How can players test if they're experiencing real rubber banding or just variance?

To spell it out: In poker or roulette (when played on the internet), you’re always facing “variance. ” Like flipping a coin one hundred times and getting 60 heads.

If you believe you are being “rubber banded” in a particular game, then look at patterns of losses. Watch your win rates across hundreds of hands and ask if a random 50/50 split could explain a 30/70 ratio of wins/losses.

This is where it gets interesting, however – in the short term, anything can happen. You have no idea whether an unlucky streak is due to bias, or just the variance of randomness. But if you suspect something’s up, check the dealer’s position, the cards being dealt, and the bets being made. If you’re still skeptical, seek out a new table.

Online casino rubber banding is essentially the game cheating on you. It’s hard to prove, because in poker and roulette, it manifests as bad luck. Actual rubber banding would mean rigging of probabilities, which is illegal at licensed casinos. So what you’re experiencing is probably just variance – the cards or slots not running in your favor. Keep an eye on the long-term results (and I mean long term). If you are losing far more than expected, then check if the site is licensed and reputable. But nine times out of ten, variance will take care of itself.