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Recommended Reading: Winning (and losing) big on a video poker bug
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Finding a Video Poker Bug Made These Guys Rich -- Then Vegas Made Them Pay by Kevin Poulsen, Wired In 2009, John Kane discovered a glitch in video poker machines that allowed him to hit multiple jackpots in a single sitting. Then one night, Kane hit seven in an hour and half, earning over $10,000 and setting off some major red flags with the casino's security. That sum was actually quite modest compared to other days. Wired has the story of how finding a bug in the gambling machines lead to earning a load of cash for a pair of men, until the workaround was discovered.
RFID-based video poker table ensures no one plays at your house
It looks like those wanting to practice for their TV poker debut now have at least one, completely impractical lead to follow, as one Andrew Milner has now built what may well be the very first RFID-based, video-equipped DIY poker table. To reproduce the complete TV poker experience at home, Milner employed four cameras to keep watch on the players, with the elaborate RFID system and some custom-made software doing all the dirty work of keeping track of the cards (yes, each card has an RFID tag). As you might have guessed, the build was far from simple, with it taking Milner three months in his spare time, and it obviously wasn't cheap either, although he won't go any further than to say that it was "rather expensive." Be sure to hit up the link below for the full rundown of the project, and a video of it in action.
Diner used arcade cabinets to hide video poker machines
In what sounds like it could have been a scene straight out of a Prohibition-era speakeasy, Tennessee law enforcement officials raided a Sevier County diner last Thursday and discovered that two of the arcade cabinets had been retrofitted to play video poker as well. After receiving several complaints from locals presumably curious about the recent popularity of Sharon Tarwater's Speedway Diner ("Come for the pie, stay for the poker"), sheriff's deputies moved in on the establishment and caught patrons right in the act -- despite the fact that the machines had been rigged with a remote switch to instantly change their functionality a la Moe's Pet Shop. Authorities found a total of just $338 in the pair of machines along with two located elsewhere, which would seem to suggest that Ms. Tarwater could have made almost as much loot just leaving the cabinets unaltered and charging $5-a-pop for the latest title to hit the home county of Dollywood, Street Fighter II.[Via Joystiq]
