Live dealer casinos have revolutionized the way people play casino games online. They bring the casino experience directly to you wherever you are. Instead of playing against digital random number generators, you can play table and card games against beautiful ladies and handsome gentlemen from around the world. This makes the experience of playing live dealer games much more social and enjoyable.
Online casinos stream live table and card games from casino floors and dedicated game studios from around the world. Top gaming providers have contracts with iconic casinos like The Hippodrome in London, and on top of these games, they stream others from their dedicated gaming studios dotted across the globe.
When you play a live casino game, you can see the dealer, the game table, and probably the casino or studio in the background. Most games have multiple camera angles, including close up shots of key game moments like the squeeze in baccarat or the moment the ball lands in a pocket on the roulette wheel. Some games even have replays in slow motion. This adds to the gaming experience.
No matter what live casino game you play, the main point is that you’ll play with a real casino dealer. She can chat to you, you can leave comments, and she’ll entertain you as you play, just like in a real-world casino.
In the last decade or so, live dealer casinos have exploded in popularity. They have almost squeezed out digital games, but not quite. This is a brief history of live dealer games.
The first live casino dates back to the mid-90s. However, back then, connections and video streaming technology weren’t good enough for them to really take off.
A few live casinos online popped up here and there throughout the early years of the 2000s. However, a historic moment occurred in 2006 when Evolution Gaming launched its first live casino platform. By 2010, major casino awards ceremonies began to recognize live dealer games. Evolution Gaming won its first EGR award for Live Casino Software Supplier of the Year in 2010.
Several other live game providers such as Extreme Live Gaming and Ezugi soon got in on the action. However, to this day, few of them can compete with Evolution Gaming.
Today, most of the top casino sites offer live games. It’s no longer just live dealer online roulette, blackjack, and baccarat, either. There are lots of new live games. You can’t even find many of them at real-world casinos.
Live dealer games will definitely use more data than digital games. Be aware of this if you’re on a fixed mobile data plan. Naturally, streaming live video is more data-intensive than playing digital games.
Live dealer games will always cost a little bit more to play. It will cost you at least $1 or so per spin or hand to play. This is because the games cost more to run. Likewise, live dealer games are better suited to high rollers. Some of the table and card games accept bets of up to $10k per hand or even more.
Live casino games are definitely more social than digital games. This can be a pro or a con depending on your personality. Introverted players might enjoy digital games better, while extroverted players will likely prefer interaction with real dealers.
We’re not making reference to load times here. If you have a stable internet connection, they will be the same. What we mean is how fast the games unfold. A hand of blackjack will take over a minute when you play with live dealers. In digital blackjack, it might only take 30 seconds.
Most online casinos have realized that players love live dealer games. Therefore, all of the top casino sites offer them, and you’ll be spoiled for choice. This section aims to help you select a top live dealer casino.
The casino should preferably have a gaming license from a respected casino gaming authority such as the UK Gambling Commission or the Malta Gaming Authority. Besides that, it should be owned and operated by a trustworthy operator with a proven track record. If you don’t know how to find this information, our live casino reviews can help you.
Most casinos will work with one live game provider. The one they work with will determine which games you have access to. Some casinos offer one specific game, such as roulette. Others offer a full suite of games, including blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and even provider-specific games like Football Studio or Deal or No Deal. Make sure the live games library offers what you want to play.
Big bonuses are always nice, but it’s more important that they have fair terms and conditions. Look beyond the headline offer and check what the wagering requirements are, how much the minimum deposit is, and if there are any caps on what you can withdraw. Also, make sure you can use the bonus cash on live dealer games.
Other things to check out include:
The payment methods.
The withdrawal times and fees.
If the casino is mobile-friendly.
The quality of the customer support.
Whether or not there’s a loyalty program.
This company is the king (or queen if you prefer) of live casino games. It offers lots of unique and innovative variants of blackjack, roulette, and baccarat. It’s always pushing the boundaries and has won endless awards. It also has its own signature games such as Deal or No Deal, Football Studio, Lightning Dice, Lightning Roulette, and Super Sic Bo.
This provider specializes in roulette, and it streams games from real casinos around the world. If you want to play roulette from the floor of The Foxwoods or The Platinum Casino in Bucharest, Authentic Gaming is the right choice.
This company used to give Evolution Gaming major headaches until it bought them out. However, it still runs Ezugi games as a separate brand. The dealers are highly professional, and games include baccarat, blackjack, poker, roulette, and keno.
We’re not saying that these are the only legitimate live games providers. We are saying that we trust these ones completely. They offer live games that are second to none quality-wise.
We covered some of the pros and cons as compared to digital games above. However, for those of you who aren’t sure about live casinos online, here are the main reasons to give them a try.
You’ll have access to almost every traditional casino table and card game. However, the best live games providers also offer games you can’t find in digital form. For example, you can play Dream Catcher or Lightning Dice with Evolution Gaming. You won’t find digital versions of these games.
The social element of live dealer games is unbeatable. In fact, it may even be better than what’s offered at land casinos. In some online live games, there will be two dealers. They’re much more interactive, and there are game variants specifically designed to entertain you. Party Blackjack is one such game.
We touched on this above. The minimum bets are always a little higher, but the maximum bets on live dealer games are almost always bigger. Therefore, they are more suitable for high stakes players. Variants like Salon Prive roulette even have minimum bets of $1,500, but most games have minimum bets of $1 or so.,/p>
One misconception that many players have is that you can’t play live games on mobile devices. This is not true. They work great on mobile phones and tablets. However, we do advise playing on the biggest screen possible for the best gaming experience.
You can use all of the same payment methods to fund your live gaming experience as you can to play digital games. You can make deposits and withdrawals by Visa, Mastercard, and Amex as well as e-wallets like PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, and even cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
