Here at New Casino Sites, we think that one of the best ways to have fun online is by playing live casino games. After all, this allows you to enjoy a real-life casino experience without needing to leave home.
Part of keeping play entertaining is being careful with your spending and playing for fun – rather than profit. It’s also crucial to play live titles from trusted game developers and casinos.
Another big part of being a happy player is to understand what’s available, look at strategies and consider what kind of bonuses might be most attractive to you.
We talk about all of these important aspects throughout this live casino guide.
What is Meant by Live Casino?
Back in the 1960s, a visit to a ‘live casino’ would have just meant going to your local dance/bingo hall or gambling house. Fast forward to this day and age and the majority of the world has access to a steady internet connection – so most people play online.
There are now tonnes of providers offering live casino games. This of course means that there is no need to leave the house, or even get dressed if you don’t want to. The best part is, you can now access all the bells and whistles found in the glitzy environment of a real casino – from the comfort of home.
Live casino websites aim to replicate the same atmosphere and excitement by broadcasting live dealers. Furthermore, you will often play with real people at the virtual table. One of the other notable benefits of playing online is that you can be choosy about what platforms you play at. Additionally, as well as having access to heaps of information – there is just so much variety to choose from.
Best Live Casino Game Types to Play
When it comes to the best live casino games – there are plenty of options. Most will be a variant of one of the classic four table games – roulette, baccarat, blackjack, or poker.
You will see a list of those below with a brief explanation for any live casino newbies.
Live Roulette
Do you just love to spin that roulette wheel? You can very easily play this game at home by finding a good live casino version. To add more excitement and make the game more immersive – this involves a real dealer and the table being broadcast to your computer or phone screen.
When the wheel is spun, you will see it happening in real-time. Simply speculate on where the ball is going to land, as you would at a land-based casino, and place your bet. For those unaware, there are inside bets and outside bets in this game.
Players who wish to stay in the game longer, but aren’t too bothered with huge prizes, tend to stick to outside bets. This includes black/red, low/high, odd/even, snake, dozen and column. If you are chasing big winning amounts, stick with the inside of the board – meaning double street, basket, split bill, and straight-up bets.
Live Baccarat
When it comes to baccarat, much like at land-based venues – the live croupier will deal a player’s hand and a banker’s hand to the table. You will place a bet on your predicted outcome – between three potentials.
They are:
- Banker’s hand
- Player’s hand
- Tie
The aim of the game is to get as close to the number 9 as possible. There are multiple variants available at live casino sites, which can include VIP, high speed, punto banco, à deux tableaux and many more.
Just like the classic land-based casino version of baccarat, this game is played with a pack of 52 cards. Bets will be placed by all players before the cards have been dealt. Notably, the banker’s hand is statistically more likely to win than the player’s.
Live Blackjack
When playing blackjack at a live casino, you will be aiming to land a hand of cards as close to a value of 21 as possible. As in a land-based venue, the dealer will give themselves and each player around the table two cards – which will be broadcast to you live.
The most important thing to know about blackjack is what value each card holds. For those unaware, see a list of cards and their values below:
- Ace: 1 or 11 points
- Jack, Queen, King: 10
- Anything Else: Carries its face value – so a 2 of clubs will be worth 2 points, a 7 of diamonds would be worth 7 – and so forth
When it comes to placing a bet on live blackjack, your options might ‘surrender’, ‘stand’, ‘double-down’, ‘hit’, or ‘split’. This will depend on the live blackjack variant and the outcome of the game.
- If you finish with a lower value hand than the dealer – you lose.
- If the dealer goes bust by passing 21, and you have a hand worth 21 or less – you win.
- If you and the dealer have the same value hand, you can keep hold of your bet – this is classed as a ‘tie’ or ‘push’.
Generally speaking, if the dealer’s hand holds a value of 17-21 – they must take a stand position. If this amounts to 17 or fewer – they have to hit. The main difference between a standard online game of blackjack and a live one is that you have a proper croupier handing out cards in real-time.
Live Poker
One of the most popular variants of live poker to play is Texas Hold’em. Again, instead of playing with a computer, you will see a live poker dealer hand cards out to you and all other players at the table.
Like with most table games, different cards and combinations hold different values, see a few below:
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- Royal Flush Hand: In the same suit – Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10
- Straight Flush Hand: Five successive cards of the same suit
- 4 of a Kind Hand: Four cards of the same value plus one random card
- Full House Hand: Two cards of the same value plus three equally ranking cards of a different suit
Live casinos tend to attract people who are playing for the fun of the game. Not only can you play against the house via live streams, but nowadays most live platforms support chat areas. This enables you to socialise with other players, and perhaps embark on some friendly casino banter.
Other Live Casino Game Variants
That’s the most commonly played live casino games covered. There are also options such as live casino shows. This will see you placing bets and playing along with popular titles like Deal or no Deal, Monopoly Live, Lightning Roulette and Dream Catcher Live.
Most of us have had a go at slot machines before – fondly nicknamed one-armed bandits. Slots are still one of the most popular games to play, including at online live casinos. One of the most popular variants is the progressive jackpot.
This sees all players contributing towards the end prize with their stakes. This grows bigger and bigger as more and more people join, and the longer it takes to be won.
You will also see recognisable formats designed to mimic some of the great game shows of the 80’s such as Play Your Cards Right, the Wheel of Fortune and so on. Other popular titles to play at live online casinos include bingo, dice games, keno, wheel titles, lottery, and more.
Best Live Casino Promotions and Bonuses
There are lots of promotions and bonuses to take advantage of in the world of live casinos. The fact is there is a tonne of competition in this space – so most sites have really good offers for new or existing customers.
To give you an idea of what you might expect to find, see below some commonly seen promotions at live casinos:
- Welcome Live Casino Bonuses: Common ones include things like ‘100% bonus up to £100’. This means that if you make a deposit of £100 or under – the live casino will match it. You will have £100 of your own money, plus £100 in bonus funds to play with. This is usually restricted to specific games within the casino’s terms and conditions.
- Cashback Live Casino Bonus: Some live casinos offer players the chance to claim back some of their money lost from games. There will probably be some rules in place. For instance, you will likely have to wager a certain amount before retrieving the percentage of your loss on offer. This type of promotion is usually offered to existing customers on a weekly or monthly basis.
- Reload Live Casino Bonus: This type of live casino bonus can be awarded to existing players who have already made their initial deposit. This can be combined with a matched deposit bonus (like the first example here), bonus spins, cashback and loyalty points. It’s important to note that you might be required to claim this type of promotion on a specific day of the week, or meet other conditions set out.
The list above covers just some of the bonuses available at live casinos. Whatever promotion catches your eye, it’s important to check the terms and conditions. For any beginners – one to look out for is wagering requirements. If you see that this is x30 – you must stake, bet, or wager 30 times the bonus value – before you are able to make a withdrawal when you win.
Live Casino Guide: Best Tried and Tested Tips
Before you embark on your live casino adventure, armed with everything you have learned today – check out these simple tried and tested tips.
- Keep a Check on Your Spending: Whilst this one sounds like an obvious one, playing at live casinos can get out of hand. After all, there’s always the hope that the next one will be a win. With this in mind, take a look at your finances and think about setting yourself a limit. By never going beyond this you can have fun without fear of losing.
- Check Your Internet Quality: Again, this is a simple but valuable tip. Always check your bandwidth before embarking on a live casino session.
- Walk Away When you Stop Having fun: It’s as simple as that.
You might also try different strategies on live casino games such as Martingale – which sees you doubling your stake until you win.
Live Casino Guide: Final Thoughts
We have talked about the most popular live casino games and the types of bonuses you might expect to find. As such, you can be quite selective when deciding which platform to join or what title you wish to have a go at.
Furthermore, you can also enjoy the full live casino experience on your mobile phone on most platforms now.
FAQs
Jennifer Wright is an online casino and slots writer since 2010. She has an eye for detail and take pride in her in-depth analysis of new casino sites that enter the UK market. A regular at iGaming conferences and events, she is also a keen follower of industry news. In her downtime, she is an avid gamer and regularly takes part in esports tournaments. Jennifer currently resides in the north of England.
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