As the world of online gaming continues to dominate the gambling industry, playing online can seem a solitary activity. While technology is forever developing ways of replacing human beings with robots, it seems that the gaming industry is bucking the trend and introducing humans to deal the cards through video link. Live dealers are changing the way online gaming is run – but are they the real deal?

What are the benefits of a live dealer?

These interactive real life players, such as the live dealers at St.Tropez, offer a whole host of benefits that traditional online casinos cannot. Namely, they silence the critics of online gaming software – while those cynical of online gambling sites say that site robots do in fact have the ability to ‘cheat’, playing with a live dealer gives the player the real gaming experience with none of the fear of being outsmarted by a machine.

Another advantage of live dealers is speed. While online poker or other card gaming sites can often lag and falter for the user, playing with a real life human being guarantees a quick hand without the possibility of technological malfunctions.

Live dealers also give the gambler the freedom to choose who they want to play with, so just as you can walk into a casino and pick a dealer who looks as if they’d give you a good hand, you can also take your time perusing the wide range of live dealers online.

Similarly, just as you can visit Vegas casinos around the clock, live dealers are also available at your beck and call 24 hours a day, with new games available approximately every 20 seconds. Live dealers help to secure the best of both worlds, guaranteeing the quick turnover of games with the use of high bandwidth internet with the pleasant human interactivity of a real casino.

What is the people’s reaction to live dealers?

The personal and human approach of live dealers has been widely welcomed by online gamblers and other internet users. In a survey by Cards Chat, players said that live dealers were a ‘superb idea’ and ‘provided an added attraction for a niche group of players that will appreciate a live dealer dealing cards to play poker online.’

Can live dealers be compared to the real thing?

One area that cynics might be critical of when it comes to live dealers is whether or not the online gambler is getting the same ‘casino experience’ as he or she would in a land based casino. Naturally, one isn’t going to get the same waiting service as one would get in a Vegas casino, but the human interaction value is just the same with a live dealer. Live dealers are friendly, willing to chat and can even come dressed as a Playboy bunny if you’re feeling a little more imaginative. There’s also an abundant choice of male live dealers too, so every kind of gambler will be satisfied with a live dealer.

While there are obvious differences between online gambling and jetting off to Vegas, the live dealer experience provides a comfortable halfway house for those who want the convenience of playing at home and the warmth and human interaction of a real dealer.