Microgaming may not offer the biggest selection of live dealer games – but their live iGaming platform is one of the most reliable in the world – and it’s no coincidence that hundreds of online casinos choose to offer their live casino games. Credited with being the first company to launch an online casino, Microgaming have their fingers in many pies, and today, offer a huge range of online gambling services, including games, poker facilities, back-end systems, and more.
In this Microgaming live casino review we’re going to be taking a look at what games they offer, along with which online casinos offer them. Let’s begin by taking a look at who Microgaming are, and how they entered the live casino industry.
Best Microgaming Live Dealer Casino
Company Information and History
Microgaming is one of the largest iGaming companies on the planet, and they rose to fame in 1994 when they launched the first online casino. Based in the Isle of Man, Microgaming worked – for a number of years – on developing downloadable casino software for players and operators to take advantage of, and they soon started to create their own games. Today, they offer over 600 games in their portfolio, and their live dealer casino has proved a successful addition to the company’s portfolio.
Microgaming hold a number of online gambling licenses, including ones from the UK’s Gambling Commission, and Maltese Gaming Authority, and the Alderney Gambling Control Commission. Today, they work with a number of 3rd-party game developers to grow their portfolio at a faster rate, and they’re considered by many to be the leading name in the online gambling world.
Unfortunately, when we were in the middle of writing this Microgaming live casino review, we found out that most of the casinos offering the provider’s games, started to use Evolution Gaming instead. This was part of a deal between Microgaming and Evolution Gaming – and it signifies that Microgaming are starting to wind-down their live casino operations. Still, their live dealer games can be found at some casinos still – they’re just typically Asian-facing sites that don’t accept European players.
Microgaming Live Casino Review: The Games
Microgaming currently offer 5 live dealer games. We played all of them before writing this Microgaming live casino review and you can find out our thoughts below.
Microgaming’s Live Blackjack
Microgaming’s Live Blackjack is a 7-seat table, with a total of 8 decks in place. The cards are shuffled manually, and at the beginning of each shoe, cards are burnt. The game is based on European variations of Blackjack, and this means the dealers draws just one card initially. You can only Double Down is your first two cards total 9, 10, or 11. You can split any pairs, and after splitting aces, you can take another card. The dealer stands on all 17s.
While Microgaming’s Blackjack doesn’t offer any side bets, you can take Insurance if the dealer’s first card shows an ace. You also have the ability to “Bet Behind”. This allows you to play, even if all 7 seats at the table are taken.
Microgaming’s Live Baccarat
Microgaming offer two variations of Baccarat; Baccarat and Bonus Baccarat. Both games use a total of 8 decks of cards, and these are all manually shuffled. The Banker bet pays a commission of 5%. In the regular Baccarat game, there are just three betting options; Banker, Player, and Tie. In Bonus Baccarat, there’s more betting opportunities. You’ll see Big/Small, Dragon/Tiger, Dragon/Tiger Tie, Turtle Pair and Phoenix Pair bets available.
Microgaming’s Live Roulette
Microgaming offer just one Roulette game, and it’s a European Roulette table. This means it’s a single-zero game. While it’s European in design, there are French bets available as well. Like all of Microgaming’s live dealer games, the betting board is clear and easy-to-navigate, and you can easily change the chip denominations at the bottom of the screen.
There’s also a detailed Game History available. This allows you to view the results of past games, and shows you Hot/Cold numbers. Microgaming offer both single and multiplier tables, so you’ll never have any problems finding a game to join.
Microgaming’s Live Casino Hold’Em
Microgaming’s Live Casino Hold’Em is one of the newest live dealer games. It’s a multiplier table, meaning an unlimited number of players can join in on the action each hand. The game is played with a single deck, and this is shuffled manually by the dealer before each hand begins.
The game’s pretty simple, and you won’t see any complex side bets like you’d see with some other developers. Still, it’s a decent game, and there’s some good win-potential if you play the Bonus Bet option.
Microgaming’s Live Sic Bo
Microgaming’s Live Sic Bo is played with 3 Dice. As the player, you can bet on the combinations of the Dice, as well as their total value (sum.) It’s also possible to place Duel Bets on the table. These bets are settled separately from the main bets.
Per Microgaming’s rules, if the outcome of the Dice roll is a Triple, you do not win on Small, Big, Odd, or Even bets. There’s also a comprehensive Game History available. This lets you see the results of past games, and provides you with a range of statistics.
Streaming Quality
While Microgaming aren’t the biggest live casino software provider, their infrastructure is pretty solid. Their live dealer games all render in consistent high-definition, and we experienced no problems with their games while writing this Microgaming live casino review.
As always, you’ll want to try to make sure your internet connection is as stable and reliable as possible – this will reduce the chance of any buffering or lag. Still, these weren’t things we experienced, and we’re confident that most players will be able to enjoy a smooth, crisp, and high-quality streaming experience.
Playing Interface and Betting Options
Writing this Microgaming live casino review, one thing became clear. Microgaming may be one of the leading iGaming developers on the planet – but their live casino, unfortunately, doesn’t scrub up quite so well as their other gambling products.
The playing interfaces are quite cluttered, and there’s a lot going on. On both top corners of the screen there are big black boxes which tell you about the game’s dealer and the game history – and while these are useful, they definitely feel like they’re getting in the way a bit. Similarly, the player’s betting boxes have a box beneath them, littered with text. Again, we feel as though this is unnecessary, and takes away from the gameplay.
Thankfully, there are a couple of positives. Microgaming have built an alert feature into their live casino product, and this allows you to get notified when a seat becomes available. This is used on the Blackjack tables, where there’s a limit to the number of players who can play at once. We should also mention that – while Microgaming’s live dealer games are usually offered in a no-download format – some casinos do still offer them as part of a downloadable casino package.
When we were planning this Microgaming live casino review, we also wanted to take a look at the betting options offered by the provider. While it’s ultimately up to the casino to decide which betting limits are present on the games, we found that most of Microgaming’s tables offered 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 chip denominations.
Languages Offered
Virtually all of Microgaming’s live dealer games are offered in English – and it’s very rare that you’ll come across any dealers speaking languages other than English. Still, occasionally you will – although it is very uncommon. Thankfully, the UI is available in a number of different languages, so even if you struggle to understand the dealers, you’ll still be able to play the games and place bets in your native language.
Microgaming Live Mobile Casino Review
Unfortunately, as we’ve seen many of Microgaming’s video slots and virtual casino games, they still use Flash most of the time. This doesn’t land particularly well to mobile users, and it means their live dealer games cannot – at the time of writing – be played on mobile devices.
Microgaming’s Live Dealers
Microgaming uses both male and female dealers, though it’s fair to say most of their croupiers are attractive young women. In fact, when writing this Microgaming live casino review we only came across one male dealer!
Unfortunately, Microgaming’s live dealer games don’t offer any text chat features – though the dealers do their best to make new players feel welcome at the table, and they’re quite chatty – even if it is one sided. All of their dealers are professional, and they’re very well trained, meaning the games play out smoothly and without many issues.
Microgaming Live Casino Review: Our Thoughts
Microgaming’s live casino product had great promise but unfortunately, it’s pretty rare to see their games offered online. Pretty much the only sites still offering them are Asian-facing – it’s not possible to play them from the UK or Europe.
This is a shame, as their game range, user interface and general infrastructure was pretty impressive. When we were writing this Microgaming live casino review we were extremely impressed with the quality of the video streams and the different game options. It’s just a shame that it’s so hard to find their games online.
Thankfully, there is a small handful of sites that offer Microgaming’s live dealer games – and you can see our recommended ones listed below. If you see one you like the look of, just click the link and sign up. You’ll be able to start playing right away!
Where To Play Microgaming’s Live Casino Games?
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