If you choose to browse any poker-inspired forum or Reddit page, you’ll see a high volume of comments claiming that online games are rigged. This is part of a wider perception of online casino platforms, but just how valid is this notion?
In truth, such claims are often the result of players responding emotionally to the loss of a hand and their cold, hard cash. Similarly, there’s a misunderstanding about how random number generators (RNGs) work, and whether they can be manipulated to produce specific hands.
We’ll explore this technology in more detail below while appraising just how fair individual poker games are!
Is Online Poker Fair? And How Do Sites Make Their Money?
Let’s start with a basic assertion: online poker is demonstrably fair. This is certainly the case at regulated sites, which must submit their games for regular testing and comply with transparency guidelines as part of their individual licensing agreements.
There’s also a huge financial incentive for poker rooms to maintain the integrity of their games. After all, they draw a huge amount of money from individual deposits and thrive by developing significant levels of trust and building high levels of traffic.
Broadly speaking, online poker rooms collect a portion of each game’s pot as their commission. This is known as the pot ‘rake’, and can range between 2.5% and 10% of each hand depending on the game or tournament in question.
So, it’s a much superior business model for sites to attract a high volume of players and encourage regular gameplay rather than rig games.
To further incentivize players to maximize their deposits and play regularly, sites will offer welcome bonuses and generous rakeback promotions. You can register with GG Poker here to see precisely how this works, and just how brands are able to generate revenue online.
How do RNGs Guarantee Fairness?
Key to the fairness and randomness of online poker rooms is their aforementioned RNGs. There are two primary types of random number generator technology: namely ‘true’ RNGs and ‘pseudo-random’ RNGs.
The latter is completely computer-generated and used to guarantee fairness in video poker games. Although it’s not an arbitrary system, it leverages a deterministic procedure and formula to generate random number sequences.
The main element here is a so-called “seed” number, which is added to the equation in every single calculation. Then, the outcome of the previous equation is established as the new seed number value.
There are two main points of contention surrounding pseudo-random RNGs. Firstly, the initial seed number will inevitably be repeated at some point, resetting the overall cycle and indicating a finite number of outcomes. However, poker rooms overcome this simply by creating RNGs that are constantly working even when games aren’t being played.
Secondly, players believe that pseudo-random RNGs can be manipulated, thanks in part to the fact that they’re not completely arbitrary. However, this can prove almost impossible depending on the precise software being used, while licensed online poker rooms have little opportunity or incentive to do it.
The Bottom Line
Despite the confusion that surrounds RNGs and online poker rigging, much of this is the result of misinformation and misconceptions. In fact, there’s little incentive for online poker rooms to rig games, while this is incredibly hard to do and arguably counterproductive.
Much of the evidence for rigging is anecdotal too, and drawn from an incredibly small sample of hands and experiences. Statistically, hundreds and thousands of hands would have to showcase bias for any type of rigging to be proven, and this has never been observed on any kind of meaningful scale.
Ultimately, sophisticated RNGs and the way in which they’re deployed makes online poker rooms fair and transparent. There’s certainly no evidence of game rigging online, particularly among licensed and regulated operators.
