Free online gambling demos - are they rigged?

Do free online gambling demos of games such as video poker, whether on a pay site or a gaming company site, have the same odds as the actual games, or are they rigged to pay more favorably to try to attract players?

I ask because I've been playing the Multi-Strike demo games on the LED website and I seem to be winning a lot on every game. I haven't kept track enough to know for sure, but it seems fishy to me.

I think you're getting greatest possible return on the ledgaming.com site. For instance, the Multistrike Poker Jacks or Better pays 9/6 in the demo. On the real machines I've seen (a few years ago at Planet Hollywood and again at Majestic in Gary, IN), it never has a payout that good.

That's why it would appear that these are such great games.

Quote: ddloml

On the real machines I've seen (a few years ago at Planet Hollywood and again at Majestic in Gary, IN), it never has a payout that good.

This is a good opportunity to remind, (or inform, for those that do not know), that checking the full pay table on Multistrike is a good idea before playing. It has been a few years since I've done any widespread checks but in the past I've often found games where the royal was shorted on some games.

It usually isn't consistent, in that one game such as JOB will have the usual 4000 for a royal while another such as DDB will have 1250. I've even seen side by side games, (at the Plaza about 4 years ago), where one will have the full rf pay and on the same game in the machine next to it the pay will be 1250.

I can imagine few things that would be more frustrating than to hit a rf at the top level and receive $2,500 instead of $8000.

On average the practice games have been less merciful than what I've experienced in the casino. I wouldn't think a computer simulated random roll would behave any differently than real life, but I might be wrong. On the WOO BJ game you are playing one person against the dealer, and I know that probabilities are probabilities, but having additional players may or may not influence hot or or cold hands, especially if they are newbs and hit or stand when they absolutely should not. I don't play demo slot games though, so I'm not sure how they pay out. I stay away from video poker altogether.

Quote: barracuda

Do free online gambling demos of games such as video poker, whether on a pay site or a gaming company site, have the same odds as the actual games, or are they rigged to pay more favorably to try to attract players?

Rigged? Probably not.

However, they may be using a very favorable pay table. After all, if it's play money, why use a stingy pay table? THAT may be why you're winning more than you do when playing for cash.