Some casino games offer pretty much the same experience, whether played in a land-based casino or the online equivalent. Slots or Video Poker on a tablet or a laptop, for instance, is much like playing on a casino floor. Both are screen-based games run by random number generators, so there’s no difference in the way the game plays.
But many punters miss the physical trappings of their favourite table games, which just can’t be replicated by software. That’s why innovative casinos offer live versions of some table games. Real croupiers and dealers run real casino tables online, while players can follow the action and place their bets via live streaming.
It's an option that is becoming increasingly popular. During worldwide coronavirus lockdowns in March 2020, Tech Times reported that participation had surged in online gaming in general, and live online casino games in particular.
Real Cards, Real Wheel
The three classic casino games that are most popular in the live format online are Roulette, Blackjack and Baccarat. Roulette involves a live croupier spinning a real wheel, while the player’s screen offers the usual betting table on which to place wagers.
Blackjack also feels more authentic when the dealer is drawing actual cards from a physical shoe, rather than cards chosen by random number generators. RNG’s are also what the best pokies online games use to determine what symbol combinations will line up, and are designed to offer completely unbiased results. The same is true of Baccarat, a game which intimidates many players. In reality, it is no more complex to learn than Blackjack, and is equally satisfying when played against a live dealer online.
Texas Hold’em Is Huge
Texas Hold’em Poker is one of the most popular card games live-streamed by online casinos. Once again, real cards are important. The major benefit of live streaming in this case, however, is the way it mimics real poker, played around a table against other players, not the house.
Live online Texas Hold’em tournaments allow players to interact and bluff, as they would in person. Because their opponents are making human decisions, not governed by AI, Hold’em played live online is a much more satisfying contest than playing against a computer.
Stud Poker Options
Three Card Poker is the live Poker game for gamblers in a hurry. It’s head-to-head match between dealer and player, and because it involves an ante bet, a three-card deal and then only one chance for the punter to make a “play” bet, it plays fast. The hand rankings are the usual high card, pair, straight, etc. of normal Poker rankings, scaled down to three cards. Obviously, two pair is not an option.
Caribbean Stud Poker uses five-card hands, ranked exactly as they are in Hold’em. The term “stud” indicates that players can use only the five cards they are dealt, with limited betting rounds. Players must place an ante bet before the deal, as well as any progressive jackpot stakes, if those are an option.
Players and dealers are all dealt five cards, with the dealer showing one upcard. Players then assess their hands and decide whether to fold or raise, which is usually requires a bet of twice the ante. Cards are then compared: if the dealer qualifies with K, A or better, and the player beats that hand, they are paid 1:1 on the ante bet, and according to a paytable of odds on the raise.
