An Overview of the Exciting World of Live Casinos

In any well-established online casino, there should always be a Live Casino option. Along with a good Internet connection, a smooth stream to a live game is complimented by a good dealer and is fast becoming a new trend in online gaming. Suppliers of live gaming platforms have really come into their element in the last few years, with better technology available to take advantage of. This fusion of land-based casino play and the online gaming sphere has proved incredibly lucrative for many companies, and promises to be an exciting experience for new and seasoned players alike. Get in on the Live Casino trend today with our list of the best live platforms on the market.

Our Favourite Providers

Picking our favourite Live Casino providers wasn’t easy, but we’ve done it! We’ve scoured the Internet to bring you what we feel are the best operators in the business, whose software and setup are unparalleled in the online gaming world. Read on for our recommendations.

Evolution Gaming

Evolution Gaming is a big name in the industry and their trustworthy brand has definitely earned its stripes winning Best Live Gaming Provider of the Year every single year since the awards began back in 2010! Their focus on the customer and providing an excellent user experience makes them popular amongst online casino companies and the players who use their software. Their focus on being ‘alive’ in the market means their dealers are friendly and knowledgeable, their business model is proactive, and they go that extra mile to deliver exceptional customer service.

As a world leader in their field, they’ve introduced the concept of immersive live gaming that features Hollywood-style multiple cameras to get you close to the action. They’re transparent and committed to responsible gaming too, making them an exceptional partner together with their superior software. Their clients include 888 Casino.

Playtech

Playtech is the world’s largest online gaming software supplier, their product suite which includes poker, online casino and sports has expanded to include live gaming. Their games are streamed from Riga, the cosmopolitan cornerstone of Latvia hosted by a plethora of English speaking dealers. To distinguish themselves from the competition Playtech have a few unique games and betting options, for instance they are one of few operators to offer the dice game Sic Bo. Another advantage of playing on their software are Unlimited tables, these special tables allow players to bet behind, this means that if all seats at a table are taken, players can still take part in a game by betting on the hand of another player.

Looking to serve as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for casino operators, it’s no surprise that they’ve got their finger on the trigger in many online gaming areas. The Bespoke branding of their Live Casino offerings make Playtech a great choice for operators who want a personalised touch to their brand. They successfully work alongside Betfair Casino and William Hill.

Microgaming

Microgaming eat, sleep, and breathe online gaming and they hold the title of introducing the world’s first online casino software in 1994. With more than 450 brands using their software, their place on our list of the best Live Casino provides is definitely well earned. While their live gaming products appeared a little later than other providers, their experience and focus on updated technology propelled them to become trailblazers in the live gaming field.

Being fully eCOGRA compliant is important to them and the quality of their software is second-to-none. Microgaming are also the brand responsible for introducing Playboy Bunny dealers to their popular live gaming network. 32Red Casino are one of the many operators who uses their products.

What are the Most Popular Games?

The Live Casino gaming format works for certain table games in particular. There are three that rule the roost in terms of quality, fun, and action, which we explore in detail below. Learn the basics here before you try your luck in the live games!

About Live Dealers

A great drawcard to the Live Casino experience are the dealers involved in the game. Depending on your location in the world, operators might choose to employ dealers who are native to your region, or perhaps indulge in the exotic by using dealers from Asia. Friendly yet professional live dealers commonly welcome you at the table. Two-way communication is limited as one would expect in a land based casino. Microgaming for example offer no form of communication at all whereas games powered by Evolution are more open to interaction since you can write in the chat function and the dealer can reply via the video stream and mic. Since dealers announce new players to the table and when betting windows open and close, there are tables with an assortment of languages available.

Advantages Over Traditional Online Casinos

Compared to a classic online casino experience, there are plenty of reasons to prefer the Live Casino style of play. Increased interaction is a major feature, bringing about the feeling of being in a real, land-based casino setting. Playing against the house dealer is a big plus as it injects a bit more life into gameplay. There’s also the gaming element, seeing the cards shuffled and drawn or how the roulette ball is thrown and lands is a real advantage. Seeing a real life outcome also quashes any doubts over software based games giving a generally good feeling about live games!

Other Popular Live Casino Games

Besides the three games listed above, there are other titles available to play that might be more suited to your tastes. While not as common as Blackjack, Baccarat, and Roulette, the games below still have a decent following on the Live Casino circuit.

• Casino Holdem Exclusively for Poker Fans Casino Holdem is a modified version of Texas Holdem, but in this variant players go against the dealer instead of each other. Once bets are placed the dealer will distribute two cards to players and two to themselves. Three community cards are placed face up on the table. Players and the dealer make their best five card poker hand from two personal cards and the three board cards. Each player will decide to fold or call. To call means another bet must be placed, the dealer will then add two more community cards to the table and reveal his own two cards. The dealer needs at least a pair of 4s or better to qualify. Side bets can be made based on the poker value of the player’s cards and the first three flop cards.
• Three Card Poker A Variant of the Popular Game Three Card Poker combines elements of Poker with a quicker style of play. Players choose Ante and/ or a Pairplus bet before each player and the dealer are dealt three cards. The dealers cards remain dealt face down as players examine their cards, deciding to play or fold. With the Ante bet, players must fold or raise. An additional bet is required to raise, to fold will forfeit the Ante wager. The dealer then reveals their card, it must be a Queen High or better to qualify. The dealers hand is compared and the higher hand wins. Pair Plus bets (determined by the rank of the player’s hand) have different payouts. If the dealer doesn’t qualify, bets are returned and if the dealer’s qualifying hand equals that of the player, it’s a push.
• Sic Bo Ancient Chinese Dice Game Sic Bo is a dice game of ancient Chinese origin and involves betting that a certain condition will be satisfied by a roll of the dice. This could mean that a dice roll produces three identical numbers, or a combination determined when betting. Similar to Roulette, Sic Bo has a table with certain areas where bets are placed to bet on different combinations of outcomes. For example, a bet in the top right-hand corner of a Sic Bo table represents big numbers between 11-17, with 1 to 1 wins. If any triples appear for this bet, you lose. The betting sequences can be quite complicated, but the game becomes a lot of fun once you’re familiar with the rules.