Microgaming Live Dealer Review
Microgaming is one of the most prolific names in the online casino software development industry. Since they first launched in 1994, they have become the leaders in so many areas of the business, from offering many of the world’s best branded slots, to awarding some of the biggest Internet jackpots in history, to being a part of the industry’s own self-regulation efforts.
With all that success, you might assume that the company is also a major player in the world of live dealer games. But for quite a long time, this wasn’t the case. It wasn’t until 2006 that their first live casino games were launched, and growth has been slow since then. But a decade later, Microgaming now has a solid suite of games to choose from, licensed to a number of excellent gambling sites that offer play to most parts of the world.
Improved Game Selection
Once upon a time, Microgaming’s live dealer collection was rather uninspiring. When the platform first launched in 1996, there was only one option – baccarat – which left the group well behind some of their competitors, especially those who specialized in games hosted in brick-and-mortar studios.
But times have changed dramatically over the past decade. Today, through their Quickfire platform, Microgaming hosts a wide range of fun – if fairly standard – live games that bring authentic casino action straight to your home.
Let’s start in the same place that they did: with the baccarat games. Several different options are available to baccarat players, ranging from a single table with a large layout (like you would see at a brick-and-mortar resort), to a multi-table option that fits several tables on your screen at once. On each video feed, you’ll see your dealer (with several more in the room visible behind them, which amplifies the gaming floor atmosphere a bit) presiding over a table with the standard betting spots you’d normally see in baccarat. Depending on the table you play at, you may see the larger, multiplayer style, or a mini-table with only one betting spot; in either case, however, multiple players can participate in the game at once.
After you place your bets through a graphical interface that overlays the table, the dealer will play out both the player and banker hands right in front of you, out of a full shoe. The cards feature oversized numbers and suits, allowing you to easily view what’s out there and confirm for yourself that the results that are reported to you match what you see on the real table. Additionally, you’ll be presented with all of the historical information you need, including a list of the recent results for both hands. Both the pairs and Dragon Bonus side bets are also available for players who want to indulge in them.
Next up are the blackjack tables. Available any time you want them, each table has seven seats, with large betting areas seen at the bottom of the screen for each seat. There’s nothing much to remark upon here other than the information presented to you, which includes the results of the last few dealer hands, more information on your hostess, and a fun little window that informs you as to which players have enjoyed recent hot streaks. If you can’t get a seat at the table, it’s also possible to bet behind another gambler, allowing you to find your way into the action.
Roulette is traditionally one of the most popular live dealer games, so it’s no surprise to find it in Microgaming’s collection. A full table layout (the European, single-zero format is used) is available to players, and multiplayer features allow for each participant to choose their own color chips. This makes it possible for everyone to see all bets on the graphical overlay: there’s no confusion, since you know what bets are yours, while you can still enjoy seeing what everyone else is doing and celebrate when they score a bit win. The roulette tables also come with a history of the previous dozen spins, as well as longer-term statistics about what kinds of numbers have been chosen recently.
The most recent addition here is Casino Hold’em. The is not the poker room version of the game, in which you would be playing against a table full of players; instead, this contest puts you head to head against the dealer, with rules that mimic the general flow of a Hold’em hand. Of all of Microgaming’s live dealer offerings, this one has the simplest interface: there are spots for your bets (including the AA side bet), and the same large print cards are used as in other games to make the results easy to read.
Before we move on, there are a couple other features we’d like to highlight. First, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the Playboy Live Dealer offerings. Using a studio decked out to create a Playboy Club vibe, and with beautiful hostesses wearing the “bunny” outfits serving as your dealers, these video streams definitely live up to their name, evoking all of the style you’d expect from anything that bore the Playboy name. The games are all the same, but the look is completely different – something worth checking out if you’re at a casino that offers this version of the studio.
There is also the possibility of enjoying multi-table play in the Quickfire platform. At some sites, you’ll be able to play up to three tables at the same time, getting even more action without heading back to the standard, RNG-based areas of the casino.
Heavy Localization for Worldwide Audience
Microgaming hosts their live dealer games from a studio located in Toronto, Canada – making it (to the best of our knowledge) the only company to host their live games in North America. However, that doesn’t meant that these games are meant for a North American or Canadian audience, as these games are available throughout the world on numerous markets.
Depending on where you live, you may or may not have access to sites that utilize Microgaming software. The company is happy to operate in a variety of grey markets, but they have stepped out of some markets. In particular, you won’t see them in operation in the United States – like some other major companies, they have decided that they would rather not deal with the potential wrath of the US government, and are focusing on other markets instead. That includes the United Kingdom, where the company holds a license from the UK Gambling Commission.
Given their status as a worldwide company, it is little surprise that the group has taken steps to make their offerings accessible in as many markets as possible. Live dealer games are available in 11 different languages, though we’ve primarily seen them with English personnel thus far. What you see will largely depend on what site you are playing on; some offer games in multiple languages, while others may have only the English package.
Limits can also vary from site to site, as will the currencies you can play in. We’ve commonly seen ranges from $10-$100 (or similar spreads in other currencies) on the baccarat and Casino Hold’em tables, with $25-$300 per hand being typical for the blackjack games (with lower bets possible when betting behind an active player). Some roulette games have minimum bets as low as $0.50. Once again, though, we should note that these figures may vary – and some sites will offer a variety of table limits across their games.
Widely Available and Highly Respected
Microgaming is one of the most popular online casino developers in the world, with their games currently available at more than 100 different sites across the industry. In most markets, there will be at least one or two very reputable and trusted sites that use their software, meaning that these are often some of the first games that new online gamblers run into when they try their first Internet casino.
The good news is that, for the most part, the company’s live games are likely to leave a good impression for players. The game variety is pretty typical, though the addition of Casino Hold’em likely makes them a bit above average when compared to the overall industry. There isn’t anything especially innovative here, but we can’t really call that a problem: there’s nothing wrong with a straightforward product that does what it is supposed to do, and that’s exactly what you’ll get here. Some users will also enjoy the Playboy styling on some tables – that’s definitely something to seek out if it sounds interesting to you.
We can’t point out a whole lot of negatives here. Many have commented on the rather robotic style used by the dealers in these games, and we’re inclined to agree: for whatever reason (likely due to the direction they are given), the dealers tend to be more than a bit stiff in their presentation. This isn’t a major issue, but it can break some of the feeling of immersion – something that can be a large part of the reason why many people choose to play these tables over the standard online games.
But this is only a minor problem at most, and for the most part, we can’t complain about the product that Microgaming has created. If you’re looking for a fully functional live dealer experience that can be played from most parts of the world, these offering should be a great way to get an authentic casino experience.
