Are you one of the millions of people who are already taking advantage of the fun and convenience of playing your favorite online casino games legally on your desktop, smartphone, or tablet, but you are new to live dealer games? This Live Casino 101 article is for you!
Or are you new to online casino gambling itself but think you would enjoy it and are eager to get started? This easy-to-follow article will introduce you to the basics.
Live dealer games are an excellent choice not only for experienced online players but for beginners, too. One of the reasons is the great comradery with other players and the dealer that you simply don’t get in other online casino games. If you have any questions or need help making a particular play, no problem. Thanks to the same live chat feature you can use throughout the game to engage in light conversation, friendly advice, whenever you need it, is only a quick click away.
Which US online casinos offer live dealer games?
Live dealer games were a popular option at top overseas online casinos for many years before they finally made their first appearance at legal online casinos in the US in August 2016. The first state-run online casino to launch a live dealer platform was Golden Nugget Online Casino, which was then only available to players in New Jersey.
Initially, the only options were three basic games: blackjack, American Roulette, and Dragon Bonus Baccarat. The hours of operation were also limited. However, due to the resounding success of those live dealer games and to meet the overwhelming demand, it was only a matter of time before the number and variety of games and the hours when they were available were increased. Other NJ online casinos also started offering live dealer games.
Legalized casino gambling hasn’t expanded to different states at the same rapid pace as legalized sports betting over the past few years. However, as of this writing, state-run online casinos are legally operating in six states: Delaware (the first to launch), followed by New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Michigan, and Connecticut. Currently, four of these states–New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia–offer live dealer games, with Connecticut expected to offer them shortly.
As with all forms of online casino gambling, you don’t necessarily have to live in a state where live dealer games are legal in order to register with the casino and play the live dealer games. But you do need to be physically situated in that state at the time of your play. Otherwise, built-in geolocation software will deny you access.
How do live dealer games compare to other online casino games?
Live dealer games offer most of the same advantageous features as other online casino games, but in other ways, they are different and unique.
Similarity to other online casino games
For starters, online casinos are open every day year-round, and while not every live dealer table is open round the clock, their extended hours are sufficient to accommodate most players. This is important because many times when you want to play, traveling to a land-based casino might be inconvenient or impossible, especially if there isn’t one within easy commuting distance from where you live.
Also, if you have to interrupt your play temporarily to do something else, you can pick up where you left off whenever you are ready. There is no need to cut short a good winning streak. Or, conversely, if you are not having good luck, you don’t have to wait until your scheduled time to return home. You can stop playing whenever you want.
If you are using an iOS or Android mobile device to play, you have even more flexibility because you can take your favorite games with you and access them anywhere in the state you happen to be.
Another similarity between live dealer games and other online casino games is that if the casino where you are playing offers a loyalty rewards program, live dealer games count, too, towards earning rewards credits (that you can use for comps) and tier credits (the higher your tier, the more special rewards and privileges you receive).
By the way, in 2020, during the height of the pandemic when land-based casinos were closed, new players signed up with online casinos in record numbers. Moreover, those online casinos that were offering live dealer games proved especially popular.
Difference from other online casino games
One of the few negative aspects associated with online and mobile casino play is the lack of social interaction that land-based casinos offer. If you enjoy being around other people and the excitement and energy you experience at a real casino, the solitary nature of most online and mobile gambling can sometimes be disconcerting. However, live dealer games do a fantastic job of addressing that problem.
Advanced technology makes it possible to mimic the atmosphere of a real casino, including the company of other players and a real live dealer, even while sitting alone by your computer or mobile device. You also get to see the replica of an actual physical table and watch the dealer, whose photo you can see on your screen as big as life. Most importantly, you can follow in real-time every move the dealer makes, from spinning the wheel or dealing the cards to paying you when you win. You can also chat with the dealer and the other players.
How do live dealer games work?
All you have to do to access the live dealer games of your choice is register and create an account with your favorite online casino and make a deposit, if you haven’t already, Then log into your account just as you would do to play any other online casino game. Then click on the live dealer tab in the lobby, select a game, and start playing!
The games are live-streamed in real-time, directly to your computer or mobile device screen, usually from a studio such as Evolution Gaming, that has partnered with the casino, but occasionally from the actual casino floor. Each table has its own live dealer who controls the flow of the game. Dealers are chosen primarily for their beauty and friendly, outgoing personality. Extensive past casino experience is not a prerequisite, but every live dealer table is equipped with a monitor to ensure the integrity of the game and that the correct payouts are made in every instance.
High-resolution cameras and advanced optical character recognition capture every component of the ensuing action, so players can follow along every step of the way from the time they place their bets through the outcome.
Types of Live Dealer Games
Depending on where you play, the number of live dealer tables, game choice, and table limits can vary. However, the best live dealer casinos will offer all or most of the games described below.
Blackjack
Blackjack is by far the most popular live dealer game, so it is not uncommon for casinos to offer multiple live blackjack tables.
Unlike most other casino games, blackjack is a game of skill as well as luck. Also, when played according to optimal basic strategy, blackjack has a lower house edge than any other casino game.
Both of these statements apply not only to regular online casino blackjack games but also to live dealer blackjack. However, to compensate for the extra entertainment that the live dealer version offers, some of the rules are not as favorable as in the best online blackjack games.
Most live dealer blackjack tables use the following rules:
- 8 decks
- Blackjack pays 3-2.
- Dealer hits soft 17.
- Doubling down is allowed on any two cards.
- Doubling down after splits (except for Aces)
- Only one card to each split Ace
- No surrender
However, in some live dealer blackjack games, the dealer stands on soft 17, which is better for the player.
Unfortunately, the minimum bet at most live dealer blackjack tables is $25 or higher. That might be more than you can afford, especially if you are new to the game and/or have a limited bankroll. However, many online casinos offer an alternative game called Unlimited Blackjack or Infinite Blackjack. This game (with slightly different rules) can accommodate an infinite number of players because it uses a common draw where all of the players start with the same two cards against the same dealer up-card. In addition, you can join a game in progress without ever having to wait for a seat, and the minimum bet is only $1.
Roulette
Roulette is the second most popular choice among the various legal live dealer games available to US players. However, live dealer roulette is usually only offered as American Roulette. Because the wheel has both a single zero and a double zero, the house edge is a hefty 5.26%. A better live dealer roulette game, if you can find it, is European Roulette, which only uses a single zero and has a house edge of 2.7%.
Some online casinos offer one or more variations of live dealer roulette, such as the following, to make the game more exciting.:
- Casino Floor Roulette: This game is live-streamed directly from the casino floor.
- Multiview Roulette: This game gives you a close-up view of the action from three different angles.
- Auto Roulette: A very fast version of roulette
- Lightning Roulette: An unlimited number of people can play this exciting game at once. On every spin, 1-5 lucky numbers are “struck by lightning.” Players who have a bet on any of those numbers win 50x to 500x their wager.
Baccarat
When played correctly (limiting your bets to either banker or player only), this is the live dealer game with the second-lowest house edge.
Many online casinos offer a variation of the game called Dragon Bonus Baccarat, with an optional side bet that is a winner on either a natural or a non-natural win by four points or more. However, this bet has a house edge of 2.65 percent compared to only 1.06 percent for a bet on banker or 1.24 percent for a bet on player.
Ultimate Casino Hold’em
The main difference between this game and Hold’em played in poker rooms is that you are playing against the dealer rather than other players. You win if your hand beats the dealer’s hand of a pair or better.
Three Card Poker
The object of this game is to have your three-card hand beat the dealer’s qualifying three-card hand of Queen-high or better.
Dream Catcher
Dream Catcher uses a big wheel that is similar to the Big Six Wheel in land-based casinos. 52 of the wheel’s 54 slots display the number 1, 2, 5,10, or 40 in descending order of frequency, while the remaining two slots display a 2x or 7x multiplier. If you bet on the same number that the wheel lands on, you win whatever that number is times the amount of your bet. If the wheel lands on the 2x or 7x multiplier, the multiplier is applied to the winning number on the next spin.
Live Game Shows
This category includes such games as Deal or No Deal, Dragon Tiger, Football Studio, and Monopoly Live, and are adaptations of popular TV shows, card games, or board games. Players feel like they are in an actual TV studio.
Summary
By now, it should be easy to see why online casino live dealer games are a big hit everywhere they are introduced. More than any other casino table game, they bridge the gap between online or mobile play and playing in a real casino. If you would like to take your online casino play to the next level, we recommend that you give live dealer games a try.