Best Live Dealer Poker Sites UK

Poker is a term that covers a large variety of different card games that use the same hand-ranking system. Live poker games bring each of these variants into the live casino setting, giving players an immersive online casino experience. Players can enjoy a variety of live casino poker games, from the easy-to-learn 3-card poker games to the exciting Ultimate Hold’em games.

In this article, we’ll explore how to play live poker online and the different online live poker variants, as well as tips and strategies that you can use when playing for the first time. 

While there are many different variations of live casino poker, arguably the most popular variant is Casino Hold’em. The aim of the game is to get a better 5-card poker hand than the dealer; if you do, you’ll win your bet, and if you don’t, you’ll lose your bet. Below, we’ll break down the rules of Casino Hold’em as well as run through the poker hand rankings so you know what hands are good and which to avoid.

Rules Of Live Poker

Casino Hold’em is played with a standard 52-card deck; unlike blackjack which is played with multiple decks at once. Before the cards are dealt, participating players must place an initial bet, called an ante. Once the bets have been made, the dealer deals two cards face-up to each player and two cards face-down to themselves. The dealer then deals three community cards face-up in the middle of the table, called the flop.

After the flop has been dealt, each player is given the option to fold their hand or to call with their hand. If a player folds their hand, they surrender their hand and their initial ante bet. If a player calls, they must match their ante bet to continue. Once all the players have made their decisions, the dealer deals the fourth and fifth community cards (called the turn and the river) face-up in the middle of the table.

After all the cards have been dealt, the dealer turns their hand face-up and declares their best five-card poker hand. The player must try to make the best five-card poker hand possible, using any combination of their hole cards and the five community cards to try and beat the dealer.

Qualifying Hands

Many Casino Hold’em tables require the dealer to “qualify” by making a hand of a certain strength. The minimum hand requirement for a dealer to “qualify” is a pair of 4s. The payouts a player receives vary depending on whether or not the dealer has qualified.

• The dealer does not qualify - The player wins the ante bet according to the ante paytable and the call bet is a push.
• The dealer does qualify but loses the hand - The player wins the ante bet according to the ante paytable and wins the call bet at a rate of 1:1.
• The dealer does qualify and wins the hand - The player loses both the ante and the call bet.
• The dealer does qualify and has the same hand as the player - Both the ante and call bets are a push.

So, if you ever wonder why you only win half your bet even when you beat the dealer, check to see if they had a qualifying hand!

Payouts

Ante bets pay out differently depending on how strong the player’s hand is. The stronger the hand, the more money you’ll be paid out on your ante bet. Take a look at the table below for a breakdown of a commonly found Casino Hold’em ante paytable. 

Poker Hands 

Casino Hold’em uses the traditional poker hand ranking system when determining the winning hand. If you’re unfamiliar with this ranking system or just need a refresher, we’ve got you covered; you can find each poker hand ranked from best to worst below. 

You’ll notice that all of the examples use five cards, even if the hand strength only requires three or four cards. This is because all poker hands are made up of exactly five cards, so players must pick their best five cards from their two hole cards and the five community cards. 

If you want to play live poker but want to try something different to Casino Hold’em, you’re in luck! There are a number of live poker variants available at the best online casino sites in the UK, each with its own twist on the genre. Take a look below to find out more about the most popular live poker variants.

• Live 3-Card Poker - Players are dealt three cards and must try to beat the dealer’s hand by making the better three-card poker hand. This game offers both an ante bet as well as a Pair Plus side bet.
• Caribbean Stud Poker - This game is similar to Casino Hold’em but with a couple of key differences. Both the dealer and the player are dealt five cards face down, after the player looks at their hand, they can decide to fold their hand or make a call bet of double the size of the ante bet. If the player has the best five-card poker hand, they win their bets.
• Pai Gow Poker - In Pai Gow Poker, players must create two separate poker hands from the seven cards they’re dealt; a high hand and a low hand. The high hand must be higher-ranked than the low hand, and the aim of the game is to try and win both hands by beating the dealer.
• Ultimate Texas Hold’em - Ultimate Texas Hold’em takes Casino Hold’em to the next level, as players have the option to bet multiple times throughout the hand, increasing the potential for profits.

Software Providers

When playing live casino poker, the best way to ensure a positive gaming experience is to use a recognised software provider. There are a number of top-quality casino game providers with years of experience creating the best UK live poker games. If you find any of the following software developers at your casino, you can be safe in the knowledge that they offer a quality gaming product.

• Evolution Gaming - Arguably one of the best live casino providers in the world is Evolution Gaming. They’re renowned in the casino industry for offering a number of quality live dealer poker games as well as their high-quality streaming platform and easy-to-use interface.
• Microgaming - Best known for its selection of mobile-friendly live dealer poker games, Microgaming is a favourite amongst casino players who love to gamble on the go.
• Playtech - Another top-quality gaming developer in the live dealer poker space is Playtech. This company offers a large number of live dealer poker variants with HD streaming, including Casino Hold’em, Caribbean Stud Poker, and Pai Gow Poker. 

Despite being the same game, there are a number of differences between live dealer poker and conventional casino poker games. Many players prefer playing live dealer casino poker games due to these differences, as they feel they enhance the gaming experience. Below, we’ve highlighted the comparisons between live dealer poker games and conventional casino poker games. 

If you want to play live dealer poker games at your favourite online casino, you’ll find that the only options available are real money poker games. Live casinos rarely offer players the chance to play live dealer games for free due to the significant cost of running these games.

However, players can enjoy traditional versions of these games for free, allowing them to get to grips with the rules and flow of the game. Only once you’re comfortable with how the game works would we recommend switching to real money live dealer poker games. 

Now that you’ve got a handle on the rules of the game, let’s take a look at some handy tips and strategies that will help you when you first start playing.

Live Casino Poker Tips

Before you jump into the world of live dealer poker, our experts have a few tips that you should follow to maximise your enjoyment.

• Try Different Games - There are a number of different live dealer poker variants to choose from, so give each one a try before you settle on a favourite.
• Use Demo Modes When Possible - We recommend that our readers try out the free version of casino poker games before playing for money, as it allows them to understand the mechanics of the game before playing for real money.
• Learn The Poker Hand Rankings - To ensure you know what hands are good and what hands are bad, we recommend that you learn the poker hand rankings table by heart before you start playing.

Live Poker Strategy

Like blackjack, Casino Hold’em has a basic strategy that can be used to reduce the house edge. If you play this strategy perfectly, the RTP rate can go as high as 99.1%, whereas the RTP rate of a player without a strategy can fall as low as 93%.

Follow the rules below to ensure that you increase your RTP rate and improve your chances of walking away a winner in the short term.

1. Always call when you have a pair or better in your hand.
2. Always call when you have an ace or king in your hand and you don’t have a pair or better.
3. Call when you have a queen or jack in your hand and you don’t have a pair or better. The only exception is if the three community cards are all the same suit and you don’t have that suit in your hand (e.g. the flop is 9d7d2d and you hold QcJs).
4. Call when you have four to a flush or four to an open-ended straight draw.
5. Call when you have two overcards to the flop and have four outs to a straight (e.g. the flop is 7c6s2d and you have Td9h).
6. Fold if both of your cards are below a 10.  

To ensure our readers have the best live dealer poker experience, we’ve tasked our experts with finding the very best live dealer poker sites in the UK. Our team has thoroughly researched dozens of sites in the UK market and has found that the following casinos are the top options for live dealer poker games. 

As part of our commitment to finding the best live poker casino sites, we give our experts a list of criteria to help them rate each casino. These criteria are the aspects of live dealer poker casinos that matter most to the average UK punter. To give you an insight into what we look for when rating live dealer poker casino sites, take a look at our list below.

• Licensing - We ensure that every casino we recommend has a licence from the UKGC or equivalent gaming authority. These licenses are a demonstration that the casino has met certain security requirements, so you can trust that you’re playing in a secure and fair casino.
• Game Selection - Another important factor we check for is the variety and quality of live dealer poker games offered by the site to ensure that our readers have a number of high-standard games to choose from.
• Bonuses & Promotions - Many of the top casinos will offer generous bonuses and promotions to both new and existing players, providing additional value to your deposits. We compare the value of each promotion offered by these casinos to find the best casino bonuses online.
• Customer Support - We check the availability, responsiveness, and helpfulness of each casino support team to ensure you’ll get the help you need when you need it.
• Mobile Platform - Our team tests the mobile gaming platform of each casino, whether it’s a dedicated mobile app or a mobile-optimised website to see how the live dealer poker games perform on smaller screens.