Roulette

Table Preview

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Table Preview

Live Roulette and Live Auto Roulette are the two main options you will find in the Ezugi repertoire, spread across over a dozen tables.

You can play live roulette in the form of Diamond Roulette, Roulette Gold, Speed Roulette, join native tables with dealers speaking Turkish or Spanish or enjoy direct streaming from Casino Marina, Portomaso or Oracle for a bit of OTT action.

We’ve noticed that Speed Roulette has a lot more players than Diamond Roulette or Roulette Gold, so we decided to try it out. In this game, you only get 15 seconds to place a bet, so the rounds are super-fast and exciting.

The game can be hosted by both male and female croupiers who are dressed very elegantly and sit in a modern studio with card games unraveling in the background. Ezugi’s roulette is a European wheel game, so nothing out of the ordinary. It features all of the most familiar inside and outside bets as well as French bets (Voisins du Zero, Tiers and Orphelins).

Some roulette tables will allow you to switch between front view and top view, while others will rely on multi-camera coverage and time the angle-switching according to what happens in the round at any given moment.

We find this totally acceptable, as the camera was basically reading our mind, zooming in on what we wanted to see at the right time. These people know their job. The UI was easy to follow and the controls are neatly positioned below the feed, with the option of hiding the betting layout (racetrack and standard).

Detailed game history is available, with Hot/Cold Numbers and Recent Winners, as well as winning numbers of the last 25-100 spins. Other than that, it’s a pretty standard roulette game, no surprises.

The automated roulette tables make use of a high-tech auto wheel and allow manual switching between front and top view, giving you 30 seconds to place a bet (15 if you join the Speed Auto Roulette table).

The functionalities are the same as with the European roulette games hosted by human dealers.

Blackjack

Blackjack Preview

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Blackjack Preview

The blackjack lobby has around 20 tables to choose from and some of the most attractive ones are Unlimited Blackjack, Blackjack Gold, and VIP Blackjack with Surrender. Unlimited Blackjack is always a good choice since you don’t have to wait for seats to become vacant.

Keep in mind that this is an Auto Split game, and as soon as you join the table a pop-up window will notify you of the game automatically splitting certain hands and offering you to keep one or play with both.

Your hand will be split if you are dealt 2-2, 3-3, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, or a pair of Aces. Playing both hands doubles your bet automatically.

You can double on any hand, even on a split hand and if the dealer’s upcard is showing an Ace you can take insurance. The game starts with a fresh shoes at the start of each hand and the player has to stand on 19 or more.

You can benefit from Perfect Pairs and 21+3 side bets, too, the former paying up to 25:1 for a matching pair (same rank, same suit) and the later paying up to 100:1 for a suited Three of a kind composed of the player’s first two cards and the dealer’s upcard.

VIP Blackjack with Surrender requires high stakes but allows you to surrender your hand and recover half of the bet after the initial cards are dealt. The rest of the house rules are the same as with regular blackjack tables – all played with 8 decks and come with the two side bets.

Baccarat

Baccarat Preview

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Baccarat Preview

Players who appreciate a simpler concept when it comes to card games have a rich choice of options in the Ezugi baccarat collection.

The provider offers classic Live Baccarat, Knockout Baccarat, Baccarat Super 6, and Baccarat Dragon Bonus.

There are no limits to how many players can access these tables, so you can count on enhanced interaction through live chat.

Player pays even odds, Tie pays at 8:1, and Banker pays at 0.95:1 odds. The classic version comes with the following side bets and payouts:

• Player Pair – 11:1
• Banker Pair – 11:1
• Big – 0.54:1
• Small – 1.5:1
• Perfect Pair – 25:1
• Either Pair – 5:1

It’s the side bets where these games differ, so let’s take a closer look at each of the variations.

Knockout Baccarat is regular baccarat in its essence. What makes it different is an array of 7 separate side bets. The conventional baccarat gameplay can be sometimes underwhelming do to its simplicity, so a healthy choice of side bets should satisfy players who wish to digress from the traditional play.

Side bets are risky, but it is the risk that makes the game exciting.

In Knockout Baccarat, players can wager on the winning total. A natural win for the Player or Banker results in a 4:1 payoff. A win total of 9 pays 2:1, 8 pays 3:1, 7 pays 4:1, whereas 5 or 6 pay 3:1.

The biggest payout is expected from betting on the win total to be 1, 2, 3 or 4, in which case you will receive a prize paid at 7:1 odds. This particular table action is streamed directly from the Ezugi Latin America studio.

Next, we have Baccarat Super 6. This one is also hosted at the LATAM studio and features familiar baccarat rules, except when it comes to betting options. Both Banker and Player min bets pay even odds, whereas you can opt for the Super 6 side bet and if you succeed your bankroll will be boosted by a 12:1 payout.

However, this side bet is extremely hard to pull off and it increases the house edge to nearly 30% which exceeds the notorious Tie bet and is when all is said and done, unfavorable. If the Banker wins with 6 and the Super 6 side bet is inactive, the payout stands at 0.5:1 odds.

Baccarat Dragon Bonus is another twist on the old tale. With this game, you get, once again, classic baccarat with the addition of Dragon Bonus bet options. The rounds are played with 8 decks and the Third Card Rule applies.

The Dragon Bonus Banker and the Dragon Bonus Player win if the hand that the player is betting on wins with a higher natural point count. Alternatively, they win if the winning hand is at least 4 points higher than the losing hand. The payout odds are as follows:

• Natural Win – 1:1
• Natural Tie – Push
• Non-Natural Win by 9 Points – 30:1
• Non-Natural Win by 8 Points – 10:1
• Non-Natural Win by 6-7 Points – 4:1
• Non-Natural Win by 4-5 Points – 2:1

While these are tempting, they increase the house edge significantly. Player Dragon side bet comes with a house edge of 2.65%, whilst the Banker Dragon optional bet raises the house edge to 9.37%.

This was rather scary for us, but if you have the bankroll to support such thrilling play, go for it.

Regardless of the baccarat format you choose, you will have access to classic roadmaps and scoreboards, should you want to keep track of trends throughout the round.

By using the magnifying glass tool you can enhance the scoreboard which is otherwise quite small.

Poker

Poker Preview

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Poker Preview

Casino Hold’em carries the Ezugi poker section. It takes place in the company’s European studio in Romania and is house-banked. This means an unlimited number of players can join and play simultaneously, each doing their best to outrank the dealer’s hand.

You need nothing more than a basic understanding of 5-card poker rankings and a modest bankroll to play Casino Hold’em from Ezugi and have a lot of fun, if we may add.

As soon as you join the game, you will see it printed on the table felt that the dealer qualifies with a pair of 4s or more. If the dealer does not qualify, the Ante is paid even money and any winning call bets will be returned as a push.

As the cards are placed on the table, you will also see their digital representation on the side, which is quite useful, but in all honesty, there is no need for this as the camera angle covers the table well and the visibility of the cards is by no means compromised.

You can hide the virtual cards if you feel like you don’t need them and perhaps rely on this feature during mobile play.

One deck of 52 cards is used and to enter the round simply place a chip in the Ante circle within the allotted time (around 20 seconds). When the betting time expires, the dealer will draw two initial cards for the player and two for the dealer’s hand.

Next, a Flop of three cards will be placed on the table, prompting the player to make a simple decision of accepting the hand or folding.

If you decide to keep playing, the turn and river cards are drawn. In the final round, the showdown, the dealer’s hand is revealed and the winner identified.

The game offers a possibility of placing a side bet at the same time as the Ante. You may have seen a similar optional bet being called the AA bet or the Aces or Better side bet. Ezugi simply calls it the Bonus bet.

To win the side bet, you have to receive a pair of Aces in your initial two cards. The least you can win in this case is a payout at 7:1 odds.

Taking into account the three cards in the Flop, the Bonus bet can pay 20:1 for a Flush, 30:1 for a Full House, 50:1 for a Straight Flush, and an impressive 100:1 for a Royal Flush.

Remember, the side bet is completely independent of the main bet and you can count on it even if the dealer wins the round.

Video Stream Quality

The microphones pick up the sound incredibly well – even too well. We could hear the hand of the dealer grazing the surface of the table as she was gently demonstrating the card placement.

The sounds are really clean and polished and even though background noises come through, it rarely affects hearing the dealer’s commentary.

We’ve noticed that some of the high-stakes tables have a smoother video feed and we have experienced some freezing on occasions, depending on the studio from which the game is broadcasted from.

The video quality is high, but we’ve seen better, and the player doesn’t have the option to adjust this aspect of the stream.

Dealer Interaction

The first thing that we’ve noticed is a great balance between male and female dealers at Ezugi’s tables.

They are always elegant and professional and we are yet to join a table hosted by a dealer that is reserved or does not have a mild smile on their face.

Their behaviour comes across as spontaneous and natural rather than simulated and forced.

The dealers will comment on your chat messages and also greet you as the newcomer at the table, which is to be expected.

Uniqueness

Our overall impression is that Ezugi balances the familiar, traditional elements of live casino games and the presence of innovative features in their products.

Their fresh takes on baccarat and blackjack show the competence of their team of developers and the lack of lottery-style games makes their Bet on Numbers and Live Keno all the more enjoyable.

Games such as Ultimate Blackjack Auto Split and Knockout Baccarat are Ezugi exclusives and you will not find them with other providers. In the same vein, the provider offers operators the possibility of social media integration.

Casinos with a platform that supports these social media feature allow you to share your results on social networks directly from the game.

User Experience

Ezugi’s UI is cleverly designed and gives the player quite a few customisation options. It often blends in with the feed and does not draw too much attention.

The design is subtle and minimalistic while containing all the necessary tools to make the player’s session comfortable.

You can choose to show and hide stats and decide for yourself how cluttered you want your screen to be, which is much appreciated during mobile play.

Through the More Games menu, which can be found in every game in the top left area, you can switch to another table with a single click, without leaving the window and going back to the lobby.