What Makes a Good Live Online Casino Site
-
Choice of Games
-
Variety of Games
-
Stream Quality
-
Table Accessibility
-
Website Responsiveness
With a plethora of superb online casinos at your disposal, you have a massive array of live dealer games to choose from. We suggest considering these five factors when exploring the excitement of a new batch of live game tables.
Choice of Games
The game selection is a crucial aspect to consider when picking an online casino where you wish to play live dealer games.
Most online casinos will have blackjack and roulette as standard, as they are the most sought after live dealer games. But, if you're fond of other games like baccarat or casino poker, you should ensure they are available.
Not every online casino offers the game show style of live dealer games such as Dream Catcher.
All live dealer games are of superb quality, so you should choose an online casino that offers a selection that suits your preferences.
Variety of Games
Just like in a physical casino, online live dealer games offer entertaining variations of popular games.
For instance, numerous online casinos offer Infinite Blackjack. This is a version of the game where everyone is dealt the same initial hand but can then play their hand independently against a dealer.
More standard casino variations such as American versus European roulette are also available.
If there's a specific variation of a popular casino game you enjoy, there's likely an online casino that will allow you to play it at a live dealer table.
Stream Quality
The major appeal of live dealer games in an online casino lies in the immersive, realistic experience they provide. However, a poor quality or stuttering video stream can spoil this experience.
Live dealer games are hosted in dedicated studios engineered to broadcast over the internet in great quality. Most residential internet connections, and even contemporary data connections, should be able to receive this video as intended.
When selecting an online casino, ensure the video stream quality is high enough for a satisfying live table gaming experience.
Table Accessibility
It's a disappointment when you can't find empty seats at your favored tables in a casino. Occasionally, the same scenario can occur with online live dealer games.
During peak times, seats may be scarce, resulting in wait times before you can join the action.
While it's challenging for providers to instantly open new live dealer games to meet demand, they are generally efficient in forecasting requirements.
So, when choosing a casino for live dealer games, ensure you can get seats quickly during your preferred gaming times.
Website Responsiveness
Modern online casino software is incredibly quick and agile, typically performing well on any home setup.
The live dealer games offered are also developed and hosted by specialist companies with a focus on user experience, ensuring they run swiftly and efficiently on various devices.
So, when selecting your online casino, make sure the website speed meets your satisfaction as you navigate towards your live dealer games.
Playing Live Casino Games Online: A Guide
Moving from physical casino games to live online ones may feel like a significant shift.
But our tutorial will demonstrate that signing up for an internet casino and jumping into the game is actually quite straightforward.
Pick an Online Live Casino
You have a choice of eleven excellent online casinos, each with unique characteristics and game selections.
Every online casino employs the same set of prominent technology providers for their live dealer games, ensuring a consistent high standard of quality.
Our detailed guide above can provide more information on what to consider when selecting the best live casinos to play at, but here are a few basic tips for making your decision.
Ensure the website operates smoothly on your device, and you're satisfied with the video quality offered.
Also, ensure there are enough seats available during your preferred playing hours, so you can engage in the game promptly.
Set Up Your Account
Playing at a live online casino requires you to create an account. This process is swift, straightforward, and safe.
You will need to supply your personal information to register. Then, you can proceed to the cashier to make your first immediate deposit into your new live casino account.
During the registration, remember to input your bonus offer code when asked. This will allow you to unlock the amazing welcome bonus that all online casinos provide.
You can open accounts with as many live online casinos as you want. Meaning, if you decide to do so, you can get welcome bonuses from all eleven available.
Make the Most of Registration Offers
Online casinos are famous for their incredibly generous registration offers for new members. These offers can vary but usually include substantial deposit bonuses and complimentary chips.
Therefore, it's crucial to input your registration offer code when asked during your initial deposit into your new account.
Even though you can only have one account per casino, there's no limit to the number of casinos you can sign up with.
This implies you could register with all eleven available to leverage all the substantial registration offers.
However, some offers have usage time constraints, so ensure you have ample time to fully exploit them.
Set Your Wagers
Once your account is set up and you've received your fantastic registration offer, you can hit the tables and place your wagers.
In live dealer games, you'll see a video feed of your dealer complete with actual casino equipment like a deck of cards for blackjack or a roulette wheel.
You'll then use the digital interface to place your wagers. For example, you'll use buttons to indicate your desired blackjack action or lay your roulette wagers on a digital table.
However, the outcomes are determined by actual casino equipment, like a dealer dealing cards or a croupier spinning the roulette wheel.
Withdrawing Funds
Withdrawing from your live online casino account is easy. To do this, return to the cashier section of your account where you made your initial deposit.
Then, you can decide how much you want to withdraw and the method you want to use to receive your winnings. The simplest way to collect your money is to use the same payment method you used to deposit, but it's not a must.
All online casinos clearly state their minimum and maximum withdrawal amounts on their websites. Most withdrawals don't have a minimum amount or fees and are completed within a few days.
Bear in mind that if you receive a bonus as part of your registration offer, you can't cash it out.
These bonus funds come with a rollover or wagering requirement, meaning they must be wagered a certain number of times before they can be cashed out.
Common Live Online Casino Games
Online casino games with live dealers are the best way to get a genuine casino experience without leaving your house.
Because of this, live versions of table games such as roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and casino poker are in high demand.
Poker
You can play the most loved types of live poker in an online casino with a live dealer.
Even though you can find other poker games, the live versions you'll most commonly find are Three Card and Ultimate Texas Hold'em.
Just like at a physical casino, these games offer the same possibilities to make side bets.
Ultimate Texas Hold'em follows the same rules as the standard Texas Hold'em game. Still, in this version, each player competes against the dealer.
Every player makes an ante and blind bet and receives two cards facing down. The dealer also gets two cards. Players can then decide to fold, check or bet on the flop, turn, and river.
Players win if their hand is better than the dealer's, or if the dealer fails to get a hand better than a single pair.
In Three Card Poker, each player places their ante, and then both they and the dealer receive three cards. Players can then decide to fold or bet.
If they decide to play, they win if their hand beats the dealer's. If the dealer's hand is lower than a queen, all players win.
In Three Card Poker, the hand rankings are slightly different. A straight is better than a flush because it's harder to get with three cards.
Roulette
Roulette is a favourite in most casinos and is perfect for playing as a live online game.
Roulette is about guessing the number on which a ball, spun on a large wheel, will land.
You place your bets on the table depending on where you predict the ball to land. You can bet on the exact number, a group of numbers, or whether the number will be red or black.
You can also guess if the number will be odd or even, or in which row the winning number will appear.
With live roulette, you make your bets on a digital table, but the dealer spins the wheel and drops the ball like in a physical casino.
The two types of live roulette that are available are European and American style roulette.
The key difference between them is the number of green zeros on the table. European roulette usually has one green zero, while American wheels have two.
If the ball lands on a green zero, the house wins unless a player has directly bet on it. With American roulette's extra zero, players often need to tweak their betting strategy to increase their chances.
Blackjack
Blackjack is a mainstay at most casinos due to its simplicity, making it easy for beginners to learn.
In this game, each player gets two cards face up. The dealer is dealt one card face up, and one card face down.
The name of the game comes from the best hand a player can have: a blackjack, which is an ace and any ten or picture card. This hand pays out at a higher rate of 3:2.
When playing at top live casinos, players use a button on their screen to instruct the dealer of their next move. If a player chooses to hit, split, or double down, the extra cards are drawn from a real deck on the dealer's table.
Live dealer games follow the standard blackjack rules of drawing to 16 and standing on 17. If players beat the dealer's hand, or the dealer goes bust, they win.
You can also place side bets on your hand in blackjack. These include special payouts for pairs, runs, and suited cards.
A popular version of this online is Infinite Blackjack. In this version, every player has the same two starting cards but can decide how to play them against the dealer.
Baccarat
Baccarat is not as popular as other live dealer casino games, but most sites still offer tables for those who enjoy it.
However, due to the popularity of live table games like blackjack and roulette over baccarat, it's challenging to find tables with different rules.
But don't worry, you can still enjoy the fantastic quality that live dealer tables offer if you want to play the regular version of the game.
This includes a high-quality video stream and a fun live dealer, making it feel like you're in a real casino.
Baccarat can be a tricky game for beginners.
But with the betting prompts controlled by software and the ability to chat with the dealer, playing on a live casino table can be a good way to get more comfortable with the game.
Live Casino Software Suppliers
Every online casino that features live dealer tables will utilize games from various providers.
The special technology and resources required to operate live tables make it simpler and safer for these software suppliers to run the games throughout the entire industry.
That's why you might have a feeling of déjà vu when you see the same game available on two different online casinos.
Below, you can find out which online casino uses which software suppliers for their games, and get more information about some of the biggest players in the sector.
Live Casino Software
Evolution Gaming
Evolution Gaming is the leading software supplier for online casinos offering live dealer games.
Out of the eleven online casinos in existence, eight use Evolution as their live gaming software provider.
This gives a wide range of players access to Evolution’s award-winning suite of top live casino games, including roulette, blackjack, and poker.
By partnering with Evolution, online casinos can also provide high-quality, less popular live dealer games like craps, baccarat, and sic bo.
PlayTech
PlayTech is one of the most established and reputable software providers in the industry, with a history that goes back to 1999 when online gambling was born.
The company provides online casino games to a vast portfolio of leading global sites.
In the USA, they offer live dealer tables to top-tier casinos such as BetMGM, FOXBet, and Stars Casino.
With a strong reputation for delivering top-notch live dealer tables, players will be very satisfied choosing the best live casinos that offer PlayTech games.
Net Entertainment
Net Entertainment, also known as NetEnt, is one of the most prominent developers of live dealer games.
They cater to some of the biggest brands in online gambling, such as BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel.
That means players on these sites get to experience some of the best blackjack, roulette, and poker games on the market.
With their excellent software and video quality, players will be delighted to join a casino that offers Net Entertainment games.
IGT
IGT has a long-standing presence in the gambling industry, and they use their vast experience to deliver a top-notch live dealer game experience.
The company started in 1975 as a slot machine designer and manufacturer.
They eventually started developing digital games and merged with other companies in 2015 to form the present-day IGT.
IGT specializes in offering live dealer roulette, but players will enjoy a great experience no matter what game they choose from this leading software provider.
Live Casino FAQs
What are live casino games?
The best live casinos combine the thrill of sitting at a real casino table with the convenience of online gambling.
When you connect to live dealer games, you're linked via video to a real dealer using actual casino equipment, and you can communicate with them via a chat feature.
Special software is used to place your bets and convey your decisions to the dealer.
You use the same account as you would for regular online casino gaming, giving you full control over your funds.
How do you play live casino games?
When you choose the live casino game you'd like to play, click to be redirected to your table.
You'll see a video feed of the live dealer and the real casino equipment they'll use to facilitate the game.
Buttons on your screen allow you to place bets and make choices.
For a game like blackjack, you'll inform the dealer of your decision, such as whether to hit or stay.
For a more intricate game like roulette, you'll use a virtual table to place bets before a real wheel is spun.
What live casino games can you play?
The best live casinos all offer games like blackjack, roulette, and poker.
There are usually plenty of tables available for these games, along with a variety of interesting rule variations.
However, more niche options are also available for live dealer games, like baccarat, craps, and Wheel of Fortune.
There are also highly innovative gameshow-style options to play, like the hugely popular DreamCatcher game.
Can you win real money from live casinos?
Yes, you can bet and win real money from live casino games.
Just like any online gambling, you win real money from real money stakes, which can be withdrawn when you're done playing.
Different tables have different minimum and maximum bets, meaning you can always find live dealer games that match your budget.
It's rare to find free-to-play tables with real dealers due to the costs of providing the software, facilities, and host required to play the games.
Are live casino games legit?
They are operated through state-licensed online casinos, which means there's a high degree of security and supervision built into their operations.
Live dealer games are broadcast and managed by specialist third-party software providers, adding another layer of security.
Live casino games are one of the safest and most enjoyable ways to play casino games on your computer, tablet, or mobile device.
Can I play live casino games via a mobile device?
Yes. You can play live casino games on a mobile device, with the best online casinos offering full optimization for mobile play, no matter what game you select.
However, while some top online casinos have an app for playing, some can only be accessed via their desktop site.
Also, when playing games on your mobile with your live casino, the full range of games may not be available. To access all games, you may need to use their desktop site.
Are live casino games legal in my state?
Only a few states have legalized online casino gambling at this time, fewer than have legalized sports betting.
If you're in a state where online gambling is legal, and you're of the state's legal gambling age (which ranges from 18 to 21), you can enjoy a wide range of live casino games.
If you're in a state where online gambling isn't yet legal, don't worry; more states should be legalizing online casino play in the coming years, based on the recent growth of online sports betting.
Are live casino games free?
Yes. There are no additional costs to play live casino games, regardless of which live casino you're registered with.
Of course, you'll need to deposit funds into your live casino account to play these games, but no additional payment is required to play the games.
To play some live poker tables, you may need to download an extension to your live casino platform, but this is always free.
However, the best live casino sites offer live poker tables directly on their main casino site/app, so you can play any of their live casino games right from there.
Can I play live casino games in demo mode?
This depends on the live casino site you're registered with. Most live casinos, unfortunately, don't allow this, but some let you watch ongoing games.
Even if not all sites have this feature, the best live casino sites have very small minimum betting requirements for their live casino games.
Most live casinos allow you to play for as little as $1, enabling you to try their range of live casino games at minimal risk.
