Pros and Cons of Live Dealer Casinos
Over the past couple of years, live croupier casinos appeared to be the hottest trend on the iGaming market. The live dealer games keep on gaining traction and the latest reports regarding software providers’ annual profits are the best proof of this. The advancement of technologies gave a strong push forward to these virtual gambling houses, which are exploding in popularity.
Live dealer games are in the spotlight of virtual casinos. Operators even listed them in a section of their own. There are two unique features of live tables, and more precisely socialization and an action-packed experience like in a real gambling house. The quality of the game is ensured by software providers, which are struggling to stand out from the crowd.
The live dealer games are light years ahead of what they were just a few years ago. Playing now at live tables is a pleasure thanks to the improved audio and video streaming. In addition to that, software providers keep on surprising casino mavens with lucrative features such as multi-tabling, different side bets, etc.
Even though the number of live dealer games is limited, software companies took care to offer all table games that are available at real-life casinos. Moreover, players can choose from different variations of the games. To top up casino fans’ experience, the games included in this genre can be reached via mobile devices.
- ✓ Advantages
- ✓ Convenience
- ✓ The Art of Communication
- ✓ Fruitful Bonuses
- ✓ Casino-Like Atmosphere
- ✓ Safe Payment Methods
- ✓ Various Betting Limits
- ✓ Latest Technologies in Use
- ✓ Disadvantages
- ✓ Limited Seats at the Tables
- ✓ Slow Pace of the Games
- ✓ Tight Gaming Options
- ✓ Technical Problems
- ✓ Higher Minimum Bets
- ✓ Lack of Demo Mode
- ✓ Counting Cards is Inefficient
All things considered, live dealer casinos take a respectful central spot in the virtual gambling industry. The games that bring a human touch managed to achieve their task – to attract more players to the tables and keep them engaged.
Live Dealer Casinos’ Advantages
For quite some time, live dealer casino games experienced a major slowdown due to poor Internet connection, slow computing devices, and doubts in the fairness of the games. The technology improvement facilitated the gaming experience and rocketed live dealer games to unheard heights.
Nowadays, players can choose where they can place their wagers. Some people find land-based gambling facilities more exciting than any other option. If that is the case, live dealer casinos are also worth the attention as they perfectly mix the best features of virtual games combined with physical gambling establishments.
Convenience
Modern people are always in a rush and they barely find some free time. The truth is that there is at least one casino in each city all over the world. Nowadays, many people just do not have enough time to visit gambling houses.
Many casino fans would underestimate the possibility to play at a web-based casino because these are considered to lack the glamour and buzz of the land-based casinos. To please the preferences of such players, software providers were working day and night to find a solution to that problem.
Live dealer games feature a casino-like atmosphere, with real tables, croupiers, cards, and wheels. The game action takes place in real time and you can join live dealer tables anytime you want (as long as there are free seats). Casino lovers can enjoy different variants of the most popular table games without leaving the comfort of their homes. You can wear whatever you want and you do not need to dash in the crowd, or wait for the restroom.
The Art of Communication
Online gambling has been associated with solitude for a long time. For many years, the virtual pastime was taking away people from each other. Even though some players prefer to play in loneliness, others crave to communicate with real people. Moreover, common interests bring people together.
To adapt to people’s preferences, software providers incorporated real-life communication in these casinos. Enthusiasts from all over the world can communicate with fellow players and the dealer who hosts the table via live chat. Namely, the social aspect in the live games sets them apart from their virtual counterparts. Players sharing one table cannot see each, but they can enjoy the presence of an attractive and knowledgeable dealer.
If you have any questions or you just want to say something to the dealer, send a message via the live chatbox. The text will be visible to all players and the croupier, who will respond verbally. If the chatbox is distracting you, you can always disable it from the Settings window.
Fruitful Bonuses
Your trust in the live dealer casino games will be much appreciated by the operator, who will shower you with fruitful welcome bonuses. Virtual casinos brag about their generosity and there is a good reason for that. All new registrants can qualify for a welcome bonus.
Even though the promotional incentives vary between casinos, players can be sure that they will receive maximum playing value when joining a reputable live dealer casino. Virtual gambling operators also take care of their patrons and offer them additional promotions on a weekly or monthly basis.
However, every experienced player knows that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Bonuses are given to players under certain conditions and wagering requirements, which you can find in the bonus terms of each online casino.
Casino-Like Atmosphere
Live dealer casinos offer the convenience of online casinos and the excitement of brick-and-mortar gambling establishments. The fascinating aspect of these live games is that they bring the glitter of Vegas casinos straight to your home.
The real-time games are streamed directly to your screen. You can see the dealer’s actions, which adds to the transparency of the games. There are specially designed studios that host live dealer products. These halls feature the atmosphere of a real casino with its tables, background, sounds of shuffling cards, and the spinning the roulette wheel, or rolling the dice.
Some live dealer casinos even have a real TV in the background that is streaming live TV programs. This proves that live dealer games are real-time games, with no pre-recorded video streams.
Safe Payment Methods
Once you decide to indulge in playing live dealer casino games, you will need to load your account with cash. To do so, check the payment methods and choose the one that is the most convenient for you. Gambling vendors usually offer a plethora of payment methods, including credit/ debit cards, e-wallets, wire transfers, and even cryptocurrencies. The list of payment methods can be found at the bottom of the casino’s main page.
It is important to mention that some payment methods are not available to players from certain countries, and others are not eligible for cashing out. It is worth checking the “banking section” for further details. All payment methods offered by virtual casinos proved to be safe and quick.
Various Betting Limits
The wager limits are not something new to the gambling industry. Entering a land-based casino, you will notice that each table has its betting limits designated on a plate. Virtual casinos also feature such limits and you should check them before choosing a table. Live dealer casinos usually offer various bet limits, ranging from a couple of pounds to thousands.
Casino mavens should be informed that all live table games come with different bet limits attached to them. For example, if you want to play roulette with big money, you can find a table that suits your bankroll. But if you like to place small bets on the same game, you can find a table that features small bet limits. It is important to note that different software providers offer different table limits.
Latest Technologies in Use
If you decide to join a live dealer casino, one thing is certain – you will be able to experience the benefits of the latest technologies deployed in the games. These come with many in-the-game features that enhance players’ gaming experience. Casino fans can enjoy HD quality of the video stream. The crisp graphics allow players to see every movement of the dealer.
Thanks to the advanced technologies, casino devotees can safely place their bets and withdraw money. All virtual casinos utilize the most modern encryption technology also known as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). It ensures players that no scammers will be able to gain access to their sensitive information.
Software providers took maximum advantage of the technology improvement to create a mobile-friendly version of the live table games. They managed to adapt the video stream for hand-held devices without compromising the quality. In other words, players can grab their smartphones or tablets and reach live dealer games at ease.
Live Dealer Casino’s Disadvantages
Before you are ready to invest some cold cash in playing live dealer games, it is worth having a look at their downsides. For many players, live dealer casinos are the perfect gaming product. But instead of trusting people blindly, better double-check the information and hear different points of view.
Limited Seats at the Tables
Similar to land-based gambling tables, most live dealer casinos also have a limited number of seats. In rush hour tables fill up quickly, so you might need to wait until there is a vacated place. This cannot happen if you play games driven by a random number generator (RNG).
The comforting thing is that some live tables offer an unlimited number of seats. For example, Evolution Gaming extended its live dealer gaming portfolio with Infinite Blackjack that has no limits on the seats. In addition to that, companies are restless to bolster their gaming libraries by adding new variations of live dealer games.
Slow Pace of the Games
The pace of live dealer casino games is a bit slower compared to the RNG-controlled games. But that is explainable, having in mind that a real human being is working the table. No matter how experienced are the croupiers, they cannot be quicker than a computer. In addition to that, there are other players at the table, which means you will need to wait for all of them to make their decisions and post their bets.
In order to prevent lingering, live dealer casinos feature a bet countdown timer. In other words, players have a limited time to place their bets. In case you fail to comply with the timeframe, you will need to wait for the next round.
Tight Gaming Options
As you can imagine, running a live dealer casino is pricy. Software providers need to adapt studios where the game action will take place. They need to supply these gambling halls with all the needed casino equipment. Companies that run such casinos need employees to work the tables and maintain the technologies.
The quality of casino technologies is vital for the success of software providers. In that sense, nothing less than perfect is acceptable. Quite logically, software providers do not want to shoot in the dark by releasing games that will attract only a handful of people as they will lose money.
Technical Problems Might Occur
Even though live dealer casinos utilize the latest cutting-edge technologies, glitches might occur. Disruptions to Internet-based services will also cause problems. Software providers deal with such problems in a comprehensive way. Players who experience Internet problems will not automatically lose their bets. Buffering times are yet another issue that might occur.
However, such issues are not common, but players who are considering joining a live table should keep this in mind.
Higher Minimum Bets
As we mentioned above, casino live dealer games are costly and that is the reason why minimum bets are slightly higher than any virtual casino. But do not expect some sky-high limits. After all, software providers’ main goal is to reach more potential players.
Lack of Demo Mode
A major drawback of the live dealer casino games is the lack of a demo mode. In other words, players cannot test the games for free. They need to place real-money bets to sit at a live table and participate in the rounds. On the contrary, most of the RNG-based products are available in demo mode.
The lack of such function in the live dealer games is again due to the high costs, which software providers need to bear.
Counting Cards is Inefficient
There is no law prohibiting people to count cards when playing in a casino. In that sense, counting cards is not illegal, but it is a hard brain exercise. This art is based on your mathematical skills and it applies mostly to blackjack and its variations.
People who mastered this skill cost the casino a lot of money. Maybe the system works when playing in a land-based gambling hub, but it is completely useless with live dealer tables. The reason is that live dealer casinos allow very little deck penetration (the percentage of cards that has been dealt before the dealer reshuffles the cards).
It is perceived that the most favourable deck penetration for counting cards is 75% or more. But live dealer casinos will not allow you to gain such advantage over the house as decks are shuffled on a regular basis. It is interesting to mention that some virtual casinos might allow up to 50% deck penetration, but not more.