We analysed hands from 6max cash games played at the Entraction Network to see if they were rigged for good players to receive more 'bad beats' than they should. Entraction is one of the major poker networks, with sites such as 24h Poker, Devilfish Poker & V.C. Poker belonging to the network.
We started by purchasing a sample of over 1 million hands from a popular hand history provider*, prices can be seen below:
Then we imported the hands into Poker Tracker* and ran the custom report programme. For the player that called the all-in we compared the expected number of hands won (in an ideal world) with the actual number of hands that won.
If there was no rigging at the Entraction Network the expected and actual numbers should be very close:
| Total No. Hands | Expected No. Hands Won | Actual No. Hands Won | Deviation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27986 | 14262.5 | 14245.5 | -17 |
So, from approximately 28,000 all-in hands the actual number of hands won differs from expected by just 17 hands. To answer the question 'is this very close?' we calculated the standard deviation for the sample - if the actual deviation is within 2 standard deviations these numbers can be considered "very close".
Please note that this is a simplified explanation of standard deviation. For a more complete explanation of how to interpret these results watch this short video.
| Standard Deviation | Deviation |
|---|---|
| 77 | -17 |
The results show that the actual deviation is well within 2 standard deviations and therefore the sample can be considered unbiased.
Next, we separated the pre-flop all-ins into hands that were ahead pre-flop and hands that were behind pre-flop and repeated the comparison.
If the Entraction Network was biased against good players then the 'ahead' hands should win less than expected and 'behind' hands should win more than expected. However, if there was no rigging the expected and actual results should be very close.
| Group of Hands | Total No. Hands | Expected No. Hands Won | Actual No. Hands Won | Deviation | Standard Deviation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahead | 14168 | 9488 | 9527.5 | +39.5 | 54.5 |
| Behind | 13818 | 4774.5 | 4718 | -56.5 | 54.5 |
The results show that in both cases the actual deviation is well within 2 standard deviations and therefore the sample can be considered unbiased.
We can conclude that the Entraction was fair with respect to 'bad beats' at the time of testing - there is no evidence of the Entraction Network being rigged.
This test was performed on 10c/20c 6max tables during July 2011 and the results can be considered true for these conditions only. Although these results are relevant to online poker in general other circumstances were not tested. Other poker sites may use different methods for the distribution of cards and other game types (e.g. multi-table tournament hold'em) or levels (e.g. $2/$4) at the Entraction Network could also use different programs for the deal. It is also true that the method of dealing at a given site could change in the future as the site updates.
Please note that the explanation of the analysis described on this page is simplified so that it can be viewed easily and at a glance. If you want more detail and a full explanation of the methods you should view the full report.
We intend to continue to perform this test on other poker networks and sites for a range of tables and stakes.