Live Dealer Casinos Canada

Recommended Live Dealer Casinos in Canada

It started out as almost a novelty or a fun new niche for a few players. It has become a standard offering. We’re talking about online Canadian casinos with live dealers.

The first time you visit the Live Casino section of your favorite gaming site, you might feel a little lost – I know I did.

Let’s fix that:

We’ll show you everything you need to know about Live Dealer Casinos in Canada
Explain the similarities and differences
Recommend the best providers based on stringent guidelines
Open the door to a new level of fun!

By using this guide you’ll learn that Evolution Gaming is the only choice if:

You want to play roulette against a live dealer, and
The table is on the physical casino floor in Malta, and
The House Edge is less than 3%, and
You bet like a rock star sometimes, and
You want to play on your phone with low bandwidth

If you want a VIP game of blackjack, head on over to LeoVegas and get the personal touch when you step into the Chambre Séparée for exclusive games.

What sort of live games are available?

One popular casino game has escaped the live revolution so far. Perhaps augmented reality or VR will change that soon. For now, you can play:

• Roulette with more than two dozen rules and table limit variants
• Blackjack with or without side bets or betting on other’s hands (Bet Behind)
• Baccarat in more varieties than all Canadian land casinos combined
• Poker including Casino Hold’em, 3-card, and Caribbean Stud
• Money Wheel (Live Dream Catcher)
• Progressive jackpot games
• Multiple games at the same time
• VIP and one on one Privé

Okay, this might seem crazy, but…

None of the major providers have come up with a way to play Live Craps online yet. Vivo Gaming broke the ice in 2013 with one host “shooting” the dice and the other “hosting” the table.

It never really caught on. We can’t find the game anywhere now.

The good news for dice players is that you can find Sic Bo! The game has bets similar to roulette in risk/reward but uses three dice.

Some live game providers have been on the scene for nearly a decade. However, it’s only been the last few years that streaming technology and internet bandwidth have improved enough to make the games worthwhile for many gamblers.

Please enjoy our guide to online live dealer gaming and see our choices for the best live casinos and games for Canadians in the tables below.

Top 5 Live Dealer Casinos

Here is how we chose our top 5 Canadian live casinos:

1. Game Selection
2. Multiple Variants
3. Freshness of Games
4. Mobile Technology

1) Good selection of casino games: All providers offer basic games like blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and poker. We like to see a few more options including exclusive games, and live tables in casinos as well as studios. It goes without saying that all games are licensed and have been tested by an independent third-party like TST, eCogra, GLI/NMI, or iTech Labs.

2) Variety within the games, side bets, table limits, etc:  We like to see multi-wheel and speed roulette and a variety of rule sets. The hardware should be of high quality like TCS John Huxley or Cammegh roulette wheels. Blackjack side bets and game variants. Baccarat variety. Multiple poker games – progressive jackpots.

3) Latest releases – keeping it fresh: Canadian casino players want fresh new streams with innovation, novelty, and excitement. Providers that debut new games or at least new streams on a regular basis get a nod.

4) Mobile Ready: Nearly all live dealer casinos are available for play on a smartphone or tablet nowadays. Providers are moving to HTML5 deployment, (abandoning Flash). We give preference to the more modern, future-proof HTML5 platform.

Which are the best online games to play?

Aha! This is an easy one just like ‘How long is a piece of string?” Honestly, the best games to play are the games you like best!

If you like roulette, play roulette!

The single Zero games with no la partage or en prison rule will eventually return 97.3% or $93.70 for every $100 you lay on the table.  You can’t make a ‘dumb’ bet on a roulette game with only one green 0.

Blackjack demands perfect strategy. The rules should create a house edge no more than 0.72% and a theoretical return to player percentage (RTP) of 99.28%.  You’ll give up a few points on some side bets.

Baccarat has a low house edge of 1.06%, so the RTP is 98.94%.

For an in-depth look at the house edge for several different games, please see how the Wizard of Odds compares games.

The Wizard covers…

• House Edge
• Element of Risk
• Standard Deviation
• Hold
• Hands per Hour, House Edge for Comp Purposes

 

What are the different types of live streaming games?

Live Blackjack:  All of the live casinos here offer blackjack. It’s the most popular table game in Canadian land casinos! All games have 3:2 payouts for a natural. You’ll need to check the rules of individual games before you lay your chips down. This is the only way to adjust strategy for the best chance to win.

The specific rules will determine the house edge and theoretical return to player percentage (RTP).

• How many decks?
• Dealer stand on 17?
• Double on any count?
• Split Aces?
• Insurance?

Live Roulette: Live casinos offer a variety of games including American, European, and French roulette – each with slightly different rules and odds.  Some players prefer to play at a table streamed from a live casino floor like Grand Casino Bucharest, Dragonara or Portomoso in Malta, or even the legendary Casino de Spa in Belgium. Streams emanating from studios can provide a superior experience. Custom elements like multiple camera angles, dedicated lighting, and sound control can contribute to the overall experience.

Live Baccarat: Thanks to a large number of Asian players who enjoy live casino games, baccarat is found nearly everywhere. The variety of games is great too! EZ Baccarat, no-commission, dragon-tiger side bets, squeeze – you name it. Baccarat can also offer some of the highest table limits.

Live Poker: Casino Hold’em, Three Card Poker, Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker, Caribbean Stud, and are a few game choices in live casino poker games. You’ll be playing against a dealer rather than other players, and in some cases, against the paytable odds. Place a progressive side bet and hit a Royal Flush to win 100% of the jackpot!

Live Sic Bo: Not every casino offers this Asian game, but many do.  Sic Bo is an ancient Chinese game played by placing bets on a board and predicting the results of a 3-dice shake. Bet ‘safe’ for even money, go for 150 or 180:1 or any combinations in between.

How can I find the different games?

Your favorite online Canadian casino probably offers live games. The link will be found in different locations from casino to casino. Simply click on the words “Live Casino”. You’ll find the link:

• Along the top of the page
• Above the current game screen
• In a menu on the left
• Under the ‘hamburger’ (3-line) menu icon
• By using the text search facility and typing in “Live”

How do I start to play live casino games?

Most online casino will not let you enter a game unless you are logged into your real money account. But you can enter the suite and see which games they offer. When you are ready to play, simply:

1. Choose one of the Top 5 Recommended Live Dealer Casinos in Canada
2. Register an account and deposit
3. Decide on the type of game you wish to play
4. Choose your table limits
5. Say “Hello!” to the dealer
6. Place your bets!

Many games involve nothing but luck and bankroll management:

Roulette, Baccarat, and Sic Bo.

Some games require luck, proper bankroll management, and strategy:

Blackjack, Casino Hold’em, Ultimate Texas Hold’Em, Three Card Poker, Caribbean Stud.

How can I increase my chances of winning?

Unfortunately, there’s simply no way to increase the odds of winning

Roulette, Baccarat, or Sic Bo…

…these games are strictly down to chance.

You can increase your risk, and potential reward by betting on unlikely outcomes.

• A single number in roulette 35:1
• A specific triple like 1-1-1 playing Sic Bo 180:1
• You can decrease your chances of winning by taking the “Tie” bet playing baccarat 8:1 (or betting on player).

If you prefer skill and strategy games like blackjack and poker, there are ways to extend playtime and beat the house edge down to the lowest possible fraction of a percent…

1) Use strategy: Basic blackjack strategy cards are now available all over the internet. Adjust your play for minor variations in the rules. Study well-respected statisticians and mathematicians analysis and recommended optimal strategies for various poker games.

2) Discover your appetite for risk: This is important no matter what game you decide to play. With Sic Bo or roulette, you can play it safe with big/small or red/black, odd/even – or go for the gusto with combinations and other bets with less likely outcomes. When playing blackjack, your risk appetite mainly comes down to…

3) Bankroll management: Players aren’t likely to stay in the game long if they choose a high limit table and bet half their bankroll each round. The good news is…

You might leave the game after a few minutes with a much larger bankroll than you started with.

Helpful Charts for Game Selection

Please view the following table to see the house edge on certain games and bets.

 

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