As online casinos continue to evolve, one of the most significant additions has been the live dealer experience. Live dealer casinos bridge the gap between virtual and real-life casinos. They bring together the convenience of online casinos with the human touch of brick-and-mortar casinos. Gamers can then enjoy various online table games with an authentic feel not available in regular online casinos.
But what exactly are live dealer casinos, and how do they work?
Defining Live Dealer Casinos
Embed from Getty ImagesLive dealer casinos are essentially online casinos that allow gamers to play different games with a human dealer. These casinos remove the computer algorithm that generates random numbers and replace it with a real-world table and a human dealer. You can then play an online casino game such as roulette from the comfort of your home while all actions, such as spinning, take place in real life and are transmitted to the game.
When gaming, a player can see the table and dealer through a live stream, and the results of the dealer’s actions are then transmitted to the player’s screen. Gamers can also interact with the dealer via live chat.
How Live Dealer Casinos Work
Live dealer casinos are made possible by a combination of different technologies that bring together the virtual and real world. First, the casino has a specialized studio that is just like real-world casinos, equipped with tables and cards for different games.
The casino studio is then furnished with state-of-the-art video cameras, audio equipment, and other advanced technologies such as Optical Character Recognition (OCR). We then have skilled human dealers who conduct each game using standard rules. They are responsible for things such as dealing cards in poker and spinning wheels in roulette.
All actions that the dealer performs are usually captured using OCR technology combined with a Game Control Unit (GCU) that encodes every game activity and transmits it to players. The player then has an interface through which they can carry out various actions. They can place bets, make decisions, and interact with the live dealer.
Behind the scenes is usually a technical team that ensures that everything happens as it should and solves any issues that may arise.
What Games Can You Play at Live Dealer Casinos?
Embed from Getty ImagesLive dealer casinos offer a wide variety of games that vary from one casino to the other. The popular ones are:
- Blackjack: This is a classic card game where you compete against the dealer, with the aim being to achieve a hand value that is as close to 21 as possible without exceeding it.
- Roulette: Roulette is quite thrilling as it’s more of a chance game that involves spinning the wheel. The wheel is divided into numbered segments, and you can place a bet on where the ball will land. You will get to observe the wheel as it spins.
- Baccarat: Baccarat is a card game that is often associated with high stakes and elegance. In the game, you can bet on the hand that you believe will have a total value closest to nine, with the options being the dealer’s, the player’s, or a tie. You get to place a bet and watch the croupier shuffle and deal the cards.
- Poker: Poker is a card game that will allow you to test your skills against a live dealer or other players. However, note that you will find different variants such as Texas Hold’em, Casino Hold’em, and Three Card.
Depending on the online casino, you will also find other games such as Craps and Monopoly.
What is the Advantage of these Casinos?
Live dealer casinos offer lots of advantages over traditional online casinos. First, they bring the authenticity of brick-and-mortar casinos to the player as you get to play with human dealers. They then add transparency as you can see all actions in real-time instead of relying on a computer algorithm. All the while, you get to have conversations with the dealer, and you can even socialize with other players.
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