If you are new to online gambling, you may be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices in software, games, and sites at your fingertips on the internet. For those who have been around the business for a long time, we are constantly on the hunt for improvements and enhancements to what can seem a very cold, calculated business.
Some years ago, one of these innovative changes came to the internet casino world through live dealer Bitcoin games.
What are Live Dealer Games?
Live dealer casino games are exactly what you might think they are from their name – these are games you can play with human dealers instead of the computer. These games are still played online from the comfort of wherever you access online casinos. However, the games are streamed to you, and you are playing with a dealer on the screen who is dealing cartoonishly large cards so that you can see the values.
Live dealer casino games were first introduced in the mid-2000s. By this time, most people had affordable access to broadband internet connections, and video streaming was clean and far less choppy than in years past.
In 2006, a company by the name of Evolution Gaming was one of the first to launch a full suite of table games with live dealers. At first, the industry was skeptical – these games were much slower than the typical random number generator (RNG) games that had built the industry. However, the early returns were clear, and players loved this new way to play their favorite games. The company started with one studio in Eastern Europe, featuring enough staff that not only could a player choose a game to play but also the dealer they wanted to have at their table! This had never been seen in the online gambling industry before, and very quickly, Evolution started to pick up new clients.
Today, Evolution is one of many software companies that have studios around the world offering these games to operators and players.
What games are available with a human dealer?
As you can imagine, not every game in a casino makes sense to have a real dealer for. However, the live dealer software companies have done their best to provide as many games as possible, and these are the games that you are most likely to find in a live casino:
- Blackjack
- Baccarat
- Roulette
- Poker
How to play Live Dealer Casino Games
Now that you have a little information on the history of these games, it’s time to turn our attention to how the games themselves are played. What you need to think about is how the game is much more like walking into a land-based casino, just from the comfort of your own PC or mobile device.
The first thing you need to do is locate an online casino that offers live dealer games. Once you have selected a place to play, you then need to create an account and make a deposit. With all that taken care of, you are ready to get into the game!
Look in the lobby of the casino for a tab that is likely labeled live casino – that is where you will find all the available tables. You may see several different tables for each game, typically separated by stakes level. Once you find the table that fits your betting preferences, you are many times taken to a screen that allows you to pick a dealer. Once you choose your dealer, a new window opens with the table and the dealer you have chosen.
Here is where the fun begins! Now, you cannot speak directly to the dealer, but they can speak to you. You will be prompted to make a bet, which you can do by clicking on the integrated bet buttons in the table window. Depending on the game you have chosen, you may not be the only person at the table, so you will have to wait for everyone to make their bets, and then the dealer will deal the cards or spin the wheel. The game plays out just like it would at a digital or land-based table, and in the case of games like blackjack, you may be prompted by the dealer to act when it is your turn. After the hand is complete, winners are paid, and your balance will reflect the outcome of the hand.
It’s really that simple! Now, as for the rules of the games, they are similar to the games you find in the RNG versions.