Do You Feel Alive? Live Casinos To Provide The Human Touch...
Live dealer casinos (What Is A Live Dealer Casino) are a pretty big deal. In days gone by, your options were much more constrained - either play online, or head down to your local casino. Ah, those heady days of simple gambling choices, where have ye gone?
As long as you’re not pining for a bygone age, you’ll no doubt be in the majority in welcoming the arrival of live dealer casinos. You can look at it as some kind of hybrid-cross Frankenstein of gambling (What’s The Difference Between Live Dealer Casinos and Regular Online Casinos?) - with all of the features of online gambling, combined with some of the best elements of gambling in a face to face setting.
When you’re looking for that human touch, live dealer casinos can provide that missing edge. But what are they, how do they work (So How Do Live Dealer Casinos Work?), and are there any decent bonuses available for live casinos (Are There Any Bonuses At Live Dealer Casinos)?
What Is A Live Dealer Casino?
Put very simply, it’s a live human dealer running a game by video link. Players still take part online, but through a live video stream of the game. They place their bets through the software interface, interact with the live game unfolding on screen, and get paid out by the human dealer running the game. In many ways, it’s exactly like visiting a casino in real life.
This has a number of advantages for players. Firstly, there’s nothing quite like the physical, face to face experience of live dealer casinos. Instead of playing what is essentially an odds-based video game, you’re actually playing with real, physical cards, or playing on a real-life roulette wheel. It’s just more realistic, which makes for a better atmosphere.
Plus you can often chat to the dealer and sometimes even to other players too, so it can be a much more social alternative to the games you’re used to playing.
Of course, there’s another main advantage here too. Nobody is asking you to trust the casino here - but with video games, that’s exactly what you’re doing. You are trusting that the games are fair, and that the odds aren’t overwhelmingly stacked against you.
With live dealer gambling, you can forget the random number generators or the software element of these games - instead, you physically see the roulette wheel spin, or the cards being dealt, so you can be sure you’re playing a fair, non-rigged game.
What’s The Difference Between Live Dealer Casinos and Regular Online Casinos?
The differences are minimal, really - but for players who prefer the live dealer experience, the differences are all in the key, most important areas of interest. While the fundamental rules and gameplay are exactly the same as you’d find in a regular video version of your chosen live dealer game, it’s the live component that makes all the difference.
So How Do Live Casinos Work?
Live dealer games are becoming more playable every month, with better video streams, a wider selection of games, and wider selection of games opening up all the time. They work in much the same way as any other online casino, so you’ll still find many of the same features. In fact, live dealer games are often found on sites that also offer a full suite of traditional online casinos games, so you’ll be able to play with your same bankroll and through your same account in most cases.
When you open the game, you’ll join a live dealer, sat in some studio that’s done out like a casino floor. For all intents and purposes, you’re pretty much playing in a live casino environment, but with the luxury of doing so from the comfort of home. So there’s no need to dig out your best suit just yet - with live dealer casinos, you get the same gameplay, but with none of the hassle.
Best Live Dealer Casino Games
The best live dealer games are often those you’d expect to find at your local land-based casino. We’re talking table games, like roulette, blackjack and baccarat, and thanks to the technical element of playing via a live video link, there are actually a number of new options for players, including side bets or betting on the hands of other players, as examples.
This means that individual live dealer games can attract audiences of hundreds or even potentially thousands of gamblers simultaneously - enough to add an extra bit of excitement to proceedings, if nothing else.
Live Casino Blackjack
Blackjack is one of the stalwarts of live casinos, and for good reason. One of the most popular games in all casinos, land-based and online, blackjack is also a favourite amongst high rollers. They like to have sway over their gameplay, and as a game of skill (more than chance), blackjack is the perfect recipe for that.
Live dealer blackjack often opens up a number of new opportunities, like multi-hand games where players can bet on several hands at the same time, or public sidebets on the hands in play. These are good fun to experiment with, in addition to the core game itself. With live dealer games, you also get the benefit of seeing the cards as they are dealt as well – a major advantage to playing online with random number generators instead of real playing cards.
Live Casino Baccarat
The original high rollers game, baccarat is a somewhat late entrant to the live gaming circuit. Nevertheless, it proves popular amongst live dealer aficionados, primarily because of the potential for big money returns, and the peace of mind that comes from physically watching the game unfold with a real dealer, and in real time.
There are several different variations of live casino baccarat you will come across, as well as multiple different options for betting to suit your needs. Even if you’re just starting out, live dealer baccarat is the perfect environment – realistic, but not too daunting for beginners.
Live Casino Roulette
The same applies for live casino roulette. Have you ever seen TV gambling late at night? Even this is a form of live casino roulette, except you’ll usually get a much worse deal on TV than you would online. Live dealer roulette follows much the same format, with a physical croupier spinning a physical wheel via video link. Players choose their bets before each spin, and wait to watch the results come in.
Again, being able to see the roulette wheel is handy, especially for players who get paranoid about the casino rigging the numbers, or purposefully trying to screw them over. With live casino roulette, these issues are taken out of the equation altogether, just like if you were playing at your local land-based casino.
Are There Any Bonuses At Live Dealer Casinos?
Like other online casinos, live dealer casinos are engaged in a constant battle with other operators to find that next new player. Part of their marketing package is, as always, juicy bonuses, designed to catch the eye and attract new players to give it a shot.
You’ll find welcome bonuses, loyalty programmes and other perks aimed specifically at live dealer casinos and live dealer players, and we’ve detailed a few of the very best below.
As always, you need to make sure you know the terms and conditions attached to the bonus so you can avoid problems when it’s time to withdraw. But provided you stick to our recommendations and adhere to the terms and conditions, these bonuses can be a great way to kickstart your live dealer gaming.
The Best Live Dealer Casinos
Live Dealer Casinos UK & Ireland
Like regular online casino games, live gaming is often provided by games companies like Netent, Microgaming and Evolution. For players in the UK & Ireland, our top recommendation is Betway, where you can get access to some fantastic live games, generous bonuses and an all-round commendable casino gambling experience.
Live Dealer Casinos USA & RTG
For players in the US, things are a little different. There are still issues with US licensing and regulation that make it harder than it should be for US players to gamble online. Still, that shouldn’t put you off – RTG make the best live dealer games for US players, and you’ll find these at a number of online casinos.
Bovada is our top recommendation if you’re in the USA and looking to enjoy live gaming – it combines the best of both worlds, in terms of a good casino gambling experience for US players, and amazing live dealer games that will keep you coming back for more.
