Live-dealer games have changed the way people play at sweepstakes casinos. With a live studio dealer and the ability to interact with players through chat, these games embody the social component of sweepstakes casinos.
However, not many sweepstakes casinos in the US offer live-dealer games yet. We cover the best live-dealer sweepstakes casino options here along with info on how these games work and what you need to know to get started.
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What Are Sweeps Casino Live-Dealer Games?
Live-dealer games typically include classic casino table games hosted by live dealers operating out of a studio. These studios are situated all over the world, so you could join a roulette room with someone in Philadelphia and then next hop into a blackjack room in the Philippines.
If you’ve ever played the classic casino version of the live-dealer game room you’re joining, the gameplay and setup should look similar. But, don’t worry. If you’re taken aback by the whole setup, you don’t have to dive right into a game. You can read the rules and game info (posted in the room), and watch a few rounds before placing your first bet.
You will also have the option to play using either currency offered on the site, and bet minimums and maximums will reflect the currency you’ve chosen.
Many sweeps sites will also feature a chat for the room where players will banter with each other and the dealer. Just make sure to be respectful. Bad actors get removed from rooms quickly.
How to Play Live-Dealer Games at a Sweeps Casino
To play a live-dealer game at a sweeps casino, you first need to create an account. You can’t join these games as a guest.
Check out our page on Sweepstakes Casinos in the US for more detailed information on creating an account.
Once you’ve got an account, live-dealer games will have their own tab. It could be in the top menu bar, like it appears here at High 5 Casino:
Or, it could be in the left-hand sidebar, like it appears here at McLuck Casino:
If you join a live-dealer game with multiple rooms, like blackjack, you’ll be taken into a lobby where you can choose a room based on the style of the game and the minimum and maximum.
In cases where there’s only a single room for that game, you will be taken to the game straight away.
One thing to keep in mind is the quality of your network connection. If your connection is shoddy, you could receive a message denying you entry. Even if you enter the room, a poor connection could mean that your screen freezes and you miss your turn.
Most Popular Sweeps Casino Live-Dealer Games
Blackjack
The most popular live-dealer sweeps game, blackjack is available at nearly every sweeps site offering live-dealer games.
When you join a live-dealer blackjack room, you’ll see a familiar site: a real dealer standing at a blackjack table (typically a seven-person table), and icons for players in the game. The dealer deals real cards, and you bet with digital chips.
Play is limited to the seven seats at the table, and if you don’t take your seat, you’ll have to watch until one opens up. Some sites offer Infinite Blackjack where an unlimited number of players can join and play off one of the seven hands at the table.
You can place side bets on the game if you’re not playing in the main game. The rules for side bets are explained in the room.
Some other variations on the classic blackjack game you can see at various sites include:
- Infinite blackjack: Unlimited number of players playing off one of the seven hands on the table.
- Speed blackjack: A fast-paced option where order of play is determined by who is quickest to hit.
- Lightning blackjack: A “lightning” card is added to the deck as a multiplier to increase your maximum win.
Roulette
Roulette is the game that gets the biggest boost from the live-dealer format. A live dealer spinning a real wheel and a real ball is a major upgrade from the typical online version of the game that uses a random number generator and a virtual table and ball.
When you join a live-dealer roulette room, you’ll see the wheel and dealer along with a digital oval and a rectangle below the live stream. This is where you’ll make your selection when the time comes. After that, you just watch the wheel and ball spin, and hope for the best.
Variations on the game include:
- Auto roulette: This version doesn’t feature a dealer, just an automated roulette wheel that spins and sends out a ball at regular intervals.
- Gravity roulette: A random multiplier is added to the table after bets are placed enhancing the payouts by that multiple. Some sites call this type of roulette “lightning roulette”.
- American/European/French roulette: American roulette, the classic version of the game with two zero slots is what you’ll see at most sites. French and European roulette both offer better odds to the player by having only one zero slot, but they are less common.
Baccarat
Like blackjack, live-dealer baccarat features a dealer at a traditional baccarat table where players can wager digital chips.
Traditional side bets are on offer, and players can chat with each other and the dealer. With bacarrat moving so quickly, don’t expect much banter from the dealer.
Variations include:
- Baccarat NC (No Commission): Players don’t pay a 5% commission on banker wins
- Bonus Baccarat: Sometimes called “Grand Bonus” or “Dragon Bonus” baccarat, this version is a side bet based on the final score of the hands. Depending on the difference between the corresponding cards, a multiplier is added.
- Speed Bacarrat: This version of the game cuts the duration of a single hand down to 27 seconds. If traditional baccarat wasn’t fast enough for you, this is your game.
Game Show Games
A broad category with games themed in anything from fashion to sports, live-dealer game shows are as much entertainment as gambling. Expect more banter with the dealer in these games, and simpler rules. These are a great way to decompress after playing some of the faster-paced live-dealer games like bacarrat.
Some varieties include:
- Wheel games: Classic Wheel of Fortune-style setups where you place bets on wheel positions. Often wilds, multipliers, and, bonus spins are included.
- Dice games: Usually themed around a sport, these games feature a themed table with dice shakers where you pick a winner, a draw, or the exact numbers on the dice. Multipliers usually feature when picking the exact numbers on the dice.
Cheapest Live-Dealer Blackjack at Sweeps Casinos
While live-dealer games provide some of the most entertaining options at sweeps casinos, they’re not cheap, relatively speaking. Depending on whether you play with the site’s free currency or sweeps currency, live-dealer games, especially blackjack will cost you some serious coin.
As such, we’ve listed the minimum buy-ins for live-dealer blackjack at our top sweeps casino sites. Whether you want a high-roller experience at Stake.Us or a low-cost game at DingDingDing, we’ve got you covered. The following minimum bets are for classic blackjack.
Sweeps Casino | Minimumbet |
---|---|
McLuck Casino | 50 GC/10 SC |
DingDingDing | 10K GC/1 SC |
BetRivers.net | $25 VC |
High 5 Casino | 100K GC/1 SC |
Stake.US | 250K GC/5 SC |
Best Live-Dealer Sweeps Casinos in the US
The fact that you never need to pay to play at sweepstakes casinos means you have every reason to sample different sites’ live-dealer games. We break down our four favorite live-dealer sites, all with something worthwhile to offer you.
Stake.US
Stake.US is the closest sweepstakes casino we have to having a high-limit live-dealer room. Stake’s in-house, live-dealer blackjack presents an impressive lobby of over a dozen rooms with minimum bets starting at 250K GC/5 SC and max bets up to 50M GC/ 50K SC.
Outside of its in-house live-dealer blackjack, Stake.US offers 14 live-dealer rooms, covering the classic casino table games plus a couple of international favorites in Sic Bo and Teen Patti.
All games are either built in-house or come from ICONIC21, the new studio that branched off from BETER Live in September.
Daily log-in bonuses (10K GC/1 SC) won’t help you much if you want to play some of the in-house live-dealer games, but most of the ICONIC21 variations provide cheaper alternatives.
McLuck Casino
McLuck’s live-dealer options provide a lot of variety. The ten live-dealer rooms feature games from PlayTech and ICONIC21, including casino classics, game shows, and even live slots.
You’ll find more “bonus” versions of blackjack, roulette, and baccarat than you will the classic versions at McLuck. These games, like Gravity Blackjack and Gravity Roulette, simply add multipliers to random bets increasing how much you’ll win.
McLuck’s live-dealer slot, Buffalo Blitz Live, is a fun way to participate in the site’s sweeps jackpot: McJackpots. You can opt into McJackpots any time, contributing a portion of your winnings (.5% of your GC balance or 100 coins, whichever is greater, or .10 SC per play/spin) to four jackpot tiers. While this option is available site-wide, opting in to the McJackpot while watching the big live-dealer slots reels spin is an exciting option.
High 5 Casino
High 5 Casino’s live-dealer game library has contracted recently.
Its current library includes classic blackjack and roulette. It had previously been one of the few sweeps casinos to offer live-dealer poker, but this option is currently unavailable.
High 5 Casino is another relatively high-limit live-dealer experience, with minimum bets on blackjack starting at 100K GC. You can play for much lower limits using sweeps coins, where the minimum bet is only 1 SC.
DingDingDing
We were very impressed with the live-dealer options at DingDingDing for a few reasons. For one, most games are powered by Vivo Gaming, which makes a variety of highly-engaging live dealer options.
Second, there are over 30 live-dealer games, including varieties of the classic casino games and a number of game show titles. For roulette players, DingDingDing might become your go-to sweeps site. It includes American roulette, French roulette, auto roulette, Gravity roulette, and roulette lite.
Finally, DingDingDing live-dealer games have many options for players who want to play without breaking their virtual bank. With so many gaming options, it’s great to be able to play a hand of live-dealer blackjack for 10 GC.
The only downside we’ve seen with DingDingDing is the functionality of some games. We’ve received error messages on a few games that keep us from being able to join.
Live-Dealer Sweeps Casino Games vs. Online Sweeps Casino Games
Live-dealer games have some obvious differences from online sweeps casino games, and a few less obvious differences. Here’s what you can expect from each.
Live-dealer games | Online sweeps game |
---|---|
Real dealer at a real table creates an authentic casino experience | Digital renderings of casino elements based on random number generators |
Few sweeps casinos offer live-dealer games and they have limited operating hours | Most sweeps casinos are slots focused, and only some have digital table games |
Play moves quickly and can’t be paused | In most cases, players can set the pace of play |
Typically higher minimum bets | Lower minimums, typically around 100GC/1 SC |
Lots of options to interact with dealers and players | While you can always engage in the general casino chat, no in-game social aspect in digital sweeps games |
Tips For Playing Live-Dealer Games
Live-dealer casino games are definitely not for everyone. If you like to keep to yourself and don’t enjoy anonymous online banter, you may find the live-dealer experience a bit jarring. If you do decide to dive into liv-dealer games, here are a few tips to make the experience as positiv and engaging as possible.
- Watch before you play: If you’re new to live-dealer games, it pays to watch. Get used to the gameflow, familiarize yourself with the layout of the screen and how to place your bets, and read the rules for the room. Even if you’re a seasoned player, you might want to watch a few hands of blackjack to gauge the room and the dealer before you dive in.
- Be ready to play: Just like the Boy Scout motto says, be prepared when you jump into a live-dealer room. Live dealers won’t wait for you to make your bets. They might prompt you if you’re hesitant to make a play, but they’ll skip you and fold your hand if you wait too long.
- Use Gold Coins to start: GC or their equivalent are your friend if you’re just getting started. This “play money” currency is there for just that purpose–learning the ropes.
- Tip your dealer: Not all sweepstakes casinos allow this, but if you can tip your dealer, you should. It’s always nice to reward them if they add some enjoyment to your gaming experience. Plus, you may come back to their room later, and there’s a good chance they’ll remember you.
Final Thoughts on Sweepstakes Casino Live-Dealer Games
If online casinos provide any indication, we’ll see more sweeps casinos add live-dealer offerings. However, because of the effort involved in producing live-dealer content, it will always stay a small part of most sweeps casino libraries. It will also cost you more of your chosen currency to play these engaging games.
If you choose to dive into sweeps casino live-dealer games, we hope the information you find on this page will be useful in getting the most out of your gaming experience.