based casino to be spoiled with the full experience of gambling. The online or iGaming arena has made huge inroads into fulfilling your gambling delight from your desktop, laptop or mobile device.

Playing in comfort and convenience is not isolated to only slot machines, but is open to a variety of casino games, and other gambling options.

Desktop or Mobile? That is the first question.

Before we even get into the variety of games and games providers out there in the online gambling marketplace, you will need to select your online platform device of choice.

There are certainly more games available to play via Flash from your desktop computer or laptop, but huge strides have been made to accommodate the mobile sector of gaming. Mobile games can be played from just about anywhere. Take your phone out during a lunch break, or on your taxi ride, and enjoy gambling entertainment to pass the time away.

HTML5 advancements mean that data-heavy applications need not be used anymore, at many online casinos. You can now play from the browser without any lag or graphics compromises at all.

Reputable game providers

After selecting your platform of choice, it is necessary for you to select your game of choice from a reputable games provider. We at CasinoWow cannot over-emphasize the importance of making sure that you get the quality experience that you deserve, and as such have compiled a list of some of the more reputable game providers, who produce games throughout the various categories. We have then selected to give you a brief run-down on some of the industry giants so that you know who the cream of the crop is.

• Amaya Games
• Aristocrat Gaming
• Bet Soft
• Big Time Gaming
• Cryptologic
• EGT
• Evolution Gaming
• Exclusive Gaming
• Gig Gaming
• Habanero Gaming
• IGT
• Microgaming
• Net Entertainment
• Merkur Gaming
• NextGen Gaming
• Novomatic
• Play n‘ Go
• Playtech
• Quickspin
• Realtime Gaming
• Red Tiger Gaming
• Thunderkick Gaming
• WMS Gaming
• Yggdrasil Gaming

Microgaming

This is the world’s oldest and largest online gambling provider. Their promise is to provide 2 new titles every month. Though the greatest number of their titles are slot games of various types, Microgaming also produces table games and others.

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NetEnt

NetEnt is the benchmark in the industry as far as innovation and graphical quality and gameplay are concerned. They are truly the cream of the crop when it comes to video slot development, but also produce top-notch table games, scratch games, and other offerings too.

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Quickspin

Quickspin is one of the fastest-growing developers in the world at the moment. Their name is synonymous with quality, and they produce beautiful games with smooth gameplay.

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Evolution Gaming

Evolution Gaming is the leader in Live Casino Gaming. Their two state-of-the-art studios allow for real dealers to interact with players via a live stream type interface. This is truly an advancement in online gambling, as it makes you feel like you are right on the casino floor, interacting with players and dealers alike.

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Games variety

The online variety of casino game offerings is rather impressive and encompasses a rather large variety of some of the more popular slot games, table variations, scratch games, video pokers, live games, and keno styles offerings.

Slots

The online slots segment is by far the biggest genre/category of gambling games produced online. Within this category, there are further sub-categories that games can be identified under. These include video slots, 3D slots, progressive slots, classic slots, Vegas slots, movie slots, holiday slots, high roller slots and more. These categories can be further filtered down to game genres. Some of these include Horror slots, Adventure slots, Ancient Civilization slots, Animated slots and more.

The wins are made by matching combinations of symbols that appear on spinning reels, across set paylines. The combinations are landed via a random number generator to prevent tinkering with the game results. The return to player percentage ranges from 92% to 98%, depending on the game and its features.

These types of games usually feature heavy, which means that the monotony of the base game can be broken by way of special features, unique to the game, as well as special bonus rounds to help you on your way to decent wins.

For more information on online slot games, please visit our guide on Online Slots and Their Main Features.

Table Games

This category encompasses some of the more traditional forms of gambling known for hundreds of years. Many of the Table games are played with cards, some with a wheel, and others with dice. Popular table games include:

• Roulette - Both American and European versions of the Roulette game can be found at reputable online casinos. The game revolves around the spinning of the ‘little wheel’. Prior to its spinning, players place inside and outside bets on where they think the white ball will land on the wheel. This game pays up to 36:1. Refer to Online Roulette Guide for a more thorough look at the game.
• Blackjack – There are many variations of this game available online, but the basics of them all are this: Beat the dealer to 21 or force him/her to bust and reap the rewards for doing so. Blackjack has one of the best odds in favour of the player, with an average return to player percentage of 98% - 99%. Refer to Online Blackjack Guide for a more thorough look at this card game.
• 3 Card Poker – Play the traditional card game of flushes, straights, pairs, and trips. This 3-card variant of Poker usually offers a great return to player ratios. Play against others and may the highest hand take it all. Refer to Online 3 Card Poker Quick Guide for a more in-depth analysis of this game.
• Baccarat – Baccarat is an age-old classic card game that sees you pitting yourself against the dealer to get the closest to 9. The twist in this tale is that you can bet against yourself. Yes, that is right, you can opt to bet for yourself, in favour of the dealer, or in favour of a draw. Refer to Online Baccarat Quick Guide if you would like to have a closer look at this game.
• Craps – Craps has been made popular through the movies, as just about every Vegas-themed film has its characters playing craps surrounded by crowds of people cheering them on. This game revolves around the roll of two dice. Bets are placed in the grid in the hope of guessing the outcome of the next throw. Refer to Online Craps Quick Guide for more on this high tempo game.

Keno Games

Keno is a game of numbers. Of 20 randomly drawn numbers (out of a possibility of over 80 numbers), you will need to correctly pick 2 to 10 numbers that match the numbers drawn to win cash rewards. It’s is almost a hybrid game that combines lotto styled games and bingo.

Scratchcard Games

You can now purchase digital Scratch cards. Usually costing between 0.50 and 5 credits, you will have the chance of scratching a 9-grid (3x3) block to reveal matches of 3 or more symbols to gain cash rewards.

Video Poker

Although there are a number of variations of Video Poker, the premise remains the same. You will be dealt 5 cards with one chance at swapping between 0-5 cards for new ones. You do not play against anyone and every valid hand reaps a reward. Play your bets correctly and this is a sure-fire winner.

Live Dealer Games

This is quite a decent sized category on its own, as there are numerous Live Casino games available to play. Find an Evolution Gaming Casino to try out the best sort of gambling experience available online. A land-based casino is staged in two state-of-the-art studios in Europe and Canada.

You are able to stream the game and be a part of the live-action, right from the comfort of your own home. Communicate with other players and/or the dealer for a true-to-life, land-based casino feel.

The following categories of games are currently offered on the Live Casino Platform:

• Live Roulette
• Live Baccarat
• Live Blackjack
• Live Hold’em Poker
• Live 3 Card Poker

There are numerous variations of the above categories that you can peruse. Explore them now:

No matter your gambling fetish, the online gambling arena can cater to your fantasy. What’s more, is that many of the above-listed slot games are available to play for free. Playing the free version is advised for beginners, as you may want to get accustomed to the dynamics of each game. So, go through the list of online slot games for free before staking your hard-earned cash on it.