The only RNG change in casinos that I am aware of has been noted here before, which was the change to a "cycling" random number generator (sometime in the 1990's I think?)
I can offer some insight from the perspective of this Website, where games do remain the same and unchanged, unless a bug is discovered. As games go, video poker is pretty straight-forward. We certainly do not make RNG changes and have no reason to. These games are free to play with no incentive for us to "cheat" our players. In fact, we actually want people to enjoy these games, believe it or not.
In spite of those facts, we still hear things all the time that are similar to the nature of this thread. Here are some examples:
This was once the best game on the list. Now it 's just deal deal deal, and no points to speak of. I joined to enjoy playing ,but it has come to a point ,where it's real pain... Ask any one about this. I hear a lot of unhappy people chatting. Please give us a break and loosen up games
If you look at chat, I am not the only one complaining. The games are not fun anymore. Most of us play for fun, not the prizes. The prizes are only icing on the cake.If you loosen up the games, people will have fun again.
The games are TOO TIGHT! Today is just an example. Have played 5 - 100 hand games, and have been dealt 3 oak only 2 or 3 times, and have gotten 4 oak only 3TIMES! That is 3 times in 500 hands! Bad luck? I think NOT! That is what you told me, and I have been playing these games longer than most of you have been alive, so I know better! ( I am 68 yrs. old! )
games are set waaay too tight! hits are few and far between, takes all the fun out of playing.
Could someone put my name in a better position. The deals are awful and the draws are worse........
There are better odds in a Casino than on your site. I have played in many casinos, and have done much better there than here.
I always play this game.... my favorite game, and yet ,can't get scores ,for nothing is dealt to play with . It's hard to play every day hoping that something will come up to get some points . this past week has been very bad and everyday seems harder that the last.If I do get a good hand and make it + then it falls apart and nothing after that.Why is this ?? I have been playing it for a long time . I always am told ,that the way it's always been . Not true. It used to be a fun game
There is little we can do when these complaints come in, other than to explain that yes, the cards are selected at random. No, we didn't change the game to make you start losing. And yes, these things happen in a random game. Often times the result is someone very angry insisting they have played for years and know what "random" feels like. I'm not sure what else to say to that.
Thankfully, we also receive a lot of positive feedback on the games.
That neither proves nor disproves anything anyone has said in this topic. But it does show that these same feelings are also possible in what I know to be a fair game here on the site. There are enough video poker players out there that I think you will always be able to find someone who agrees with you when it comes to having a tough time. People having similar feelings doesn't mean they are correct.
Complaining about bad cards or machines is nothing new to casinos. If you really think it's due to anything but randomness, the burden is probably on you to demonstrate it. Otherwise, don't be surprised when people question your complaint.