How to Practice for Online Casino Games
If you're like me, you just can't get enough of online casinos! I don't know why, maybe it's just the Skinner Box model making my brain light up in all the right places with each win, or perhaps it's just my passion for betting in general that makes gambling feel so good, or maybe the casino games are just catering to my inner gamer. I'll probably never know the exact reason why, but I absolutely adore casino games, especially those played online (I'll go on a limb and say that the offline ones have a very different feel to them, which, while great in its own right, just isn't for me). It's a pretty major hobby of mine, and I'd really love to share it with as many people as possible.
But when I speak to someone about the virtues of online gambling (which usually goes something like “You get to play games AND make money! How cool is that?!?”), I can almost never convince them to sign up to an online casino and actually give it a go. The reasons why vary from person to person, but I'm guessing that the underlying one is just a fear of getting out of their comfort zone. After all, our brains are hardwired to enjoy the familiar and shun the foreign, so a lot of people tend to be afraid to experiment, especially when it requires a financial commitment. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that... But at the same time, it kind of limits people from trying out new experiences that they might enjoy.
So, let's imagine that you're someone who wants to get into online casino games, but isn't quite sure how. Or perhaps you're someone who is already quite familiar with them, but has never felt confident enough to bet too much. How do you go about practising for these kinds of games? Sure, some online casinos have a testing mode, but even when it's there (and it's often not), it's usually limited and not quite enough to get you prepared. And sure, you could always find a guide like this one, but even if those tend to be quite useful, they're still just raw info. They're theory, and we need practice. So, what's the answer?
Videogames, my friend!
If you know anything at all about videogames, you know that, unlike what most films and TV shows would have you believe, they grew out of their 8-bit chiptune-sounding days long ago. Nowadays, games are vast adventures where you can do anything you can imagine, and yes, that even includes playing lots of casino games! And no, I'm not talking about those crappy Facebook poker games that one classmate you haven't seen since graduation keeps sending you invitations about. I'm talking about big, open-world games that allow you to, among other things, play as many casino games as your virtual wallet can handle!
My very first recommendation for you would be none other than “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas”. Even if you don't know anything about games at all, you've surely heard of “Grand Theft Auto” and its numerous controversies surrounding it. In all honesty, though, while “San Andreas” is certainly a violent game whose storyline explores some heavy themes such as life in the ghetto and police brutality, the actual violence is extremely tame by today's standards. But we're not here to shoot people, we're here to play casino games. And I'm happy to say that “San Andreas” is probably your best option when it comes to that!
online casinoOne of the fictional cities in the game, Las Venturas, is an obvious parody of Las Vegas, and it's clear that Rockstar (the creators of the game) spared no expense in recreating the most famous aspect of the city, its casinos, down to the very last detail. In Las Venturas you can play fully functional versions of slots, blackjack, roulette, video poker and even wheel of fortune! That's almost every casino game you could possibly want in one neat package, with the possible exception of craps (which were planned for the game, but were ultimately cut). Outside the casino, you can also bet on horse racing, if you're the type who also enjoys sports betting. There's a reason the Rockstar logo is synonymous with a seal of quality, as every single one of these minigames works and plays just like it would in a real casino. Not to mention, “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” as a whole is often regarded as one of the best games of all time, so there's that!
If action games aren't your thing and you'd prefer an RPG instead, don't worry - “Fallout: New Vegas” has you covered! The post-apocalyptic New Vegas, built on the remains of Las Vegas, is living proof that humanity will continue to play casino games even 200 years after it was almost wiped by nuclear Armageddon! The games in question are roulette, slots and blackjack, which doesn't seem like much, but “New Vegas” gets extra points for accurately simulating a proper casino experience. Instead of just spending your money (well, bottle caps – it IS the apocalypse) on the games directly you need to exchange them for chips first, and then exchange them back. Also, upgrading your “Luck” skill in order to win more often in slots is a pretty nice touch, even if it's not particularly useful if you're just playing for practice.
A personal favourite of mine is a little and relatively unknown game called “Always, Sometimes Monsters” (and no, I'm not quite sure what the title means either). In it, you play as a character (who can be male or female) that receives an invitation to the wedding of their ex (whose gender you choose as well) and needs to travel to Las Vegas and crash it! You knew where I was going with this the moment I mentioned Las Vegas, didn't you? Once you actually get there, you're treated to one of the best renditions of blackjack I've ever seen in my life, with the dealers actually using multiple decks just like they would in real life! But even before you reach Sin City, you're still allowed to part take in various gambling activities, such as betting on horse racing, scratching cards or even engaging in primitive ForEx by buying and selling sandwiches as currency.
And what if you're interested in poker? Well, lucky for you, there's actually plenty of games that feature pretty good poker minigames. “Dead Rising 2”, a game where you slaughter a whole bunch of zombies with literally anything you can get your hands on, takes place in Fortune City, which, you guessed it, is another parody of Las Vegas. So if killing zombies with roulette tables isn't enough to satiate your casino needs, you can also play poker with your fellow survivors. “Far Cry 3” places you in the shoes of a young man who finds himself on a pirate-infested island after a skydiving trip went wrong. And if there's anything modern pirates are good at, aside from stealing stuff and selling people into slavery, it's poker. In fact, poker is so important in the game that it even plays a role in the climactic confrontation against the main villain! And if you're looking for some Wild West action, the excellent console-exclusive “Red Dead Redemption” allows you to play poker against your fellow gunslingers, alongside other games typical for that setting such as blackjack or even horseshoe throwing.
If you're looking for something that's just focused on poker without the open world surrounding it, then you're still in luck! Steam (pretty much THE system for digital distribution of PC games) actually offers plenty of them, but the one ones that I absolutely recommend are “Poker Night at the Inventory” and its sequel. Both are fantastic and offer a very fun poker experience, but the place where they truly shine is the opponents you play against. If you've ever wanted to play poker against Ash from “Evil Dead”, Brock from “Venture Bros” or Tycho from “Penny Arcade”, well, now's your chance to do it! All characters are fully animated and voiced (though sadly Bruce Campbell doesn't return to voice Ash), and they each have various very distinctive play styles that you'll need to take into account in order to win. Best of all, the characters actually talk amongst each other during the game, exchanging funny stories, bragging about their achievements or just discussing life, the universe and everything. The games are cheap, unbelievably fun and offer plenty of unlockable content, such as extra rooms and tables. I highly recommend them!
Well, that's about all the videogame goodness I've got for today! Everything I've recommended is extremely good, so just pick your poison and start practising for your triumphant debut/return to the virtual tables of the online casinos! Maybe I'll see you there!
About the author:
Stanley Wilson was born, and spent most of his life in, the country of hockey and maple syrup, also known as Canada. He enjoys gambling (duh), gaming (double duh) and long walks on the beach with his dog Victor von Doom, God King of Battleworld (or Vicky for short). He considers his biggest achievement to be that time when he sneaked onto the set of Doctor Who and got Peter Capaldi's autograph.
