Live Casino Poker

Live casino poker is a type of poker played in casinos with live dealers. You should not confuse it with live poker tournaments or cash games, where you play against other players at a real table.

Instead, you play the live casino variation one-on-one with a dealer. The game is adapted to the online casino environment.

Live poker’s popularity has been skyrocketing lately. Many US online casinos now offer a range of options for players. In this guide, we will explore further what this type of poker is, where to find it, and how to play it.

Live dealer poker falls into the same legal category as any other casino game. This means that it has nothing to do with poker regulations, which only apply to community poker games (games played against other players).

Live dealer poker is legal in all states that have legalized online gambling. At the moment, these are New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia. If you’re living in or visiting one of these states, you can join an online casino and play live poker with a professional dealer streamed in real time.

New Jersey was the first state to legalize online casino gambling, followed by WV, PA, and MI a couple of years later. Even though Connecticut and Delaware passed a bill to regulate online casinos, their offer is very limited at the moment. It’s safe to say that only the four states we mentioned above are currently offering full-scale casino live poker.

Of course, the online casino landscape of the US will likely change soon, with more states legalizing this activity. Let’s look at the best online casinos that currently offer live poker.

Here are the options you have when it comes to online poker in states that have legalized online gambling.

You can play community online poker games in an online poker room or pick one of the two options offered by casinos. These include video poker and live dealer poker. If you’re a social person who prefers playing poker against other people, then an online poker room is the right choice.

If you want to play poker all by yourself, you should opt for one of the casino options.

Video poker, on the other hand, you play by yourself. This means that there are no other people present in the game. The Random Number Generator determines the outcome, and you’ll use virtual cards in a virtual interface.

So why choose live poker? Live dealer casino poker has a social aspect to it. You’ll play against a real dealer, with all poker games adapted to this mode of play.

In a way, it connects the best of both worlds — the fast-paced gameplay from video poker and the social interaction from community poker games.

• Make sure you have a stable Internet connection — Playing poker with live dealers means you’ll have an ongoing video stream on your device. To avoid possible lags that could affect your gameplay, it’s best to ensure you have a stable connection.
• Pick a legal and trustworthy online casino — There are many online casinos out there, plenty of which simply aren’t worth it, so make sure to stick to the ones licensed by legit regulators in the US. 
• Explore the available live dealer bonuses — Truth be told, the online casino bonuses offered to new players usually aren’t applicable to live dealer games. However, from time to time, some online casinos might include live dealers in the bonus offer. Keep an eye on the promotions section of the casino of your choice and take advantage of any offers that come your way.

• Understand the rules of each live dealer poker game — Live dealer poker comes in many shapes and sizes, with each game featuring a unique set of rules that revolve around standard poker games. Even if you have prior experience playing poker, it’s a good idea to go through the rules to understand all the peculiarities and avoid possible pitfalls.
• Pay attention to the optimal strategy — Each poker game is a combination of skill and chance. Therefore, you can always do something to improve your skill and diminish the element of chance to an extent. The optimal strategy means you’re making everything right and keeping the luck element at the minimum possible. Therefore, it’s important to research the available strategies for the game of your choice to learn more.

Many states that haven’t legalized online gambling still have plenty of options in their land-based casinos.

For example, there are plenty of Maryland poker tournaments taking place in designated land-based properties, including the Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland.

This is the case with other states, including Nevada, where online casino gambling is still not legalized, but other gambling verticals, including poker and sports betting, are. In other words, Nevadans and tourists can visit live or digital poker rooms and play community poker. They can also visit one of many land-based casinos to play at one poker table or video poker. Unfortunately, they cannot do that online.

You can choose from plenty of other options if you’re a card games enthusiast, including live baccarat. Of course, many players don’t enjoy card games at all, but they still prefer playing table games such as roulette. Therefore, we created a unique guide for live roulette games, as they, too, can be played online with live dealers.

Finally, you can read more about specific live dealer poker games or live casinos to understand what the fuss is all about.