Did you know that feature of online casinos are live dealers. Increasing bandwidth and faster computing devices mean that this format has quickly gone from a niche to a popular and mainstream way of enjoying online casino games. This article gives you an overview of the different kinds of live dealer casinos available, including the stakes and games available.
First, you’ll find a run through of the different games available to play – including an overview of what to expect from each. After that, this article will cover some of the main casino software creators who produce live dealer casino games and license them to individual casinos. Finally, some tips on choosing the very best live dealer casino for your needs and location.
Live Dealer Casinos – Games for you
Blackjack: It’s the first game to get the live dealer treatment and a perfect game for this. You’ll sit with up to six other players and enjoy blackjack with $5 stakes and up against a live dealer. This game seriously benefits from the real cards and action, though having 7-player tables can sometimes make it feel a little slow.
Roulette: To make up for the bigger house edge on the American Roulette wheel, some casinos offer an enhanced payout version which swings things a little back to the favor of the players. This works great live, since a single dealer can spin for many different players – who can place their own bets with the click of a mouse. In addition to the US wheel, you’ll find the player friendly European Roulette and the French Roulette variation too at some casinos.
Baccarat: This is usually the faster ‘simplified’ Baccarat variation of Punto-Banco (Player / Banker). This is a simple game to play, though a complex game to deal, with the banker drawing rules depending on a long list of possible player card permutations. You can play for $5 stakes and up. Players new to this game are advised to avoid the tie bet, which has a huge house edge. The main game has around 1%, making it one of the better live dealer casino games.
Casino Hold’em: This is a player against house variation of Texas Hold’em. It is divided into two main stages, with the player deciding whether to fold or to continue after the flop. This game works great against a live dealer, and with some nice payouts for better poker hands, you can find yourself in line for the occasional windfall too.
Live Dealer Casinos – Software Providers
Casino software is created by one of several specialist companies – who then license their games to the individual casinos. This is why you will often see the same casino games and slots at brands you thought of as separate. This also happens with live dealer casino games, which are dominated by the bigger software houses that have the scale to be able to get enough players onto the tables to make this profitable.
Live Dealer Casinos
While the immersive experience is a lot of fun, there are some drawbacks of using live dealer casinos compared to the standard setup where you just play the game using the casino software.
First, the stakes are higher. This needs to happen to make it worthwhile for the casinos to pay the dealers and host the tables and camera technology. If you do not have the bankroll for $5 bets, then you’ll need to build up a little more before you can hit these tables.
Second, you will also find that several players are needed in many games. For example many blackjack games need a minimum of seven players. This does slow things down a little. There is nothing to stop you from playing a ‘normal’ game on the side to keep you focused though!
You’ll also need to ensure you have a bandwidth that is good enough to cope with the live stream and steady enough not to drop at a critical moment. This is very crucial to solid play.
On the whole, live dealer games offer a social and entertaining experience that enhances your game. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to try out these games for yourself now and get in on the action today!