What Makes a Casino Game Good for Beginners?
Not all casino games are the same, but not all beginners are the same either. Some people just want the easiest game out there, where they can just click a button and try their luck. Others are happy to learn a few simple rules if they make the game more interesting, as they want to enjoy the game a bit more.
From my experience, the best casino games for beginners usually have a few things in common.
First, the games should be easy to understand. I’d say that almost all casino games fall in this category, but some games are easier than others. For example, some pokies are genuinely hard to understand if you haven’t played like 10 previous releases from the same developer, and even reading the instructions doesn’t help. So, that’s a no-no.
Second, they should have the simplest betting options possible. Beginners are usually better off with clear + and – rather than dozens of side bets or some complex ‘coin betting’ mechanic where you need a calculator to know how much you’re betting per line.
Third, if you’re a beginner, you probably want to start low, so a good casino game for beginners should offer low minimum stakes. Don’t get me wrong, the size of the stake is largely personal, and if you consider a low stake to be A$1, someone’s low stake is A$100, but you get the idea. The game should have the option to make as low bets as possible.
Finally, and most importantly, the game should be actually fun to play. That may sound obvious, but some games can feel a bit boring, and ideally, you want a game that will be fun to play from the beginning.
The Easiest Games for New Casino Players
So, with that in mind, here are the casino games I’d personally recommend to most beginners.
Online Pokies
Pokies are such a broad category that there are many different subcategories. Most of them are extremely beginner-friendly, so they would be my first stop for most beginners.
They’re easy to understand and quick to play, and you can usually start with very small stakes, and you don’t really need a betting strategy (or any strategy, for that matter).
With most pokies, you can just choose the bet size and hit the spin button, although I do recommend reading the rules first. Sure, you can play any pokie without reading the rules, and you don’t really need to make any decisions besides the bet size (some pokies are an exception to this, but I’ll discuss that later), but you should read the rules to understand what’s happening in the game.
That said, not all pokies are as beginner-friendly. Some modern games have so many bonus features and options like bonus buys, multiple meters, expanding features, split symbols, and so many moving parts that you’ll need a few minutes to work out what is happening
Classic pokies with 3 or 5 reels, good RTP of ~96% or above, and just a few standard features like wilds and scatters would be my starting territory. Here are some pokies I would recommend for beginners, and they are available in many of the best Australian online casinos:
- Burning Classics by BGaming
- Gold Vein by Booming Games
- Wild Fruits by Fugaso
- Sweet Bonanza by Pragmatic Play
- 4 Wolves of Fortune by Yggdrasil
Note from Mike Waters: To be clear, all pokies are essentially about spinning the reels and watching what happens next, but some are more complex than others. Jelly Express by Pragmatic Play, for example, includes two bonus buy options and three special bet settings on top of the normal stake controls. None of that is impossible to learn, but for a complete beginner, it can feel like a bit much all at once.
Crash Games
Crash games are another great option for beginners because the concept is incredibly easy to understand. This is what they’re all about: a multiplier starts rising from 1.00x, and your job is to cash out before the round crashes. If you cash out in time, you win based on the multiplier you selected. If it crashes first, you lose the stake.
I consider crash games to be so popular exactly because they’re so simple – and that’s what makes them good for beginners as well. There are no paylines, side bets, mini games, bonus rounds, free spins, Bonus Buy, or anything like that.
The rules are usually just a few lines, and you just place your bet, watch the multiplier, and cash out. You can even automatically set the cash out, so you don’t really need to do anything.
What I also like for beginners is that crash games teach bankroll discipline naturally. What do I mean by that? Well, you choose your stake, and you choose your own cash-out point, so you’ll learn the low-risk/low-reward vs high-risk/high-reward ratio.
My only advice is not to get carried away chasing huge numbers. Although crash games typically have a very high RTP (often around 97-99%), that doesn’t mean that you’ll be winning every round. Most of the time, the multiplier crash will happen around the 2.0x mark, so chasing the big multipliers every round is unrealistic.
Here are some top crash games I’d recommend for absolute beginners:
- Aviator by Spribe
- Spaceman by Pragmatic Play
- JetX by SmartSoft Gaming
- Crash by Orbital Gaming
- Chicken Road 2.0 by InOut
Baccarat
Baccarat is one of the most beginner-friendly table games out there, yet many new players ignore it because it looks harder to understand than it really is.
The truth is that baccarat is incredibly simple. In most versions of the game, you’re usually choosing between just three bets: Player, Banker, or Tie. Once you place your bet, the cards are dealt automatically, and the hand closest to 9 wins. That’s it.
If I were giving beginner advice, I’d say most new players should focus on Player or Banker bets and ignore the Tie bet forever. The payouts are 1:1 for the Player bet and (in most baccarat games), 0.95:1 for the Banker bet. Don’t worry, you’re paid out automatically, and the Banker bet is actually the better one with an RTP of ~98.54% despite the commission.
Another reason I like baccarat for beginners is the pace. The number of cards on the table is significantly lower than, say, poker or even blackjack, and the betting process is very straightforward once you’ve watched a few rounds. If you want to get familiar with the game before you start playing, you can check out my baccarat guide.
Baccarat is especially popular in live casinos, but RNG baccarat is also a great place to start if you’d rather learn at your own speed. Here are some baccarat games I’d recommend for beginners:
- Baccarat by Pragmatic Play Live
- EZ Baccarat by Playtech
- Classic Baccarat by various RNG providers
Mines
Mines is another excellent casino game for beginners because the rules are about as simple as they come. You choose your stake, select how many mines you want hidden on the grid, and then start opening tiles. Every safe tile you reveal increases your potential payout. Hit a mine, and the round ends.
It has become very popular online because of its high RTP and the fact that there are no paylines or other complicated features. Also, you control the pace, which is especially important for beginners.
My only advice is not to get greedy after uncovering several safe tiles. It’s always that last ‘one more tile’ that loses you the stake. Here are some good Mines games I can recommend for beginners:
- Mines by InOut
- Minesweeper by BGaming
- Lucky Mines by InOut
- 1Tap Mines by TurboGames
Plinko
Plinko is another very beginner-friendly game because the concept is already familiar to most players from the popular TV show. But even if you’ve never watched Plinko, this is how the game is played: you drop a ball from the top of the board, it bounces through pegs, and lands in a payout slot at the bottom. That’s really all there is to it.
Most online Plinko games let you choose your stake, risk level, and sometimes the number of rows on the board. What makes Plinko good for beginners is that there are no decisions once the ball drops. You set your preferences before the round and then just press play and watch the result.
My only warning is the same as with crash games: don’t get obsessed chasing huge multipliers every round, and don’t get greedy by the large multipliers that are usually offered in the highest risk level.
These are some Plinko games I’d recommend for beginners, and you’ll usually find them at the top Plinko Australian sites:
- Plinko by Spribe
- PlinkoX by BGaming
- Plinko by SmartSoft Gaming
- Plinko by Turbo Games
- Plinko by Gamzix
Roulette
Don’t worry, even though the roulette betting grid might seem complicated at first, roulette is actually one of the most beginner-friendly games out there.
The goal of the game is to place your chips on the bet you want to make, and click on the spin button (or wait for the dealer to close the bets and spin it), and when the ball lands on a number, the results are settled.
What makes roulette especially good for beginners is that you can keep things very simple. You do not need to cover a lot of different numbers or make some complicated bets if you don’t want to. Many new players start with basic outside bets like Red/Black, Odd/Even, or High/Low, which are straightforward and easy to follow.
I’d personally recommend starting with European Roulette whenever possible, since it has a single zero and better odds than American Roulette, which uses both a 0 and 00. Live roulette can also be a great choice if you enjoy a more realistic casino feel, but RNG roulette is often the easiest place to begin because you control the pace yourself.
My only warning for beginners is not to overcomplicate it. If you’re still learning the rules, stick to a standard roulette game (avoid games with multipliers or extra features), and don’t overcomplicate things by trying different betting strategies and systems. There’s nothing wrong with having fun with strategies, but learn the basics first. Then, if you want to go deeper into the game, you can look into my roulette strategies.
Fun fact: According to data, roulette is also the most played table game at many Australian land-based casinos, and I’d say its beginner-friendly nature is a major reason for that. It’s especially popular with first-timers or groups of friends who want to try their luck after a night out because everyone already knows the popular bets like Red/Black, so there’s virtually no learning curve.
Tips for Beginners Before You Start Playing
Choosing the right game is a good start, but your overall experience usually comes down to multiple factors. You can pick a perfectly fine game, but make a series of mistakes that might completely ruin your gambling experience (I’ve even prepared a guide about the things that can ruin your gambling experience).
So, if you’re just starting out, these are the tips I’d give you:
- Start with small stakes: You don’t need to go all-in in your first session. Relax, take it slow, and give yourself more time to learn and enjoy the game.
- Read the rules: Most games only take a minute or two to read and understand, and it can save a lot of confusion later. Make sure to read the rules of the game before you start playing.
- Use demo mode if available: Most games (with the exception of live dealers) are available in demo for free, which is a great way to test a game before risking real money.
- Avoid chasing losses: If a session goes badly, throwing more money at it rarely improves things. Chasing losses is one of the biggest mistakes you can make, and you can check my responsible gambling guide to learn how to gamble responsibly.
- Choose games you actually enjoy: RTP matters, but so does having fun. There’s no point forcing yourself onto a game you find boring.
- Use trusted casinos only: A good game at a bad casino is still a bad experience. Make sure to choose only reliable, licensed casinos with a good reputation.
- Set a budget before you begin: Decide what you’re comfortable spending and treat it as entertainment money. This will be your bankroll, and ideally, you shouldn’t bet more than 1-2% per bet of your total bankroll.
Start Simple and Enjoy the Process
If you’re new to casino games, the biggest mistake you can make is thinking you need to know everything straight away. Don’t worry, most casino games are designed to be easy to learn, and the best place to start is usually with the simplest options.
Pokies are one of the simplest options, and there are usually thousands of different games, so just pick one that looks fun and read the rules. You can also try it in demo mode for free.
If the game seems too complex, you can just turn it off and choose another one, or choose an entirely different category, like Crash, Mines, Baccarat, Roulette, or Plinko. What’s most important is to set a bankroll beforehand and focus on enjoying the experience.
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