If you’ve largely stuck to slots and table games when playing online, you may have asked yourself, “What are live dealer games?” If so, Go Spin is here to help and provide the answers. Live online casino games represent the most authentic and realistic experience possible for playing games online. Using video streaming, you’ll enjoy a real human dealer taking control of the action, and you’ll play in real-time.
How Live Dealer Casino Games Work
All live casino games stream directly to your home from either the floor of a real, land-based, brick-and-mortar casino or from a studio. They feature a human dealer or host who handles the game. RNG (random number generator) elements often feature in games, too, with all your betting and gameplay options presented to you via an interactive menu on the screen.
As well as watching the game unfold in real-time, you can also chat with your host and, sometimes, other players. This creates a budding community and adds to the realism, authenticity and immersion found in live casino games that you simply won’t get in conventional casino games.
The Software Providers
Not every online casino software provider offers live games. In fact, only a handful of software providers have games in this sector, and some hold a significantly larger share of the live gambling market than others. Evolution Gaming and Pragmatic Play are the industry leaders. Established brands include Playtech and Ezugi. Smaller software providers currently involved in this space include Asia Gaming, Authentic Gaming, Lucky Streak, Vivo Gaming and XPG.
What Can I Play Online?
Just as not every casino software provider will necessarily offer live games, not every casino game can be replicated as a live dealer title. In fact, the types of live casino games you can play are normally limited to two options – traditional casino games, of the sort you’d find in a land-based venue, and game shows, a type of casino game you won’t find replicated outside the live dealer format. Here are a few of the mainstream options you can expect to see:
- Classic Casino Table Games: Ordinarily, you should expect baccarat, blackjack and roulette to make up the lion’s share of these games. You can reasonably expect to see poker and craps live games at top casinos, too. Each has numerous variants and table limits available.
- Unconventional Tables: Playing more unconventional casino table games is possible, too. These include Sic Bo, Dragon Tiger, Andar Bahar, Hi-Lo and a few other variants.
- Number and Lottery-Based Games: Live number and lottery-based games may include keno, bingo, and outright lotteries.
- Game Shows: Game show titles only appear as live dealer games. These may have popular television game show themes, such as Deal or No Deal. They can also include Monopoly, Fan-Tan, Heads or Tails, crash games, and even wall-based games loosely styled on slots.
- Fortune Wheels: Money wheels are also game shows. These involve huge segmented wheels and a human host who spins the wheels. Your wagers will hit or miss based on whatever pointers land on. It isn’t uncommon to find multiple bonus rounds associated with these games.
Our Top 5 Live Casino Tips
Before diving headfirst into live dealer titles, it is worth considering some of Go Spin’s expert live casino tips. We’ve put together five essential tips to help you get the most out of your live casino experience:
#1 Try Exploring Similar RNG Demos
Understandably, you can’t play live casino games for free as demos. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t get a spot of practice. Many of the world’s leading live casino games have rules that mirror the RNG table games you may already be familiar with. It is often worth having a crack at RNG tables that are similar in terms of rules and gameplay to live dealer games. This way, you’ll understand how the base game works before you play live.
#2 Join the Games but Don’t Bet – Watch Instead
If you want to know exactly how a live casino game works, the best advice Go Spin has for you is to watch and learn. You can enter most live casino games without betting. Simply refrain from betting and sit back and watch how the game unfolds. There are also numerous video tutorials online that showcase gameplay, and we encourage newbies to explore them.
#3 Ensure You Have a Reliable Connection
Because of the live nature of these games, it is essential to have a stable (home or personal) internet connection when playing. Unlike most other casino titles, the game won’t freeze and pause if you lose connectivity. The game will continue without you, seeing you lose your bet in the process. Many new players end up losing money in this manner, so make sure you’re not on public Wi-Fi if your connection is sketchy at best.
#4 Always Be Polite and Courteous
It is possible to chat and converse with your dealer or host. Because of this, it is imperative that you are kind, courteous and polite. You’re dealing with a real-life human. Being disrespectful can see you booted from the game, and if the dealer reports you, it is possible you could end up with your entire account blocked. Practice good manners when playing, and remember, just because a host doesn’t answer you doesn’t mean they didn’t see or hear you.
#5 Be Prepared for a Little Bit of Stress When Betting
Live casino games are a little stressful for beginners. One of the main sources of this stress is time. Betting windows tend to be short, and you’ll often find yourself pressured into making decisions during gameplay within a very narrow timeframe. Again, this is where getting a spot of practice on free-to-play RNG games is advised.
