At the time the first virtual casinos debuted on the web, the online gambling industry was much different than it is now. When the World Wide Web was introduced in 1993, most people who could afford computers with internet access in their homes used a dial-up connection where speed was limited to the meager 56 kbps.
Given the technological limitations at that time, most online casinos were hardly providing a truly life-like experience to their patrons. The only option a player faced was installing their chosen casino’s downloadable software on their desktop computer.
This gave them access to a somewhat limited selection of graphically unimpressive casino games, all of which were governed by Random Number Generators. As technology began to catch up, online casinos gradually evolved, giving their customers the opportunity to play a new breed of games.
These are hosted by live dealers, with the action streamed in high definition to players’ mobile or desktop screens. Today’s live casinos allow for a higher level of authenticity, leaving you with the impression you are seated at a landbased felt table. The option to interact with the dealers and tip them further improves one’s live gaming experience.
If you are looking to join the live tables but lack previous experience, the following article by SuperCasinoSites may be a good way to start. Aimed exclusively at beginners, it covers all the steps you must go through when choosing a live casino, registering an account, depositing, and playing the live games.
Traits All Good Live Casinos Share
The first step is inevitably choosing a good online casino with live dealer games. This is easier said than done given the huge number of live casinos that have entered the fray in recent years. Not all live casino operators are created equal, though, with some offering better playing conditions, a safer gaming environment, richer suites of live tables, better bonuses, and more flexible table limits. Below are some of the most common traits all good live casinos share.
Licensing
Security
Rich Selection of Live Tables
Table Limits
Professional Training
Native-language Tables
Authentic Environments
Software
Licensing
Licensing and transparency are of utmost importance, at least if you want to enjoy fair gaming conditions. All good live casinos on the web are fully transparent about who regulates, owns, and manages their operations. The licensing jurisdictions to keep your eyes peeled for include the UK, Alderney, Malta, Gibraltar, New Jersey, and the Isle of Man. All six regulators watch their licensees closely to ensure full compliance with their licensing terms and requirements.
Security
The use of encrypting technologies is another essential thing worth checking. Never gamble at a live dealer casino that does not take the security of your funds and personal information seriously. An encrypted live gambling site is easy to spot by the padlock icon next to its web address. Apart from this encryption, the best live casinos would further consolidate their customers’ security by implementing sophisticated firewalls to deter hackers.
Rich Selection of Live Tables
The rich selection of live tables is another thing to look for when choosing a live casino. The best live casinos cater to a wide range of preferences, offering a variety of live blackjack, roulette, casino-banked poker, baccarat, and dice games. This is especially useful for players who do not like to restrict themselves to a single type of game. There is often the option to join multiple tables simultaneously, playing live roulette at one table and live blackjack at another.
Table Limits
The availability of table limits that accommodate all budgets is also essential. A good online casino should be able to cater to the needs of both high rollers and small-scale bettors. After all, not everyone can afford to risk $50 or $100 per hand or round. The limits at the best live casinos would normally range from as low as $0.10 to the impressive $10,000, sometimes even more. In many cases, there are dedicated high-limit tables intended exclusively for VIP players.
Professional Training
All good live casinos work with well-versed dealers that have undergone professional training. They know the ins and outs of the game, ensuring players can enjoy an augmented gaming experience without dealer errors, mispaid wagers, and other nuisances that take away from your enjoyment.
Native-language Tables
Native-language tables are essential, especially for customers who cannot converse in English fluently. Some live casinos even give you the option to choose from European and Asian dealers. The more languages are available, the better for international players.
The biggest providers of live dealer games allow you to choose from multiple languages, including Dutch, German, French, Russian, Swedish, Italian, Chinese, Spanish, and many more. In some cases, the live software is available in over thirty different languages.
Authentic Environments
The best live casinos ensure a life-like experience in highly authentic environments that recreate the atmosphere in landbased gaming venues. In some cases, the setting is tailored exclusively to the needs of the respective brand, with unique dealer attire, backdrops, and dedicated tables.
Software
A good live casino would also implement multi-featured live software that provides customers with options like betting behind, playing at multiple tables simultaneously, choosing from different camera angles, tipping, built-in chats, detailed game history, and statistics.
Picking a Live Casino Bonus
To incentivize new and existing customers to play against their dealers, live casinos normally offer them various bonuses and promotions. Many gaming operators would tailor unique promotional offers exclusively to the needs of live casino players. Before you redeem any offer, go through the casino’s terms and conditions to ensure you can use the respective bonus at the live tables. Some bonuses are intended for playing RNG-based games only.
Welcome Bonuses
Reload Bonuses
Cashbacks
VIP Programs
Welcome Bonuses
Welcome bonuses are reserved exclusively for newly registered customers. These are granted upon the player’s first deposit, which is then matched with a specific percentage (typically 100%) in free casino credits.
As an example, a 100% welcome bonus of up to $200 will earn you $200 on top of your first deposit of $200 and you will have a total of $400 to play against the live dealers with. Some live casinos would offer entire welcome packages, consisting of bonuses upon your first one to five deposits.
Reload Bonuses
Reload bonuses generally work in the same way welcome offers do, with the chief difference being they are available to returning customers of the live casino only. To qualify, you must have conducted at least one real-money deposit previously.
Depending on the live casino you play at, you might have the option to redeem reload bonuses upon subsequent deposits on a weekly, daily or monthly basis. Similarly to the incentives for new players, reload bonuses are normally percentage-based, i.e. how much you get depends on the size of your qualifying deposit.
Cashbacks
Cashbacks are another promotional incentive intended for existing customers and are again percentage-based. This type of bonus is extremely popular with live casino players since it gives them back a certain percentage of the money they have deposited and lost.
This refund is usually credited either in the form of bonus monies or as withdrawable cash. For example, if your live casino of choice offers a 50% cashback on your weekly net losses and you deposit and lose $200, this would render you eligible for a refund of $100.
VIP Programs
Nearly all great live casinos reward loyal customers for their action with comp points as part of their VIP programs. New customers are normally recruited automatically upon opening their live-dealer accounts and depositing.
Once you collect the designated number of points, you have the option to convert them into bonus credits or withdrawable cash. The VIP programs involve multiple tiers in most cases. The higher you climb up the loyalty ladder, the bigger and better perks they treat you to.
The benefits usually include birthday bonuses, exclusive promotional offers, higher withdrawal limits, better point-conversion rates, free merchandise, event tickets or vacations. To level up, you must earn the designated number of points, with some casinos requiring you to wager specific amounts of cash during the month just to maintain your current loyalty level.
Playing the Live Games
Assuming you have gone through all the steps above, you are now ready to begin your live gaming experience. The interface is normally rather easy to work with although the gaming controls may differ depending on the developer that supplies the live software. Here is a brief step-by-step explanation of how to start playing against the professional dealers.
Open the Live Lobby
Game’s Basic Rules
Adjust the Size Bet
Bet Behind
Winning and Losing Wagers
Enjoy Yourself
Open the Live Lobby
To begin, you must sign into your live casino account, and make sure you have a sufficient real-money balance. Then you simply open the live lobby where the tables are normally grouped into separate categories based on the type of game. In some cases, you also have the chance to browse the live portfolio based on table limits. Click on the thumbnail of your preferred live table to join the action.
Game’s Basic Rules
Brush up on the respective game’s basic rules if you are unsure exactly how it plays. These are normally available via the Help menu where you can familiarize yourself with the different playing decisions, betting options, and casino odds.
Adjust the Size Bet
Once you learn the game’s rules, you must adjust the size of your first live bet and click on the corresponding betting spot on the layout to post your wager. Note that you usually have a limited time to place a bet and must do so before the round starts. Betting information is encoded with the help of a Game Control Unit (GCU).
Otherwise, you will have to wait for the live dealer to settle the bets and announce the start of the next round. When the time to post wagers is up, the live dealer would announce “Bets closed” or “No more betting”.
Bet Behind
When playing live blackjack, you have the option to bet behind other players granted that the table you are interested in is full at the time. Vacant seats normally read “Play Here” but the exact wording varies depending on the live software supplier.
Winning and Losing Wagers
Wait for the dealer to settle the winning and losing wagers and announce the start of the next round of play. If your previous bet wins, the payout will be immediately credited to your balance. Then rinse and repeat.
Enjoy Yourself
Make sure you enjoy yourself and socialize with your dealer and fellow players by opening the chatbox. Above all, play responsibly and within your means. You can keep track of your results by opening the History menu where you can see the duration of your live session, the number of bets placed and at what amount, and the outcomes.
