What to Do When Your Live Stream Buffers Mid-Hand
Live casino games are great until the screen freezes at exactly the wrong moment. You're halfway through a hand, and the dealer stops moving. Can everyone else see what you're seeing? Is it a problem or a problem with the casino?
The important thing to know is that the video stream and the actual game aren't always the same thing. Your stream can buffer, and the hand can still continue on the casino or game provider's servers.
And if you're playing something like live poker where you still have decisions to make, that can obviously be a problem. Read on to find out what normally happens and what you can do about it.
Why Live Poker Games Can Buffer
Most live poker games are streamed from a studio using real cameras and dealers, so they need a fairly stable internet connection.
Buffering can happen because of:
- Weak Wi-Fi
- Mobile data dropping in and out
- Too many devices using the same connection
- Other apps or browser tabs using bandwidth
- An outdated browser or casino app
- Problems with the casino or live game provider
Sometimes it isn't actually your internet, which is more likely than it being the casino servers.
And remember that the video can lag without the entire game disconnecting. Your betting buttons or other controls might still work even though the dealer looks like they've been frozen in time.
What Happens if a Live Stream Buffers Mid-Hand?
It depends on when the interruption happens and whether you've already placed your wager.
In regulated markets, casinos should have rules for interrupted games.
The UK Gambling Commission says that if a bet has already been accepted and the player can no longer influence the outcome, the result should generally stand. For games with several stages or decisions, operators should take reasonable steps to restore the game to its last known state so it can be completed.
That's especially relevant to card games because the system can retain information such as the cards already dealt and bets that have been placed.
The situation is simpler with modern casinos that accept crypto as a payment method, since this enables ‘provably fair’ games that are verifiable via by cryptographic algorithms that cannot be altered or manipulated once they’re set in motion (or before). This has represented a breakthrough in terms of fairness for blackjack, poker, roulette and crypto casino slots over the past few years. Its primary purpose is to bring visibility to fairness mechanics, but the practical upshot is that situations like this – where internet connections drop out at unexpected moments – don’t need to make you second-guess the honesty of the site you’re playing with. It’s all right there in the open.
Bearing all of that in mind, buffering doesn't automatically mean you've lost the hand or your stake.
If the game is still waiting for you to make a decision, what happens next can depend on the individual provider's rules. That's why it's worth knowing the interruption rules of the casino you're actually using.
Step-by-Step of What to Do if Your Live Stream Buffers
The first thing I'd do is avoid clicking everything on the screen five times. If the game is only lagging, if you're rapidly tapping to put more poker chips down, it can still happen with a delay.
Instead:
1. Check whether the game controls still work.
2. Give the stream a few seconds.
3. Check your internet connection.
4. Switch connection if you can.
5. Reopen the table if you're disconnected.
6. Check your transaction or game history.
7. Contact casino support if something looks wrong.
Regulated operators are also expected to make their policies for common service interruptions available to players.
Most buffering problems are only annoying for a few seconds. But when money is already on the table, checking what actually happened before clicking or betting again is probably the most important thing you can do.