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Video Poker Archive A Rigged Video Poker Game - Part 2 In part 1 of this, we showed you that one of the Internet casino software companies offers a 9/6 Jacks game which can be programmed to return considerably less than the 99.54% players expect from a similar game that deals the cards in a random manner. Now, we're ready to name names. And, while we cannot irrefutably prove that the company we'll name is the one that offers this software, the evidence is overwhelming and so you should be able to come to your own conclusion. The Game in QuestionHere, you'll find this Video Poker screen shot of the manager's interface for a $1 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker game that has a progressive Royal Flush "jackpot". There aren't many games like this to be found at Internet casinos because the basic pay schedule in a randomly-dealt version returns 99.54% of all the $$$ bet, if players use proper strategy. When you add in the increased value of a progressive Royal, this game has a long-term return of over 100% when the Royal is at $5000 or more. That, of course, assumes the cards are dealt in a way that conforms to acceptable practices within the industry (randomly, in other words). When you view the screen shot, you can quickly see that there is a place to set the pay schedule for each hand as well as its frequency. The implications of that was covered in Part 1, but let it suffice to say that such a device would be considered casino cheating in every major gambling jurisdiction in the U.S., if not the world. So what we have here is a game with an attractive "basic" pay schedule, the added attraction of a progressive Royal Flush, but it's rigged or gaffed or whatever else you care to call a non-random game. The Hunt The challenge for us was to identify the producer of this software, then to identify the casinos that are using it. Fortunately, we were able to obtain what appear to be screen shots of the manager's interface for other games offered by this company and here's what we found: Blackjack Screen Shot.You can see that this casino offers a multi-deck game where the dealer stands on A-6, doubling is allowed only on 9, 10 and 11, no double after split is allowed and surrender is an option that each individual casino may obviously offer but this one chose to not do so. (Remember that, because it's a key point.) Also, the bet limits are $1-$25. Caribbean Poker Screen Shot.An examination of the "Ante" payout shows it's fairly standard for the industry, but it does not match the pay schedule offered by casinos that use Microgaming Systems software, so we can eliminate them from our search. However, the pay out for the progressive gives us a big clue. Notice that a player who makes the $1 side bet on the progressive receives 1000 if s/he hits a Straight Flush. At most online casinos, there is no $1 side bet, but for those operations that offer it, most award 10% of the jackpot, rather than a fixed amount. Slot Machine Screen Shot.In the upper right-hand corner, you can see that this game is identified as "25C Diamond" slots. Also, you can see that this machine has 5 paylines and it must also have a progressive jackpot, because 5 % of all the bets go into it. Craps Screen Shot.The primary identifiers here are a $1-$50 betting limit and 2X free odds. Roulette Screen Shot.Because this game is identified as "1-100 American Roulette", it seems reasonable to assume it's a double-zero wheel with betting limits of $1-$100, although the maximum that may be bet on any one "spot" (one number, red, black, etc.) is $25. Making a Match We want to say here and now that the video poker software we're investigating can also be set to play in a random manner and some casinos that are using it may indeed be offering a fair game. However, the players who gamble at such a casino have no way of readily verifying that. Consequently, prudence suggests that all casinos using this software should be painted with the same broad brush. The best clue here is the video poker game itself. As I mentioned earlier, a $1 9/6 Jacks game with a progressive Royal is rare. In fact, I could think of only two software companies that offer it: Radiate and Gambling Software Systems (GSS). We were able to rule out Radiate because their game pays 5 for 1 on a Straight and the game in question here pays 4 for 1. That left GSS as the chief suspect, but we need more proof than that. What I did was visit a GSS-powered casino called Abyss Casino (www.abysscasino.com) to see if anything matched. Well, Abyss Casino has a $1 9/6 Jacks or Better game with a progressive Royal Flush jackpot, a $.25 slot called "Triple Diamond" that has 5 paylines as well as a progressive and they have a double-zero Roulette Wheel. Their Crap game allows 2X free odds, the Straight Flush on the $1 side bet at Caribbean Poker pays $1000 and their Blackjack game has the rules listed above. In the Blackjack game at Abyss Casino, you'll see that there is a Surrender "button" but it doesn't work, so it must have been disabled, just as the screen shot showed. All of the betting limits of all of the games match, by the way. Is this irrefutable proof that all casinos using GSS software offer "rigged" video poker games? No. Is this proof that Abyss Casino offers a rigged video poker game? No. But there's an old saying: "If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it's probably a duck". Please feel free to draw your own conclusions. Incidentally, we e-mailed GSS about this and have yet to get a response, but we'll publish any replies we get as an addendum to this. Also, GSS is a member of the Interactive Gaming Council and I sent their Executive Director this message: -----Original Message-----From: aceten1@mindspring.com [mailto:aceten1@mindspring.com] Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2001 2:42 PM To: executive.director@igcouncil.org Cc: sue@rivercitygroup.com Subject: Your code of conduct for members Hello, Mr. Smith. I run a Website at www.gamemasteronline.com and am going to publish an article on Friday about one of your member companies, Gamblingsoftware.com (GSS). In that article I will show that it appears this company is offering a video poker game that is programmed in such a way that the pay out has been set more like a slot machine, rather than a "normal" video poker game. In fact some of the background on this is already at my site on the Video Poker page. Now, I realize that we all may have different opinions on how video poker game payouts should be set and I fully agree that a casino may choose to make their payouts as high or as low as they wish. But let me show you what appears on the site of a GSS-powered casino, namely Abyss Casino: "The odds offered at our casino are equal to what one would find in the world's finest casinos: be it Las Vegas, Monte Carlo, Atlantic City, or Macao. For your protection, all your gaming and financial transactions are recorded and stored on our secure system and are only available for your inspection at any time. Additionally, we make available to you the odds and pay out percentages of each game. Just ask. We guarantee that all of our games keep within the rules of play as established by the Nevada Gaming Commission." I don't know how familiar you are with the Nevada gaming regulations, but if you check you'll find that they require the cards in a video poker game to be dealt on a "random" basis and I think it's fair to say that the type of game offered at Abyss Casino is not what one could call "random". Now, one of the sections of your Code of Conduct says the following: "IGC members shall be truthful in all promotions and publish only accurate information about their operations. Gaming and Wagering Operator Member rules, registration procedures and payout percentages will be made available to the public." It's obvious that Abyss Casino's statement, "all of our games keep within the rules of play as established by the Nevada Gaming Commission" is untrue and, in fact, very misleading to players who are considering playing there. I'd appreciate your thoughts on this and would be happy to include them either in or as an addendum to the proposed article. End of message Here is a list of casinos that we believe use GSS software, which incidentally, has been on the OPA's "Not Recommended" list since January, 2001 and on the GameMaster OnLine Warning list the same length of time:
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