Gambling has changed significantly over the past two decades with the advent of online casinos. Players can now enjoy their favorite casino games from the comfort of their surroundings on any device they wish, be it desktop or mobile.
Leading software providers are constantly incorporating newer and better features into their releases in an effort to improve the gameplay and make it more interactive. Online casino games are bursting at the seams with great functionalities that enable gamblers to tailor the gameplay to their individual preferences and closely monitor their betting sessions.
One feature you can find in all online casino games without exception is the statistics panel. As the name indicates, it displays detailed information about the results of past game rounds, showing players prior winning outcomes. The question we shall tackle in today’s article is do statistics panels offer any value to players and if not, what are the reasons for their uselessness?
Statistic Panels in Different Casino Games
Statistics panels and result billboards are built into the interface of online casino games, showing players the previous outcomes for a given virtual table. There is usually the option to deactivate and hide the panel if you find it distracting. The information displayed inside is game-specific as you shall see shortly.
Statistics panels are not to be mistaken for the game history feature incorporated in most online casino games. Unlike statistics panels, game history is available only when you play for real money and is absent from the games’ demo versions. It shows your session results in terms of profits, losses, and the overall amount wagered.
Online Baccarat Statistics and Roadmaps
Statistics panels for online baccarat games display the number of Ties and the hand totals for the Player and the Banker sides in the last eight to ten rounds of play. Variants of the game that support side bets also show how many Player and Banker pairs have been dealt in past rounds.
Baccarat variations developed by some software studios like Red Tiger feature additional roadmaps (also known as scoreboards) that provide graphical representations of the Player/Banker outcomes for the previous rounds.
The purpose of said roadmaps is to help players easily identify trends and potentially use them to predict future results. The most common types of roadmaps you will find in online baccarat include:
Statistics on Dealer Totals in Online Blackjack
While they are not as superstitious as baccarat players, some blackjack fans favor online variations of 21 that give them access to dealer-related statistics.
Certain online versions of the game feature stats on the totals the virtual dealer has obtained in the previous rounds. Information on the dealer’s bust and blackjack rates is also available in some cases.
Online Craps Statistics
Craps is rarely on offer at online casinos because it does not translate all that well to the virtual format. The classic dice game recently made its way to live dealer casinos powered by Evolution Gaming, whose version allows players to take advantage of the so-called dynamic statistics feature.
Statistic panels hang on the studio walls behind the craps dealer, keeping you up to date with the bets fellow players are placing in real time. Additionally, the live craps interface features a roll history in the lower left section of the screen where you can see what numbers have come up in prior rounds.
Statistics Panels Are Useless in Casino Gaming, Here Is Why
Many online casino players gravitate toward games that share their recent winning outcomes because they believe this information can help them make better-informed decisions about future results.
Some would go as far as sizing their wagers based on previous results of dice rolls or roulette spins. This approach is beyond faulty and only ends up costing players more money over the long haul.
Independent Trials in Roulette and Craps
The Odds Reset after Each Round in Roulette and Craps
Gambler’s Fallacy
Past Dealer Totals Are Irrelevant in RNG Blackjack
Roadmaps Are a Waste of Time
Independent Trials in Roulette and Craps
The truth of the matter is statistics on past outcomes are in no way indicative of what is to happen on future rounds in chance-based games like roulette and craps. Both are games of independent trials, which means the probability of each possible outcome neither increases nor decreases over time.
The Odds Reset after Each Round in Roulette and Craps
There is a fixed set of possible outcomes in roulette, but all numbers on the wheel have equal chances (1 in 37 in single-zero roulette) of coming up next, regardless of the results previous spins have produced.
In craps, some numbers stand better chances of hitting than others because there are more possible combinations that can create them. To give you an example, 7 is the most frequent number to show because it has six possible combinations as opposed to 2 and 12, which have a single combination each.
Nonetheless, the results of previous dice rolls are irrelevant because the odds reset after each round in games of independent trials. The same is valid in roulette where each spin of the wheel is statistically independent and as such, is in no way influenced by previous spins.
Gambler’s Fallacy
Gamblers are a superstitious bunch and as such, tend to find patterns where they do not exist. Some players incorrectly assume that if a given event has occurred repeatedly in the past it is less likely to take place in the future, and vice versa. Thus, if black hits five times in a row, they would bet on red next because they believe red is overdue to come up.
In reality, there is no such thing. It follows that statistics panels in chance games are completely useless when it comes to predicting future outcomes. Online casinos gladly give away this information because they are well aware it neither improves players’ winning chances nor gives them an edge over the house.
Past Dealer Totals Are Irrelevant in RNG Blackjack
Blackjack is a game of dependent trials as the odds for the dealer and the player fluctuate with each card that leaves the shoe. Blackjack players can thus gain an edge over the house through card counting, a technique that involves tracking the ratio of high and low cards that remain to be dealt.
However, the technique is efficient only on condition the cards are dealt from the shoe without replacement. This is not the case in randomly generated online blackjack where the software reshuffles at the end of each round. The new hands are dealt out of a freshly shuffled shoe, so the information about the virtual dealer’s previous totals is of no use to players whatsoever.
Roadmaps Are a Waste of Time
The outcome of each round in baccarat is also independent of the rest in randomly generated online games. Baccarat players religiously map out past results on scoreboards in hopes of detecting patterns that could help them predict future Player/Banker outcomes. Unfortunately, these efforts are all in vain.
In reality, this is a complete waste of time since previous results do not affect the likelihood of future events in baccarat. Had it been otherwise, the casinos would have prohibited players from using roadmaps in the first place.
How to Effectively Improve Your Winning Chances
By now it is hopefully clear that statistics panels in online casino games are in no way beneficial to players since they do not influence the odds in any way.
This is not to say online gamblers cannot improve their winning chances, however. Here are some viable ideas to effectively boost your odds in each of the games we discussed so far.