Anyone with the experience of land based casinos will know how the games operate. A dealer actually deals the cards from a shoe at the blackjack and baccarat tables. There is a huge roulette wheel which spins and a ball falling in a slot indicates the number called. Players can actually see these events happening.

When online casinos started in the mid 1990s, these events were simulated by computer software. The card dealt or the roulette number called or the craps dice rolled were decided using a Random Number Generator that was the heart of the software. The random number generated was linked to the specific casino event like the card dealt or roulette number called and this was displayed on the player’s computer screen. The acceptance of online casinos was delayed because players were at first uncomfortable at trusting a mechanism they could not see. Over the years improvements in animation and graphics and audio effects like game sounds and dealer’s voices brought in a bit of the land casino experience but it was far from the real thing. In fact the only drawback of online casinos was that they could not replicate the thrill of live land casino experience.

This has been overcome to a large extent through Live Dealer games now being offered on most online casinos. Live Dealer games are not based on random number generators. Dealers actually conduct casino operations as is done in land casinos. They physically deal the cards or spin the roulette wheel. These are video taped and transmitted to the online player through a video stream in real time. Thus the land casino experience is transmitted to the online player. In the best online casinos not only can players see the dealers dealing the cards but also chat with them. And the conversations are not restricted to announcements like “player wins”. 

Today all leading online gaming software providers have live dealer games in their portfolio. However, not all the table and card games are offered in the live dealer games format. Because of the higher cost of conducting live operations there needs to be a minimum clientele to make the process viable for the online casino. Roulette, blackjack and baccarat have always been the most popular land casino games and this preference is prevalent in online casinos as well. Most online casinos offer these three games in live dealer format. Sic bo is a popular game with the Asian community. Many online casinos have included sic bo in live dealer format to cater to their Asian clientele.

The popularity of live dealer games is increasing and most online casinos run live dealer games round the clock. A complete schedule is put up at the web site detailing which dealer will be online at what times and will be available at which tables. A bio data and photograph of the dealers are also provided. Players can check when their favorite dealers will be online and can adjust their schedules accordingly. As in land based casinos, playing with the same dealer increases familiarity and comfort level. Knowing the dealer personally and chatting with her or him while playing enhances the playing experience and brings online casinos several steps closer to land based casinos.