Re: Explain this about the random number generators
 

I've been wondering about this too. For some reason, I would feel better about folding what would have been a winning hand if the turn/river were generated just before they were dealt. If the order of all 52 cards were generated before the hand was dealt, I'd be kicking myself harder, knowing for sure that I should have stayed in.

Re: Explain this about the random number generators
 

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The correct answer is that it doesn't matter either way.

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Re: Explain this about the random number generators
 

isn't this the way it should be????(preshuffled) since that would most mimic a B&M room. The dealer isn't constantley shuffling the cards throughout the hand. However, The constant shuffle premise actually makes the hand "more" random then the B&M preshuffle.

Either way however the shuffle is random and NOT rigged which is all i ask for personally.

Re: Explain this about the random number generators
 

Most sites (although not all) randomly pick the next card on the fly. So, when you fold 39o preflop, and then the flop comes out 339, there is no reason to yell obsenities like my roommate does. The flop would be essentially different every time, since it is randomly picked on the fly. However, this makes absolutely no difference, and you should stop worrying about it. It is perfectly random, which cannot be said of B&M or home games, where human shuffling causes the cards to not be technically completely random. Despite all of this, online poker is RIGGED!!!!!

Re: Explain this about the random number generators
 

The Party Poker website suggests that the RNG feeds the algorithm which picks one of 52-factorial possible decks, and then from that moment, the deck is used throughout the hand.

From their website:
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Before each hand the PartyPoker.com RNG shuffles the deck into one of these many orderings. The resultant deck is as close to random, if not more so, than a physical deck produced by either a manual or machine shuffle.

*SNIP*

Once the hand is complete, the deck is discarded and a new one generated for the next hand.

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Other sites may do this differently. I believe Full Tilt poker uses the "constantly shuffled" method. Paradise's website is a bit unclear - but their phrasing suggests they *might* use the "constantly shuffled" method.

Re: Explain this about the random number generators
 

I would argue against this. Although it doesn't make a difference in what you should do because a random card is a random card, I'd rather play at a site that doesn't know what the turn is going to be until it deals the turn. IMO this makes it harder to be hacked. If the poker room doesn't know what card is coming next, a hacker can't know either. Of course if they've already hacked the site then they probably know your cards, but at least they don't get to know what's coming.

Re: Explain this about the random number generators
 

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It changes from poker room to poker room.

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The following is from a recent column by Lee Jones in CardPlayer:

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Question: Do you (an online poker site) shuffle a single deck of cards and deal from it, or do you take a random card each time?

Answer: It varies. PokerStars shuffles a 52-card deck, and then starts dealing from the top. Some other sites do that, as well, while other sites choose a card randomly from the deck each time a card is needed. Either approach works just fine as long as you don’t put the cards back in the deck (“without replacement” is the official probability and stats term). And you can bet that the deal is just as random (if not more so) as the shuffle done in a brick-and-mortar cardroom.

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And in spite of paranoia about hacking, I have seen no evidence that it makes a difference which method is used.

Re: Explain this about the random number generators
 

Thanks guys. I of course am not going to worry about a random card coming out b/c it's random and we can't knowingly effect it. But even though you can't do anything about it, it's kind of fun and sick to think that your timing caused your two outer to hit. It's like reaching in and pulling a prize out of a bag rather than waiting for the next card to come off the deck, which is kind of fun and sick at the same time. Of course it changes absolutely nothing in terms of results but it's interesting. Still probably wouldn't hurt to light some candles around your laptop or sacrifice something before some of your online sessions though.

Re: Explain this about the random number generators
 

It really does change site to site. Pokerstars generates a shuffled deck. Party and UB use continuous shuffle.

Re: Explain this about the random number generators
 

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However, The constant shuffle premise actually makes the hand "more" random then the B&M preshuffle.

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How so?