An introduction to live online casino gambling (Part 2)
As one of the most popular casino games, blackjack is offered
by most live dealer platforms, and certainly all listed on this site.
House rules:
All casinos include their blackjack house rules either on their websites or
somewhere in the game interface but they can be difficult to find at times.
For your convenience we've include, where relevant, pages outlining the house
rules at each casino. At the risk of generalizing, most live blackjack
games employ 'standard' blackjack rules, dealt from an 8 or 6 deck shoe (8 is more
common). A summary of key variation components and associated
house edges may be found at our
live blackjack house edge
page.
Casino shuffle policy:
A very important consideration with regard to players' ability to count is the
live casino's shuffle policy,
or where the dealer is instructed to place the cut card. A more detailed
discussion of shuffle policy is included at the above link, and as you may
expect, all
live casinos employ adequate counter-measures to prevent players being able to
effectively
count cards playing live blackjack. Typically shuffles occur mid-shoe (ie
approximately 4 decks into the 8 deck shoe) or at regular intervals.
Single versus multi-player-deal format:
Most live blackjack games are offered in multiplayer format. When you join a
table you will be allocated a seat at a 7 seat table along with any other
players currently playing - as you would at a terrestrial casino. The
dealer is made aware that a new player has joined the table and should you place
a bet in your bet box you will be dealt a hand. Each player plays his/her
hand in turn as is the convention at a bricks and mortar casino, and a fixed
time limit is afforded to both place your bet, and to make your
hit/stand/double/split bet decision. As you can imagine, a full 7 seat
table can make for a slow game where players take the full time allotted to play
their hands.
Less common, is the format where the dealer deals a single
blackjack hand, albeit to many players sitting on the other end of the video
stream (sometimes referred to as 'one-to-many' live games). This makes for a much faster game, but also requires slight
differences to blackjack deal convention to accommodate the many players
participating in the deal. You might notice playing these games that while
you have chosen to stand, additional cards are dealt by the dealer to the
'player' hand. These are the additional cards requested by other players
and will not be attributed to your hand. This can be confusing at first but the
important thing to remember is that regardless of the deal convention, standard
blackjack rules apply and your hand will always be represented by the 'virtual'
cards depicted on the interface graphic in addition to the actual cards that are
dealt.
Oversize cards and virtual replication:
The cards dealt in live blackjack are generally oversized for easy viewing via the video
stream. In addition to the actual cards being dealt, a virtual graphic is
provided on the playing interface showing depicting the deal. The dealer
swipes the actual cards over a scanner on the table which reads the card and
presents it on the interface graphic accordingly.
Video demos:
Multiplayer/deal live blackjack: |
Single deal (one to many) live blackjack: |
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Comparisons of the various blackjack platforms and detailed
interface reviews may be found at our live dealer
blackjack page.
From a logistical point of view, baccarat is a simpler game
to offer in live dealer format simply because no bet decisions are required
during the deal. Players bet on 'player', 'banker' or 'tie' and let the
dealer do the rest. Aside from a few
baccarat variations,
'standard' baccarat rules are typically offered with the game dealt from an 8
deck shoe. We have included for convenience at game review pages, copies
of the casinos' baccarat house rules.
Oversize cards and virtual replication:
As for live blackjack, baccarat games are dealt using oversize cards that
may be clearly seen via the interface video stream. The actual cards dealt
are also depicted on a virtual graphic on the bet interface so you can clearly
view your hand. The dealer swipes the actual cards over a scanner on the
table which reads the card and presents it on the interface graphic accordingly.
Video demo:
Comparisons of the various baccarat platforms and detailed
interface reviews may be found at our live dealer
baccarat page.
Typically offered in single zero (European format) live
roulette is offered by most live casinos (platform providers) and certainly all
listed on this site. Copies of roulette house rules and applicable payouts
for roulette games reviewed on this site have been provided where relevant.
Playing live roulette you will be given a fixed time limit to
place your bet(s). Once bets are placed and ball is dropped, typically the video
will zoom onto the wheel to show the spin outcome.
Video demo:
Comparisons of the various roulette platforms and detailed
interface reviews may be found at our live croupier
roulette page.
While most online casinos are happy for players to play in free-play
mode to their hearts content on their RNG (random number generator) games, this is not
typically the case with live games. I guess the logic applying here is
that there is no marginal cost of serving additional RNG games, while live games
require additional salaried dealers to service additional players - a cost that
casinos want recouped from real money play.
Some live casinos do offer free play which is a really nice
feature that enables you to both get a feel for the live game format, as well as
better understand the features and any peculiarities of the interface.
Those that don't offer free play, still allow players to load
and view the games in 'real play' mode without having to actually place a bet.
A complete list of casinos offering free play is set out at
our free live casino games page.
In order to play for real money, you will need to deposit
funds into your casino playing account. Casinos, like most online
merchants offer a range of deposit
options including credit cards and numerous virtual wallet or 'e-wallet'
services like PayPal and NeTeller.
Some players, particularly those from the US, may find
depositing via VISA, Mastercard, Diners Club or American Express problematic due
to UIGEA restrictions. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act came
into effect in 2006 and imposes obligations on US banks and payment processing
companies to block online gambling related transactions made by US residents.
Deposit instructions are generally clearly set out at most
live casinos, as are instructions for withdrawal requests.
Live casino games are clearly developed with the goal of
providing a gaming experience that is as close as possible to traditional
'bricks and mortar' casino gambling. Platform providers have added a
number of nifty features to their interfaces to this end. Set out below
are some of the better features we have encountered.
Chat:
Quite a few platforms offer the ability to chat to the dealer and other
players. Of course you shouldn't expect replies from the dealer mid deal -
they are otherwise engaged at this point. Nor should you expect a deep and
meaningful exchange between deals/spins. Responses from dealers are
generally polite but brief. Comments from other players on the other hand
can be a mixed bag.
Video view customization:
Most platforms allow you to enlarge the video stream to 'full screen' size.
Vuetec games offer at Lucky Live Casino allow
you to enlarge and detach the video stream from the rest of the game interface.
Evolution Gaming games, offered at Unibet,
Blue Square and
Victor Chandler allow games to be viewed
in 'virtual' and 'action' modes offering a different perspective on the
deal/spin.
View bets placed:
Playing roulette at Smart Live Casino you
can view all bets placed by other players and view amounts won by each player
every round.
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