Online casino games can generally be split into two categories – virtual and live. Virtual games are digital simulations of your favourite casino games, while live games are played at physical tables and streamed over the internet. Both are online, but use different means to engage the player.

Most Live Games Are Table Games

While every kind of casino game has been digitally recreated, most live casinos stick to table games. That means you won’t find a livestream of a slot cabinet, for example, but plenty of streams focused on poker, blackjack and roulette tables. If a user wants to play online roulette for real cash, they’d have two options – an animated wheel powered by random number generation (RNG) or a stream played on a real felt table. They are the same game fundamentally, but presented in different ways.

Livestream table games have steadily developed in popularity. Every stream needs a host, and table games already have a dealer ready and willing to lead the game. The games are also neatly organised into rounds of betting and action, so thousands of players can play the same game without interrupting one another. Compare that to slots, where the player controls when the reels start spinning.

Table games are also more immersive, so players who want an authentic casino experience will prefer a stream instead. Those same players generally want a recreation of an authentic felt table, instead of a slot game.

Virtual Games Can Give You More Control

If you don’t want to share your table with thousands of other people, virtual games can provide a more controlled experience. Virtual games are split between lobbies, shared between many people, and individual rooms. For those individual rooms, you can tap into a blackjack or roulette simulation where you’re the only player, and so you control the game. Therefore, for single-player games, you can play in similar fashion to a game of solitaire, individually on your computer.

These games are ideal for those who don’t want an interactive experience or don’t want to wait for slower players to place their bets. Instead, you can summon your next blackjack hand with a flick of the wrist. As mentioned before, these games work by using unpredictable random number generation. They’re fully automated, with no dealer watching over the action, so you can make your way through the game as fast or as slow as you’d like.

Live Games Can Require Better Internet

Every online casino game is rigorously tested to work with the average internet connection. That said, a roulette livestream puts more strain on an internet connection than a digital recreation. This isn’t unique to casino sites – watching a stream on YouTube is more taxing than just watching a pre-recorded video. You can learn more about how streaming works here.

So, if your internet experiences disruption, you’ll probably have a better experience with a virtual game over a stream. Otherwise, your choice will hinge on whether you prefer an interactive table game or a fully controllable simulation at your fingertips.