Live Poker
Oliver Moore | February 22, 2021 | Updated on: February 6th, 2024

Updated on February 6th, 2024 at 10:47 pm

Playing Live Poker Online: Top Guide For Aussies

Since the initial release and rise in popularity of online live dealer casinos, there have been quite a fair amount of measures taken to better the experience for all players worldwide. Whether you’re initially from Australia, the UK, the US or anywhere in between – there are probably live casinos available in your region just waiting for you to play!

Best Casinos to Play Live Poker in Australia

If you’re already used to playing at home, then chances are you’ve noticed that a lot of online casinos now offer this chance to play live poker with actual dealers. If you’re curious as to what live dealer games are and/or where you should start, we’ve taken the liberty to outline the various aspects and features to playing online, shared the types of poker available to play with live dealers, and even listed some suggested sites to help you get started!

live poker

Advantages of Playing Live

What sets Live Dealer games and casinos apart from other online gambling establishments is that they don’t rely on software and generators to determine the outcome. Instead of waiting for a random generator to give your hand of cards to play, you get to watch in real-time as a dealer you might encounter in a land-based casino shuffles and deals the cards for you.

While a lot of new cutting-edge software is still used – this is solely to allow you to communicate to the dealer and play with ease instead of a means of randomizing your cards. Regardless, live dealer games still include many fantastic aspects from other traditional online games, creating an amazing combination of online and in-person games.

Live Poker’s Game of Both Skill and Chance

If you’re already familiar with the ins and outs of poker, then chances are you are familiar with the fact that Poker outwardly appears to be a game of both skill and luck. Luck in the sense of getting dealt a good hand out of the thousands of combinations possible, and the ability to know and guess what you’re next moves should be.

Despite it being a legit form of gambling, many individuals tend to abstain from playing in program based casinos because your hand is determined through a random number generator. Your cards being pulled out as a random number in a program instead of being handed out from a physical deck shuffled by an unbiased individual.

With live dealer games, you’re able to watch as licenced professional sets up the game, sets up a deck of cards, shuffles and deals out your hand. They are allowing those anxious about playing against a computer the same chance to relax at home! Additionally, many standard online casinos tend to vary widely in their House Edge and Return-To-Player (RTP) Percentage – but live poker games often replicate the percentage found in land-based casinos!

Socialize Within the Comforts of Your Home

When playing with live dealers, you’ll be able to avoid the hassle of getting ready and going out into public – while still being able to view others face to face and interact!

While you and other players probably will be unable to turn on your microphone or webcam to chat, the chatroom is open to discussions among players and/or conversing with the dealer. Meanwhile, the dealer will almost always be on screen to answer any comments or questions from both player and viewer.

Online Gaming Perks

Also, conversing with other players is optional – making live poker games the perfect way to play for introverts! They also offer many bonuses and offers typically only on standard programmed casino websites, such as welcome or log-in bonuses, which are not shown in land-based casinos.

Apart from these fancy bonuses, players will also notice that live dealer poker also contains many fancy graphics found on standard casino websites! These are not only for the aesthetic, but they’re also used to ease access for the players. A particular system called the Optical-Character-Recognition (OCR) quickly produces the cards dealt into data which will then be displayed on your screen, allowing players to engage in the game in much the same way with classic online games.

Poker Varieties Available Online

The types of poker available to play with live dealers solely depends on the website you decide to explore. Whereas casinos more well known for their standard games may only have texas hold’em – a site exclusive to live poker games may have every variety you can think of and more!

As of today, there are no new poker variations that are exclusive to live games – however, certain games may include tons of bonuses such as side bets and progressive jackpots!

Texas Hold’em

Being one of Poker’s most common variants – this includes two cards (hole cards) being dealt to each player face down, followed by five community cards face up in three stages.

Ultimate Texas Hold’em

While initially being similar to Texas Hold’em, the main difference is that instead of playing against other players to win the pool, you solely play against the dealer.

Live Caribbean Stud Poker

Caribbean Stud

A popular variation of 5-Card Poker consists of each player being dealt only five cards – and once again involving the leading player to play against the house as opposed to other players.

Three Card

One of the first and very much simple variations of poker! Only involving both the live poker dealer and a player receiving three cards- and whoever had the higher hand wins!

5 Card Omaha

Like standard Omaha, each player is dealt random hole cards – in this case, five – however you can only use two out of those five cards along with three cards from the community pile to create the best hand!

7 Card Stud

Starting, the dealer will give each player two hole cards, followed by one community card. After the initial betting round ends, one more community card is dealt, followed by a round of betting. Then another hole card is dealt, one last round of betting before everyone shows their hands!

Short Deck

Also known as six-plus Hold’em, this variation is very similar to standard Texas Hold’em. However, the main distinction with this game is that instead of a traditional deck of cards, only 36 cards are used.

Top 5 Live Poker Providers

  1. Bit Starz
  2. 888Casino
  3. Leo Vegas
  4. Sia Casino
  5. King Billy
FAQ
  • Where Do Live Dealer Casinos Stream From?

    In short - this depends on the site and casino. Some places will film directly at their land-based location, while others may set up private studios.
  • Can I Play Whenever I Want?

    Live dealer casinos will often have hours of operation, much like land-based casinos. However, in theory, you could explore other live dealer casinos from around the world that are open at the time.
  • Do I Have to Enable My Webcam/Microphone?

    No. The only people you will be able to see and hear are the dealers and vice versa. The only way to communicate with either the dealer or the other players is through a chatbox.
  • Do I Need Any Equipment To Get Started?

    Other than a device that can connect to the internet and internet service - no. However, if you want to take advantage of the HD quality and stunning graphics, it’s suggested you have a fast internet provider and a device with a fast processor.