What to look for in a skill games site.

Online skill gaming sites are fun and may provide you with hours of entertainment and excitement. Who knows? Maybe you'll win big!

When compared with online casinos, there are fewer choices out there right now with the main sites are being hosted the United Kingdom and USA.

The main sites are:

Skill Gaming sites are no different from any product out there.  Pretend you are booking a hotel online or even buying a car. You shop around. When you look for an online skill games site, look for the following:

Unlike online casinos, Skill Gaming sites do not need to be licensed.  Look for sites that are owned by companies that are publicly listed on the stock market or have outside auditors listed on their site.  Playing with a company that has to adhere to the Securities and Exchange Commission definitely gives you a good sense of security.

Most sites accept all major credit cards, NETeller and/or PayPal.  Some also allow you to transfer money directly from your bank account.

And the better sites will post some sort of Fair Ranking Scheme.  This is important because as you start out, you won’t be as good as someone who has been playing for months or even years.  This will give you a better chance at winning.

Here is an example from SkillArcade.com

Each user in the system is assigned a skill rating for each game based upon his or her past performance in that game.

To start the user is assigned a skill rating of 1600 which is a beginner rating.

He will maintain this rating for the first 20 games of play, at which time he will be assigned a new rating based on the following method.

Each time a the player wins a game, his rating will increase based upon the rank of the player or players that he defeated. If the rating of the opponents is much higher than the player, the rating will increase by more than if his opponents had the same rating or less. When the player loses a game, his rating will drop, the amount of which is also determined by the opponents rating.

For example, Joe is assigned a rating of 1600 for Darts.

He wins one game and loses one game against a player with a 1900 rating.

The result might look like the following:

Initital Rating: 1600

After 1st Game: 1875

After 2nd Game: 1850

His rating still remains high, as he did manage a win against strong opposition. Should he have lost to a player with a 1500 rating on his second game, his rating would have dropped far more dramatically.

Contact their customer service and ask some questions. You can usually tell a lot about a company by contacting it first and asking them why you should play there instead of somewhere else. Ask them how fast they pay out winnings.

Don't get suckered into a bonus. Read the fine print. And remember, you don't get something for nothing in this world...you wouldn't walk into a the Bellagio or Caesars and put $100 on a blackjack hand then call over the Pit Boss and demand a $20 bonus!

Do a test. Deposit some money. Play some games then ask to withdraw your balance. See how fast it comes and how much they charge for withdrawals. Is it fair?

Try the games – do they download quickly? Do they freeze up when you play?  Do you like playing them?

Skill Gaming is an enjoyable pastime, so most of all, look for a site that offers good entertainment value for your money!