Video Poker Superstitions Because of technology-based video games and their seemingly random nature, many people have been led to believe that the casino fixes the game by choosing the cards that are dealt, or that some superstitions can help them avoid bad luck, predict what will happen, or give them guidance on what they should do. Random Number Generators The machines used to play video poker are known as random number generators, which shuffle a deck of 52 cards endlessly, until the player chooses "deal" or "draw". The random nature of this ensures that each hand is dealt equally and the odds are consistently the same. However, as with many seemingly casual games, even more so in casinos, some people have been led into a number of superstitions about the machines themselves. According to superstitions, the generators can be "hot" or "cold" and deal a series of good or bad hands, so depending on the machine used, the player can win more or less money. This superstition might come from the term "cold hand" to describe a streak of leaks, or it might come from the way machines are built. The machines will always generate random cards, but due to their constant operation they can get hotter and be more predictable. However, casinos monitor this aspect. Gamblers' fallacy This is a belief that can affect any gambler who takes part in any game. Perhaps even more redundant in this case due to the sheer randomness, some players believe that if a hand hasn't been dealt, or there hasn't been a meld for a while, then it's bound to happen. This is not only a belief unique to video poker, but perhaps exaggerated by the suspicion that...... middle of paper ......ter returns. Rigged games, such as "deuces wild" or "full pay double bonus", are considered less serious and for some reason are believed to offer better returns. Due to the inclusion of wild cards and special payouts for certain hands, some players think that the odds are better and the machines become more generous. Changing machines means changing luck Perhaps the simplest superstition that influences players' response to the video game poker is that belief that by changing machines they move away from bad luck, the idea being that the particular machine they are playing on is inflicting a losing streak, or that the player is having a bad streak. As with many superstitions, fundamental truths are completely ignored and this is no exception. The odds for each hand are always the same, regardless of the machine, due to their completely random nature.