If you join any online casino or sweepstakes casino, you’re going to see a section dedicated to live dealer games.
They’re almost as popular as slots and bring the Vegas vibes straight through your screen.
Evolution, Playtech and Pragmatic Play have all released live dealer classics in this department, too, which we’ll rank right here.
But first, let’s look at how live dealer games actually work and why they’re perfect for players who want realism more than anything else.
How Live Dealer Casino Games Work
When you enter a live dealer lobby inside an online casino, you get to interact with a real casino dealer through a live video stream. From there, everything plays out just like it does in real life, whether you’re playing blackjack or roulette. It’s like being in an actual casino, only you’re playing from your couch instead.
♠️ Let’s say you decide to play Evolution’s ‘Infinite Blackjack’. A limitless number of players can join the game and everyone shares the same blackjack hand against the dealer. You first make your bet (e.g. $10) and after the cards are dealt, players then make their own decisions whether to Hit or Stand by tapping the on-screen buttons. Payouts are then automatically calculated at the end based on who beat the dealer.
It actually doesn’t matter which live dealer game you play, though, because they all pretty much work the same:
- There’s a live stream from a studio or casino
- A professional dealer runs the game
- Your bets are placed through a user interface that the dealer can then react to
Of course, this makes everything much more realistic and gives it a “real-life feel”, which is why a lot of online casino players prefer live dealers.
Where to Play Live Dealer Casino Games
So, where can you play live dealer casino games?
At the moment, you have two options: online casinos or sweepstakes casinos.
Sweepstakes Casinos
Sweepstakes casinos are different, as you bet virtual ‘Sweeps Coins’ instead of real money, which can then be redeemed for prizes. The great thing about the sweepstakes casinos ranked on sweepsplays.com is that they even let you play live dealer games for free – yes, free — if you use ‘Gold Coins’. For beginners looking just to practice at live dealer games, start with sweepstakes casinos first.
Online Casinos
In an online casino, the stakes are higher because you’re betting real money. They also typically have a bigger range of live dealer games due to the fact that more software suppliers work with them. So, if you want ultimate realism and enjoy betting real money, the likes of BetMGM, FanDuel, and DraftKings all offer casinos with live dealer games for you to play.
The Best Live Dealer Games
The demand for casinos to supply their members with live dealer games is extremely high, which is why there are quite literally hundreds of these games on the market. Some are better than others, so what we’ll do next is rank the best live dealer casino games so that you know which ones to try first. Let’s go.
Gravity Blackjack • ICONIC21
Gravity Blackjack is top of our to-play list in the live dealer genre, offering an insanely fun twist on traditional blackjack. The game features unique multipliers as high as 3,000x on side bets, boosting potential payouts. These multipliers float down from above, which is where the “Gravity” part of the name comes from. They drop randomly, though, so you’ll just have to hope you land a big one. Aside from that, all of the traditional blackjack rules apply, making it perfect for beginners.
Mega Roulette • Pragmatic Play
Next is Mega Roulette by Pragmatic Play. Hosted by expert presenters, all you have to do is bet on where you think the ball will land on the roulette wheel, whether you go with red or black, even or odd, six-line, straight-up, split, street, or corner. You only have 20 seconds to place your bet on the racetrack before the game begins, so you’ll need to be fast. Once the action starts, it gets interesting right away because ‘Mega Multipliers’ ranging from 50x to 500x are applied randomly to straight-up bets, meaning you could potentially walk away with much bigger profits. It’s called Mega Roulette for a reason and we absolutely recommend giving it a spin.
Lightning Baccarat • Evolution Games
Lightning Baccarat makes for another excellent live dealer option. For those not familiar with baccarat, it’s a classic casino game where you bet on the ‘Player’ or ‘Banker’ hand to win (you can also bet on a tie). But in Evolution’s Lightning Baccarat, things are a little different because each game features 1-5 Lightning Cards with random payout multipliers of up to 8x attached to them. Whenever you win and one of those Lightning Cards is attached to the winning hand, that’s when the multiplier is applied. It’s a pretty fun concept, and one that ultimately allows baccarat fans to win bigger payouts.
Mega Fire Blaze Roulette • Playtech
Playtech has crushed it with Mega Fire Blaze Roulette. Based around the European version of roulette, this live dealer game is jam-packed with features and lets you win up to 10,000x your stake. Whenever the ball lands on a fire number, it triggers the Fire Blaze Bonus Round where there are Mini (20x), Minor (100x), Major (500x), and Grand (2000x) multipliers that could potentially hit if the bonus orbs land on your section of the grid. It’s a fiery and intense roulette experience that’s tailor-made for those who want excitement over everything else.
Lightning Roulette • Evolution
Let’s wrap this up with another awesome live roulette game, this time from Evolution: Lightning Roulette. Each game round, between one and five Lucky Numbers are struck by lightning and given multipliers ranging from 50x to 500x. It also comes with game-show style visuals and sound effects, making it incredibly immersive and enjoyable for players. Roulette fans should give this one a try, as it’s one of Evolution’s best offerings.
Advantages of Live Dealers and Why This New Casino Trend is Here to Stay
Live dealer games are booming and have fast become one of gaming’s biggest trends.
Almost every online casino and sweepstakes casino now features at least a small number of live dealer titles to pick and choose from, typically based around blackjack, roulette, or baccarat.
The benefits you get from these games are endless, including:
- Real-time interaction with dealers (just like real-life)
- Immersive visuals and graphics
- An authentic casino atmosphere
- Bigger bonuses and special features
- Fun twists on classic games
Compared to regular online casino games where it’s just you against an RNG computer-generated system, live dealers are far superior.
Not to mention, these games often feature tons of players in shared lobbies, where you can chat, interact, and get that genuine casino “feel” that’s so often missing from other games.
And there’s no need to be nervous about these games, either, as you don’t have to speak if you don’t want to. The option is to simply play in silence and follow the on-screen commands, as the live dealers can instantly see which actions you want to perform, whether it’s betting on red in roulette or standing on a hand in blackjack.
Remember, live dealer casino games have their own dedicated sections in most online casinos and sweepstakes casinos, so all you have to do is navigate to these sections and pick the specific lobbies you want to join.
It’s fun, different, and highly immersive — and we think you’ll love joining the thousands of players currently hooked on live dealer games.
