Disconnections during live games

This is an important issue that I've been asked about twice now by players:

What happens to game outcomes if for some reason my connection drops out DURING a deal?

It's a great question, and a real issue for live online games because those cards keep getting dealt to other players regardless of whether you're connected or not. For RNG games, it's easy enough for the operator to bring you back to the exact point in the simulated deal where you dropped out.

Indeed bet365's 'General Casino Rules' state...

"If you suffer a disconnection during a game at Casino at bet365, you will be taken straight back to the game you were playing at the exact point you were disconnected. Please log back in to our casino and you will receive a pop up message stating that your disconnected game is being reloaded. Once the game has been restored you will be able to complete it."

But for live games this just isn't possible as a real game cannot be 'replayed'...unless you have access to a time machine.

The game that has the most potential for disconnection problems is live blackjack - where you have decisions to make after placing your bet. Baccarat and Roulette are arguably not as problematic - if your bets are on the table disconnection isn't going to effect your win/lose outcome...just whether you get to watch it happen or not.

So what happens when you're disconnected during a blackjack deal, say with...

- your $50 chip on the table, and
- you have 5, 6
- dealer has a 7 upcard

you're then disconnected before getting a chance to hit/double down. While you're madly scrambling to re-load the game, the dealer stands you after time-out and ends up with a 17 to win the hand.

Let me first say that in 2 years playing many, many live games and many different casinos and on varying quality connections I've actually never dropped out mid deal...so it's NOT a common occurrence. I therefore also don't have first hand experience at what the casinos do in this situation so I've had to look through some t's and c's.

Different casinos have different approaches.

At 888....
"You hereby agree that in the event that the Live Casino is disconnected due to unsuitable hardware, software and/or connection configurations on the player's part, we shall be under no obligation to refund such player and the Company will not be responsible for any loss, including loss of winnings, which may result."

At bet365...
"If you are disconnected from the Internet in the middle of a game while playing for Real Money, please re-establish your Internet connection and log back into the casino. You will be automatically directed to the non-live version of the game you were playing so you can finish the game round. Please note that only the cards that were on the table at the moment of disconnection are carried over to such a game round. In some cases the video stream may allow you to see dealer cards drawn or revealed after your disconnection. These cards are not carried over to the non-live game round. If you rejoin the table before the end of the round, you can continue playing. You will be given the normal amount of time to decide on your move."

If you're betting big and using a bad connection (my first tip would be to upgrade your connection if you can afford to play stakes!), but also check that you're across disconnection policies.

I'd love to hear from some of the casino operators on how their casino deals with this particular issue.

cheers
LD