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The Ultimate Guide for Beginners
For the most part, the best way to learn a new game is through personal experience. That’s true for casino games and esports alike. A newcomer can read all of the beginner guides they want, but they’ll have to learn a few skills the hard way. After all, that’s where the most robust strategies come from—a blend of instinct, experience, and plenty of studying.
But learning the ropes for casino games isn’t quite the same as cutting your teeth in a game like chess. Because there’s an element of chance involved, learning how to handle certain situations at the tables is even more important. And, as any casino gamer knows, there’s also an element of self-control at play.
In other words, games like blackjack and baccarat challenge players to bridge their problem-solving skills with their cold-cut experience playing that game. They’ll also need to factor in other considerations, like their competitors, house edge, probabilities, and managing their bankroll.
Everyone will offer you advice as you start competing in these games—but which beginner advice is actually worth your time—especially when you’re just starting out? Let’s dive in below.
Blackjack: Follow the Numbers
Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games because it offers a high edge for the player. It’s incredibly popular both at online platforms, which tend to offer a few variations such as High Roller, and at brick-and-mortar casinos. While you might be swept away by the romantic ideals of popular players like Stu Ungar and Ed Thorp, don’t be distracted by those Hollywood-caliber stories. Stick to the numbers instead.
As mentioned above, blackjack offers a stronger edge to the player. Whether you’re playing online or in person, you can approach each hand from a mathematical perspective by calculating the probabilities and knowing how to make the strongest play. In other words, study up to excel early on at blackjack by understanding the probabilities attached to hitting and splitting.
Poker: Temper the Tilt
Similar to blackjack, poker comes with plenty of myths attached. Plus, poker has tons of variations, from three-card stud to Texas Hold ’em, which will greatly affect a player’s strategy. For this reason, we’re keeping our beginner advice for poker very basic: focus on your emotional reactions when playing to avoid sliding into an undesirable mental state. In the professional poker world, this is known as ‘tilt’.
When tilt takes over, it’s easy to start playing based on emotional reactions—not a strategy, experience, or how the game is unfolding. Regardless of which variation of poker you want to excel in, you’ll first need to keep your focus. Keep in mind that this is what separates amateurs from pros, and even separates pros from masters.
Roulette: DIY Strategy
When it comes to casino games, there are few titles with as many strategies tacked on to them as roulette. There’s the Fibonacci sequence, the Martingale system, the d’Alembert system, the reverse-Martingale system, and much more. These approaches lay out how much to wager on roulette and when.
But roulette’s outcome is entirely determined by a spinning wheel, which means strategies like these don’t offer nearly as much dynamic advice as in blackjack and poker, where the player has a mathematical insight into the game or the ability to bluff. If you want to succeed in roulette, be careful what advice you take from these strategies—and don’t be afraid to craft your own. Just like with sports betting, you should take into consideration your bankroll more than anything else.
Slots: RTP vs. Volatility
Similar to roulette, the outcome in slots games is entirely chance-based. For those who play digital slots, the outcome is determined by an RNG or a random number generator. And just like roulette, though an outcome is up to chance, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a strategic way to approach each game.
For slots players, keep a lookout for things like RTP or return to player rate, and volatility. RTP shows what a player could hope to win in terms of their total bets. Keep a lookout for games with an RTP over 95%. Volatility relates to how often a game pays out—the higher the volatility, the more often a win comes around. While it’s not easy to find a high-volatility and high-RTP slot, they’re certainly out there.
Olympia Gaming, the developer of Casino Fandango in Carson City, NV and Legends Bay Casino in Sparks, NV and Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) today announced the rollout of mobile apps, LB Rewards and CF Rewards. With this launch, Olympia Gaming becomes the first operator in Northern Nevada to deliver the QCI Player App, setting a new regional standard for real-time, mobile guest engagement.
Current Features (Now Available):
- Player Account Information – live tier status, point balance, free play, and comp dollars
- Offer Listing – view of current and upcoming offers including free play, dining and hotel
- Secure Tax Forms – digital retrieval of win/loss statements and tax documentations
- Push Notifications & Event Alerts – real-time updates tailored to guest preferences
Future Features (Coming Soon):
- Entertainment & Special Event Schedule – full calendar of concerts and events
- Host Chat & Service Requests – direct, secure messaging for concierge-level support
- Interactive Property Navigation – maps, parking guidance, and way-finding tools
- Interactive Prizes – in-app rewards that are redeemable at either casino
“Launching the QCI Player App is a milestone for both Casino Fandango and Legends Bay Casino,” said DeCourcy Graham, Chief Operating Officer at Olympia Gaming. “Our guests can now see their rewards, view exclusive offers, and even access tax forms—all from their mobile device, furthering the value of our rewards program. We are thrilled to pioneer this technology in Northern Nevada and elevate the guest experience across our properties.”
With a combined focus on value and exceeding guest expectations, Olympia Gaming and QCI’s collaboration is delivering on a promise to set a new industry standard, offering capabilities that surpass current market offerings.
“Olympia Gaming challenged us to create an app that goes beyond basic account lookup and truly empowers the player,” said Dr. Ralph Thomas, Chief Executive Officer at QCI. “This successful launch reflects a close collaboration between the Olympia team and QCI, and we are excited to see the QCI Player App drive deeper engagement and new revenue opportunities for both properties.”
The LB Rewards and CF Rewards mobile apps are now available for download on Apple IOS and Google Play store.
New Hampshire Lottery enthusiasts wagered over $20 million on the NCAA basketball tournaments, experiencing a more than 10% increase in wagering from the previous year. Florida secured the men’s championship, while UConn emerged victorious on the women’s side.
Charlie McIntyre, Executive Director of New Hampshire Lottery, said: “What an incredible month of college hoops! We love seeing our players getting in on the sports betting action! Sports betting just adds a little extra excitement to the sports viewing experience, especially during March Madness when there are dozens of games throughout the month—not to mention an expanding variety of ways to bet.”
McIntyre highlighted March Madness as a significant period for sports betting, contributing notably to funding New Hampshire’s public education. Alongside the excitement of March Madness, anticipation is building for the NHL and NBA Playoffs.
During the pre-tournament phase, local gamblers heavily backed Duke for the men’s category and strongly supported UConn for the women’s, with UConn delivering a favorable outcome. Conversely, Florida’s triumph in the men’s championship surprised many, as only 15% had initially placed their hopes on the team. However, by the championship game against Houston, two-thirds of bettors picked Florida, redeeming many bracket predictions.
Since its inception on December 30, 2019, mobile sports betting in New Hampshire has generated over $3.5 billion, benefiting public education by more than $140 million. Residents can place bets via the DraftKings Sportsbook app, available on iOS and Android, or online at Sportsbook.DraftKings.com. Responsible gaming is emphasized, with tools like My Stats Sheet, limit setting, cooling-off periods, and self-exclusion options available on the app.
Stats Perform, the global leader in sports AI, data and technology, has announced an official data partnership with the Northern Super League (NSL). The partnership will allow world-leading Opta data to be collected live from every NSL league game for the next three years.
Beginning this month, the Northern Super League (NSL) establishes a new era in Canadian sport as the country’s first professional domestic women’s soccer league — an ambitious and transformative initiative co-founded by former Canadian international and Olympic medallist Diana Matheson. Its inaugural season kicks off on April 16 and will feature six teams who have assembled multinational player rosters with extensive club and international experience, including 100-cap Canadian internationals Desiree Scott and Quinn.
Once the action begins, detailed data from every on-ball event, including advanced AI-powered Opta Analytics metrics such as Expected Goals (xG) and Expected Assists (xA), will be captured and distributed via feeds and Stats Perform products, including OptaAI Studio. This will enable various broadcasters, publishers and rights holders to generate stories and insights throughout the NSL season and provide them straight to the league’s fans in real time.
As part of the agreement, the NSL’s League Office and every NSL club will also have access to Opta Search, part of OptaAI Studio. This will allow their content creators to leverage all Opta data collected during the NSL season in the creation of data-led stories on the stand-out performers, and will help them generate key talking points for publication on official league and club platforms. Opta Search will also empower the NSL’s media team to create a range of data visualizations, including player shot maps and touch maps, to visually illustrate the impact of different players’ on-field performances.
Christina Litz, NSL President, said: “We are thrilled to have Stats Perform on board as our official data partner. When we talk about detailed performance data in soccer, Opta is the gold standard, so we are delighted to have it powering each of our official digital channels. As the season progresses, we want to put the spotlight on all the on-field heroes who emerge and having access to world-class data will help us tell their stories and inspire a new generation of Canadian soccer fans.”
Steve Xeller, Chief Revenue Officer at Stats Perform, said: “Stats Perform has been a huge supporter of expansion leagues around the world, so we are very pleased to be partnering with NSL in the lead-up to their first domestic campaign. Seeing a fully professional women’s soccer league launch in Canada is an incredibly exciting development for the sport in North America and we see considerable potential in working proactively with the League’s Head Office to help the competition grow, using the power of AI and data-led storytelling to build fan communities across the continent.”
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