Yes, I saw this web site myself some time ago. I agree with a lot of things this man says about Internet casinos.
He states, “The software that runs cyber gambling is programmed to beat you no matter how good of a player you are!”
I think the truth is closer to this:
The software is not necessarily programmed to beat you, but it is programmed in such a way that your skill as a player has very little bearing on the outcome. Obviously, if you are playing blackjack and you hit on a hard 20, that would be an utterly stupid play and you would lose a lot more than if you played a good and correct basic strategy. But if you play the table games with an even reasonable level of skill, then your skill, or lack of it, won’t affect the outcome very much. The reason for that is that the algorithms which are used in the software and to which the random number generator is linked are designed to maintain a certain house edge be it 2% or 20%.
Basically the program decides by use of the random number generator whether your next decision is going to be a winner or loser. Then, it produces hands at blackjack, or spins of the roulette wheel, or rolls at the craps table to manifest that decision. If the software has determined that you are going to be lucky and win the next decision and you have bet on red, for instance at the roulette wheel, then the next decision will be red. If it has fallen your lot to lose the next decision, then it will produce a result of black or zero.
The house edge.
The software always maintains the house edge or at least close to it. Therefore, let’s say the house edge for this particular casino on this particular night of play is 4%. Then, if you are winning at a rate that would reflect say 108% of your money Ligawd wagered, then someone else is losing and the house is enjoying a 16% edge over that player at the time and he is only receiving back 84% of his total money wagered. Do you see what I mean? The house edge is basically maintained at all times; perhaps not exactly, but close to it. And if this doesn’t sound fair, there is a good reason for this which I will explain momentarily.
The writer also made the observation that when one increases his bets, his/her winning percentage seems to drop. I have also personally observed this seeming phenomenon and have received many letters from others complaining and asking about this. Once again, I believe the reason for this (if it is truly happening and I believe in many cases that it is) the software is maintaining the house edge.
In our hypothetical scenario, the house is going to win 4% of all the money bet at any one point. If you raise your bet above normal levels that others may be betting at the time, or above normal levels that you have been betting, then you will be more likely to lose those bets on a basis of pure mathematics alone (losses must increase as bets increase to maintain 4%). I believe this is probably a better explanation for this phenomenon other than a blatant attempt of the casino to lure the unsuspecting player into making larger bets then lowering the boom.
The laws of theory and probabilities.
As far as the statement the writer made about things happening that defies all the laws of theory and probabilities, I have to say a big amen to that. I played online casinos quite a bit back in the early part of 1998. I was like most people and didn’t understand how online casinos worked and what I was up against. I automatically assumed, like most people, that the games worked just like real casino games and if I could win in a land based casino I could win online.
I had a computer craps game that I had practiced with extensively and I could beat it almost every time without exception. In fact, it was easier to beat than playing live in a real casino.
I thought that online casinos were going to be the answer to my prayers and a dream come true. I could play anytime I wanted and make all the money I wanted from the comfort of my own home. No more having to drive 45 minutes one way to get to the casinos, no more having to put up with cigarette smoke and rude dealers, and being on my feet for hours at a time; it was going to be paradise!
Boy did I have a rude awakening!
It didn’t take too long before I realized something was amiss. I could see that certain patterns and events just didn’t happen the way they did in real casinos. I would see more weird, unusual, yes and unbelievable occurrences in one session than I would normally see in perhaps weeks of live play in a real casino.
And these things always worked against me and never once benefited me. As the writer stated, the events just defied all probability. Of course, now that I understand how the software works, it is easy to see that the more skillful a player is, the more unusual events he will see take place, because it will take more to beat him and extract the house edge.
I won’t open that can of worms.
The writer talks about winning when playing off-line and losing when playing for real money. I also experienced this, but you never know. Could I have just been lucky when playing off-line? How could you prove it one way or the other? I won’t open that can of worms.
I also was very angry at online casinos at first and felt that I was being cheated. I wrote letters to 3 different casinos (which will remain nameless) confronting them and accusing them of not offering fair games and giving the player an honest shot. Besides the software, even the rules they employed (especially in craps) were highly unfavorable to the player in most casinos. (They would have had a better win percentage than land based casinos on that alone.) I’m sorry to say that not one of them responded. But I’m sure they get a lot of letters like that from people who don’t understand how they operate and it would be too time consuming to answer them all.
The explanation.
I was however, forwarded a letter from a member of management of an online casino in which he gave the explanation (which I passed on to you above) of basically how the software works. I paraphrased his explanation but he did dogmatically state that skill had nothing to do with the outcomes and it was purely chance. He also gave examples similar to the ones I gave about how the house percentage is maintained.
Now, let’s look at the other side of the coin a moment. From the casinos point of view, they have to have software that operates this way or else they wouldn’t be in business too long.
Most software programs deal every hand of blackjack from a fresh deck. If it were not done this way, then sharp card counters could put some hurt on them. In fact, there are many blackjack programs out there that can track every card played and at any time tell you exactly the perfect play to make in any situation and on top of that, they can indicate the proper bet size for the odds. Not even the best card counter who ever lived could do that.
I know there is the foundation for a roulette program that should have similar success out there now as well. If a player had these programs running in the background, and the online casino software worked exactly like the real casino games, then it wouldn’t take but a few days or a few weeks at most for savvy players to put online casinos out of business all together. So you see, they have no choice but to program their software in the manner that they do. It’s either that, or cease to exist.
I don’t consider myself a gambler.
I personally don’t play online casinos (unless I win an account at Gone Gambling or I’m given an account). Strange as it seems, I don’t consider myself a gambler in the strictest sense of the word. I am a short term investor that hopefully can use his acquired knowledge and skills to turn a long term profit.
Since skill is basically not a factor when playing online, I choose not to do so. I don’t enjoy playing if I’m fairly certain the long term outcome has already been determined. Sure, I might get lucky like anyone else, but I don’t like depending entirely on luck for my success. But that is just me. The vast majority of online gamblers realize and accept the fact that they are playing a game that will most likely ultimately result in their losing. And if they get excitement and a challenge and have some fun while testing their luck, then good for them. And if they get lucky and have a nice win, then I applaud them and say, “Play on brothers and sisters.” Just be sure to play at one of the reputable casinos advertised by the Gone Gambling newsletter and web site.
To wrap things up I would like to say that I only wish more online casinos would make it clear exactly what the facts are concerning how the software operates and what the players are up against. Then if people still want to play online, then great. But as for me, I’ll basically stick with land based casinos for now.
