Odd microgaming videopoker bug

[funky_seagull]

I was playing videopoker last night on my mobile phone with microgaming software. When I placed a bet my balance would go down more than the amount I placed. Then suddenly go back to the correct amount it should be after the bet. For example if my balance was 35 and I bet 0.25p the balance would go down to 31.75 then suddenly change to the correct amount of 34.75. The odd thing I noticed after this was I then wouldn't win anything till my balance reached 31.75. Which seems a bit dodgy to me. I stopped playing in the end because I didnt trust it. Now I wish I had used this knowledge to my advantage and bet huge amounts when it hit the strange predetermined amount. Stupidly at the time it never occurred to me to try this. Does this show the game is not random but preset to cause players to gradually lose a set amount. Can anyone explain what this bug was.

 

[soflat]

I doubt they would offer a non-random card game, but if they are then I'm sure someone will try it out now. Problem is, they might not tell us if they win a lot.

 

[vinylweatherman]

I was playing videopoker last night on my mobile phone with microgaming software. When I placed a bet my balance would go down more than the amount I placed. Then suddenly go back to the correct amount it should be after the bet. For example if my balance was 35 and I bet 0.25p the balance would go down to 31.75 then suddenly change to the correct amount of 34.75. The odd thing I noticed after this was I then wouldn't win anything till my balance reached 31.75. Which seems a bit dodgy to me. I stopped playing in the end because I didnt trust it. Now I wish I had used this knowledge to my advantage and bet huge amounts when it hit the strange predetermined amount. Stupidly at the time it never occurred to me to try this. Does this show the game is not random but preset to cause players to gradually lose a set amount. Can anyone explain what this bug was.

This is most odd indeed.

I cannot see how the software could ever have picked up that figure. There IS a Microgaming bug similar though, and it is when you receive the results of the bet, and your balance updates to the amount INCLUDING the payout even before the cards or reels come to rest to show the result. This bug was fixed for the VIPER lobby, but maybe the errant code somehow got included in the development of the mobile casino.

The fact that you did not win until your balance reached that very same amount is probably a coincidence. To prove otherwise would need a few more instances of it repeating this behaviour. Because this behaviour is so odd, it will not take too many detailed incidents to show that coincidence is not a good explanation.

If there is a fun mode (free play) version, try this and see if the same thing happens. Then play a few hands and log what you see, what you stake, and what you win or lose.

The current game should be the only game in play, future games cannot have been determined at that point. In order to misdisplay something the player should never know, the information has to be sent from the server, and if the software was doing something like this seems to be (predetermining a losing streak of x hands before a win is allowed), there is no need to send this information back to the player's client software.

One possible explanation has already been given elsewhere, and this is that to save time, a whole train of information is sent back to the player, rather than having individual requests processed for each card or reel. This, however, only included the current game in play. If there is a committment in the game to play a certain number of hands, it may be that the whole train of results is sent, and the player can then play out the sequence without undue delays.

If this bug is a true representation of the length of the losing streak, then some searching questions need to be asked, and answered. This is not an issue I would expect to see with a mainstream software provider, rather, I would expect this kind of thing to be what blew the cover on some cheating software brands, for example, start-your-own-casino, or Cassinova, and would simply be a visible cock-up resulting from internal payout stabilisation over a number of hands.

 

[funky_seagull]

One possible explanation has already been given elsewhere, and this is that to save time, a whole train of information is sent back to the player, rather than having individual requests processed for each card or reel. This, however, only included the current game in play. If there is a committment in the game to play a certain number of hands, it may be that the whole train of results is sent, and the player can then play out the sequence without undue delays.

I think that might be what it is. Maybe due to the nature of mobile technology and that gprs isn't as powerful as broadband, it is easier to send the results in bulk, say 5 hands worth at a time, to speed up the game play, so it doesn't take 1-2 minutes after each draw to get results. Although with 3G this shouldn't really be necessary, but perhaps because not everyone has 3G, they use this to cover those who have gprs, or folks travelling in areas that don't support 3G.

If there is a fun mode (free play) version, try this and see if the same thing happens. Then play a few hands and log what you see, what you stake, and what you win or lose.

There is a demo mode, but it is a joke. It definately doesn't pull its results from the server and it only lasts 5 minutes. The last hand in the demo usually results in a royal flush and it then displays the message: "We hope you enjoyed your demo game, now please play for real." And then you get taken back to the menu, I presume in the hope you will then make a deposit, because the image of getting a royal flush in the demo game is still freshly imprinted in your mind...

I played yesterday and the bug seemed to be fixed. However I played again today and it was doing the same thing. I am only betting small amounts hopefully soon I will discover if it is just a coincidence. So far I have recieved a jacks or better before it reached the minus amount. But nothing more than jacks or better. So will keep playing to see if I get a better paying hand inbetween.

I am not sure if it is actually microgaming that built the software or another company that microgaming commissioned to build it for them... the games are all microgaming games though... and if you log into a microgaming casino that owns the mobile casino, the balance is exactly the same, and the progressives on fruit fiesta and major millions are exactly the same.

It says in the mobile casino adverts online: ...' with the advanced mobile technology of Spin3 and Microgaming, winners of the Best Mobile Gambling System at both the 2006 and 2007 Mobile Entertaining Awards. '

It seems by this statement that microgaming teamed up with Spin3 to make the mobile casino.

I really hope it is coincidence...

I am still uncertain about mobile casinos. Whether they are a good or bad thing. It is fun, but for someone with a bad gambling addiction, a casino on their mobile phone is a recipe for disaster. I enjoy playing the games a lot, but am concerned that playing a game of videopoker whilst waiting for a bus or having a crap is getting a bit too close into my life, and is bordering on the element of extreme sadness. With a mobile casino gambling is always at hand, for real, in your pocket and always available. I have uninstalled the software many times from my phone, only to reinstall it later on when the urge to gamble appears. It is very easy to do. Luckily I only bet small amounts, so no great loss so far, but for someone with a serious problem this can only be bad. If your mobile is with you there is no escape from the addiction unless you throw your mobile into the sea, which might happen one of these days when I hit one of those dire losing streaks...

 

[Tengil]

One possible explanation has already been given elsewhere, and this is that to save time, a whole train of information is sent back to the player, rather than having individual requests processed for each card or reel. This, however, only included the current game in play. If there is a committment in the game to play a certain number of hands, it may be that the whole train of results is sent, and the player can then play out the sequence without undue delays.

99% sure this is the case. This actually happened quite alot over a year ago when you put a slot on autoplay for example on 5 spins. On several occasions when the spin number 2 was in play (all reels hadnt landed yet) it could flash a win which you then got on spin number 3. As VP and slots basically works the same way this is most likely the correct explanation.

 

[vinylweatherman]

99% sure this is the case. This actually happened quite alot over a year ago when you put a slot on autoplay for example on 5 spins. On several occasions when the spin number 2 was in play (all reels hadnt landed yet) it could flash a win which you then got on spin number 3. As VP and slots basically works the same way this is most likely the correct explanation.

There seems to be a problem though. There was no COMMITTMENT to play more VP after seeing that minus result display briefly, so the casino SHOULD NOT have both evaluated and sent the results. This breaks all the rules of randomness at the time the player decides to hit spin or deal.

Worse still, for the casinos at least, if this is the case, then players might find a way of looking ahead at the next set of results, and if they are no good, decide NOT to continue playing. This would make all the games highly +EV.

Another possibility is a simple display error, perhaps down to software on the phone itself, not the mobile casino. Further play seems to be revealing less correlation between seeing the minus amount displayed and the results from the following games.

I don't play mobile casinos anyway, if I did play on the move, I would use a laptop. I would also worry about phone charges on top of the natural edge of the games themselves. Mobile companies can still charge a fortune for internet and data applications, and if you take the phone abroad, and play a little 25p VP, you could end up with a bill of several HUNDRED pounds for the pleasure from the phone company. This HAS happened, it was featured on BBC Watchdog, where bills of THOUSANDS were being generated by what seemed just a little internet usage abroad under "roaming" arrangements. The EU regulators have got their teeth into this, but the phone companies are resisting.

In short, these mobile applications, for the most part, are VERY EXPENSIVE, and much of the price you pay is HIDDEN, at least till the end of the month.

It is likely this will change, and we will be able to enjoy these things at a fair price when going abroad, but for the moment, perhaps play only in the same country where you got the phone and contract from.

 

[Tengil]

There seems to be a problem though. There was no COMMITTMENT to play more VP after seeing that minus result display briefly, so the casino SHOULD NOT have both evaluated and sent the results. This breaks all the rules of randomness at the time the player decides to hit spin or deal.

Worse still, for the casinos at least, if this is the case, then players might find a way of looking ahead at the next set of results, and if they are no good, decide NOT to continue playing. This would make all the games highly +EV.

Another possibility is a simple display error, perhaps down to software on the phone itself, not the mobile casino. Further play seems to be revealing less correlation between seeing the minus amount displayed and the results from the following games.

Its probably just a bug that the "end result" is showed. It most likely requests several hands in advance to make the gameplay more smooth.

In the example I gave I could have pressed stop after spin 2 and exit the game and miss the win on spin 3. Wonder what the result would have been in another game after that?

 

[slotplayer]

I was playing videopoker last night on my mobile phone with microgaming software. When I placed a bet my balance would go down more than the amount I placed. Then suddenly go back to the correct amount it should be after the bet. For example if my balance was 35 and I bet 0.25p the balance would go down to 31.75 then suddenly change to the correct amount of 34.75. The odd thing I noticed after this was I then wouldn't win anything till my balance reached 31.75. Which seems a bit dodgy to me. I stopped playing in the end because I didnt trust it. Now I wish I had used this knowledge to my advantage and bet huge amounts when it hit the strange predetermined amount. Stupidly at the time it never occurred to me to try this. Does this show the game is not random but preset to cause players to gradually lose a set amount. Can anyone explain what this bug was.

doesn't a malfunction void all pays? (ie.. winnings)
thought I read that somewhere. So perhaps they could refuse to pay you if they found out about the bug before you cashed out?