You might be an experienced card player, or you might be more interested in finding out how software can create a great gaming experience. Whether you know the highways and byways of the world of online poker, or you are a beginner to the game, you could well want to know how online poker sites work. We’re not talking about the basic rules of the game, or talking about how a site will use a fee called a rake to make money from player vs player games. No, we are talking about how software developers and testers use software to create a fun, interesting, and safe poker playing experience. If you want to find out more, read on.
Random number generators
Online poker is all about recreating the experience of playing real-world, face-to-face poker as closely as possible. Although poker is very much a game of skill, there will always be a random element at play thanks to the draw. This means that a virtual poker game will need to include that random element. Poker sites do this by using a random number generator (RNG). This is a bit of software that, as its name suggests, generates random numbers so that every card dealt in the game can’t be predicted and isn’t reliant on previous hands.
The RNG needs to mimic the shuffling of cards, come up with non-repeating patterns that players can’t exploit, and stay unbiased. Tests will find out whether actual results will match statistical probabilities and whether the cards dealt in the game appear at random intervals. The tests will then move on to trying things out in a Monte Carlo simulation, which checks how strong something is compared to a statistical model.
Getting the RNG right is absolutely crucial to a poker site’s success, because players both want as close to a real-world experience as possible, and they want to know that a game is fair. If the RNG doesn’t work properly, some players might end up taking advantage of it, while others will quickly stop playing or, worse for the site, go somewhere else to play. According to Ricky Davies in his recent GG Poker review, the site undergoes regular software tests to make sure it’s random, so it is fair to say other reputable and licenced sites will do the same.
Poker sites usually contract their Random Number Generators out, and the companies that create RNGs are usually audited, so sites need to make sure their RNG have been seen to and their certificate of fairness is up-to-date.
It is also worth noting that some gambling jurisdictions have regulations concerning RNGs. For instance, in the UK, the RNG must be on a secure server separate from the game logic server, any updates to the RNG trigger a mandatory full retest, regulators can test the platform at any time they want, and RNGs can only be certified by a third party. Meanwhile, in some American states, such as Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the operators must keep RNG logs so people can check which cards were generated and when, in case there is a dispute.
Testing for accuracy
Once the Random Number Generator is in place, the work to make sure that the game of poker is accurate begins. After all, there isn’t going to be much point if the draws and decks are all as they should be, but the actual gameplay is nothing like poker. The software needs to give players a game that is fair and operates under the rules of poker. One thing it does is help create the game logic, which many regulators insist has to happen before a game can go live. A poker program’s game logic can be split into many parts.
Firstly, hands have to be tested. It is vital that, no matter what happens in the game, the site can determine what the winning hand actually is. The platform tests a range of hands and makes sure that it has the rules right, so, for instance, a pair won’t beat a straight. Testing labs use hand comparison engines to make sure that the system picks the right winner, even at times when things are very close between players.
Once that’s all done, the system has to work out the game’s pots. Again, this is important because players want a fair game and to win what the site says they will win. The testing here checks out main pots, side pots, and split pots to make sure that everything works out properly. If, for instance, the program were to experience a bug with its side pots that ended up shorting players, that would cause massive reputational damage, so it is vital that the testing stops a site with those sorts of problems from even getting to market.
Setting the rules
You’ve got a random generator that can create hands like the ones you’d have in an in-person game of poker, and you’ve also made sure that the game operates like it should, so everyone gets the winnings they’re supposed to and the rules are in place.
What has to happen next is that people have to be able to actually play the game. With poker, this means that participants should be able to bet, call, check, raise, and fold while staying in the correct sequence. Rules have to be followed, so, for example, people can’t place a bet after they’ve folded. If someone walks away from the game, it should register an automatic fold so their opponents don’t have to sit around waiting for something to happen.
Once that’s happened, there needs to be testing across all the different types of poker the site has to offer, whether it’s Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha, Hi-Lo, seven-card stud, or more. After that’s been sorted out, there is another test to make sure the program knows how to respond in unusual circumstances.
Outside the game: Security, UX, and regulatory compliance
If the team behind the site has followed the above steps correctly, then they’ll have a proper, fair, online game of poker. But if they want to make the site as good as it can be, there are more things to do. For instance, the site will need to be secure. Players should only lose money on the site if they lose at poker, not because the site is open to hackers or cheats. Testers will make sure the payment systems are secure and that there are ways to catch out people who want to break the rules of poker.
Similarly, the site itself has be easy to understand and to use, so the team will carry out both load testing, so that the site works well even when lots of people are playing, and user interface and user experience tests to make sure that the site is responsive, all the links go where they should, and the site is accessible across both computers and mobile phones.
Perhaps most importantly, the online poker room needs to comply with regulations, such as allowing for anti-money laundering checks and ensuring people who are too young to gamble don’t get on the site.
Basically, a lot of work goes into making sure that an online poker site works as it is meant to, and it is pretty much all down to the site’s software. It might get overlooked in the wider world of poker, but only proper programming and testing can give gamblers a site that they’ll love.