Live Dealer Explained

A Beginners Guide to Mastering the Live Dealer Casino Experience

10 min

Are you someone looking for a way to recreate that casino experience in your living room? Then, you might want to try live dealer games. Our guide goes a bit further than just introducing you to this fun casino game; we also show you how live casino games work, best practices when playing online, how to improve your winning chance at live casino games, and the most popular live games you should definitely give a try.

Live Dealer Casinos: Everything You Should Know

Live dealer casinos are online casinos with live dealer lobbies. Such lobbies have all the table games in a real casino, but they are transmitted through a video stream from a casino studio.

The transmissions show live dealers taking real-time bets from players who connect simultaneously at the same table.

Unlike land-based establishments, none of the players are on-site at a live dealer casino. You have a virtual spot at a table, and all tables have limited seats. Some are even exclusive live casino tables designed especially for high-rollers or VIP bettors.

The Process Behind Live Casino Gaming Systems

Live casinos use the latest streaming technology. Live dealer studios broadcast games from a studio or from a land-based casino and facilitate games.

Here is how it works in detail:

  • You place real-time bets through an online casino platform.
  • The dealer uses real cards and chips and interacts with your comments in real-time.
  • While you play, you can also use the live chat to interact with other players.
  • Most of the rules and etiquette used in land-based venues apply during the live dealer game.
  • Winnings and losses are automatically credited to your account or taken from it.

Renowned game providers in Ireland build live dealer studios and streaming technology, hire dealers, and create games.

Live Casino Etiquette: Best Practices

  1. Place bets before the time runs out. Otherwise, you risk interrupting the game’s flow for the other players and making the dealers’ job more difficult.
  2. Use the game chat to interact politely. Abuse is not tolerated at live casinos.
  3. Don’t interrupt the dealer or other players when it’s their turn. Doing so could disrupt the entire game, and you may be asked to leave the table.
  4. Win and lose respectfully. Becoming too emotional and reacting dismissively towards the dealer or other players can get you banned from the game.
  5. Don’t give unsolicited advice, which may offend and interrupt the session. Unless a player asks for your opinion directly, advising a game table can be seen as disruptive or, worse, it can be interpreted as collusion. Collusion with other players is a serious offence that can cost you your casino account.
  6. Follow the rules of the game to avoid being accused of cheating. When unsure about a rule, you may ask the dealer directly.

A Step-by-Step Guide for Winning at Live Dealer Casinos

To win at live dealer casinos, you must have the right combination of skill, strategy, and luck. Our experts will explain a few simple tips to increase your chances of winning:

Step 1: Choose the Right Game

Choosing the right game for your budget and play style increases your winning chances by 60%. Here is how to do it easily:

  • Pick a game with a lower house edge to reduce the risk of high losses.
  • Choose a game created by one of the renowned Live casino providers to ensure fairness.
  • Check the licensing of the live casino that offers the game. To avoid scams, play live dealer games on legal and trustworthy sites.
  • Pick a game you know well, so you can develop a strategy that actually works.
  • Choose a game you enjoy. You’ll be much more likely to strategize correctly when you enjoy the gameplay.

Step 2: Play Live Dealer Games from Reliable Providers

Playing a live casino game created by a reliable Irish game provider is not only a fairness guarantee.

It’s also an extra safety measure for your budget because renowned game providers are licensed and regulated. So, they have extra security protocols against hacking or information leaking.

High security is essential because wagers are always higher in live dealer games.

Step 3: Get Specific on Live Dealer Game Rules

Knowing the rules of a live casino game can help you avoid costly mistakes, such as overbetting or asking for a card in the wrong circumstances.

With live casino game rules, you must understand:

  • Who you play against: is it the dealer, the other players, or both?
  • The goal of the game.
  • Various game stages.
  • The betting table and all the bets are allowed.
  • When should you choose specific actions, and when is it wiser to wait?
  • Your options for every game stage.

Step 4: Compare the Best Strategies for Your Live Dealer Game

Comparing multiple strategies can assist you in:

  • Selecting the best one for the live casino game you are playing.
  • Choosing a strategy that works well with your budget.
  • Avoiding overspending.
  • Combining different strategies to achieve more winnings.

We suggest you should memorize a few strategies so you can combine them on the spot and improve your winning chances.

For example, in Blackjack, you can use basic strategy to see when you can hit, stand, double down, or split. But you can combine it with strategic betting to increase your odds more efficiently.

Compare and combine expert guides on live casino strategy with other players’ experiences to understand different strategies and when to use them in real money play.

Step 5: Manage Your Funds

Managing your funds is instrumental when you play live casino games because:

  • You can manage your emotions better by gaining control of your spending
  • You can plan your bets strategically
  • You can make informed decisions during live game sessions that minimize your losses

The most effective ways to manage your funds include:

  • Deciding on a weekly or monthly budget for live dealer gambling
  • Deciding how long you want your sessions to last
  • Dividing your budget by the number of sessions you play in a week/month
  • Checking if the result of this division is enough to cover the intended session
  • Adjusting play times and sessions according to the budget you have
  • Refraining from chasing losses or not sticking to your limits
  • Using a Financial monitoring tool to see how much you’ve wagered, lost and won

Step 6: Use Specific Casino Bonuses

Using bonuses that apply specifically to live dealer games is a great way of supporting your budget, especially in the beginning.

The bonus types we recommend for live casino play are:

  • Match deposit bonuses with high match percentages and bonus caps
  • Reload bonuses
  • Weekly and monthly cashback

Choose bonuses that allow live casino games to contribute 100% to the wagering requirements to improve your odds. Be aware that not many promotions apply to live games.

Step 7: Quit at The Right Time

Quitting at the right time can save you from substantial financial loss. Here are the peak times when we advise you to exit the live casino game session:

  • When you’re on top: when you’ve made a substantial profit, it’s time to step away. Live dealer games are random and you could lose your winnings quickly.
  • When you’re on a losing streak, chasing losses only leads to more losses, especially if you run over your budget.
  • When you get emotional, intense emotions cloud your judgement and increase your risk of entering a losing streak due to poor decision-making.

Top Mistakes You Must Watch Out For

  • Ignoring basic strategy. Every live dealer game has a basic strategy to base your moves on. Ignoring this strategy, even when you use other tricks, can lead to unnecessary losses.
  • Over-extending your budget once: When you overextend your budget, you are already making emotional decisions. Doing this once signals that you cannot enforce your limits and stand the risk of losing considerably.
  • Playing while under the influence: Alcohol or drugs will make you emotional and cloud your judgment. Playing while using alcohol or other substances signals is a high loss risk.
  • Chasing losses: This is when you continue to play just to get back money that you’ve lost, which could happen much later than you anticipated. By that point, you may be in extensive debt.
Provider No. of Live Games Most Popular Game Game Types Created
Evolution Gaming +150 Lightning Roulette Live Roulette, Live Blackjack, Live Baccarat, Live Poker, Live Game Shows
Pragmatic Play Live +100 Mega Wheel Live Roulette, Live Blackjack, Live Baccarat, Live Poker, Game Shows
Skywind Group +30 Dragon Tiger Live Roulette, Live Blackjack, Live Baccarat, Live Poker, Game Shows
Playtech Live +20 Quantum Roulette Live Roulette, Live Blackjack, Live Baccarat, Live Poker, Game Shows

Evolution Gaming

Evolution Gaming is one of the most renowned Irish live casino game providers. It has the widest portfolio of games, including Live Game Shows like Dream Catcher.

In selecting Evolution casinos, we considered the high production quality and flexible betting limits above Evolution’s competitors.

Pragmatic Play Live

Pragmatic Play Live is one of the best live casino providers because of its great variety of Live game types, including new games like Mega Sic Bo.

Most Pragmatic Play casinos are known for fast-paced games and many tables for each game type.

Skywind Group

Skywind Group specializes in all Live casino game types, but is especially known for its Baccarat series that includes Dragon Bonus Baccarat and Golden Baccarat.

Skywind casinos provide top-quality graphics and extensive tables available 24/7 for each game.

Playtech Live

Playtech Live is best known for its varied Roulette lobbies and Casino Hold’em. Although it is a newer developer with a limited portfolio compared to Evolution Gaming, the Playtech casinos we analyze tend to have extensive lobbies that load quickly.

How to Find a Good Live Dealer Casino 

How-to-choose-a-live-dealer-casino-to-maximize-winnings

Whether you want to access a live online casino or a land-based one, here’s what you should know about making the right choice:

  • Pick the live dealer site that is trustworthy, licensed and regulated. This is important for your winnings because the games cannot be rigged.
  • Check the system requirements for the live casino. Its compatibility with your device can affect the games’ loading speed and your chances of keeping up with the games.
  • Make sure you pick a live casino site with a high game variety. You should be able to compare multiple options to pick a winning game.
  • Select a game with high loading speed to ensure you can keep up with the dealer and other players.
  • Choose a casino with promotions that allow live dealer games to contribute 100% to the playthrough requirements. This protects your winnings.

How to Win at Live Dealer Casinos: Key Insights

To sum up, here are the most important facts about live dealer casinos and how to win when playing live casino games:

  • Live casinos are platforms that allow real-time streaming of live games from a studio or land-based venue. Accessing the live games created by renowned providers increases your security and winning odds at roulette, blackjack, or other games.
  • Choosing the right live casino game based on its house edge, rules, and your budget and preferences will increase winning probability by 60%.
  • Know the game rules and basic strategy before you play. Ignoring this can bring about poor decisions and significant losses.
  • Compare the best strategies with the help of expert guides and player forums. Getting a clear idea of the real experience before you play will improve your game.
  • Manage your funds wisely and use special live casino bonuses to aid your budget. In this way, even if you lose, you can recoup easily.
  • Quit at the right time and avoid common mistakes. Level-headed, disciplined players who practice responsible gaming win live dealer games. Maybe you should learn the insights on a game before playing, such as the blackjack rules or, if you prefer another title, how to win at mini-baccarat.
  • Was our guide useful?
  • We would love to hear your feedback! Did we cover all you needed to know about winning at live casinos? Is there something else you would like us to add? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below our post to help us deliver the details you need.

Final Thoughts on Live Dealer Casino Experiences

As our specialist Mihnea Mosneagu outlined, live dealer casinos provide an exciting way to experience the thrill of casino gaming from the comfort of your own home. With real-time video streams connecting you to authentic tables and dealers, you can now play iconic titles like roulette, blackjack, and baccarat with other players in real-time to win real money.

You can significantly increase your odds of winning by following these expert tips on game and strategy selection, bankroll management, using bonuses, and knowing when to quit. Live dealer gaming opens up the exclusive world of casinos safely and enjoyably, even for first-timers. Just remember to gamble responsibly!

Authors
Mihnea Mosneagu
AuthorMihnea MosneaguAuthor & Editor at Casino alpha

Mihnea’s communication skills make his articles easy to understand by the readers. He is a skilled analyst and a great strategist, which allows him to extract the most important information and then explain it so that everyone will easily understand the complicated terms of the casino world.

Adina Minculescu
ReviewerAdina MinculescuSenior Author & Editor at Casino alpha

Adina’s methodical way of thinking is what gamblers need to understand the casino market. With her expertise in this niche combined with her studies in linguistic typology and hermeneutics, she will be able to help you make informed decisions. Let her be your trustworthy guide!