Some people just don’t get online gaming!
It’s 7pm and you’re three hours into one of the most intense poker sessions of your life. You’ve battled through being short-stacked, a table full of tight-weak players who just constantly fold and that one person who goes all-in at every opportunity. You hold pocket aces, and it’s now or never as you struggle to decide – all in, or not. Suddenly, a little voice chirps into your ear, blowing apart all concentration that you held – ‘Goodness, that looks really boring.’ It’s your partner who, over the course of the afternoon, has wasted their life watching Sex in the City. Apparently, according to some insane logic, you’re the boring one. You’ve just slayed 250 people to get to the final table and you need to ‘get a life.’
Well, you know what, it’s blatantly obvious your partner simply doesn’t get playing poker online. You just can’t understand how that’s even possible – are there people actually don’t like gaming, whether that’s video games or casino gaming? You breathe, you think, and then you realise; some people just don’t get online gaming.
You’ll be pleased to know then, that you’re not alone. In fact, there’s players from all around the world – Australia, Canada, and even New Zealand – who are constantly fighting the battle against ney-sayers who believe that casino gaming is ‘boring’, ‘a waste of time’ and ‘really dull!.’ So, to make you feel a little better, we’ve put a little list together of the things that only us casino-gamers truly understand. Print it off, hang it on your wall and be proud of who you are.
Casino gaming isn’t like the movies!
Sure, we’ve all seen James Bond and though, ‘you know what, it’s quite glamorous this casino lark.’ You’ve then gone online for a dabble at baccarat and thought, ‘well, it’s not quite Casino Royale, but it’s still pretty fun.’ Well, you might be surprised to hear that there are people out there who think that every game of baccarat should include extremely attractive people, talking aimlessly around a table full of mega stars, while they sip on champagne and talk about their weekend retreats to Costa Rica. Well, no, casino gaming isn’t like that at all. It’s loads more fun! Stop comparing regular gamers to James Bond!
You don’t just go all-in!
‘Woah, he’s gone all in for the fifth time in a row, he must have something good’ said no good poker player ever. Going all in is a very dangerous tactic and should only be used when you’re positive your hand is strong. There’s this common misconception going around that going all in is guaranteed to scare off your opponents. That by throwing absolutely everything into one hand of poker you’re somehow going to get lucky with hands such as 7-4. J-2 or even 9-2.
You’re all smug as you push your chips in, and even happier when someone follows you in with all their chips. You go to flip your cards with a wry-smile on your face when, oh, wait, has he just flipped over a pair of aces? You’ve just fallen for the oldest trick in the book. Real casino gamers know that going all-in is neither friend nor foe. Use it wisely!
You don’t touch the cards when playing blackjack!
Online gamers have been rumoured to leave the safety of their laptop, PC or tablet and head on out to the real world from time to time.
Bricks and mortar casinos can seem somewhat off-putting to online players who aren’t familiar with the rules and etiquette. This is even more relevant to poker players who play on the poker circuit often, but don’t play in the casino after. Blackjack is a game where cards are placed on a table, and unlike poker, they must not be touched by the player. This can cause serious issues depending on the casino in question, and while online you don’t have the option to touch the cards, don’t fall for such a beginner faux pas. Keep your hands in your pocket if you can’t help yourself!
There’s always one person out there to wind you up!
Staying calm and composed is the key to winning, and while etiquette in real casinos is often observed, when it comes to online there’s generally less of a barrier. This isn’t really relevant for those playing games such as online blackjack, baccarat and roulette; this becomes an issue when playing poker, though. The issue with poker is that players often invest a lot of time into a tournament, only to be beaten by a lucky card on the river. When this happens players are often gracious, occasionally apologising for their luck.
Sometimes though, and this is rare, you will get a player who goes out of their way to really wind you up. They will call you all sorts of names and even insult the way you’ve played, just because they got a lucky break on the last card. This can send you into something called ’tilt,’ which is anger-driven foolish betting where you completely ditch your strategy. The best thing for you to do is simply switch off the chat function and get some fresh air. Tilting can cost a gamer hundreds of dollars through idiotic betting – don’t let it be you!
Gaming statistics are crucial!
Did you know that the chance of hitting a Royal Flush in poker is 0.000154%, or the odds of getting blackjack are around 1 in 21. Knowing how likely something is to happen is always going to help you out. Online gamers around the world know everything they need to know about the games they play. There’s not many people out there that know betting on the ‘banker’ is a wiser bet than betting on the ‘player’ in punto banco baccarat. Well, online baccarat players do! Honestly, online gamers are a cornucopia of gaming knowledge.
If you’re new to gaming there’s one thing you need to do; head on over to the comments section or an online gaming forum, because they’ll probably know the answer to your gaming related question!
Celebrating should be done with grace!
Winning feels fantastic and celebrating your huge win is pretty standard. Bottle of champagne, caviar, standard. You have to remember though, that for every good win there’s somebody experiencing a bad run of luck and sometimes it really doesn’t help to have some bloke running around the casino high-fiving everybody. There’s such thing as winning with grace, which can either be done in private with friends, or at the bar in a decorous style. Of course, when winning online one is able to let go and celebrate in any style whatsoever. Dancing around in one’s underwear is often commonplace. Those who celebrate ungracefully are those who don’t play often, and as such, don’t understand how it feels to be on a losing streak. It’s not sports where bragging is often allowed, this is real money and as such winning should be polite and respectful to all those around.
Losing with grace is just as important!
Likewise to winning with grace, losing with grace is just – if not more – important. Have you ever beat a child at Monopoly, or snakes and ladders? Notice how they react; how they kick and punch and cause a fuss, often refusing to play anymore. You might think to yourself, ‘goodness, that’s childish.’ Well, for some reason, this all goes out of the window when one is at the casino and tempers can flair. If you’re hot-headed at home when losing on Call of Duty, there’s a good chance you might do the same at the casino. Veteran online gamers have developed the ability to keep calm in certain scenarios, and that’s why you’ll never see an experienced online gamer shouting at the dealer in a regular casino, because they know it simply isn’t their fault!
21 might seem miles away in blackjack, but 10 can ruin you!
Blackjack strategy is one of those things that can make or break a successful run at the casino. If you’re unfamiliar with the rules of blackjack, which you’ll never find with an online gamer, then you better get smart quick. The aim of blackjack is to get, or get as close to 21 without going over. This is done by receiving two initial cards and then collecting more cards from the dealer. Cards are ranked on face value, so if you hold the 9 of spades, that card is worth 9. Face cards, such as the queen of diamonds, is worth 10, as are the jacks and kings. Aces are worth 11. If you happen to land 21 with your first two cards this would be called blackjack. So, a scenario goes that you’ve landed a 8 and 6, which means you’ve got 14. Now, this feels like miles away from 21 so you do what you know best and hit. What’s the worst that can happen? Then you land a 10, bringing your total over 21, which results in a loss.
Your best friend is called Roya1Flush001!
The world of online gaming is often accompanied by wacky profile names, it’s kinda the fun of it all. Honestly, who wants to be known as ‘Derek76’ when you can be known as ‘P0k3rG0D666.’ Your poker name is often your gateway to a new identity, and while some people might not understand the appeal of Roya1Flush001, you most certainly do. Head on over to any online casino or poker lobby and take a some of the casino profile names in the chat box and you’ll realise that Roya1Flush001 is quite tame in comparison. The funniest names in poker and casino have to go to ‘Ac3inth3h0le’, ‘URBADatP0ker’ and just ‘Duhh,’ which was the name of professional poker player Jonathan Duthamel as a means of irritating other players when they were beaten. ‘You have just been beaten by Duhh‘ would annoy anyone! So, yeah, your profile name is so much more important than non-gamers think. Imagine starting a tournament and hitting the tables, only to be met by ‘Doris’, ‘Anita’ and ‘Mavis’. Nope, we couldn’t imagine it either.
Red Bull and coffee are both part of your 5 a day!
Caffeine, the stimulant of the mind and soul and the lifeblood of any video game, poker or online casino player. If you’ve ever wondered why there’s so many bottles of Mountain Dew lying around your partners computer then we’ve got the answer. Playing online is hard work indeed. You’d be surprised to know how much energy it takes to fight through a a four hour poker tournament, or a six hour raid in World of Warcraft, and the only way we can get that energy is by guzzling copious amounts of energy drinks. Sure, we know it’s bad for out health, but when you’ve gotta play, you’ve gotta play. Trust us, drinking energy drinks isn’t the weirdest thing some gamers do. Not going to go into specifics, but it involves a bucket.
In conclusion…
If you’ve ever wondered why your partner or best friend is a bit odd, then take a look at the above. These are all the things they need to do just to function, never mind go to work, look after the kids, cook and (occasionally) clean the house. It sure is a strange world online gaming and from the outside things can look a little crazy! Just bare with them, refer to the guide and realise, they’re just online gamers!
Love our guide? Drop us a comment in the section below and tell us what it is that makes you a gamer! Good luck putting up with your gaming partner from the Lucky Nugget team!
