In recent years, especially during the COVID pandemic, when people had to stay in quarantine, live casino games have taken the online gambling world by storm, providing players with an immersive and authentic gaming experience that rivals traditional casinos. These live dealer casino games offer a unique blend of convenience and excitement, making them a popular choice for both seasoned gamblers and newcomers alike. In this article, I’ll delve into the world of live casino games, exploring their features, popular titles, strategies, and the reasons behind their growing popularity.
Live Casinos Explained
Live casino games are a unique blend of the best aspects of online and traditional gambling. Players can enjoy a wide variety of games from the comfort of their own homes while interacting with professional dealers and other players in real-time. This immersive experience is made possible through advanced streaming technology, which allows high-definition video feeds from actual casino floors or studios.
Pros & Cons of Playing At Live Casinos
Aside from the convenience and ease of access, playing live through your mobile device comes with unique advantages and disadvantages.
Live Dealer Games Pros:
- Real-Time Play: Players can engage in live gameplay, placing bets and making decisions just as they would in a land-based casino.
- Interactive Experience: The ability to chat with dealers and other players adds a social element that is often missing from standard online games.
- Variety of Games: Live casinos typically offer a range of games, including popular choices like baccarat, blackjack, poker, and roulette.
- Mobile Accessibility: Most live casino platforms are optimized for mobile devices, allowing players to enjoy their favorite games anywhere, anytime.
- Interactive Experience: The built-in chat feature allows casino players to communicate with each other and real human dealers, creating a sense of camaraderie and excitement.
- Real Dealers: The presence of real dealers adds authenticity to the gaming experience, making players feel as though they are in a physical casino.
- Transparency: Players can see the entire gameplay process, which enhances trust in the outcome.
- More Side Bets: Live games powered by the top software developers in the industry offer unique betting options and an array of creative side bets to make online gambling even more enticing. For example, you can bet on various blackjack side bets with crazy payouts at our live dealer blackjack tables.
- Higher Betting Limits: Live dealer table games feature varying betting limits, with max betting limits reaching $50k or more and min bets starting from $1 or less. It means regardless of your bankroll, there is always an empty seat for you at a table.
Live Dealer Games Cons:
While live dealer casino games offer a unique and immersive experience, they do have some potential drawbacks:
- Higher Minimum Bets: Live dealer games often have higher minimum bet requirements compared to traditional online casino games. This can be a disadvantage for players with smaller budgets.
- Limited Game Selection: Although the selection of live dealer games has expanded over the years, it's still more limited compared to the vast array of virtual games available.
- Technical Issues: Like any online service, live dealer games can be affected by technical difficulties, such as internet connectivity issues or software glitches. This can disrupt the gaming experience and lead to frustration.
- Slower Pace: Compared to virtual games, live dealer games can be slower-paced, especially during busy periods or when there are multiple players at the table.
- Time Restrictions: Some tables at live casinos are available only at specific times during 24 hours. This might limit players' options when they want to play live casino.
- Gambling Addiction: live casino games are super fun and easy to play. This means you are just a tap away from your favorite table game whenever you are willing to play. The ease of access could be addictive to problem gamblers. If you feel you are at risk of being addicted to online gambling, visit “be gamble aware” and ask for help. You can also use the “self-exclusion” feature at top licensed and regulated online casinos that allow you to temporarily or permanently deactivate your gambling account.
Despite these drawbacks, live dealer games remain a popular choice for many players, including me, who appreciate the authentic casino experience and the opportunity to interact with real dealers and other players on the go.
The Best Live Dealer Casino Games
1. Live Blackjack
Blackjack is one of the most popular card games worldwide. People call it 21, as the objective of the game is to beat the dealer by getting a hand value of 21 or the closest to it without going over. If the dealer gets a 21 before you do, you bust!
Live dealer blackjack follows the same rules and gameplay and offers a unique blend of skill and chance with an extra layer of excitement due to the variety of side bets available. Blackjack side bets allow you to bet on outcomes other than the value of your hand. Such bets offer whooping payouts but involve more risks as they are less likely to hit.
When you join a live dealer blackjack table at our casino, the friendly and supportive dealers explain the game and walk you through your bets. But here is a quick recap for beginners on how to play blackjack to give you a kickstart on playing live casino games.
Blackjack Rules & Gameplay
Blackjack is a player vs dealer game.This means that your hand is compared only to the dealer's hand and not to that of other players. Players are dealt two face-up cards, while the dealer receives one face-up and one face-down card. Players can hit (take another card), stand (keep their current hand), double down (double the bet and take one more card), or split (divide their hand into two). Each move has its corresponding hand gesture that you should learn to play at physical casinos. Now that you are going to play online, the buttons will take care of that. So, no worries! Let’s move on.
Card values: 1-9 are worth their face values, and 10s, Ks, Qs, and Js are worth 10. Ace adds a twist to the game as it can be counted as either 1 or 11, depending on which one is better for your total hand value.
If your first two cards are an Ace and a 10-value card, you will win 3:2 ($3 per every $2 wager) as it is a Blackjack or Natural hand. It is considered an automatic win. On the other hand, those with a value of 21 win an equal amount to their bets.
If your hand value exceeds 21, you automatically lose before the dealer shows her second card.
If the dealer draws an Ace as their up card, they offer you the insurance bet. It means you bet half of your original bet to secure your hand against the dealer’s possible Blackjack. If the dealer’s face-down card is a 10-value card, your insurance bet wins while your original bet loses.
Blackjack Winning Strategy
The best way to win at Blackjack, regardless of whether you are playing it online or at a real casino, is by mastering basic blackjack strategy. As a beginner, you need to memorize the chart or keep it with you while playing enough hands until mastering the game.
Playing according to the basic strategy decreases the house advantage in your favor. The typical house advantage is 2%, which will be reduced to around 0.5% if you stick to the basic strategy.
2. Live Baccarat
Baccarat is a super easy classic card game known for its simplicity, speed, and elegance. The object of the game, whether played online, at a live casino, or at a physical venue, is to bet on which hand will have a total closest to nine: the player's or the banker's. Players can also place a bet on a tie(but my pro advice is to avoid the tie bet as it is very unlikely to hit.)
How To Play Live Dealer Baccarat
To play the game, you should navigate to the live casino, scroll to find the baccarat section, and hit the lobby. Among the many live baccarat tables, choose the one with the betting limit and dealer that resonates with you. Hit play and let the fun begin. Before you start, be sure to check out our guide on How to Play Baccarat.
Here is a quick recap of baccarat rules and gameplay to get you started:
- The dealer deals two hands on the designated areas on the table: the player and the banker.
- Aces are worth 1 point, 10s and face cards are worth zero, and 1-9s are worth their face values.
- You can bet on either the player, banker, or tie options. Remember, in this game, the player does not refer to you or others at the table. It is just one of the two hands in play.
The best strategy to win at live baccarat is sticking to the banker bet, as it offers a lower house edge than the other two options. Avoid the tie bet due to its high house edge despite its attractive 8:1 payout. For more advanced strategies, check out our Best Baccarat Strategies guide.
3. Live Roulette
I should have written roulette on top, as it is one of the most popular, fast-paced, and fun casino games with the possibility of winning life-changing payouts. With many variations like American and French Roulette, European Roulette remains the most popular option as its house advantage of 2.70% is more player-friendly than other versions.
Regardless of the variation, the objective of the game remains the same; you bet on the place of a rolling ball. You can bet on numbers, colors, or groups of numbers. Then, the dealer spins the wheel in one direction and sends the ball spinning in the opposite direction. If the ball falls on what you already bet on, you receive a payout accordingly.
Live dealer roulette games are booming in popularity thanks to advanced tech involved in live streaming the games. When you visit the live dealer roulette lobby, you see so many options in terms of game variation, betting limits, dealer styles, and so on. While European Roulette is a better option, feel free to try new versions and have fun.
Beginners Tips To Play Online Live Roulette
While there are so many Roulette strategies, the best starting point is mastering how to play roulette and then joining a table to practice. Other tips to help you win more are:
Popular betting strategies include the Martingale system, which involves doubling bets after losses.
Consider placing a combination of inside and outside bets to balance risk and reward. While inside bets are high-risk, high-reward wagers on specific numbers or groups of numbers, outside bets are lower-risk bets on broader categories like red/black, odd/even, or high/low.
Avoid Chasing Losses. If you lose, don't increase your bets just to recover your losses.
Take Advantage of Bonuses. Generous welcome bonuses at top online casinos allow you to start playing with a boosted bankroll and save more money. Make sure to claim your welcome bonus before joining a table at itbet365 Casino.
4. Live Poker
Poker is the oldest card game humans have recognized so far. From the grandma’s kitchen table to the crazy super high-roller Triton Tournaments where buy-ins hit $200k, people all around the world LOVE to play poker for fun or professionally.
Thanks to technological advancements and modern online casinos, we have the opportunity to play poker online and participate in live tournaments right from where we are sitting now!
While poker has literally unlimited variations, Texas Hold’em remains the all-time favorite. The other popular poker games are Omaha, Razz, 7-Card Stud, and Pai Gow. Rules, poker hand rankings, and pot rules vary among poker games, but the main objective remains virtually the same. Here is a quick recap:
How To Play Poker For Beginners
Poker is a game of player-vs-player. It means you are competing against other people at the table and not the dealer or house. Depending on the game, you should create the best poker hand from the cards dealt to you and on the table. Hands are ranked according to poker hand rankings, and the best hand wins the pot at the showdown.
Live poker brings the excitement of the poker room directly to your screen. You can choose from various poker variants, such as Texas Hold’em or 6+ Hold’em.
Before joining a table, make sure to learn the poker basics and master the hand rankings. Also, familiarize yourself with the specific variant's rules and strategies. Poker is the game of playing it cool! Learn effective bluffing (it won’t help you in online poker, though!), focus on understanding your opponents’ betting patterns and tendencies, and learn to play strategically. Unlike other casino games that depend highly on luck, poker involves a lot of strategy and brain work, making it a great way to play and win money!
Last Few Words
Live casino games offer an unparalleled gaming experience that combines the convenience of online play with the excitement of a real casino. Whether you’re drawn to the elegance of live baccarat, the strategy of live poker, the fun of live blackjack, or the thrill of live roulette, there’s something for everyone.
As a casino player, exploring live casino options can provide you with hours of entertainment and the chance to win real money. If you’re ready to dive into the world of live dealer games, we highly encourage you to explore our live casino options and find the best game to play and win today.
Always remember to gamble responsibly and have fun!