The best online Casino games in Canada

Gambling has been a popular form of entertainment since the dawn of human societies. It is unknown if there were any forms of organized gambling houses in ancient societies as those established in Italy during the 17th century when the first casinos came into existence. Throughout history, casinos have evolved today when playing games in casinos are accessible to everyone. Until the past three decades, the only possibility to gamble in casinos was through physical locations. The internet came to change that, and we got online casinos. In recent years another development has taken place. Online casinos try to emulate a land-based casino’s atmosphere and experience by offering online live casino games and experiences. On this page, we will go through online live casino in greater detail.

The differences between online live casino and the land-based counterpart

The essence of a casino is no different when it comes to land-based and online casinos. It is a place people can come to for entertainment, excitement and the allure of winning money. Both the online and offline counterparts offer players this experience. The noticeable significant difference is that one requires you to be in a specific physical location to enjoy the games, while the other is accessible from anywhere and anytime and does not need you to be in one particular physical location. So, convenience is a major differentiator.

Another aspect is the variety and accessibility. Again it comes down to physical limitations with land-based casinos. There is not enough real-estate to accommodate an infinite number of players. There are no queues or waiting lines in live online casinos, and you can normally found games that are not necessarily popular in Canada. A land-based casino needs to prioritize what games they offer, while a live online casino generally has all types of games available because they operate globally and caters to more than one market or type of player.

One major reason many people visit land-based casinos is social interaction, gambling, talking, laughing, cursing and sharing stories over a drink. These elements of social interaction are difficult to capture online. It is mainly due to social aspects that online live casinos came into existence.

Bridging the cap between land-based casinos and online casinos

An online live casino’s premise is to emulate the atmosphere and social aspects of a visit to a land-based casino. The way it is achieved is through a streaming production of a real-life casino environment. Online live casino providers, mainly Evolution (Link evolution review), have many large-scale offices where they have these game studios’ setup complete with game tables, equipment and real-life dealers. Every table is streamed and broadcasted. They can play and chat with the dealer and other players from their devices on the player’s side. You would find a graphical overlay on your screen that allows you to adjust stake sizes, fields or numbers to play and interact with people. It doesn’t capture a land-based casino’s exact feeling, but it is as close you can get to the real deal while playing online.

With the ongoing pandemic, many casinos were shutdown or are open with limited capacity, creating an even bigger demand for online live casino games. As we adapt to this new normal, we can expect more traditional casino players to start playing their favorite games online instead.

Find the best online live casino in Canada

As we outlined above, with online live casino games, you will be playing with real dealers and have the possibility to chat with other players on the same table. Good online live casino providers have expertly trained live dealers that will make sure that you enjoy your time playing at the table. If you want to try out a realistic real-life casino experience online, we suggest that you try one of the online live casinos we listed below.

<List>

Different types of online live casino games

So far, only a few of the traditional games are available in an online live casino format. The good part is that there are no queues to start playing, and there are plenty of different live dealers available. Below we have outlined the most common online live casino games widely available in Canadian casinos.

Live Blackjack

When you play live blackjack (Link live blackjack page) you can expect real decks of cards that are shuffled and dealt with by a real-life dealer. You can banter with the dealer and other players as you interact with the table through a digital interface that allows you to adjust stakes, choose a seat, hit, stand and collect winnings.

Live blackjack can be played on both desktop or mobile and tablets. So whether you are sitting on the bus or on your couch at home, you can log into your favorite online live casino and play blackjack with real dealers.

In blackjack, players compete against the casino in an object to get a hand of cards that is 21 (blackjack) or closest to 21 without going over 21 (busting). Players and the dealer receives two cards each where the face of the cards determines the values. Players then choose to take another card (hit), not take another card (stand) or split or double. Each player gets to make their choices, and then the dealer takes cards until they are 17 or above, hit a blackjack (21) or go bust.

There are two main versions of live blackjack commonly available in Canada. 7-Seat Blackjack and Unlimited and Infinite Blackjack. 7-seat blackjack is the most traditional form of blackjack, the one you would play in a land-based casino. The seven indicates the number of available seats or slots. Unlimited and infinite blackjack is the same game but with different names. Evolution calls it Infinite Blackjack, and Playtech calls it Unlimited Blackjack. Unlimited and infinite blackjack, in this game, the casino only offers one seat and slot for an unlimited number of players. All players active on the table will play the same hand but, of course, with their own individual actions and result.

Live Roulette

Roulette is the oldest type of casino game and the most popular game for online live casino games. As you may know, Roulette does not suffer the same type of seating capacity issues as other games like blackjack. Even in a land-based casino, many players can play at the same time, and there are no stopping people from making the same types of bets and so on. One exciting aspect with live roulette (Link live roulette review) is inclusivity, low stake player and high rollers share the same table and share the same challenges and cheer each other on to beat the casino.

In roulette, players bet on the winning number or special bets that relate to the winning number. Players bet at the same time and can put their bets on any numbers or special bets that they want. The dealer spins a wheel that reflects the numbers and the colors of the numbers. As the wheel spins, the dealer spins a ball in the opposite direction inside of the wheel. When the wheel stops, the balls trickle down to the wheel’s outer edge, where there are trays belonging to each number and color, where the ball lands, determine the winning number and what players end up winning in the round.

There is a long list of roulette varieties available. The most basic ones are American Roulette, European Roulette and French Roulette. These can all be considered as basic roulette with different table layouts. There are then varieties of the basic roulette games available such as Double Ball Roulette and Immersive Roulette.

Live Baccarat

Same as with any other online live casino game, you get to interact with dealers as you play. With live Baccarat (Link baccarat page) the element of interaction with the dealer is quite high as both of you are dealt one hand each where you then as a player bet on whether the dealer’s hand or your hand will be closest to 9 or if it will be a tie. Baccarat is huge in Asia as there is a cultural preference for this game over there. It is also available in Canadian online live casinos and is becoming increasingly popular as players want to try new games.

The cards in baccarat have different values, different from that of Blackjack, which uses cards’ traditional values. In Baccarat, the Ace is always 1 (in blackjack its 1 or 11), numbers care are face value (same as in blackjack), and the 10 and face cards are 0 (in blackjack 10, Jack, Queen, King are 10). The player and the bank are dealt with two cards each. A third card can be taken to improve the hand. The player bets on which hand will be closest to 9 or if it’s a tie. So, either if it goes under, over or exactly 9, the bets can win. It all depends on how you bet.

There are a couple of different variations of Baccarat, including the standard version, Multiplayer Baccarat, Speed Baccarat and Mini-Baccarat.

Live Caribbean Stud Poker

Live Caribbean Stud Poker (Link live Caribbean page) is one of the more recent online live casino games to become available to Canadian operators. Caribbean stud poker share many characteristics with other poker games, such as the 52-card deck and different card combinations. Generally, if you have played one version or another of poker, you will have an easier time grasping the concept of new poker games.

Live Caribbean stud poker is based on the traditional 5-card stud, but instead of playing against other players, you only play against the dealer. This game contains a lot of decision making at different stages of a hand.

Each player and the dealer are dealt five cards each. The player’s cards are all dealt face-up. In the dealer’s hand, there is only one card face-up with the rest face-down. In the first round, players can make different decisions such as raising, folding, or going for any special bets. After this, the rest of the dealer’s cards are turned around. This is when the players find out if they have any winning hands.

An exciting bonus factor of live Caribbean stud poker is that a jackpot is available and redeemed when a player hits Royal Straight Flush. A flush and a straight running from 10 to Ace.

Evolution is the only online live casino provider to offer Caribbean stud poker to online casinos. Since Evolution is very common in Canada, you will find this game in most well-respected online casinos.

Live Casino Hold’Em

Live casino hold’em (Link hold’em page) is another variation of the 5-card stud and is played with a 52-card deck and the traditional card combinations. Most will recognize the game from the immensely popular Texas Hold’Em, which revolutionized online poker during the 2000s.

In live casino hold’em, you are dealt two cards, which are then combined with three out of five cards that are dealt face-up on the table. First, the dealer places three cards on the table, called the Flop. There is a round of betting before the next card is dealt called the Turn, another round of betting ensues before the last card is dealt called the River. It is at this stage that it’s determined if you win or lose your bets.

Different variations of live casino hold’em are played differently and with varying layouts of the table. The one described is the basic version of live casino hold’em. In addition to the traditional, the following variation is commonly played in Canadian online casinos; Live Casino Hold’Em Evolution, 2-hand Casino Hold’em, Texas Hold’Em Bonus Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold’em.

Live Three Card Poker

As the name of this online live casino game suggests, this is a poker version that is played with three cards instead of the typical 5-card poker variations. Live three-card poker (Link 3-card page) is a speedy type of poker that transitions very well to the live casino format.

The rules are relatively straightforward. The dealer and the players are dealt with three cards each. Players have the option to either continue playing or fold. To continue playing, the player has to make a bet equal to the ante of the game. After all, players made their decisions, the dealer reveals their hand, and it’s compared to the players’ hand, which then determines the winners and losers.

Summary

Playing online live casino games is more popular than ever. In 2020, it has reached new heights due to the Covid-19 pandemic, where many regular land-based casino customers have been forced to try the digital version of their favorite games complete with real-life dealers. Live casino games are a great compliment alongside slots games and something everyone should try at least once.