Live Casino Guide: Tips, Tutorials, Strategies
It wasn’t until more than a decade ago when Internet casinos and online casino gaming have become popular among casino fans. However, many online casino gamblers don’t trust online casinos yet. Mainly because they believe that the automatically generated gaming results of the software are rigged and not fair. Sweden's live casinos are a natural evolution in the battle of online casinos to win over these skeptics.
Who plays live casino games?
The beauty of this type of wagering is that anyone with an internet connection can play! Well, anyone over the age of 18, or whatever the legal age required for gambling is in your country. You’ll need a computer or mobile phone as well, though we assume you already do since you’re reading this. If you want to play live casino games, the first step from here would be to find a good casino site.
There are some things to consider, however. First of all, online gambling has to be legal in the place you live. Secondly, you’ll also need some way to deposit funds to play with – and to withdraw any winnings. A bank card or PayPal account will do, though there are many other payment methods. Beyond that, live casino fans come in all shapes, sizes, and age groups. Since live casinos are strictly online businesses, players also come from all corners of the globe! There are probably thousands playing right now, and more are joining them every year.
How do live casinos really work?
Live casinos were designed to provide a more realistic and enhanced real-time casino gaming experience from the comfort of home. The live casino platform has been slowly but steadily gaining traction in the past few years as connections are becoming faster and streaming technologies are improving. However, it takes a lot of work and skill to bring it all together. Here’s a quick peek into the inner workings of how live casino games work and the software providers behind them.
Web Cameras
Thanks to advances in audiovisual technology, casino tables can be broadcast to thousands, live, in full HD! A quality stream and thought-out production are crucial to top live dealer games. After all, the audiovisual feed is what makes live games – live. The best part is that new advances become available all the time – from even greater resolutions to virtual reality casinos.
Live Dealers
Being a professional croupier is not an easy job. Knowing how to behave in front of a camera and control the required software adds a whole new dimension as well. In short, the best live casino dealers can mean the difference between a good game and a great one. These are the people on the other side of the camera, so to speak. Dealers and presenters deal out cards or otherwise operate the games themselves.
Game Control Unit (GCU)
Behind almost everything happening in a live title is a device called the Game Control Unit, or GCU. These keep track of the cards, chips, wheels, or whatever else is necessary. GCUs also process the results, so it’s responsible for payouts as well. If you haven’t guessed by now, these devices are the machine heart of live casino gaming. Live table games are a blend of real-life and software, and the GCU handles the software part.
Dealer’s Monitor
Just as you’re looking at your screen to keep track of the game, so does the dealer. Their monitors inform them if the software is working properly and what the players are deciding. Also, most games have a live chat feature that allows you to communicate with the presenters and other players. The dealer will answer by speaking, of course, and such interactivity is one of the best parts of this form of entertainment.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
So the cards on the live table are real, yet you see them on your screen. If you’re wondering how that happens, it’s thanks to OCR technology. Essentially, anything going on at the table has to be ‘converted’ into a digital format, so to speak. OCR simply scans cards or roulette sockets and tells the software which object it is. This technology can quickly and easily distinguish between even details such as different value cards.
UI Elements
No matter what else is going on ‘under the hood,’ the players are still seeing just a game window. Designing these properly is no simple matter, either. There’s a whole science to making the experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible. Players have to be well-informed and able to effortlessly control their actions in the game. All of this is done through the User Interface, the front-facing part of live casino games.
Beginner’s Guide to Live Casinos – Getting Started
Live casinos are a part of online casino sites. Many online gambling venues provide a separate tab or section dedicated to live dealer gaming.
To access one, all you have to do is to register an account with an online casino of your liking and you can start your live casino adventure. This one account will grant you access to all parts of the site, including any live dealer tables available in your area.
Live dealer tables are typically listed in a special lobby. They’re all instant-play, which means you can pick and play any available game with no additional downloads or registrations. However, you will need to deposit some funds to use for betting.
The games are set within studios or land-based casinos and hosted by professional dealers and croupiers you can interact with. Some software providers enable you to chat with fellow players too, which adds a social element to the gaming experience.
The action taking place at live dealer tables is streamed in real-time and you have to learn to make your decisions and moves quickly. In most cases, you will have 15 seconds to place your bets before the next game round kicks off. That’s why it is very important to focus on the gameplay.
Live Dealer Games Selection
When it comes to the selection of live dealer games, it may vary from one casino to another and depends on the software provider. Typically, live casino games include Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat and Poker variations. Other common types include Sic Bo, Bingo, Andar Bahar, and a variety of other Asian-style gambling games.
It’s also interesting to note that live casinos online offer games you would never find at a typical land-based casino. For example, live casino game shows offer exciting, innovative new types of experiences that are not based on any classic betting games.
Once you enter the live casino lobby, you will see all the games on offer. In most cases, you will be informed about the betting options, which is one of the most important things you should check out before you join a live dealer table.
Bonuses and Betting
When you join an online casino, you will be offered a welcome bonus that will increase your first deposit. However, to turn your winnings from casino bonuses into real funds, you will have to meet wagering requirements that require you to play through the bonus a few times over. However, many bonus offers cannot be cleared this way using live casino games, which is what makes finding live dealer bonuses so difficult. If you want to know more about these issues and how to find the best bonuses for live games, check our guide to online casino bonus terms.
Still, a good bonus can vastly improve your first experience with a live casino. If you need help finding attractive bonus offers to use with live gaming, check out this page.