Vuetec Review

Vuetec Casino Gaming Software Review

If you're going to come to the game a little late, it helps if you have an innovation or two up your sleeve. That's certainly been Vuebet's trick, and despite missing the early years of the online casinos, the company jumped ahead of the competition with its early mastery of live games. Rather than having the players pit their wits against a faceless computer, with only artificial graphics and sound for company, live dealer games take you right into the heart of the casino, streaming live video of a croupier turning up the cards in realtime.

Vuebet was the first company to deliver truly authentic live dealer games. Indeed, that's still true to a certain extent today. While other companies create artificial mock-ups of casinos, Vuetec's stream comes live from a genuine casino, Fitzwilliam's Casino and Card Club in Dublin. The croupiers aren't supple and glossy Latvians, but grizzled professionals who have worked extensively in their field before hitting your screen.

Authenticity or High Performance?

Vuetec's authenticity isn't always an asset.  The need to film in a real casino that accommodates live customers means that you don't get the intimate contact with the croupier and players that you see on some other live platforms. The camera angle is a litle more distant, too, making you feel as though you're being held at a distance rather than taking full part in the game. The video stream is of lower quality than the HD output offered by many of Vuetec's rivals. Also, while the Java-based software has higher compatibility than other alternatives, and works smoothly with slower connections, it can be a bit clunky. In short, the Vuetec Live Dealer facilities may have been first, but they're now beginning to show their age.

Radical Features

There are a few other aspects of Vuetec's blackjack that we're in two minds about: Basic Strategy and Early-Payouts. Basic Strategy means that your playing options are more limited, and the computer takes some of the decision making away from you. This is perhaps helpful for less experienced players, but blackjack fiends won't appreciate the decreased influence they have. Early-Payouts are also offered. This means that the probability of your hand winning is calculated, and you're given a chance to take a reduced payout at an earlier stage. This seems nice initially, but the smaller payouts mean you're limiting your wins on potentially strong hands, while generally still suffering the full effect of the poorer hands you're dealt. Over time, this is likely to increase rather than decrease the house edge. On the live dealer blackjack, you often have to grapple with both Early Payouts and Basic Strategy. Whether or not you appreciate this is likely to depend upon your level of experience.

Vuetec doesn't just do live versions. Its range of non-live RNG titles is rather limited, but you do get clear delineation between games - from the play-style if not from the rather dull visuals. You can experiment with variations equipped with the above Basic Strategy and Early Payouts features. The Multi-Hand version lets you play three hands at a time. Even the basic blackjack game has an interesting feature, Doppelganger, that lets you place an optional side-bet on your hand comprising a pair. Suited and coloured pairs have higher payouts.

Overall, we can't really decide whether we like Vuetec or not. The authenticity is impressive, but there are areas where this slightly distances you rather than bringing you into the action. The software and feed quality needs to be overhauled, and some of the features won't be entirely welcome to experienced users. For first-timers, though, Vuetec still makes an impressive introduction. Unusually, you often have the opportunity of playing the live games for fun, giving you a chance to grasp the mechanics of live play without losing your money.

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