Online gambling has taken a huge leap forward with the introduction of live gambling. When a casino site offers a live dealer platform, players will be able to engage in the most realistic experience possible. Playing these games is just like playing in a land casino. They are streamed from land locations and are all played in real-time. You can even choose from professional dealers that speak multiple languages! Live gaming is the best way to enjoy any table or card game and online sites make use of the best providers like Evolution Gaming and NetEnt.
If you have never played in a live casino before, you can learn all about how this works and what you can expect. We provide all the details you need to know about live casino games and after reading this information, you will be eager to get started with exciting real-time play.
What Makes a Live Casino?
When you access a live dealer section at an online casino, the live casino will consist of three or more different rooms. The first one will offer the live studio the second is a software room, and the last is an analyst room. Live casinos make use of various components to deliver you the best experience. While you will find a smaller number of games, you can expect these to be of the highest quality. The reason live casinos have limited game options is due to the expense of operating the live casino, which will include hiring croupiers, information technology managers, cameramen, and more.
Here are the key elements that make up a live casino and all of these play an important role in your gambling experience.
- Cameras – Cameras play a pivotal role in the live casino experience and without these, live games could not be streamed. The latest technology is used to make use of small and powerful cameras to deliver live feeds to players. For example, the game of roulette will often use three cameras for a view of the table and wheel and for the picture in picture display.
- Game Control Units – This is one of the more important components of a live casino and every table will have a GCU attached. This is a device that is small and it is responsible for encoding the video that is being broadcast. This is actually a specialist that can help the dealer run the game and no live game is possible without a GCU.
- Wheels – If the live game you have chosen makes use of a wheel, these will make use of built-in sensors. Casinos will work with the major manufacturers of casino configuration and will provide wheels that offer fair and random results.
- Dealers – No live game can be played without a live dealer and they are responsible for managing the game. Players will enjoy feeling like they are dealing with a dealer at a land casino all dealers are professionally trained and players can even interact with them during the game. Dealers are completely familiar with all game rules and every action of a live dealer will be tracked by a smart card.
- Monitors – Monitors are used to display what online players see from home. Monitors play an important role for dealers as they urge them to take necessary actions and allows them to keep track of all bets that are placed. Monitors will also allow the dealer to see all players that are seated at the table and will allow for live chat and interactions between dealers and players.
How Live Games Recognize Cards Used
When you visit a live casino, the live dealers you will see will work out of studios to deliver a live feed of the game. One thing that players may be concerned with is the handling of cards when playing games like baccarat, poker, or blackjack. Casinos that offer live games use the latest technology to track cards in play. The dealers at the casino studio will be using real cards, so live casinos will have to use technology to track these cards and convert them into a digital format for players to view. To do this, there are three methods that can be used.
Barcode scanning is one of the popular options and this is the same technology used to scan items you purchase at any store. Dealers will take cards that have barcodes and will scan them so they can be converted into a digital format. Once scanned, the cards will appear on the screen for players.
RFID Technology is another method that is used and it is similar to barcode scanning. Each card in the deck will have a computer chip that will be scanned by the dealer before the card is put into play. Scanning will send the card information to a computer so it can be transferred digitally to be seen by the player.
The final option is computer vision and this is much more complex. It will make use of Optical Character Recognition to record all details of a gaming room. Live casinos will use special cameras and OCR software that can identify cards and symbols and then instantly display this on the screen for the player to view.
The Live Gaming Process
When you access a live casino game, there are different stages that are completed to prepare and present the game to players. The dealer will be filmed and the software that is being used by the casino will transform that image so that it will be compatible with a live stream. The generated data will then become available to all players.
Players will be able to place their bets just as they would in a land casino and these will be processed by the casino software. The dealer will announce No more bets when the betting stage is closed and no further wagers can be placed at this time. The next stage is gameplay and the dealer will either deal cards or spin a wheel to get the results of the game. This will all be captured live on a camera.
All results will be available immediately to players and any payouts that have been won will be credited to the casino account. If players wish to continue playing, the process will be repeated.
