Here is the example of mining via the pool. (it is reward guaranteed)
To see how it works you may download this file, unpack it and start "start_mining.bat" file.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByqQxPo-e4FvemFTb1Y4aHlsMWc/edit
You will see something like:
"Stratum detected new block
thread 0: 1788499 hashes, 9.35 khash/s"
and so on... That mean that you computer is generating hashes to make the system work.
And when you'll see something like:
"Stratum detected new block
thread 0: 2933496 hashes, 9.85 khash/s
accepted: 2/2 (100.00%), 9.85 khash/s (yay!!!)"
That will mean that you finally win the competetive hash-race and earn some crypto-coins.
Good luck mining your first coin!
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByqQxPo-e4FvemFTb1Y4aHlsMWc/edit