Live Casino Online? We Got you, Bro!

How Does a Live Casino Canada Work?

Let’s take a look under the hood of live dealer games and see what exactly makes them tick. Unlike regular casino games (such as slots) that exist somewhere in the digital world, live dealer casinos are, in fact, happening somewhere in the real world. That’s right! When you play live casino games, you can bet that somewhere out there those live dealers, cameramen and pit-bosses are working hard to bring the best online casino entertainment to you.

For every single instance of live dealer games, there needs to exist a table somewhere in the world and a camera connected to the Internet with the appropriate software. Live Casino Games work very much like tuning into a Twitch live stream where you get to directly interact with the host (the hosts won’t scream at their camera though). This time, however, you may actually be able to walk out with more than what you came in with.

When you tune in to a live dealer game, you will see the dealer dude or gal in front of you (in real-time) while they are operating the table, shuffling or dealing the cards or even scratching their nose when they think nobody’s looking. Can’t get any more real than that, bro. Anyway, these live dealers have a really tough job, bro. They have to wait for the bets to be placed and quickly deal the cards and roll the ball all while making sure not to make any mistakes or look unprofessional. It’s a hard knock life for live dealers. Each live casino game round is over as soon as it begins and a new one starts within minutes.

Players who tune in usually get only a few minutes to place bets before the dealer deals another round, so make sure to learn to place bets fast (don’t worry, it’s really not difficult). Naturally, what makes these games so attractive is that they give the impression that the player is actually in a real casino. In many cases that may be true because some live dealer games do take place inside actual casinos with real live players who just happen to walk by. With such an innovative way to play, it’s no wonder that these babies have become so popular and that no self-respective online casino would be caught dead without their own live casino category.

Live Casino Games

Alright, bros, now that you know how live dealer games work, it’s time to talk about what you can actually expect when you tune into a live casino. First of all, we have to disappoint slot fans because live casino games don’t offer such a thing. The closest they can get to playing slots in a live casino are Wheel of Fortune games of which we will talk about later. The majority of live casino software is based on classic table games. Basically, any game that normally has a dealer will have a live version of it. We are talking Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat and other types of games where a dealer is usually present.

Types of Live Dealer Games

Time to take a look at the types of games you can expect to find in most live casinos.

Live Roulette

Ahh, the classic roulette. You know it, we know it, everyone knows the classic game where the little ball spins inside the rotating wheel only to land on the colour we didn’t bet on. When you opt into one of the active live roulette games you should usually be able to see a dealer or two standing in front of a table. The live dealer will be waiting for all the participants to place their bets before releasing the ball into the roulette table.

This is where the camera will usually fade into an overhead view of the roulette table and another smaller camera that will zoom on to the number where the ball lands at. Then the winners will be announced and a new round will begin. Out of all the live dealer games available, live roulette is probably one of the most popular ones. Even though most casinos will offer non-live versions of roulette, the majority of players choose to play the live version mainly because of the live atmosphere that surrounds it. We are guilty of this too. Sure, playing regular roulette will do the job, but there’s just something so magical about watching a real person spin the ball, especially when that person happens to be an attractive lady.

Live Blackjack

If you tune into any live dealer online casinos in Canada, chances are that you will find plenty of live blackjack games. Most live dealer casinos that have Evolution gaming as a software provider will have plenty of live blackjack games available. The reason why there are so many of them is that they all have different stakes and bet amounts. Not to mention that you do actually play against a dealer and many players like to pick the dealer they go up against, based on looks alone. If you dare to play against any of these professionals, get ready to place your bets fast because these guys don’t waste any time. If you tune in to certain types of live dealer games, you may even be lucky enough to play against real-life players.

Live Poker Games

You bros wanna know what a difficult job is? Being a live dealer in charge of live poker games. That’s right, these dealers have to keep a close eye on the hands of all players during every single match and announce the winners while also making sure not to mess everything up. Sure, the casino software does help them out, but the dealers still have one heck of a job to do in running the show. Land-based casino players will find out that they have a huge disadvantage here as they can’t really tell who is bluffing and who isn’t unless of course, they are playing against real-life players.

Live Baccarat

While most of us at the office prefer Blackjack, we have this one bro who swears on Baccarat and won’t shut up about it. According to him “Baccarat is where it’s at” and he often encourages us to give it a chance. While many of us here will never be brave enough to face Baccarat, players who actually do know how to play it can find a live version of it in almost any live casino. This game, just like blackjack, is played against the dealer and is just a tad more complicated. Apparently, Live baccarat is much more exciting when played against a live dealer as opposed to an AI.

Live Sic Bo

If you are looking for a live casino game that’s almost entirely based on luck, Sic Bo is the game for you. This Asian game has managed to escape into the world and steal the hearts of many gamblers. While playing it in offline mode is nice and all nothing beats playing Sic Bo against a live dealer. Players who enjoy playing Craps but are looking for something a bit more mysterious and luck-based might just find their new favorite game with Sic Bo.

Live Hi-Lo

Simple to play and simple to pronounce, Hi-Lo is gambling in its purest form. Six decks of cards randomly shuffled with players guessing if the next card is going to be higher or lower than the last. While this is fun to play against an AI, there’s just something so exciting when the live casino cameras do their thing. They will build suspense, use different angles and slowly reveal the next card for maximum suspense. Just typing this makes us shiver.

Live Dragon Tiger

An age-old question: Who would win? The Dragon or the Tiger? The Dragon obviously, what kind of a silly question is that. While we ponder silly discussions, you can enjoy this fun live dealer game against a professional live dealer. This game is very similar to Baccarat but features two types of cards – the Dragon and the Tiger. Players who are curious should give this one a try as it is known to be quite addictive.

Live Wheel of Fortune Games

The closest slot players can get to play slots against live dealers are wheel of fortune games. While these are incredibly easy to play and almost entirely luck-based, casino players (ourselves included) always find themselves drawn towards these games. Live Casino games like Dream Catcher or Monopoly Live have become quite popular among live casino players because of their simplicity. Even when players don’t necessarily want to play them, they still spend those last few dollars on a few spins hoping for a big win.

The Benefits of Live Dealer Casinos in Canada

We have had many table game fans come up to ask and say how they are already happy with their non-live table games and don’t see the reason why they should try the live casino. For people who have that view, this section is for you. Here are some benefits to why you may want to try your hand at live dealer games.

You play with real people

The biggest and most obvious appeal of live dealer games is that you play with and against real people. You don’t play against an AI or against any RNG gods, nope, just plain old people with skin and bones, money problems and back pains. These people will be sitting in front of blackjack tables, roulette wheels and card tables dealing you cards or releasing the roulette balls. While it isn’t any different than having a computer program do it for you, there is really something special about seeing a real person do this.

Real people make real mistakes

One reason why many casino players prefer land based casinos and live casinos over non-live table games is that they are run by real people. Now, as we know, all real people make real mistakes. However, when a real dealer makes real mistakes it can be really beneficial to live dealer casino players. Yes, quite often we have many of us gambling buddies how a mistake made by a live dealer gave them a huge advantage. Don’t worry, bros, the dealers don’t get fired or anything because it’s all part of the job as a live dealer.

Play with real players at real casinos

While not all live casino games offer this feature, a few land based casinos will set up a few special seats at their blackjack tables to accommodate online players. This means that when you opt-in to a live dealer game, you will almost feel like you are there because you will have your own seat next to other real players. If you ever had a dream of sending a remote controlled robot into a casino to play the games for you. Well now you can do that, kind of… Your robot won’t actually win the games for you but you get to control the action. Good enough in our book.

The Disadvantages of Live Dealer Casinos in Canada

While the whole point of this guide is to make you join in on the fun of live dealer games, our conscience would be killing us if we said that there were no drawbacks to playing live dealer games. As much as it pains us to say this, there are a few issues that may ruin your enjoyment of live casino games.

Few or no bonuses

As we have already stated, bonuses are one of the biggest draws of online casino sites. You can imagine how much it can hurt when you see that LIve dealer casino sites don’t offer much, or any casino bonuses. Most online casinos simply won’t have any form of money bonuses associated with live casino games and those that do will throw them a small bone in the form of using the slots welcome bonus for live dealer games but with low wagering contributions. There are, however, online casinos that do offer live dealer casino bonuses that can be really appetizing. Unfortunately, most of those bonuses often have other problems, such as astronomical wagering requirements. In short, casino bonuses and live casino games don’t always play well together.

Network stability

Probably the biggest thing that can draw players away from live casino games are the numerous technical issues that can happen from both ends. Either your connection can suck or the live dealer casino connection can suck. Before you ask, YES, we are aware that this is also the case with all casino games, however, when we are talking about a live video feed, the connection needs to be in tip-top performance otherwise the online casino games won’t work well at all. Yeah, unfortunately, we witnessed some lag and connection issues during some of our live dealer adventures and it did ruin our experience. Something as simple as video feed lag can mean the difference between deal or no deal.

Unprofessional behavior of live dealers

When your job requires you to stand in front of the camera so that many people can see you worldwide, you are required to ace a certain way that you normally wouldn’t. This means looking your best, speaking your best, not making any gestures, controlling your emotions and so much more. Being a live dealer is not easy and oftentimes they will accidentally do something that they aren’t supposed to. We have seen live dealers yawn, chew their fingernails and one time one of them even burped.

While each of these moments is priceless and we wish that we had caught them on tape, it doesn’t change the fact that these things aren’t worthy of live dealers. It’s one of those weird feelings where we feel like the person we are watching needs to be perfect.

On the other hand, non-live dealers aren’t the only ones who can mess up. The camera crew and the pit boss have also been known to make mistakes. While these come rare, they can ruin the show for everyone, including the live dealer. Fortunately, such mistakes tend to rarely happen in live dealer casinos. If you do happen to spot unprofessional behavior in live casino in Canada, consider yourselves lucky.

How We Review Live Dealer Casinos in Canada

Ok, bros, let’s sum up what we’ve learned so far. We know how Live Casino Games work and the types of games we can play. Now it’s time we spill the beans and tell you how exactly we review these bad boys. Reviewing Live Casinos isn’t easy, not because there are too many factors to consider but because so many of them are so similar. However, that also lets us be really nitpicky with our selections. We consider way too many factors when it comes to rating live casinos and we’re gonna share our secret with you today. Here’s how we review live casinos in Canada, bro!

Protection and safety

Even before we access the live casino department and start perusing all the live casino games available, we always, always take a look at the bottom of the homepage to see whether or not the casino is licensed and regulated. Protection and safety is not something we joke about as we only allow licensed casino operators onto our website. Even when the casino is licensed and regulated we make sure to check out the casino T&CS just in case.

A casino without a license basically means that a casino is allowed to do whatever the heck it wants. This includes taking your deposit and closing your account immediately. This is why playing at a licensed and regulated casino is so important. Of course, while we do come across scam sites all the time, even more often we come across licensed and regulated casinos that simply don’t follow all the rules. When we discover that a website has been conning its players one way or another, we make sure to put that sucker on our blacklist.

Payouts and withdrawals

While playing at a licensed casino is nice and all, the real test of faith comes when luck actually ends up being on your side and you get enough funds for a withdrawal. Now is when the casino shows its true colours. Will it simply give you your withdrawal (as it should) or will it try to find excuses and delay your withdrawals for no valid reason? Ho, boy, we could tell you some stories here about all this happening but let’s not get carried away here.

Bottom line is that this is an all too common occurrence and one we take very seriously. If we find out that a casino has trouble issuing withdrawals to its players, we make sure to note that down in our reviews. Now, of course, if a single withdrawal gets delayed, that isn’t really a cause for concern. Now, when such a thing keeps happening over and over again, it stops being a coincidence, doesn’t it? That’s why it’s important for us to know how reliable a live casino is with issuing its withdrawals so we don’t send you into some shady site where you may never get your withdrawal.

Available live casino games

Of course, you bros need some live casino games to play. While most online casinos will at least have a dozen live dealer games available to play, we try to look at those casinos that really do care for their live dealer casino. In our experience, most casinos that host games by Evolution Gaming usually end up with richer libraries than those that don’t. Still, more software providers are always a good thing and a higher variety of games can improve everyones’ gambling experience. We like to see rich libraries with at least 2 or 3 providers and at least 50 live dealer games before we consider the library to be worthy.

Customer support

Bro, never ever underestimate the power of good customer service. You may think that you may never need to use customer service (and hopefully you never will), but just like having health insurance, you’ll be happy to know that you have it. Take it from us: even if we have a super stable Internet, know how to play pretty much every type of casino game and know the ins and outs of online casinos, we have to contact the customer service more times than we’d like to admit.

Of course, every online casino out there with half a brain cell is going to have some sort of customer service. The question is: whether or not this customer service is good enough for an online casino? For example, a casino that doesn’t have live chat support is absolutely unacceptable in our opinion. You simply can’t rely on email support if you are running an online casino, bro. You also shouldn’t settle for a live casino that only offers live chat support during business hours. In our opinion, once a live chat option is closed for the day, the casino should also be closed at the same time.

Mobile device accessibility

Kind of a minor thing to look at in today’s day and age but it’s still something we test. Ever since the introduction of HTML5, every single online casino is capable of looking as great on a mobile device as it would on the big PC screen. While this does make our jobs a lot easier, we still like to be thorough and test out the live casino experience before we give it a pass. We test every single live casino we review on both Android and Mobile devices. Normally we don’t run into any bumps in the road but when we do, we make sure to note them down. We also make sure to test them out again the next day because, as far as we are concerned, our net may just be acting up.

Banking methods

Oh, we can’t tell you how many times we’ve found a seemingly perfect casino only to realize that it doesn’t accept our payment method of choice. Yup, it’s a sad world we live in when a bro can’t use Skrill to deposit funds in order to play live dealer games. Even us casino reviewers who are in this business and do this for a living never see it coming. This is another good reason why we always check the T&C because otherwise we never would have known that the casino doesn’t accept Skrill or Visa/Mastercard for live dealer games.

Of course, normally there are no good reasons why such rules exist and we tend to get really vocal about this, bro. So, always make sure that you read the fine print to see whether or not live dealer casinos have special rules about which banking methods they accept.

Live Casino Bonuses and Promotions

Who doesn’t like a good casino bonus? Don’t answer that one, bros, it was a rhetorical question. The fact is that many of us have started our online casino journeys mainly because of the sweet bonuses that online casinos offer. Yessir, every single online casino under the sun will offer you at least one welcome bonus. That first deposit bonus is always the most important one and casinos know this and they make sure it’s as juicy as it can possibly be.

Unfortunately, when we say we want casino bonuses, most online casinos hear that we want slot bonuses and bonus spins. Every other online casino is going to give you a nice 100% match bonus along with 50 free spins on your first deposit but will any of those work for live dealer games. Not really. Most of the time, the bonus offer works only for slots and nothing else.

Occasionally, the welcome bonus may also work on live dealer games but the wagering contributions will only be from 10% to 50% (usually the former). This is simply because casino players can implement various strategies and techniques that may help them win a bit easier in live dealer games.

Needless to say, online casinos do not like this and so they don’t want to motivate players with bonuses. So what can we do about this? Simple, we look for online casinos that have the cajones to give players live dealer bonuses. Sure, they may be easier to achieve than your average slot bonuses but some casinos simply don’t care. They know that many of their players want to play against a live dealer and they will give them exactly what they want. Respect, brothers. Let’s take a look at some of these rare examples.

Live Casino Welcome Bonus

Who said that the welcome bonus can only apply to slots? Some online casinos will give you a special welcome bonus that you can use exclusively on live casino games. Before you ask, NO, we are not talking about a regular casino bonus with a small wagering contribution, no, no, no. These are full-fledged live casino games bonuses that you can get with your very first deposit.

These types of bonuses will usually give you a boost on your initial deposit in the form of bonus money that you will get to use on most live dealer games. The only catch here is that the wagering requirements for live dealer games tend to be on the higher side because, after all, the casinos that offer these bonuses are fully aware of how easy they can be to achieve.

Live Casino Reload Bonus

Just like the welcome bonus, an online casino may offer to reload bonuses to returning players who prefer live casino tables instead of slots. These function the same as the live welcome bonuses except they will only be available after the welcome bonus has been used up. Sometimes the bonus funds will only be usable on certain types of games (for example Lightning Roulette). Regardless of what they can be used on we are always happy to see casinos that offer a live reload bonus for the live dealer casino enthusiasts.

Live Dealer Games Tournaments

Another way how players can get some extra excitement with their live dealer games is through tournaments. Sometimes software providers (such as Evolution Gaming, Ezugi, Pragmatic Play) may host a tournament where they will offer a large cash prize pool to all its participants who play their games during a certain period of time. If you are a regular live casino player, you’d do well not to miss these opportunities. The nicest thing about these is that these often occur in multiple casinos at the same time so you don’t even have to go looking for them for too long.

FAQ

• Are Live Casinos in Canada safe?

  Yes, Live casinos in Canada are as safe as any other regular casino game. As long as the live casino is licensed by Malta, Curacao or the UK, you can be sure that your personal data is safe. See, because all of these casinos are licensed, it means that they have sworn to protect your money and make sure you won’t get scammed. In case you do, and it turns out it’s their fault, it’s their duty to reimburse your losses.

• Can I play Live Casino games on my Mobile device?

  You bet! Not only can you play live dealer games on a mobile device, but you are also advised to do so. While we bros at the office don’t want to hear about the Internet that isn’t running through an Ethernet cable, we can’t deny that the Wi-fi and 4G (5G) technology has advanced enough to be able to stream an HD live feed of an online casino. In other words, Live casinos work great on a mobile device and you can totally play them without any drawbacks.

• Do Live Casino games on mobile use a lot of data?

  Absolutely. In fact, you should never use your mobile data for playing live casino games unless you have an unlimited Internet data package. Otherwise, Live Casino games will eat your gigabytes in a matter of hours. So be smart, find a nice Wi-Fi internet and game away. Of course, if you do happen to have an unlimited data plan, nothing will be able to stop you from enjoying your games anywhere.

• Can I play Live Casino games for free?

  Not really. While you will be able to turn into a live stream easily enough, most live dealer games will not let you play them without any funds. Of course, you can always watch them live as much as you want but you will need to be logged into a registered account at a licensed casino.

• Why do people say Live Casino games are so much better than regular online table games?

  They aren’t, it’s a personal preference. While many people may prefer to play live casino games over all other types of casino games, we have plenty of people who prefer regular table games or flat-out don’t like live casino games at all. It’s all a matter of what you like in the end.

  Now, people who do say that Live Casino games are so much better than regular table games are probably talking about the live atmosphere. Playing a live dealer game is very much like walking into an actual land-based casino or as close as you can get to it. Watching dealers shuffle and deal their cards in real-time is a magical feeling that no computer AI can replicate.

• Can Live Dealers cheat?

  No, they can’t. Well, they could try but seeing how every single movement they make is being recorded by a live feed, they wouldn’t be able to do it for long. If you think about it, there really isn’t any real benefit for Live Dealers to cheat.

  Think about it, if someone notices that they are cheating, the live casino game would be delisted, they would lose lots of money and the casino would suffer from a reputation loss. So, in a way, a Live Dealer who cheats would be a really bad move for everyone.

• Can I win real money playing Live Casino games?

  Yes, you can. These are real money casino games we are talking about after all. Whether they are live or non-live, there is a chance to come out of an online casino game with more than you came in with. However, please note before you get all excited about getting rich that the house always has an edge. Keep in mind that you do need luck to walk away with the bacon.

• Can I chat with Live Casino players and the dealer?

  Yes. You can chat with the Live Casino players. In most live casino games, there will be a chatbox that players can use to communicate with each other. You can go nuts when talking to other players just don’t insult anyone and don’t get salty if luck isn’t on your side.

  Now, even though talking to the live dealer is entirely possible and many games boast about this ability, you really shouldn’t do that. Live dealers have a lot on their plate already and if you start poking them with questions they may lose their focus and make mistakes.

  Because of this, many live casino games won’t let you talk to the dealer or the dealer will simply greet you and ignore you for the rest of the session. So, while it is totally possible to talk to both the live dealer and the players, you should really only talk to the latter because the former has a big job to do.

• What happens if I get disconnected from a live casino game?

  Nothing bad will happen. We get asked this question as soon as people figure out how live dealer games work. Internet disconnections are a very common occurrence with live casino games and live casinos know this.

  Firstly, don’t worry, you won’t lose your money if you should get disconnected. Even if you get disconnected during a deal, the round will simply finish and if you happen to win, the money will be added to your account and you can continue where you left off. If you lose, you will only lose the money you used for a bet and you won’t lose any additional funds.

Author

John Brokowski

A groomed beard and mustache are not the only source of this dude’s sophistication. Good ol’ John is a seasoned casino player who had affairs with numerous online casinos and online sports betting sites. He’s lethal with cards, especially poker, and a go-to guy for anything casino-related. You might think this guy is obsessed with casinos, but he’s the only reason the Bro Collective boat is still sailing.

Contact info: [email protected]