fastangs2005 wrote:
After many an argument at the VP bars, can someone give me the
definitive explanation on how the RNG actually works? When does it
deal the deck, does it set all of the cards with the first deal, or
does it continue to shuffle after the first deal? Is there a
different way the RNGs work on older VPs or Multi-games?
Also, after tens of thousands of hands and paying attention to
discards, I will swear that they aren't always totally "Random"
Not that it really matters in the end, but it would be fun to know if
you held the right cards.
Thanks in advance.
Here's the gist of what I've picked up from these forums:
In the newest generations of IGT machines, the RNG is always cycling.
When you start your bet, out spill the numbers that are mapped to the
5 dealt cards. When you press Draw, out spill the numbers that
determine the draw cards.
Older IGT machines spilled out all 10 potential hand cards at the bet.
When you drew, the sufficient number of cards filled in sequentially
from the 5 in reserve. (I don't know if it was true of IGT machines,
but in some vendor's machines the 5 reserved cards were paired with
the 5 dealt cards, so that when a dealt card was discarded, it would
be replaced with the paired reserve card.)
···
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Now, for a greater discussion of this and machine randomness in
general, your best bet is to review the archives. Most everything
that has been said under the sun can be found.
While I realize that you're not strongly challenging the randomness of
vp machines here, I'll comment that repeated discussions of randomness
are a little fruitless. Ultimately, people either buy onto what's
been said, or argue against it ... but at the end of the day, it's
rare that anyone has accepted anything that they didn't already hold
as true at the start.
Look to the vpFREE FAQ for what held to be the established facts by
most in this group: http://members.cox.net/vpfree/FAQ.htm
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So, a couple of observations:
Randomness is often understood as a steady variation of data, in which
there are no discernible patterns that allow you to predict what comes
next. This is accurate, but some people feel that if they identify a
pattern within some subset of that data, it suggests that things
aren't entirely random.
This latter impression is mistaken. Over any period of random data,
there will be "patterns". Throw a large number of darts at a
dartboard (using, say, a device that reasonably ensures randomness)
and you'll likely see patterns within the arrangement. The key is
that those patterns won't allow you to predict what comes next any
better than ... well ... simply guessing the next set of outcomes at
"random" ;).
It's human nature to look for patterns. (Familiar with the
constellations?) It's very difficult to discern randomness.
- Harry