How To Play Safely At Online Casinos

Online casinos are fun and entertaining, however, it’s always good to remember to play safe, be it with regards to responsible gaming, playing on licensed sites or choosing secure payment methods.

During these emergency measures, the safety and well-being of our players is our top priority, which is why we’re reminding you of our safer gambling tools.

Gamble Responsibly

We want you to have fun but be responsible every time you play with us. LiveRoulette encourages its players to gamble responsibly, and to use your funds wisely. Borrowing money to play, spending more than you can afford or using money which has been saved for other reasons is not the right way to go, as it can cause problems for yourself and the people around you.

LiveRoulette has several responsible gaming tools in place to help you play in the right way. You can set up your own gaming limits, budgets and boundaries. We work together with the Global Gaming Guidance Group (G4) to provide players with the tools to prevent unhealthy gaming behaviour. Here’s a recap of our top tools:

Set Deposit Limits

If you’re spending more time at home or you’re spending more time online, you can control your funds with a daily, weekly or monthly deposit limit. You can set up these limits through My Account and accessing the Responsible Gaming page. You’ll also be prompted to set a limit when you first open an account.

Use Reality Checks

These days, most online casinos offer cool-off options, from 24-hour time outs to more permanent solutions. Need a reality check on your gaming? No problem. With LiveRoulette you can be notified through a Reality Check which helps you keep track of how long you’ve been playing. You can be informed every 15 minutes, 30 minutes, one or two hours, depending on the frequency you choose.

The Reality Check feature will automatically stop the game you’re currently playing until you either decide to continue with the game or you choose to exit. This feature gives you a detailed breakdown of your online casino activity, such as information about your current gaming session with regards to time spent and information regarding any wins and losses.

Take Time Out

Think you might be playing too much? Give yourself time to cool off by temporarily suspending your account.

For players who may wish to self-exclude on a more permanent basis, LiveRoulette and a number of online casinos allow you to register with GamStop. GamStop is a handy and free service which allows players to self-exclude from all online gambling companies which are licensed in Great Britain. To find out more information and to sign up for this service simply visit www.gamstop.co.uk.

Take A Self-Assessment Test

If you’re concerned about the possibility of developing a gambling problem you can try our online Self-Assessment test (if you’re a registered player), and see what the results show. If your test result has reason to concern you, consider activating a timeout on your account or contact customer support to receive further advice.

Protect Your Kids

It’s illegal for anyone under 18 to open a casino account in the UK, and we take all the necessary precautions to ensure we do not attract or target minors. All accounts are fully age-verified before anyone can play, and if an account cannot be verified for any reason it is suspended, and no play can go ahead.

Whilst you and your children might be spending more time at home, there are measures you can take to ensure that your children aren’t exposing to gambling sites:

  • Do not play in front of your children or minors.
  • Log out as soon as you’ve finished playing.
  • Keep any card details secure and out of reach.
  • Do not use auto-fill for email addresses, passwords and other account details such as usernames.
  • If you share your computer with people who are not yet of age, you can install software such as NetNanny to monitor, limit and protect your family from harmful content.

A Final Word Of Advice

Do not gamble if you feel anxious, tired or frustrated, and do not let your gambling get in the way of your daily activities. Gambling is not a solution to financial problems and should be done with your entertainment budget, not with your phone bill or rent money.

Decide how much you can afford to lose before you start playing, and remember once it’s gone, it’s gone. Apart from setting monetary limits, set yourself a time limit or a particular time window for play.

Get More Help

Should you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us or call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.

How to play Carousel & Game Rules – PlayingCardDecks.com

(Above is an ending layout from a game of Carousel Rummy)

(Above is an ending layout from a game of Carousel Rummy)

Card Game Rules

Carousel is a Rummy type game for 2-5 players. For 2 players, Carousel requires a standard deck of 52 playing cards and 1 Joker. For 3-5 players, Carousel requires 2 standard decks of 52 playing cards and 2 Joker. In Carousel Aces can be High or Low, however they cannot connect a King and 2. The objective of Carousel is to play all of your cards by melding them.

If you are looking for cards to play Carousel with, check out a standard deck here or one of our newest arrivals here.

For more Rummy type games, check out our guides for Canasta and Gin.

Set-Up

Before game play can begin, a dealer must be selected. Each player draws one card from a shuffled deck. The player with the lowest card becomes the dealer. Ties are broken by a redraw.

The dealer then shuffles the deck and passes out ten cards one at a time to each player. The remaining cards form the stock pile.

How to Play

Starting with the player left of the dealer, players try to meld off as much cards as they can. A player begins their turn by first drawing from the stock. If they cannot make any melds with their cards, they draw another card from the stock. If they still can’t make any melds, they draw a final card from the stock and end their turn, even if they can make a meld with the drawn card. 

Notably, a player may rearrange all of the melded cards as long as they return to valid melds at the end of their turn.

Melds

A player makes a meld by either having three or more of a kind or by having three or more of a run. A run is made of three or more cards of the same suit in increasing or decreasing order. When a player makes a meld they lay it face up on the table. 

Melds are communal, meaning once a meld is made, another player can continue the sequence/set with their own cards.

Joker

Jokers are wildcards. If a player has the card that the Joker is replacing, they can swap the two and get the joker to make their own melds. 

Knocking

Once a player has a hand of 5 or less points, a player can choose to “knock” and end the round.

Scoring

In Carousel:

Jokers are worth 25 points.

Face cards are worth 10 points.

Cards 2-10 are worth their face value.

Aces are worth 1 point.

Once somebody Knocks, the player with the least number of points in their hand wins the difference between their opponents’ hand and their own.

If a player Knocks after playing all of their cards, they win a 25 point bonus.

If a player Knocks while somebody else has a lower hand than them, the person with the lower hand wins the points for the round and a 10 point bonus.

For more information about Carousel, check out The Rummy Rule book here or Pagat.com’s article here.

Looking for more card games to play?  Check out this article:

40+ Great Card Games For All Occasions

About the author: John Taylor is a content writer and freelancer through the company Upwork.com. You may view his freelancing profile here. He has a B. A. in English, with a specialty in technical writing, from Texas A&M University and a M. A. in English from the University of Glasgow. You may view his previous articles about card games here and his LinkedIn profile here.

John Taylor Head shot

Last update date: 08/29/20

How to Play Roulette and Where You Can Find It for Free

Roulette is a casino game with an infinite number of spins.

Players bet on the outcome of the ball in the roulette wheel, or its position relative to numbers on the board or in relation to other numbers.

The game is played by placing bets with chips on various portions of the roulette table, which can correspond either to numbers, colors, or even whether the player is betting “even” or “odd”.

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Roulette is a game played with a spinning wheel that has slots for placing bets. In this game, the players place their chips on the table as they choose one of the numbers or colors on the wheel. The croupier spins the wheel and then spins it again after all of the players have placed their bets.

In order to win, you have to bet on a number or color that is coming up in a random fashion under one of those two spins. You can also bet on a specific range of numbers or colors by putting your chips at the back edge of those numbers or colors. There is also an option called “outside bets” which are any other number outside of 0 and 00 that you can place your bet on.

The odds at winning roulette

THE GUIDE TO PLAY – THREE CARD POKER

THREE CARD POKER IS A VERY SIMPLE GAME BASED ON THREE CARD BRAG.

The winning card combinations are based on standard Poker hands, so it’s probably best to learn these if you want to become a Poker whizz.

Place your bet on the box marked Ante.

You can place an optional separate bet on the Pair Plus box at the start of each game. This can be a stand-alone bet or in addition to your Ante bet. If you’re dealt any of the hands in the Pay Table below, you’ll be paid at fixed odds regardless of whether the dealer qualifies or has a better hand.

Pair Plus Pay Table

Straight flush 35 to 1
Three of a Kind 33 to 1
Straight 6 to 1
Flush 4 to 1
Pair Evens

There is also an optional side bet Prime on Three Card Poker. You can only place this bet once you have placed an Ante and/or a Pair Plus wager. The objective of this bet is to see whether the three cards dealt to you are of the same colour, that is, all red or all black, see Pay Table below.

Prime Pay Table

Prime 3 to 1 All your cards are the same colour
Prime 4 to 1 All your cards and the dealer’s
cards the same colour

 

The dealer will deal three cards to each player and three to themselves – all face down.

Look at your cards and if you want to stay in the game place your Play bet on the table. This should be the same amount as your Ante bet.

You do not need to play the hand and stay in the game, and can instead choose to Fold, which means you surrender your Ante bet.

If the dealer’s hand doesn’t have at least a Queen High it doesn’t qualify so your Ante bet will be paid even money and your Play bet returned to you.

If the dealer does have a Queen High, you win even money on both your Ante and Play bets if your own hand is better.

If the dealer’s hand is better than yours, you lose both bets. If you continue in the game by placing a Play bet, and your hand is a Straight or better you will receive an Ante bonus, see

Ante Bonus Pay Table

Straight Evens
Three of a Kind 4 to 1
Straight Flush 5 to 1

 

The rules are the same as above except you bet against the dice. You lose if a 7 or 11 is thrown on the first roll and win on a 3 or 12. If a 2 is thrown, it is a standoff and you neither win nor lose. If a point is established and then made, you lose. If a 7 is thrown before a point is made, you win. Your wager may not be increased after the establishment of the come-out point until that wager is either won or lost.

Once a point has been established you are then allowed to lay that point.

Winning Hands

Straight Flush Three consecutive cards of the same
suit, e.g. 4, 5, 6 of hearts.
Three of a Kind Three cards of the same
denomination e.g. three 6s etc.
Straight Three sequential cards of different
suits, e.g. 5, 6, 7 of different suits.
Flush Three unrelated cards of the same
suit, e.g. 6, 2, 10 of Clubs.
Pair Two cards of the same
denomination, e.g. two 6s.
High Card The highest value single
card, e.g. a Queen.

 

House Edge

On Pair Plus wagers: 2.7%

Overall game: 2.0%

Prime Side Bet: 3.62%

 

VIEW PDF

 

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How to play Faro & Game Rules with Video – PlayingCardDecks.com

(This is the typical set up for the game Faro)

(This is the typical set up for the game Faro)

Card Game Rules

Faro is a historical casino game for two or more players. It requires a standard 52 card deck, an extra set of 13 cards for each rank, a set of betting chips for each player, and a penny for each player. In Faro, Aces are low and Kings are high. The objective is to win the most bets. 

If you are looking for cards to play Faro with, check out a standard deck here or check out one of our recent arrivals here.

For more casino games, check out our guides for In-Between and Baccarat.

You can also find an 1882 rule book to Faro here.

Set-Up

To set-up a game a Faro, place the extra 13 cards in two rows face up in the middle of the playing table. These cards make up the tableau. From the top left going right, the card order should be King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, and 8. The 7 should be placed to the right of and halfway down from the 8. The 6 should then be placed to the left of the 7 and directly below the 8. From the 6 going left, the card order should be 5, 4, 3, 2, and Ace.

The dealer sits opposite of the players with a faced down deck of shuffled cards in-front of them. Players bring their own chips to bet with. Every player receives a penny to bet against cards with.

 

How to Play

The dealer begins the game by showing everyone the top card of the deck. The card is then placed face up to the side of the gameplay area. Players then place bets on one of the cards in the tableau. Next the dealer draws two card from the deck and places them face up for all the players to see. The first card is the loser. The second card is the winner. Bets on the first card are lost. Bets on the second card receive 1:1 payout from the dealer.

The flipped over cards are placed to the side and another round begins. Players can move their bets around, keep them where they were or begin placing bets on multiple cards. Multiple players can bet on the same card. Gameplay continues until the deck runs out.

 

Misc. Rules

A player can bet that the winning card is higher than the losing card by placing chips next to the deck. Payout is 1:1.

A player can bet on the losing card by placing a penny on top of their chip. 

When the deck has three cards left, players can bet on the order of the final draw.

If the losing and winning cards are of the same rank, then the dealer receives half of the bet made.

If a player places a bet on a card that has already been drawn four times from the deck, the first person (player or dealer) who notices can say “dead bet” and receive the chips.

History

(A game of Faro in 1895)

(A game of Faro in 1895)

Faro was first played in 18th century France. It was named after the picture of an Egyptian pharaoh that appeared on many French playing cards. The game spread eastward towards Russia and eventually reached the American West in the 1800’s. By 1925, the game became virtually extinct as Baccarat and Blackjack took over as the more popular games at casinos.

For more information about Faro, check out David Parlett’s article here or Pagat.com’s article here.

 

Looking for more card games to play?  Check out this article:

40+ Great Card Games For All Occasions

About the author: John Taylor is a content writer and freelancer through the company Upwork.com. You may view his freelancing profile here. He has a B. A. in English, with a specialty in technical writing, from Texas A&M University and a M. A. in English from the University of Glasgow. You may view his previous articles about card games here and his LinkedIn profile here.

John Taylor Head shot

Last update date: 0/25/21

How to Play Live Casino Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the easiest casino table games to grasp, but it can take you a little longer to master. With the aid of this comprehensive guide on how to play blackjack, we can equip you with the skillset and knowledge to have fun even when you are sat playing against a real dealer in the LiveRoulette live casino.

With over 20 live blackjack tables to choose from at LiveRoulette, there is always an opportunity to play a basic hand of blackjack or dabble with some of the side bet variants that can switch-up your gameplay. Before you get started, why not familiarise yourself with the basics of blackjack and get to grips with an optimal strategy to minimise the house edge.

The on-screen layout of a live blackjack table

From the moment you load up your live casino blackjack table, you will meet a friendly, professionally trained dealer to manage your game. You can see the seven-player seats around the table. Vacant seats will say ‘Sit Here’ and you only need to click to join the action.

The display of your account balance is in the bottom left corner of the screen and you can choose the size of your stake in the ‘Total Bet’ button next to it. Click the inner circle of your seat position once to bet one unit. You can also click on the side bet areas to place additional bets if you wish.

It’s possible to chat with the dealer and the other players at the table in real-time using the ‘Lobby’ button in the bottom right corner of the screen.

Card values in live blackjack

The values of cards in a game of blackjack are easy to follow. They correspond to their numerical value displayed on the card. Face cards (Jack, Queen and King) are worth ten, while an Ace can be worth either one or 11 and played however you see fit.

In-play actions available in live blackjack

Hit

By ‘hitting’, you’re requesting an additional card from the dealer to try and improve your hand(s). You can continue to hit cards until your hand value is 21 or greater.

Stand

You can choose to stand on your hand, which means that you are happy with the value of your cards and don’t require any more from the deck. You may choose to stand your hand to avoid exceeding 21 and going bust.

Split

When a dealer gives you two cards of equal value, you can split them. Splitting turns these cards into two separate hands, with the dealer giving you one additional card for each hand. You must pay to split. The additional bet must be equal to your starting stake.

Double Down

If you believe one additional card will improve your hand to defeat the dealer, you may choose to double down. You’ll only get one more card from the deck and you must double your starting stake.

Insurance

Whenever the dealer’s upcard is an Ace, the dealer will offer you an insurance side bet which can cover your losses if the dealer has a blackjack.

How many hands can you play in live blackjack?

You can play as many hands as you want at most live blackjack tables. Wherever there is a vacant seat at the table, you can normally use it to play multiple hands in different seats – providing you have the bankroll for it. Unlike other card games such as Texas Hold’em Poker, where it’s not possible to take up multiple seats at a table, you can do so in blackjack because you are not playing against the other players at the table, only the dealer’s hand.

What does bet behind mean?

At some live casino blackjack tables, you may have the option to ‘bet behind’ another active player at the table. This means that you will be betting on your chosen player’s hand to beat the dealer’s hand. Although you will have no say or control over how the hand turns out, you obviously have a choice as to which player you choose to bet behind.

Each active player at the table will have icons displayed next to their name, displaying how well they are playing. Those on a ‘hot’ or winning streak will usually have a gold medal or star next to their name.

How does the dealer play their hand?

You should now know how to play your blackjack hand at the tables, but do you know how the dealer plays their own hand? Put simply, if the dealer’s first two cards add up to 16 or less, they must hit and take an additional card. If their first two cards value is between 18 and 21, they must stand and take no further cards.

If the dealer has a ‘hard’ 17, they must stand. A hard 17 is a hand that does not contain an ace or has one or more aces with the value at one. If the dealer has a ‘soft’ 17, they must hit and take an additional card. A soft 17 is a hand that does contain an ace with the value being at 11.

The dealer’s hand automatically wins the round if your hand busts, or if the option is available to surrender your hand and half of your original stake. Their hand also wins if it is closer to 21 than yours. If you and the dealer have hands of the same value, then this is a ‘push’. In this event, you receive your original stake in full due to the tied game.

It’s worth noting that the dealer has very little say in how they play their hand. They must adhere to the house rules of standing on hard 17 and hitting on soft 17. Under no circumstances can they change tac and play their hand differently.

Available payouts at the blackjack tables

First and foremost, if you win a hand of live blackjack against the dealer’s hand, you will win a payout worth 1:1. If you bet €10, you’ll receive €10 in winnings, plus your €10 stake back.

It’s a little less straightforward for blackjacks. Some tables payout 6:5 for blackjack, while others will pay 3:2. For example, if you bet €10 and get a blackjack at a 6:5 blackjack table, you’ll receive €12 in winnings, plus your €10 stake back. If you bet €10 and get a blackjack at a 3:2 blackjack table, you’ll get €15 in winnings, plus your €10 stake back.

If you choose to take out the insurance bet, this pays out at 2:1 in the event the dealer lands a natural two-card blackjack.

Side bets in live blackjack

Although bet behind is also considered a side bet option, there are two primary side bets that you can place when sat at most of our live blackjack tables:

  • 21+3
    Let’s start with the 21+3 side bet. This one happens around the first two cards you receive, as well as the dealer’s visible ‘upcard’. If you can form a three-card poker hand using your first two cards and the dealer’s upcard (flush, straight, straight flush or three-of-a-kind) you will win a payout. The size of the payout depends on what kind of poker hand you can form. It typically ranges from 5:1 for a flush through to 100:1 for three-of-a-kind cards of the same suit.
     
  • Perfect Pairs
    Perfect Pairs is the second most popular side bet you’ll find at our live blackjack tables. This optional side bet requires you to find matching card values, card colours or, better still, two identical cards. You can win 5:1 for a Mixed Pair, such as a pair of eights of different suits. You can win 12:1 for a Coloured Pair, like a pair of sixes of the same colour i.e. diamonds or hearts. Finally, you can also bag 25:1 payouts for a Perfect Pair, which is two identical cards.

Understanding optimal strategy in live blackjack

The key to giving yourself the best chance of winning at the live casino blackjack tables is to adopt a smart strategy. A smart strategy is one that minimises the game’s house edge. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the betting techniques you should employ as part of an optimal blackjack strategy:

  • Doubling down on 10 and 11
    Some casinos will only allow players to double down on hands when their initial two-card hand is worth 10 or 11. Doubling down on 10 or 11 is a powerful play, particularly if the dealer’s hand is lower. It may even be prudent to double down when your hand is worth nine and the dealer’s hand is of a lower value still.
     
  • Splitting Aces and 8s
    If you have a pair of aces in your hand, this is a hard or soft total of 12. This is rarely a good situation to be in. There’s a high probability of landing a face card or a ten with your next card and going bust. Splitting them gives you a chance to potentially land two blackjacks or two cards valued higher than 12.

    A pair of eights is a hard total of 16, which means there are plenty of cards in the deck that could bust your hand when you hit. Splitting your eights into two hands gives you a chance to land a ten on both hands to achieve 18, which is a respectable outcome in this scenario.
     

  • Avoid taking Insurance
    Whenever the dealer’s upcard is an ace, you will get the chance to buy ‘Insurance’. This requires you to pay half the size of your original stake as a side bet, which pays out 2:1 if the dealer has a blackjack, ensuring you break even for the hand. The dealer will not have a blackjack more than 50% of the time, so Insurance is a statistically bad play – unless you are certain their next card will be a ten.
     
  • Surrender 16 against a ten (if allowed)
    If early or late ‘Surrender’, the best time to use it is when you have a hand value of 16 against the dealer’s ten. There are plenty of cards in the deck that can bust your hand and a similar amount that can give the dealer’s hand an unassailable advantage. That’s why it makes more sense to cut your losses and surrender half your stake in this position.

Live blackjack variations

Not content with conventional live blackjack games? We’ve got you covered. At LiveRoulette, you can immerse yourself in three different blackjack variations. All of which offer exciting, fast-paced gameplay, available on all desktop and mobile devices.

Speed Blackjack

Are you short on time? If you don’t have a moment to waste, Speed Blackjack could be the ideal solution for you. Powered by LiveRoulette partner Evolution Gaming, Speed Blackjack accelerates the gameplay wherever possible. The first two cards play as normal, but the next step is completely different.

In Speed Blackjack, the quickest players to make their decision to stand, hit, split or double down will play first with the dealer. It reduces the waiting time for experienced players that know what they are doing, even if it does not provide a mathematical edge to your action.

Infinite Blackjack

If you are someone that can only devote time to playing live blackjack during ‘peak’ hours, the chances are that most live blackjack tables will be full of players when you log in. There’s no need to worry about not being able to play though, thanks to our Infinite Blackjack tables.

As the name suggests, these low bet limit tables cater to an unlimited number of players, with no need to wait for a seat to become available. That’s because all active players receive a ‘community’ two-card hand. Subsequently, each player can play the remainder of the hand however they wish. There are no less than four side bets to choose from too.

Blitz Blackjack

Blitz Blackjack, powered by LiveRoulette partner NetEnt, operates on the same principle as Infinite Blackjack. All players receive the same two cards on-screen from the dealer and are then given the option to hit, stand and split the two cards to make the remainder of the hand their own. Again, there is no limit on the number of players that can play at these tables, which is great for peak hour gaming.

Blackjack is not a complex or scary casino game. You can grasp it within minutes and start to enjoy yourself at the tables of our Canadian online casino!

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