An honest view of "Are live casinos rigged?" looks past the camera. Live dealer games stream a real table, a real dealer and real cards or a real wheel to a screen, with bets placed through buttons. Almost every classic game now has a live version, from blackjack and baccarat to roulette, craps and poker. How these tables work, how they compare with software versions and what happens behind the camera explains most of what players ask before taking a seat.
Online live blackjack works like a table in a casino, filmed from above, with the player's decisions sent through the screen and the dealer acting on them. Anyone can play live blackjack online wherever the operator is licensed and the player's age allows. Whether live blackjack is better than online software blackjack depends on taste: live tables are slower and more social, while software games deal faster and often allow lower stakes.
Live blackjack can be rigged only where no one checks it, which is why licensed studios deal from shuffled shoes on camera, log every round and let regulators inspect the footage. Live dealers hear nothing from players; the chat is typed, and the dealer reads it from a screen beside the table. A live blackjack tournament does change the goal, since players compete for the largest chip count over a set number of hands rather than against the dealer alone.
Craps and holdem also run live, with the dice or cards on screen and the bets placed on a digital layout.
One of the scoreboards that record past results. It shows streaks, which help to follow the game but do not predict the next hand.
Real dealers run the games in a studio, filmed from several cameras, and every round is logged with its result.
Tables with a single zero keep the edge at its lowest, and replays show each spin and where the ball landed.