Live dealer casinos are exactly what the name suggests. These are online casinos featuring real, flesh and blood dealers, dealing games such as blackjack, roulette, Caribbean Stud, Casino Hold’em, baccarat, or any other table game you can think of.
The live feed is sent from specialized gaming studios owned by large companies such as Evolution Gaming, Playtech or NetEnt. These companies have the resources to set everything up, employ and train the staff, and license their games to numerous online casinos.
Players can enjoy an uninterrupted live dealer experience, usually sharing the tables with their fellow players, and even enjoying a bit of friendly banter with the dealer if they so wish. This wasn’t possible several years ago, because the needed technology simply wasn’t there yet. As soon as technical requirements were met, though, game developers and online casinos wasted no time, knowing full well that this concept would appeal to players of all tastes. Bringing that casino dealer experience straight to the player has proven phenomenally successful and popular.
What Live Casino games are there?
Just like regular online casinos, live dealer casinos have started their life in a modest fashion, offering only the most popular casino games, predominantly roulette and blackjack. These games are fairly easy to spread and setting up the system for players to place bets and get actively involved wasn’t too big of a challenge. Of course, these games have different variations, and they are all found across various live dealer casinos, depending on who provides the live dealer section.
For roulette lovers, there is European and American wheel, but the modern technologies have made it possible to also create a different gaming experience. So, there’s Immersive Roulette, where the spin is replayed in a slow-motion, with the ball and wheel zoomed in, so you can fully relive the big winning moment knowing the outcome already, but enjoying every second of it.
Just like with roulette, you’ll also find different blackjack variations. One interesting thing about the live dealer blackjack is that it’s played with large cards, which may seem a bit silly when you first see them, but they make it easy to see what you’re dealt (although you’ll also get graphics on the screen to make sure there’s no confusion).
As the concept of a live dealer casino continued to grow and gain popularity, the companies started to introduce new games as well. These days, you can find nearly all table games dealt by live dealers and streamed online. There is baccarat, Caribbean Stud, Casino Hold’em, Three Card Poker, and even some brand new games, such as Evolution’s Dream Catcher, which is a casino game/gameshow hybrid.
Live Casino Bonuses
Bonuses are one of the best things about online casinos. They really separate online sites from their brick and mortar counterparts. Brick and mortar casinos may give you some comps and a free play voucher here and there, but those welcome and reload bonuses make all the difference in the world.
Not all bonuses you can get these days can be used on live casino games or specifically, those bets don’t always count towards bonus wagering requirements. Some of the better ones out there will let you play and actually count 5-25% wagering on every bet you make at the tables – so do check the terms and conditions. Those who are really into live dealer games should take time to look for those casinos that’ll actually let you play and count your wagering towards the bonus or offer bonuses specifically for live casino play.
Until recently, not being able to play Live Dealer games from your mobile device was one of the biggest downsides of mobile casinos. However, over the past couple of years, leading companies in this niche (like Evolution Gaming) have come up with solution to this problem as well. Although not all mobile casinos feature the Live Dealer section, you’ll find that most big-name operators now also offer live games on their mobile platforms. You can play games like blackjack, roulette, and baccarat against flesh and blood dealers using nothing but your phone.
Bonuses are one of the best, if not the best thing about online casinos. They really separate online sites from their brick and mortar counterparts. Brick and mortar casinos may give you some comps and a free play voucher here and there, but those welcome and reload bonuses make all the difference in the world. They can seriously boost your roll and give you a chance to really go after big wins.
Not all bonuses you can get these days can be used on live casino games or specifically, those bets don’t always count towards bonus wagering requirements. Some of the better ones out there will let you play and actually count 5-25% wagering on every bet you make at the tables – so do check the terms and conditions. Those who are really into live dealer games should take time to look for those rare casinos that’ll actually let you play and count your wagering towards the bonus.