Computer generated random numbers?

Question

If it's true that computers can not truely generate random number's, then shouldn't it be possible to cheat those superstar draw poker machines that you see at the bar's

Answer 1

thats sort of true but not really. A computer must start from something artificial (it can't just pull something out of a hat) so in that sense it is not random because at the begining of generating a random number there is an initial number generated artificially. But what the RNG does is then perform extrememly complex mathematics which will give an output that "acts" random (meaning that you will get an even distribution just like if the numbers were done randomly).

The math is so complex that you could never predict what number (or card in your example) will come next. The RNG will ensure that every card will come up an equal amount of time. In order to predict which number will be generated, one would have to not only know the exact calculations that are going on behind the scenes of the RNG, but also the initial seed number, which is usually based on something that is constantly changing, but non-random (e.g. time).

in reality, its not possible -- you'd have to have created that particular RNG and could somehow figure out what the seed was as well.

Answer 2

Possible, in theory. Computers generate "psuedo-random" numbers by running a complex algorithm on a "seed number", which then outputs a final result (generally a number between 0 and 1).

The secret is in the seed number. Assuming you fed the *exact* same seed number in to a computer multiple times, you'd get the same result each time. However, the seed number is constantly changing - typically, the number of seconds since Jan 1, 1970. You'd need to mess with the internal clock (or whatever is generating the seed number) in order to fool the machine - which would typically be *rather* noticeable.

Answer 3

Yes that is true so yes it it possible to cheat the draw poker machines if you knew the same algorithm they are running as well as how it is seeding the number to run the program to result an random number.

Answer 4

The pseudo-random number generators used for most games are created as a mathematical sequence. In theory, if you knew where in the sequence it was, and knew the precise algorithm used, you would know what was coming up next. But the period of those generators is so huge, you have essentially no chance of figuring out where it is just from looking at a sequence of results.

Answer 5

Not unless you know the exact programming given to the machines.

Answer 6

not really... I know what you saying about not truely random...
but is very abstract and in reality it is random enough for you NOT to be able to cheat