How to Play Live Casino Games

In terms of games providers, Evolution Gaming and Pragmatic Play are the best of the best when it comes to live casino software, and you’ll find their titles at most of the top live dealer casinos. Both software developers have produced a variety of different live table games alongside live game shows such as Evolution’s Cash or Crash Live and Pragmatic’s Boom City. 

The next consideration is regarding stake size. While the vast majority of live casino games can be played with minimal stakes, some will have higher limits than others, and will thus cater to the more high-rolling players.

You may also want to consider the number of players in a live casino game. More players will generally result in a more energetic and social experience, whereas the smaller rooms often create a more intimate atmosphere that is arguably more akin to playing at a real-life table. For the highest table limits, you might even end up playing one on one against the dealer. 

Some sites, like Unibet, include stake filtering options and show how many players are in the room — as seen in the screenshot — whereas most will simply reveal the stake limits either in the thumbnail or the corner of the display.  

In live roulette, you’re betting on where you think the roulette ball will land with each spin of the wheel. The European roulette wheel is made up of 37 pockets numbered 0–36, with all even numbers being black, odd numbers red, and the zero pocket green. As with live blackjack, you’ll usually be given a 15-second window in which to place your bets before they’re locked in and the wheel is spun. 

There are two types of bet in live roulette — outside bets and inside bets — but each of these represent a range of different options. Let’s take a closer look at the different outside and inside bets: 

Outside Bets 

• Red/black – You put your money on the ball landing on either a red or black pocket, which will pay out at evens. 
• Low/high – A bet on whether the winning number will fall within 1–18 or 19–36. 
• Odd/even – Betting on whether the ball will land on an odd or even number. 
• Dozen – With a dozen, you can bet on one of the wheel’s three sets of dozen (1–12, 13–24 or 25–36).
• Column – The numbers on the roulette wheel are divided into three ‘columns’, so a column bet, like the dozen, will pay out 2-to-1. 

Inside Bets  

• Straight up – A bet placed on a single number. 
• Split – This is a bet placed on two adjacent numbers, and to make one you’ll need to place your chips on the line between the two in order to make the bet.
• Street – A street is a bet on three consecutive numbers, and is made by placing your chips at the end of the row of your three chosen numbers.
• Corner – A corner bet predicts that the ball will fall on one of four numbers. Place your chips on the corner where all four numbers meet. 
• Line – This is a type of split bet that’s placed on 6 consecutive numbers. Put your chips on the outside border where the lines meet in order to place it. 
• Five – A five bet is exclusive to American roulette, where the roulette wheel includes a double zero. To win a five bet, you’ll need the ball to land on 0, 00, 1, 2, or 3.

Baccarat is a classic casino game that is perfectly suited to the live casino. The premise is simple: bet on which hand you predict will be closest to 9, or on a tie, from either a two- or three-card draw.

All number cards are worth face value, 10s and picture cards are worth 0 and Aces are worth 1. If you go over 9, then the second digit is the one that counts – so if you have a total of 17, then you would have a hand value of 7. 

Here’s a quick summary of some other important rules for punto banco, which is by far the most common live baccarat variant: 

• If you draw between a 0 and a 5, a third card is drawn.
• You stand on a 6 or 7.
• An 8 or a 9 from your first two cards — known as a ‘natural’ — is a winning hand, which ends the round.
• Whether the banker is dealt a third card depends on the player’s hand.

All wagers are placed before any cards are dealt, so once you’ve placed your bet, everything else will take care of itself. From a live casino perspective, this gives you plenty of time to interact with your fellow bettors, which makes baccarat a much more relaxed and social gaming experience.

Live game shows come in various shapes and sizes, so there are no set rules to follow when it comes to playing these types of games. With that in mind, we highly recommend that you familiarise yourself with each game’s particular rules before placing any bets. 

A number of live game shows — such as Evolution’s popular Monopoly Live title — will be related to more familiar games like roulette, in which case you can follow similar betting principles when placing your wagers. 

Generally speaking, the most important thing when playing live game shows is that you read through all the rules, and that you’re careful with your spending. These games, perhaps more than any other online casino game, are meant to be enjoyed, so keep your bets reasonable and have fun!