Video "BlackJack"

Have you played one of these:

Have you noticed that something is "not quite right"? Yes. Well I'm about to show you why this Blackjack game is not really Blackjack. Let me explain. In order to understand what I'm about to point out you need to understand a few things:

Blackjack is not simply the rules of the game. Just because you have "decks" of cards doesn't mean you have Blackjack. You have something that looks like blackjack. Blackjack was made for play using physical cards and NOT a random number generator (RNG). Physical cards have certain properties that cannot be changed. They have a thickness and material that sometimes sticks together. I won't go into dealer errors. Not only that but dealing and shuffling of the deck or shoe happens in a certain way.

For example I've watched a dealer shuffle. Here's how it went:

1)The decks are put into a shuffling machine usually referred to as an autoshuffler.
2)A cut card is placed halfway down the deck.
3)The two halves are separated and reversed front to back.
4)The cut card is then placed about 3/4 the way into the deck (also known as penetration).
5)A card is removed from the top of the deck and "burned".
6)The deck is placed in the shoe and the game begins. Note that once the deck is placed in the shoe there is NO OTHER SHUFFLING happening.

Whatever order the cards have, they have until the next shuffle regardless of how many people are playing or when a person enters and leaves the game.

If you've seen my last set of posts you know that there is a particular statistical pattern that will emerge. This is predictable and can be used to "beat" the game so long as you play perfect basic strategy AND use proper bankroll management. Now lets see what it is that these "Blackjack" machines actually do. Please note that I am about to quote the NYS Gambling laws. This differs from other state laws and therefore may not apply where you live. I strongly advise that you find and read the laws governing video games before you put "real" money down.

§ 5319.35. RNG requirements. The selection of game symbols or production of game outcomes for a gaming device using a RNG shall: (a) be statistically independent;
1093 updated (2/17)
(b) conform to the desired random distribution;
(c) pass various recognized statistical tests; and
(d) be unpredictable.

I wish to draw the reader's attention to items a, c and d. Why? Because actual Blackjack is actually predictable and does not "pass various recognized statistical tests". Tell me, have you seen an actual shoe undergo "statistical tests"? No? I thought not. So already we see that video "Blackjack" is not really Blackjack. but it goes further.

An independent testing laboratory approved by the commission may employ the use of various recognized tests to determine whether or not the random values produced by the random number generator pass the desired confidence level of 99 percent. Such independent testing laboratory may choose the appropriate tests on a case-by-case basis depending on the RNG under review. Such tests may include, without limitation:
(a) chi-square test;
(b) equi-distribution (frequency) test;
(c) gap test;
(d) overlaps test;
(e) poker test;
(f) coupon collector’s test;
(g) permutation test;
(h) Kolmogorov-Smirnov test;
(i) adjacencycriteriontests;
(j) order statistic test;
(k) runs tests (patterns of occurrences should not be recurrent);
(l) interplaycorrelationtest;
(m) serial correlation test potency and degree of serial correlation (outcomes should be independent of the previous game);
(n) tests on subsequences; and
(o) Poisson distribution.
[My underlines]

As I have shown in previous posts, in actual BlackJack not only are patterns of occurrences present but are NOT independent of the previous game (where a "game" is any hand). SO lets review:

Video blackjack such as that shown above is specifically programed to eliminate predictability and outcomes that are dependent upon previous hands. That is NOT Blackjack because Blackjack has these two things. But wait, there is more:

§ 5319.37. Background RNG activity requirement. A RNG shall be cycled continuously in the background between games and during game play at a speed that cannot be timed by the player.

It's bad enough that we're using a RNG (which of course has to happen for there to be a "shuffled" deck but unlike an actual deck in which there is no randomization of ANYTHING until an actual physical shuffle occurs, this RNG is constantly in operation. Think about it. Once a Deck hits a shoe the cards are set until shuffle, According to this document, the RNG which actually "picks" the card is constantly running. That is not Blackjack.

The first seed shall be determined randomly by an uncontrolled event. After every game there shall be a random change in the RNG process (new seed, random timer, delay, etc.) in order to ensure that the RNG does not start at the same value every time. It is permissible not to use a random seed. Nevertheless, a manufacturer shall ensure that multiple games will not synchronize.[My underlines]

. Really? I don't know how many people playing a physical shoe have noticed that a shoe was identical but I've never noticed it but lets assume it does happen. Why is a manufacturer required to make sure that something that is possible cannot happen?

§ 5319.39. Live game correlation. Where a gaming device plays a game that is recognizable to be a simulation of a live casino game, such as poker, blackjack, roulette, etc., the same probabilities associated with the live game shall be evident in the simulated game, unless otherwise denoted on the display or help screen.

This is misleading. Number one "same probabilities" doesn't mean what you think it does why? because as quoted above, the games are specifically programmed to avoid predictability and patterns of occurrences influenced by previous games. Again though I have already shown in previous posts that Blackjack by definition is predictable and hands (games) are directly influenced by the hands that preceded them.

Lets look at some other legal requirements:

§ 5319.45. Software requirements for percentage payout.

(b) Gaming devices that may be affected by player skill shall meet the requirement of this section when using a method of play that will provide the greatest return to the player over a period of continuous play.

"...a method of play...". Unless we're talking side bets and IF we're talking side bets....

(c) RNG. Each RNG shall meet the requirements set forth in section 5319.35 of this Part and the following requirements:

(1) In the game selection process:
(i) each possible permutation or combination of game elements that produces winning or losing game outcomes shall be available for random selection at the initiation of each play, unless otherwise denoted by the game;

Again, we know that in a shuffled deck there is no 'randomization" of card picks. That is, the dealer cannot close his or her eyes and pick a card from anywhere in the shoe. No, the shoe was determined at shuffle. There is nothing else to do but pull the cards. It may seem "random" to the player, but the cards are actually set already. You need to understand this. There should be no randomization going on once a deck is created.

Let us also be clear if you have been playing the game pictured above and have been wondering why, for example, you have these long winning and losing streaks. Or if you have noticed that even though certain events happen at a certain frequency almost *all the time*. Or if you have noticed that playing these differs strongly from what you see at a live dealer, you are not imagining things.

Ask yourself the following: The sign says "random shuffle" but have you EVER been notified of a shuffle? No? Why not? If this is supposed to simulate an actual Blackjack game, you should at least be notified that a shuffle has happened. Oh it's when the avatar changes? Really? Did they tell you that? You do know that at a casino a dealer can rotate out between shuffles right?

Say what about penetration. Do those signs ever tell you about penetration? Did you see anything in the NYS Gambling commission about notifying the player about how much of this "random" deck is being used in each game? No? Any real Blackjack player knows that the penetration has an immense affect on the game. You'll note that the laws only require a random deck. It says NOTHING about how much of the deck has to be used. It says nothing in regards to whether the deck has to be the same penetration after every "shuffle" (whenever that is).

[Update] looking over my data for the past few months and comparing it to physical games, I estimate that the penetration on these game ranges from 1/3 to 1/2. Since I have seen no laws regarding notifying the user of penetration (something you can see at a physical game) or of having a set penetration you should assume that the casino can legally change the penetration (or randomize it) in order to increase the house advantage. This statement assumes that a "shuffle" occurs at every avatar change.

[/update] It's not that these companies cannot program such notices. It's not that they cannot show you a cut card and a burn card. It's that it is to the benefit of the casino that they do not.

Now a note about those "continuous shuffle" Interblock games. If you've played against an physical continuous shuffler and researched the mechanism, you know that a continuous shuffler really isn't. It holds cards in something like a 16 card "slot". As each card is used and returned to the deck, it is randomly assigned to a slot. Obviously "full" slots cannot be used. In other words, although the shuffle is continuous, it is not exactly random. For this reason, even physical continuous shufflers can be mathematically mapped for optimum winning play. However these IB games with continuous shuffles have to adhere to the rules laid down by the laws governing gaming. As shown above they do their best to be random and non-recurring and not influenced by previous hands. Again, something that is impossible to do with physical cards and a physical continuous shuffler.

So to close, I want to be clear. I'm not accusing casinos of cheating. Nor am I accusing the manufacturers of cheating. They are offering games under specific rules and laws. They are using computers that are running specific code. You take that risk as a part of "gambling". My only purpose here is to inform the player of what game they are actually playing. IMO these "blackjack" games are specialized slot machines. It is in your best interest to hit and run these machines and stack short term winnings if you are looking to make real money. It would be better to attack a real physical card game where non-randomness and predictability is part and parcel of the game.