At first glance, a typical live game will look similar to the standard casino games you know and love. On the player’s end, many of the game functions are handled through an interface that includes your chips, a table layout, and buttons for placing bets and making other actions that are part of the game. In fact, if you covered the area of the screen that displayed the live dealer and the physical table the dealer was using, you might not even be able to tell that the game you were playing was in any way different than a typical online casino game.
But that area of the screen is what live dealer games are all about. There, you’ll be able to see a real croupier managing the game you’re playing, just like a dealer would in a live casino. The dealer will see exactly what actions you’ve requested, and will react accordingly right in front of your eyes. The dealer will be located either on a set owned by the online casino, or in some cases, in an actual casino venue. In either case, the table is real, and so are all the elements of the game that they use to determine the results of each spin or hand.
It’s worth noting that live games are a relatively new innovation, and haven’t yet been implemented at all online casinos. The range of games that are available with real dealers is also somewhat limited. Online blackjack is a popular choice, as is roulette. Other games you might find include baccarat and sic bo.
Experience Online Gameplay in Realtime
There are several things about live dealer games that make them popular among online gamblers. Many players enjoy the fact that these games utilize actual gambling devices rather than using a random number generator. While we’d like to remind everyone that RNG-based games provide fair and random results, many players like the idea of using a more traditional way of determining winners and losers.
Another big advantage to real dealer games is that they offer a social aspect that’s missing in most standard games. In virtually all live dealer games, including baccarat, roulette, casino Hold’em, and blackjack, you’ll be able to interact with the dealer to ask questions and chat. How far the social aspects go beyond that will vary from casino to casino, but some games are truly multiplayer-oriented with full chat features that allow the table to root for each other in real time. Others even work like television shows, “broadcasting” for certain hours of the day with the dealers acting as live hosts.
Aspects to Consider
As much fun as live dealer casino games can be, we do have to point out that there are a few things you should consider. For one, the pace of play will be somewhat slower than the typical online casino game, as you’ll have to wait for the dealer to take the time to deal out the cards or spin the wheel – there won’t be a turbo option that makes the game go faster. Of course, some players will enjoy this relaxed pace of play, but others might find it a bit on the slow side. Another point is that your betting limits might be more limited in live dealer games than in the rest of the online casino. This is understandable since live casino games cost more money to operate, it’s not feasible to allow especially small bets on them, so expect to have to spend at least a few dollars in order to play.
Finally, live online casino games do require a broadband internet connection to play due to the video streaming that’s essential for these games to work. While this shouldn’t be a problem for most of our readers, it is something to keep in mind if you have a particularly slow connection, or if you have to use a dial-up connection.
Live dealer online casino games are the most exciting new form of internet gambling to come along in years. If you’ve been longing for a way to make your online casino play feel just a bit more like the games you remember playing in a brick-and-mortar casino, we suggest that you try a live dealer game today!