For many, this second component is missing when “playing against a computer”. Not to mention the subjective issues of trust. For some people, being able to talk to and play against an actual person entails a much greater degree of trust, and with it, enjoyment of the game.
What Exactly Are Live Dealer Casino Games?
What exactly are live dealer casino games? Well, they've been around for quite some time. But they started being more and more widespread as the quality of the internet connection started improving.
When you want to play such games you simply need to find an online casino that offers them, register, make a deposit, and all of a sudden you are face to face with an actual live dealer, with whom you can communicate in real-time.
Usually, you have a wide shot of the dealer and the table, and the dealer deals comically large cards so that it's easier for you to differentiate them. Often you can't talk to the dealer directly, but they can to you and are ready to answer all of your questions.
Most such casino games are broadcasted from special studios. These studios contain only dealers and technical staff, not real players. But the improvements of technology and the internet pushed the live casino experience to a whole new level, so that now there are even some online casinos that broadcast their live dealer games from actual land-based venues. In these cases the cameras are right there with other gamblers and employees, to provide a fully realistic atmosphere for you.
What Games Can You Play in a Live Dealer Casino?
Just like in a brick-and-mortar casino, in this case, you can also play many different games. Some of them are:
- Baccarat. A game with a very low house edge that makes it very popular among players. When playing it with a live dealer, the situation is pretty much the same as it would be in a land-based casino. You are competing against the dealer and determining whose hand will have a higher value. You can bet on which hand will win, or if it will be a tie.
- When playing poker it is especially important to be able to sit around the table and talk to other players and the dealer. To be able to do that, you have a large number of different camera feeds and chat rooms. In live dealer casinos, the most often played version of poker is Casino Hold'em. This is a combination of Texas Hold'em and Blackjack. This means you are not playing against other players but the dealer's hand.
- When playing blackjack, the aim is quite clear: everyone is against the dealer and your goal is to have your original two-card hand be as close to adding up to 21 as possible without going higher. But Live Common Draw Blackjack adds a whole other level to “everyone being against the dealer”. In this case, you don't start the game with your own two cards, but the whole table starts with those two cards!
Advantages and Disadvantages of Live Dealer Casino Games
Let’s First Talk About the Advantages
The biggest advantage of playing a live dealer casino game is authenticity. This doesn't only mean greater enjoyment of the game – and that is a huge part of it - for many players, this also entails a greater level of trust.
This is of course a highly subjective quality, and many of the players who feel that way are completely aware of it. It's not so much about people feeling that traditional random number generator (RNG) online casino games are somehow cheating them, as much as it is about a subjective feeling of trust some people have when facing an actual person and being able to observe the mechanics of the game for themselves.
Not to mention being able to ask the dealer any question you might have or to chat with other players.
As Far as Disadvantages Go...
We already mentioned that the spread of live dealer casino games was tied to the spread of high-speed internet connections. This means that to fully enjoy the advantages such games offer, you will need to have an internet connection of adequate stability and speed. Otherwise, you might experience many glitches that will greatly reduce the realistic aspects of the game, and therefore also reduce the enjoyment in playing.
To Conclude
If more authenticity and casual communication with real people (be that the other player or the dealer) is what is important to you, and if the atmosphere of a real casino brings you joy and enhances your playing experience, live dealer casino games are the way to go for you. They do offer the best of two worlds, just make sure that you have a stable internet connection!
