Opus Gaming Review
In the online gambling world, players rarely learn much about the companies that supply the games they enjoy. In fact, other than a few of the biggest developers, it’s rare that they even know the names of these firms: as long as the games work and they’re fun to play, gamblers tend to be happy.
Sometimes, this level of anonymity surprises us, especially when talking about groups that have a pretty big footprint on the online gambling world. One great example is Opus Gaming, an Asian online gambling provider that does a little bit of everything, from casino software to sportsbook platforms and a large collection of games of all types, from slots to lotteries.
They’re also one of the fastest growing players in the live dealer sector, at least in Asian markets. Their portfolio is one of the largest we’ve seen, including a number of games we’ve yet to see offered up by any other provider. While Opus may not be a household name just yet, we expect them to get a lot more attention in the near future.
One of Asia’s Biggest Selections
Opus Gaming has certainly not held back when it comes to creating their live dealer platform. When we review most providers of such games, we expect to see the usual: roulette, baccarat, blackjack, and so on. But Opus goes far beyond those “standard” options, offering enough variety to keep many players completely satisfying, meaning that you might not even have to leave the live dealer area to get everything you want (assuming you aren’t looking for slots, of course).
Let’s start by taking a look at what is probably the most beloved table game in Asia: baccarat. Appropriately, Opus offers up several versions of the game, each of which come with an easy to use interface. Most of the screen for all of these games is taken up by the live video stream, which not only shows your friendly dealer presenting the game at hand, but also shows more of the studio behind them, often adding just a little more life to the atmosphere. The décor features classic green tables, while the backdrop feels appropriate for an Asian casino, without delving into the realm of the stereotypical.
In this main baccarat game, you’ll be able to place the standard player, banker, and tie bets, along with pair and big/small side bets. Just a single hand is dealt per table, though each table can accommodate many players. As an alternative, players can also try their hand at no-commission baccarat; in this version, the banker bet pays out at even money, though players only win half a bet if they bet on the banker and win with a hand score of 6.
An alternative version of baccarat (available in both of the game types mentioned above) includes a squeeze function that allows whomever made the highest bet to take a look at the cards before everyone else, similar to how a high-stakes game might work in a closed-off VIP room. But wait, there’s more: Opus also offers “7 Up Baccarat,” a game that places an added importance on the number seven. Banker wins of 7 pay out at 3-2 odds, while the player can only win 1-2 if they score with a seven. There are several other rule changes and side bets that go along with these, making this an interesting variant for those who think standard baccarat is just a little too predictable.
Blackjack doesn’t have quite the history in this part of the world that baccarat enjoys, but it is still popular enough to be a must inclusion in any live dealer platform. Sure enough, there’s a version of the game here, one that is designed to allow an unlimited number of players to participate at a single table. It’s a take on the increasingly popular “shared hand” format in which everyone makes their own decisions, but the cards are all dealt to a single hand, allowing each gambler to play their own way without needing to find a spot at the table. The main difference here is that there are four positions, allowing you to play multiple hands if you’d like on each deal. There are a couple interesting rules in play here: doubling is only allowed on a count of 11, for instance, and if basic strategy recommends splitting, you must if you want to continue the hand: otherwise, you’ll have to surrender the hand and receive 80% of your money back to exit the hand.
Another classic game with worldwide appeal is roulette. As in most live dealer versions, you’ll be playing on a European layout with just a single zero available. The layout here is actually rather mundane: while you’ll see the wheel and the croupier in a small video feed at the top of the screen, your bets are placed below on the most basic of table layouts: not the most visually appealing, but it is easy to navigate. There’s also a readout of the ten most recent results for those who like to track the history of the wheel.
Sic Bo is another game that many in the gambling world are familiar with: a dice game that offers the same kind of predictive betting seen in roulette. Not surprisingly, the layouts here are similar to those in the roulette game we described above, with a small video area above a much larger area where you can place any of the many different bets allowed in this game.
Just the games noted so far would be enough to make this a very solid collection by live dealer standards, but Opus has a lot more on tap. For instance, you can play Dragon Tiger, a game that is essentially an Asian-themed version of Casino War. Another animal themed game is Fish Prawn Crab, which is very similar to Sic Bo but uses dice with animals on their sides rather than numbers. Texas Hold’em Poker is also offered, in which you’ll play one-on-one against the dealer in a game patterned after the world’s most popular form of poker. There’s also Three Pictures, an odd version of Three Card Poker in which the more face cards you have, the better your hand is.
Finally, we’d like to point out one rather unusual offering that many players might want to take a look at. A 3D Live Lottery option offers up regular drawings of three balls each, in which you can make a much wider variety of bets than you would in a standard, state-run lottery.
Clear Asian Focus
If the game selection didn’t tip you off, we’ll be happy to confirm that Opus Gaming is a brand that is focused on targeting Asian markets. The company holds a license in the Philippines, the go-to destination for regulation when a developer wants to target countries in the region. All of their games are broadcast live from a studio in Manila’s Makati City, an area that hosts several other live dealer operations as well.
One of the great things about this platform is how seriously it takes its efforts to reach a variety of markets in the sphere. While some sites – even those that are trying to attract customers from several countries – may only offer one or two different languages, a total of seven are supported in this casino software. Along with English, Japanese, Thai, and Mandarin Chinese, you can also play these games in Tieng Viet (Vietnamese), Khmer (the language of Cambodia), or Bahasa (Indonesia). It is an approach that leaves as few people out as possible, meaning you’re likely to be able to enjoy these games in the language that is easiest and most comfortable for you. On the other hand, the dealers tend to be extremely quiet – so while all the text can be found in any language you like, you won’t hear much (if anything) out of the people presenting the games.
Minimum and maximum bets can vary tremendously between sites, as Opus allows operators to largely set these limits of their own accord. Typically, sites offer a wide range of limits that can accommodate many types of players. However, there is no free play option, so in order to try these games, you’ll have to jump right into real money tables.
A Growing Brand That Could Be a Major Player
Overall, we were quite impressed with what we say from Opus Gaming. It’s hard to argue with the pure quantity of options they bring to the table: not only do they have virtually everything we’ve seen anywhere else on the Internet, but they also have a few unusual options that we suspect will be quite popular in their target regions, as well as one of the best implementations of an online lottery anywhere in the industry.
That’s not to say that the entire package is flawless. Our biggest complaint has to be with the dealers themselves: while they are perfectly competent, they are also silent, which takes away the potential for you to interact with them on any real level. For some players, that may not be a big deal, but many users enjoy live dealer games specifically for this interaction and the casino immersion that comes with it – and that feeling is largely lost when the dealers stay quiet.
But in the grand scheme of things, that’s a minor issue for most players, especially when the overall quality of presentation and gaming is so high. If you’re looking to play some live dealer games while in Asia, you can’t do much better than these games by Opus – a name we suspect gamblers are going to become much more familiar with in the near future.
