| Updated: September 24, 2025The introduction of live dealer tables has been one of the most groundbreaking innovations in the online casino industry. Live casinos enable gamblers from around the world to play against real, professional dealers who are well-versed in classics such as roulette, baccarat, and blackjack.
Live dealer games successfully combine the excitement of land-based casinos with the perks available at online gambling sites, including an impressive variety of tables, generous bonuses, comp points, and software from the world’s most renowned developers such as Evolution Gaming and Playtech.
We have created a comprehensive guide dedicated to the specifics of live dealer casinos. Here you will find detailed information about how live games operate and their key features. We also showcase the most common types of live casino games you can play on smartphones and desktop computers.
We examine how live tables compare to standard RNG casino games and explain the main advantages of the former. Additionally, we help you select a reputable live dealer casino by outlining the criteria behind our top recommendations.
Equipment and Features
Streaming gambling games online is far more expensive than offering their conventional RNG-based counterparts. Specially trained personnel handle the action and operate the tables. Multiple cameras provide players with views from different angles.
Understandably, lighting equipment and ample studio space are required so that players can choose from many tables with different settings and dealers. One piece of technology live casinos simply cannot do without is OCR, an abbreviation that stands for Optical Character Recognition.
This technology converts the card values and the numbers on roulette wheels into data that is then encoded and transmitted to your device of choice, whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer. The live casino software itself is typically equipped with the following features:
Live Chat
Native-speaking Dealers Multiple Seats Bet Behind Multi-tabling Scorecards Switch-view Game History Settings PanelLive Chat
The live chat feature allows players to stay in touch with each other and the dealer. It typically appears as a designated box within the live casino’s interface where you can type and send your messages. The live dealers read the messages on their chat screens and respond verbally.
Native-speaking Dealers
The availability of native-speaking dealers is another common trait that good live casinos share. This allows players to join a table hosted by a dealer who speaks their native language, preventing misunderstandings and ensuring a smooth gaming session.
Multiple Seats
The multi-seat feature lets you occupy multiple seats at the same live table and place individual wagers on several betting positions. In many cases, you can switch seats at the table between or even during rounds, provided your wagers have not yet been confirmed.
Bet Behind
The Bet Behind feature is available in live blackjack, especially when a table is full. This feature lets you participate in the game by following another player’s decisions and betting on their hand. In many cases, the live software also allows you to bet behind on multiple positions simultaneously.
Multi-tabling
Multi-tabling is usually an option for players seeking more betting action. You can add multiple tables to the interface and place bets on each of them, as long as you can maintain a reasonable level of concentration.
Scorecards
Scorecards are available at live baccarat tables. They help you track the distribution of previous results, allowing you to follow the sequences of winning Player, Banker, and Tie bets. Each outcome is marked in a different color so players can recognize it at a glance.
Switch-view
The switch-view feature enables players to adjust the live stream’s camera angle to their liking. If you’re playing roulette, for example, you can view a close-up of the spinning wheel instead of facing the dealer directly.
Game History
The game history feature helps you track your betting activity by displaying the dates you played, the amounts you wagered, and your win/loss outcomes.
Settings Panel
The settings panel lets you adjust gameplay to suit your preferences and your device’s capabilities. You can hide the chatbox if you find it distracting, increase or decrease the video stream quality, and turn off the dealer’s voice or the ambient background music.
Types of Live Dealer Games
One of the biggest advantages of joining a live casino is the wide variety of tables you can choose from. The different settings, dealers, and table limits accommodate all preferences and budgets. Below, we cover the six most common games you’re likely to find at an online casino.
Live Roulette Live Blackjack Live Baccarat Sic Bo Live Casino Hold'em Caribbean StudLive Roulette
Live roulette is available in different variations that are played on single-zero and double-zero wheels. There are even versions where the La Partage rule applies, and you get half of your even-money bets back when the ball lands in the zero pocket. At some live tables, cameras are installed on the roulette wheels, giving players an up-close look at the spinning ball’s trajectory and the winning numbers. Some of the live variations of the game we recommend include Immersive Roulette, Lightning Roulette, and Auto Roulette.
Live Blackjack
Live blackjack is widely available at online casinos and works incredibly well in the live dealer format. It offers high levels of interaction with the dealer and fellow players. Of course, you can always mute the chat box feature if you find it distracting. The live variations are commonly dealt from a shoe containing multiple decks. If no seats are available at the live table, you usually have the option to bet behind other players.
Live Baccarat
Baccarat is another card game that lends itself well to the live format. The game is no longer reserved exclusively for high rollers. Live dealer variants of baccarat are now available with low, medium, and high stakes to accommodate every budget. The interface includes scoreboards that display the distribution of previous results. Our top live picks for fans of this game are Baccarat Squeeze, No Commission Baccarat, Speed Baccarat, and Dragon Tiger.
Sic Bo
Sic Bo is an exciting dice game that originated in ancient China. The game is played with three dice and offers players a wide range of betting options. It has been adopted by many land-based casinos, although its online availability remains limited. You can play the live-dealer version of Sic Bo at online casinos powered by Evolution Gaming software.
Live Casino Hold'em
Live Casino Hold’em was created by Stephen Au Yeung as he was teaching his girlfriend how to play poker. The gameplay is similar to that of Texas Hold’em but simpler. The game was launched online in 2010 and is now widely available at live dealer casinos. Software studios such as Microgaming, Playtech, Evolution Gaming, and Ezugi supply live variants of Casino Hold’em. Evolution Gaming’s version is also linked to a progressive jackpot pool at certain casinos.
Caribbean Stud
Caribbean Stud is a form of casino-banked poker that is widely available at online gambling sites. Both the dealer and the player receive a five-card hand. The player must then decide whether their hand is higher than the dealer’s. The version supplied by Evolution Gaming supports an unlimited number of players and offers a progressive jackpot at some live casinos that use this software.
Popular Baccarat Games
Major Suppliers of Live Dealer Software
Live casino games are supplied by a variety of software studios, each boasting unique strengths and features. All six live providers we list offer secure and highly enjoyable options that suit both newcomers and seasoned online players. Review the rundowns below to decide which supplier offers the best live dealer software for you.
Evolution Gaming NetEnt Playtech Ezugi Microgaming Pragmatic PlayEvolution Gaming
Evolution Gaming is by far the largest provider of live casino solutions in the remote gambling industry. It offers both standard and VIP live tables with higher limits, all within a user-friendly interface that supports real-time gaming statistics and multi-tabling. The provider streams from studios in Malta, Latvia, Estonia, the UK, and Canada, among several other locations.
NetEnt
NetEnt offers a more limited suite of live casino games, giving players a choice of only live blackjack and live roulette tables. This limitation is offset by an easy-to-use interface, high-quality streams, live games that are available on mobile in both landscape and portrait modes, and support for 25 languages.
Playtech
Playtech is a force to be reckoned with in the gambling industry. The software provider holds licenses from multiple jurisdictions and offers live baccarat, roulette, blackjack, and casino hold’em. The live tables are operated by native dealers who speak various languages, including Italian, English, Romanian, and Spanish.
Ezugi
Ezugi launched in 2012 and delivers cutting-edge live casino gaming to more than a hundred operators. The software provider operates 9 studios across South America, Asia, and Europe, streaming 20 live games, including bespoke variations such as Unlimited Blackjack Auto Split, OTT Roulette, and Knockout Baccarat.
Microgaming
Microgaming is a behemoth in the gambling industry and, as such, offers a plethora of live games with HD video streaming, multilingual support, and the option of multi-tabling. The virtual interface for the live games is equipped with auto-bet functionality and provides comprehensive statistical analysis.
Pragmatic Play
Pragmatic Play expanded its product line by acquiring Extreme Live Gaming in June 2018. The studio uses multiple 4K cameras to create a more immersive live gaming experience. Its roulette and blackjack games feature a multilingual interface that offers players a choice of 30 languages.
How Do Live Dealer Tables Compare to RNG Casino Games?
Online casino games traditionally rely on Random Number Generators (RNG) to determine the results. In live casinos, the tables are operated by actual dealers who draw the cards from the shoe, handle the roulette wheels or toss the dice in games like Sic Bo. If you are still having second thoughts about transitioning from RNG-based to live-streamed games, check the three main advantages to live gaming below to arrive at a decision.
Improved authenticity is imminent with live-streamed games. Players can derive maximum enjoyment from their betting sessions as they are completely engulfed in the sounds and sights of the authentic casino atmosphere. Here the pace of the game is dictated by the dealer and your fellow players as is the case when you take a seat at a landbased gaming table.
Lack of authentic casino atmosphere. However, you can play with your own pace - without having to to wait for a round of play to end in order to place a bet.
Higher levels of social interaction are ensured at the live tables. The action is steeped in camaraderie. You have the option to communicate with other players, root for them when they win or share your disappointment when the dealer hits a six-card 21, for example. All of this is made possible via the chat functionality, which also gives you the chance to ask the dealer a question or thank them for the service. The live dealers will provide a verbal response to your comments.
Lack of social interaction.
The range of stakes in live casinos is wider, which yields live gaming a viable option for gamblers from all walks of life. Live-streamed games usually support bets as low as $0.10 while the upper limit may stretch to $25,000, sometimes even more. This way, the needs of both high rollers and players on a budget are satisfied.
RNG-based games tend to offer a more limited betting range, with table maximums rarely exceeding the amount of $2,000.