If you have played any live casino games online, you will notice that dealers may change from time to time. While this may seem strange if you have just joined a live casino table, this is a common practice at land-based casinos as well. The main reason for dealer rotation in live casinos is to allow croupiers to take a break, as they spend quite long gaming sessions overseeing the gameplay with numerous online players.
You may be wondering if dealer rotation can affect your gameplay in any way. Many players look for different factors to tilt the scales in their favour. Strangely enough, some believe they can even take advantage of dealer rotations, which are a standard practice in live casino games.
To learn why live casino dealers switch so often and how this simple routine may affect your gameplay, we recommend you continue reading. We will cover the most common reasons for the rotation process and what this action may mean for your online casino sessions.
Reasons Why Dealers Rotate in Live Casino Games
Whenever you play at a live casino, you will notice that dealers tend to change once every 20 minutes. This is especially true for blackjack tables where dealers either switch tables or take a break and are replaced by another dealer. It is rare for dealers to spend an entire hour at the same table and there are several reasons for that:
Dealers taking a break
A dealer’s job is quite tiring, so one of the main reasons they take breaks every few minutes is to refresh their minds. As dealers are constantly making quick calculations and must always be correct, longer sessions may take their toll on the dealers’ concentration. This is why dealers will typically take a break every 20 minutes or 40 minutes, depending on the type of casino table game they conduct.
Reducing Errors
This is closely related to the factor of taking breaks mentioned above. Spending too much time at the same table can quickly become repetitive. Dealing cards in blackjack, baccarat, or poker can become a simple habit as one’s brain tends to switch off. This is why dealers, especially those who manage card games, are typically switched every 20 minutes. That way, any errors that may occur due to dealers losing focus can be reduced.
Put a stop to a winning streak
While allowing dealers to refresh their minds is the most common reason for dealer rotations, when you play live casino games, a dealer may be replaced by another dealer to stop a winning streak. Whenever a table experiences a suspicious winning streak, the dealer may be replaced by another casino croupier to prevent any further wins.
Put a stop to a losing streak
It is also possible for dealers to be switched whenever there is an overly long losing streak. That way, players feel like they are given a new chance of enjoying better outcomes. However, those rotations would simply give the house a greater advantage and could keep players longer at live casino tables.
Giving players the opportunity to see new faces
While live casino software companies train all of their dealers to be charming, polite, and professional, dealers inevitably get on the bad side of losing players. As some people are extremely superstitious, they may think that a certain dealer is bringing them bad luck. In such cases, they often appreciate when a new face appears in the game and gives them a new chance of winning, or so they believe.
Preventing any relations between dealers and players
Another reason for more frequent dealer rotations is preventing players from getting used to dealers and taking advantage of that. By switching dealers every 20 minutes, players are not given enough time to learn the specific dealing style of a dealer and gain an advantage over the house.
Impact Dealer Rotations Can Have on Live Casino Sessions
When we take into consideration the reasons for dealer rotations mentioned above, we can deduce several ways this standard process affects gameplay during live casino sessions. Since dealers are often switched, they cannot get used to the players, nor can players get too familiar with the way a specific dealer handles cards. This prevents cheating as players are not given enough time to develop any technique that would work on the dealer that is currently dealing the cards.
One thing that you should keep in mind is that both players and dealers must be in great condition to play casino games. Dealers get a break once every 20 minutes, allowing them to unwind for a bit and refresh their minds. Having regular breaks allows dealers to be sharp in the following betting sessions, avoiding any mistakes during the next dealing of the cards. However, players do not get to take breaks and refresh their minds while playing live casino games. Instead, they become accustomed to the repetitive action and their minds often shut off.
Remember how we mentioned that switching dealers to stop losing streaks actually gives the casino a greater advantage? While dealers get to take a break and recharge their batteries, players tend to get tired and make more mistakes. Ultimately, this gives the casino an edge over the players because live casino sessions are constantly played with dealers who are able to focus on the game.
If there is suspicion that a player has been counting cards or implementing another type of technique considered cheating, instead of switching the dealer, the casino staff will give the suspected player a warning. However, dealers are instructed to handle cards in a way that prevents cheating or any strategies that would tilt the scales in favour of the player. For instance, to prevent card counting, live blackjack will have the dealer shuffle the cards in the shoe when about half of the decks have been dealt. That is why a rotation of dealers is rarely required to prevent cheating.
The duration of a single gaming session for live casino dealers may be 20 or 40 minutes. The length of time they conduct table games depends on the type of casino game and the times set by the software developer. Typically, live blackjack tables have their dealers rotate every 20 minutes because the game requires extra attention, as many blackjack players try to take advantage of different strategies and gain an advantage over the house.
As mentioned earlier, one of the reasons why dealers rotate in live casino games is to put a stop to a losing streak. In such cases, players may believe they will have better luck with a new dealer or a switch may even bring down the house edge. We should remind you that casinos will rarely act in a way that will cost them more losses than wins. That is why you should not believe the misconception that switching dealers will favour the players.
At the end of the day, dealer rotation is more likely to give the house better winning chances as the games are constantly played by dealers who have enough time to rest between sessions and prepare to be fully focused in the following few minutes of play. Meanwhile, players who have been placing wagers for the last few gaming sessions may be tired and lose focus more easily, leading to more mistakes that can cost them their bets.
Can Dealer Rotation Have a Positive Impact on Your Live Casino Play?
While you may come across some players who believe that certain dealers will bring them better luck, it is a misconception that dealers are often switched with other casino dealers to give players better chances of winning. Typically, dealers rotate every 20 or 40 minutes and take a break for about 20 minutes.
While dealers take their break, they recharge for the next gaming session they will conduct. Meanwhile, their place at the live casino table has been taken by another dealer who has just started their shift or has returned from their break. That ensures that dealers are always focused on the game, preventing any mistakes that may cost the casino more losses than usual.
It is possible that a dealer has a bad day and luck is not on their side. In such cases, long losing streaks for the casino may see the dealer switching with a colleague earlier than originally scheduled. However, this also works in favour of the casino, as a new dealer will be able to fully focus on the game while the players who have already played for several rounds may easily be distracted and make mistakes.
