Riverboat Gambler 62.0.2
Free Version
Publisher Description
Climb aboard The Riverboat Gambler and enjoy some of the hottest casino games around! This app serves up 65 different games and there are more planned.
You will be amazed at the realism of your experience. Players are saying that they are becoming more proficient at the live games by practicing with Riverboat Gambler. Please read the reviews from loyal Players and professional casino Dealers who are using RBG for training purposes!
Games Include:
1. Mississippi Stud
2. Three Card Poker
3. Ultimate Texas Hold’em
4. Criss Cross
5. Double Draw Poker
6. Let It Ride
7. Blackjack
8. Crazy 4 Poker
9. High Card Flush*
10. Pai Gow (tiles)
11. Pai Gow Poker
12. Asia Poker
13. Caribbean Stud Poker
14. Texas Hold’em BONUS
15. Baccarat
16. DJ Wild Poker
17. Tequila Poker
18. Red Dog Bonus!
19. Casino War
20. Keno
21. Roulette (American)
22. Craps
23. Lunar Poker
24. Cajun Poker
25. Four Card Poker
26. Heads Up Hold'em
27. Omaha Hold'em
28. Texas Shootout
29. Farobank
30. Face Up Pai Gow
31. Face Up Blackjack (Double Exposure Blackjack)
32. Jackpot Hold'em
33. Down Under Blackjack
34. Zombie Blackjack
35. Three Card Blitz
36. Casino Over/Under
37. Money Wheel
38. Three Card Fury
39. Four Card Frenzy
40. Big Raise Stud Poker
41. Single Deck Blackjack
42. Three Card Blackjack
43. Three Card Draw Poker
44. Deuces Wild
45. Bonus Six Stud Poker
46. 3-5-7 Poker
47. Chase the Flush
48. Fish, Prawn, Crab
49. Boule
50. Spanish 21*
51. Wild Five Poker (Poker with a Joker)
52. Boston 5 Poker
53. Deuces Wild Bonus! (Deuces Wild Hold'em Fold'em)
54. Sic Bo - IPad only
55. Six Card Poker
56. Rabbit Hunter
57. Cali Lowball
58. Deuces Wild (Video Poker)
59. Jacks or Better (Video Poker)
60. Joker Poker (Video Poker)
61. Royal Flush (Video Poker)
62. Double Double Bonus (Video Poker)
63. Triple Double Bonus (Video Poker)
64. Three Card Sabotage
65. Wild Card Stud Poker
66. Three Shot Poker
* These games are not currently available on the smaller legacy SE devices. The limited screen real estate makes it difficult to display the large number of cards that are required to play the game.
These games were designed & developed by an ardent casino player who plays 3-4 times every week. No worries if you do not know how to play. Each game includes detailed instructions and rules as well as descriptions of the possible poker hands and the related payouts. Already a player? You're going to love being able to "sit at the table" and practice your technique.
Each game includes its own separate set of achievements for you to tackle as you are building up your bankroll and you will periodically be rewarded with bonus chips throughout the day.
You are sure to have hours of fun improving your understanding of the games!
To top it off, the developer personally reviews ALL feedback and acts upon it. If you have suggestions, submit them! Many of the current games were introduced in response to Player feedback.
Note: some games may not be available on devices with smaller screens because you would need a microscope to view your cards!
Apr 22, 2024
Version 62.0.2
This is my favorite type of a release because it is solely focused on addressing the requests of several people and they have helped me to craft the solution. I just hope I did it correctly.
This release is about "Spanish 21". For those who don't know, Spanish 21 is a Blackjack variant. As a variant, it introduces some twists to that game. The biggest twists being that all of the 10s have been removed from the deck but the Player can Surrender and Double Down at anytime.
In absolute transparency, I rarely play Blackjack. Those who have been following me for any amount of time know that I'm a Mississippi Stud guy. In fact, MS Stud was the catalyst for RBG. When I initially added Spanish 21 to the lineup, I played several hands at my local casino (as I always do) so that I could understand the game and its intricacies. As it turns out, the version that is played at my local casino is pretty weak compared to other casinos and really wasn’t meeting the expectations of Players who enjoy that game.
That created a dilemma for me. My options were:
1. Keep the original version and it would match what we have in South Florida and I could fall back to the fact that “not all casinos are created equally”.
2. Make the changes that many Player requested and the game would not match South Florida casinos and I would not be able to test in “Live Play”.
3. Introduce a second version to RBG. Have “Florida Spanish 21” and “Other Places Spanish 21”.
For several reasons, I decided to go with option 2 and match the options that seem to be the most prevalent. I decided to do this because, from my perspective, the enhanced features are truly left to the Player's discretion. This means that if one is practicing for a casino near me, (s)he just needs to not take advantage of these "enhanced" features because they won’t be allowed at the casino. Also, adding these additional Player discretionary options really makes the game of Spanish 21 different enough from classic Blackjack to justify having it on the menu.
The new features are related to "Doubling Down".
In classic Blackjack, after the first two cards are dealt, the Player has the option to double his initial wager and receive one additional card before being forced to "Stand" on his hand. In Spanish 21, the Player may Double Down at any point in the hand - meaning you may "Hit" and then "Double Down".
What was missing in my original release was the concept of "Double-Double Down. This feature means that the Player may Double Down and then Double Down again - up to 3x in a single hand! Additionally, after each Double Down, the Player has the option for a "Double Down Rescue" which is really just a “Surrender”. If the rescue lever is pulled, the amount of the preceding Double Down wager is refunded, the Player loses, and the remaining wagers are forfeit.
Assuming I have coded things correctly and the game is accurate as it applies to supporting multiple Double Down options, I can see why folks would enjoy this game.
There were some additional, minor bugs on the Blackjack games that I addressed in this release as well. There were certain situations that could arise that would leave the “Deal” or “Hit” buttons available after a Surrender or Double Down action.
I want to specifically credit & thank "TheNoviceDealer" and "Dally1188" who both left great reviews in the App Store and called out the deficiencies in my original version of Spanish 21. Your input led to these changes and your support is greatly appreciated! I hope you will evaluate the changes and let me know what you think. Also, I want to remind you (and everyone) that the best way to reach me is to use "Send Feedback" from any game's menu because those texts will allow us to engage in a meaningful dialogue.
To everyone: thank you for your support, the ideas, and the random words of encouragement.
~Danny
About Riverboat Gambler
Riverboat Gambler is a free app for iOS published in the Action list of apps, part of Games & Entertainment.
The company that develops Riverboat Gambler is Riverboat Gambler, LLC. The latest version released by its developer is 62.0.2.
To install Riverboat Gambler on your iOS device, just click the green Continue To App button above to start the installation process. The app is listed on our website since 2024-04-22 and was downloaded 0 times. We have already checked if the download link is safe, however for your own protection we recommend that you scan the downloaded app with your antivirus. Your antivirus may detect the Riverboat Gambler as malware if the download link is broken.
How to install Riverboat Gambler on your iOS device:
- Click on the Continue To App button on our website. This will redirect you to the App Store.
- Once the Riverboat Gambler is shown in the iTunes listing of your iOS device, you can start its download and installation. Tap on the GET button to the right of the app to start downloading it.
- If you are not logged-in the iOS appstore app, you'll be prompted for your your Apple ID and/or password.
- After Riverboat Gambler is downloaded, you'll see an INSTALL button to the right. Tap on it to start the actual installation of the iOS app.
- Once installation is finished you can tap on the OPEN button to start it. Its icon will also be added to your device home screen.
Program Details
General |
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|---|---|
| Publisher | Riverboat Gambler, LLC |
| Released Date | 2024-04-22 |
| Languages | English |
Category |
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|---|---|
| Category | Games & Entertainment |
| Subcategory | Action |
System requirements |
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|---|---|
| Operating systems | ios |
Download information |
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|---|---|
| File size | 180.98 MB |
| Total downloads | 0 |
Pricing |
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|---|---|
| License model | Free |
| Price | N/A |
Version History
version 62.0.2
posted on 2024-04-22
Apr 22, 2024
Version 62.0.2
This is my favorite type of a release because it is solely focused on addressing the requests of several people and they have helped me to craft the solution. I just hope I did it correctly.
This release is about "Spanish 21". For those who don't know, Spanish 21 is a Blackjack variant. As a variant, it introduces some twists to that game. The biggest twists being that all of the 10s have been removed from the deck but the Player can Surrender and Double Down at anytime.
In absolute transparency, I rarely play Blackjack. Those who have been following me for any amount of time know that I'm a Mississippi Stud guy. In fact, MS Stud was the catalyst for RBG. When I initially added Spanish 21 to the lineup, I played several hands at my local casino (as I always do) so that I could understand the game and its intricacies. As it turns out, the version that is played at my local casino is pretty weak compared to other casinos and really wasn’t meeting the expectations of Players who enjoy that game.
That created a dilemma for me. My options were:
1. Keep the original version and it would match what we have in South Florida and I could fall back to the fact that “not all casinos are created equally”.
2. Make the changes that many Player requested and the game would not match South Florida casinos and I would not be able to test in “Live Play”.
3. Introduce a second version to RBG. Have “Florida Spanish 21” and “Other Places Spanish 21”.
For several reasons, I decided to go with option 2 and match the options that seem to be the most prevalent. I decided to do this because, from my perspective, the enhanced features are truly left to the Player's discretion. This means that if one is practicing for a casino near me, (s)he just needs to not take advantage of these "enhanced" features because they won’t be allowed at the casino. Also, adding these additional Player discretionary options really makes the game of Spanish 21 different enough from classic Blackjack to justify having it on the menu.
The new features are related to "Doubling Down".
In classic Blackjack, after the first two cards are dealt, the Player has the option to double his initial wager and receive one additional card before being forced to "Stand" on his hand. In Spanish 21, the Player may Double Down at any point in the hand - meaning you may "Hit" and then "Double Down".
What was missing in my original release was the concept of "Double-Double Down. This feature means that the Player may Double Down and then Double Down again - up to 3x in a single hand! Additionally, after each Double Down, the Player has the option for a "Double Down Rescue" which is really just a “Surrender”. If the rescue lever is pulled, the amount of the preceding Double Down wager is refunded, the Player loses, and the remaining wagers are forfeit.
Assuming I have coded things correctly and the game is accurate as it applies to supporting multiple Double Down options, I can see why folks would enjoy this game.
There were some additional, minor bugs on the Blackjack games that I addressed in this release as well. There were certain situations that could arise that would leave the “Deal” or “Hit” buttons available after a Surrender or Double Down action.
I want to specifically credit & thank "TheNoviceDealer" and "Dally1188" who both left great reviews in the App Store and called out the deficiencies in my original version of Spanish 21. Your input led to these changes and your support is greatly appreciated! I hope you will evaluate the changes and let me know what you think. Also, I want to remind you (and everyone) that the best way to reach me is to use "Send Feedback" from any game's menu because those texts will allow us to engage in a meaningful dialogue.
To everyone: thank you for your support, the ideas, and the random words of encouragement.
~Danny
version 62.0.1
posted on 2024-04-15
Apr 15, 2024
Version 62.0.1
One of the design decisions I initially made with Riverboat Gambler was to attempt to prevent a Player from starting a new hand when they don't have sufficient chips on the table (in their bankroll) to complete that hand. I decided to do this because I have seen from experience that it happens frequently when folks sit down to play a new game with which they are unfamiliar. In "Live Play" you have to dig into your pocket to buy new chips. While you could technically do that in RBG too, I felt is was unfair to place Players in that position.
In the last release, I added 3 Shot Poker to the line-up. Ed, a long time supporter and virtual friend reached out using "Send Feedback" with an example to show my how the "bankroll check" on that game was broken. The purpose of this release is to fix that bug! Thanks for your help, Ed! I appreciate you!
More games are coming. More enhancements are planned. Please keep "spreading the word" and, if you haven't already, please consider leaving a review in the App Store to share your experiences with other who are considering the app.
As always, let me know if you have any suggestions or requests. As folks will tell you (and you can read in many reviews), I take all feedback seriously and do my best to accomodate!
~Danny
version 61.0.3
posted on 2024-03-19
Mar 19, 2024
Version 61.0.3
This release is focused on some requested enhancement, library upgrades related to the pesky ads that pay the bills, and some bug fixes.
1. Roulette bug: the space for a split 24/27 wager was not properly recorded so if that wager was made and a 24 or 27 was spun, the wager didn't get paid. Many thanks to Danny (not me!) for using "Send Feedback" to reach out and alert me to the issue. With 280+ spaces to wager on that board, Roulette can be a bit gnarly!
2. Red Dog Bonus bug: another user reached out using "Send Feedback" to let me know that the "Win Achievements" did not appear to be getting tracked correctly. They were absolutely correct and I have fixed the issue in this release. So, if you're a Red Dog (a.k.a. "Acey-Deucey" Player), you have some additional achievement chips that you can still earn!
3. Craps enhancement: Several folks have reached out to request a feature that would show how much gets won (or lost) in Craps while a Shooter is rolling. I've added that as an enhancement in this release. Now, Craps will track the impact to the Player's bankroll while the Player is rolling the dice. The net impact will be reported any time the Shooter "make his point" or rolls a 7. Keep in mind when you're verifying the message that it's possible for some chips to remain on the board after a roll is paid; especially if you are using the "Dealer Assist" features that can be found in Preferences. So, you will have to take the bankroll amount into account with whatever is reported as "In Play".
As to Craps: I feel like I am getting extremely close to isolating the issue associated with the final dice images not matching the roll results. I have still not reproduced the issue but I am getting fewer and fewer reports of this issue. Of course, that could also be an indication that folks are ignoring the problem and creating a false sense of accomplishment on my part. If you experience the issue, please reach out with screenshots. The roll result message is the correct number and it should match what shows in the "Roll History" that is available from the game's menu.
More enhancements are coming; and some more games! Please keep sending me your suggestions and requests. Everything gets added to the backlog and I re-prioritize after each release.
Thank you for your continued support and please stay safe!
~Danny
version 61.0.0
posted on 2024-02-22
Feb 22, 2024
Version 61.0.0
The last update to RBG was an "emergency release" several weeks ago on the day that my mother had her last (hopefully, final) back surgery. That day, some code that went active to support GDPR regulations in the EU broke the app for everyone outside of the EU. Thanks to quick alerts from loyal Players (and the wifi in the hospital waiting room), the RBG was only down for about 12 hours.
Now that Mom is well on her way to recovering and is starting to walk much better, I will be able to commit more focus on enhancing RBG. In this release, I've responded to a request from Jim, a long-time Player, supporter, and virtual friend and have added Game #65: Wild Card Stud Poker.
Wild Card Stud Poker is an interesting game and, from what I understand, is in a Florida casino that is only a couple hour drive away from me. That being the case, I see a road trip in my future to check it out! At first glance, the game appears to be similar to DJ Wild Poker: Deuces and a single Joker are completely Wild and the game is "heads up" against the Dealer. Where the games differ is that Wild Card Stud does not offer the optional "Two Way Bad Beat" Bonus, the Dealer must qualify with at least One Pair (if the Dealer fails to qualify, the Player's Ante wager is refunded and the hand is called), and the Player makes a decision to wager up to 2x the original Ante when deciding to play his hand against the Dealer's. In DJ Wild, the continuation wager is automatically twice the Ante.
For me, the jury is still out on which I like better. In absolute candor, though, I'm a huge fan of the Two Way Bad Beat wagers.
Check it out and let me know what you think! More games and enhancements are coming.
A long time Player/supporter, Linda, reached out using "Send Feedback" and requested that Crazy 4 Poker be enhanced to support the "Player Slow Roll" feature. Now, if you enable "Player Reveals Cards" under Preferences, that game will pause until you have tapped each of the five Player cards to reveal them. Thanks for the great suggestion, Linda! It adds a bit more suspense to that game and just goes to prove that collaborating with folks like you continues to make RBG better. I likely need to revisit some of the other games that don't currently support Slow Roll!
In addition to the new game and the enhancement, I have also updated the libraries that are used to support the rare ads that are displayed. You should only see an ad after every 85th hand and you should be able to close them relatively quickly. Also, I think I've finally addressed the issues related to them not launching in a muted fashion. If your experience is any different that what I've described, please reach out using "Send Feedback" to let me know.
As always, many thanks to all of you for your continued support and encouragement. I really enjoy supporting this app and making all of the virtual friends. If you have any suggestions, requests, or thoughts, please remember that I am always one text away if you use "Send Feedback" from any games' menu.
~Danny
version 60.3.6
posted on 2024-01-10
Jan 10, 2024
Version 60.3.6
Many thanks to Karen for reaching out via Send Feedback about this critical fix.
The last release included functionality intended to address some legal requirements for the EU related to displaying ads. That functionality was slated to go live on 1/10/2024. Unfortunately, despite extensive testing (I promise), it created an issue for non-EU Players. The issue manifested in all games being disabled because the full start up initialization failed to fully complete.
This "hot fix" appears to work. I'm sitting in OR waiting room as my mom has another back surgery and will be performing more extensive testing today and the rest of the week to ensure this solution as elegant as possible.
My apologies!
Danny
version 60.3.5
posted on 2024-01-06
Jan 6, 2024
Version 60.3.5
Happy 2024 everyone! I hope it is your best year ever but nowhere near as good as the many years to follow!
I am "back in the saddle", rested, and will be working through the backlog. There are some bugs that need to be addressed as well as some requested enhancements and new games planned for this quarter.
The main purpose of this release is to address some requirements related to ads that go into effect mid-January for the EU. Now, folks in the EU will be prompted to provide a special approval related to how ads are shown. Folks outside of the EU should not be impacted by this change. I spent weeks working on this functionality and have tested it extensively. When have I said that before?!? Hopefully nothing has broken.
If you are in the EU, I would really appreciate any feedback you can provide me on the User Experience. Often, developers code for what make sense to them, but the final result does not make a lot of sense to the actual user. I can use your input to make any necessary adjustments.
In addition to the change for the EU Players, there is a quick bug fix/enhancement related to video poker:
Most (all) of the card games should allow you to select the color of the deck that will be dealt and select the card faces that you want to see. Most of the card faces are "cheesy" ones that I created by request. Kris reached out via "Send Feedback" requesting a different deck and it turned out that feature had been excluded from the video poker games. That was an oversight on my part. Since you never see the backs of the cards for VP, I turned that feature off. Well, turning off the back of the cards feature also turns off the front of the cards feature - doh! Now, both will show under Preferences. Selecting a deck color will, of course, not affect the deck because you still never see the backs of those cards. Thanks so much for your text, Kris! I never would have realized that bug existed had you not contacted me!
As always, thank you for your continued support! If you are new to the RBG Player Community: "Welcome!". Please know that I am easy to reach if you have any questions, concerns, requests, or bugs to report. Just use "Send Feedback" from any game's menu. I do my best to respond as quickly as possible and I take all feedback seriously.
If you haven't already, please consider posting a review in the App Store. Your reviews and recommendations are basically my entire marketing strategy!
~Danny
version 60.3.4
posted on 2023-12-06
Dec 6, 2023
Version 60.3.4
I'm not hearing much noise about Craps and the dice "number popping" issue I tried to resolve in the last release. However, I have started to see the dice "flash" on one of my devices when a point gets rolled and the puck is moving. The numbers don't look like they change, though, so that's awesome. What I've found leads me to believe that I'm on the right track! The problem is definitely related to application threads and animation. I have my fingers crossed that this release doesn't introduce any unforeseen complications.
While trying to reproduce the issue, I leveraged a development feature that I have that stores the roll history so I can reproduce as needed. About the same time a "random Player from the 317" who wants to remain anonymous reached out via Send Feedback to question the "randomness" of the dice and to request the ability to see a history of the dice rolls. While a histogram was mentioned, that's a bit too much work for the app, so I'm simply providing a mechanism to view the past rolls much in the same manner as the Baccarat Bead Road and the Roulette spins. The option is available from the game's menu: "Craps Roll History". Check it out and let me know if it helps. I've added a histogram to the backlog and will try to figure out a way to add one in the future.
Bug Fix: things were a little "freaky deaky" in Craps if Preferences (Dealer Assist) were accessed on an iPhone. It was so freaky that I can't really explain what it looked like! Now, it should be better!
While we're talking about Craps. I'm looking forward to playing this week in Florida. If I've learned anything from practicing in RBG it's that the best play is "The Dark Side" and I will be one of those folks who everyone at the table thinks is bad luck. A quick internet search of rolls and probabilities supports my experience in the app. I easily found the following probabilities for rolled points; there are many, many more interesting stats as well.
Points 4/10: probability of rolling a 7 BEFORE making the point: 66.66%
Points 5/9: probability of rolling a 7 BEFORE making the point: 60.00%
Points 6/8: probability of rolling a 7 BEFORE making the point: 54.55%
Of course, you have to wager more to win less when "shooting from the don't", but the odds would seem to be slightly better for the Player. The House still has an edge - of course!
Happy Holidays to all!
~Danny
version 60.2.9
posted on 2023-11-23
Nov 23, 2023
Version 60.2.9
Another very minor release that is related to ads. Yes - ads. I'm about as fed up with ads as I can get. Still, they do generate a small amount of revenue and, frankly, the money comes in handy. I've been trying to get control over the volume of the ads, but not all providers are created equally. Some will mute, others will not. Some will respect the "mute" setting on my iPhone; others won't. The changes that I made in the previous release started to cause intermittent crashes so I've made some adjustments.
In this release, I've found that an overwhelming majority of the ads that are presented to me (we all get different ads and I have no control over what ads are delivered) provide a volume icon that can be tapped to mute the sound when the ad launches. Those that do not provide that icon are respecting the "mute" button on my devices. Given that there is still only a single ad after every 85 hands, I've found this to be acceptable. It's also worth pointing out here that the hand count crosses sessions. That means if you play 85 hands and then close RBG, you'll see an ad after your first hand the next time.
Whether this release makes it out before Thanksgiving or not, I hope that you have the opportunity to enjoy the upcoming holiday season with the folks who are most important to you. My mom made it back to Florida this week "for the season". 'Tis the season for Snowbirds! I'm looking forward to having her here for the holidays as we prepare for what will hopefully be her final back surgery!
All my best!
~Danny
version 60.2.8
posted on 2023-11-16
Nov 16, 2023
Version 60.2.8
A bit of an "emergency fix"; at least so far as I am concerned. There is an outage with one of the service providers that is used for logging errors. As a result of the errors that they are generating, the logs are overflowing with false alerts. Unfortunately, I never added a mechanism to turn that logging off. Now I have. There's no change to any of the games. Just getting better control of the error reporting so that real errors don't get lost in the "noise".
In all likelihood the issue will be addressed before this release hits the App Store, but, regardless, it will be there the next time it's needed!
~Danny
version 60.2.6
posted on 2023-11-13
Nov 13, 2023
Version 60.2.6
This is a quick "hot fix"/maintenance release. There have been some issues related to ads that popped up after the last release in which I updated some foundational libraries. I haven't been able to isolate the root cause of the issues, but I did rollback some of those libraries for the time-being. Hopefully this will fix them. I hate the thought of having another series of "rapid-fire updates".
~Danny
version 60.2.2
posted on 2023-10-31
Oct 31, 2023
Version 60.2.2
This release has been a bit delayed because I was distracted by other pressing issues. It is a maintenance release that addresses bugs in a couple of games:
1. Pai Gow/Face Up Pai Gow: Many thanks to "Eagle Eye Karen" who, during her 1000s of hands of Pai Gow has become an expert at identifying edge cases in which the House Way is not properly optimizing the Low Hand. In this release, some issues associated with 7-card Straights have been addressed. Thanks so much for your support, Karen, and for the screenshot examples that always help me to identify the root cause of the issues!
2. Lunar Poker: As I was reviewing logs, I noticed that there were increasing crashes in Lunar Poker. It turns out that the game was allowing the Player to continuously draw 2-5 cards until the deck was depleted. Once there were no more cards, the game crashed the app. It turns out that a handful of folks were aware of the issue and used it to their advantage to rack up a substantial bankroll. While I don't understand how that can be any fun and do find it a little disappointing that they would take advantage of me and the game, "it is what it is". RBG is a labor of love and the goal is to provide everyone with a robust, simulated experience in which to learn new games and to fine tune their strategies. In a casino, the chips would be forfeit after a visit from the Pit Boss. Here, I just say "Congrats!"
3. Bonus 6 Stud Poker: While doing some testing, I noticed that the sequence of the wager buttons was a bit off so I re-arranged them to be more intuitive.
4. Ads: I noticed while playing that some of the ads are not muted when they start playing. I made some changes that I hope will address this. Those pesky advertisers are a pain in the backside, but they help to pay the bills.
Thanks to everyone who supports me with their suggestions, referrals, feedback, and bug reports. I cannot do this without you. I will keep working to improve the app so long as you keep playing it and keep telling your friends about it. There are several game requests and enhancements in the backlog that I will be getting to in the very near future.
Stay Safe!
~Danny
version 60.2.1
posted on 2023-10-08
Oct 8, 2023
Version 60.2.1
As I indicated in the last release notes, I upgraded my development environment to support iOS 17 and performed extensive testing to ensure nothing was broken. Unfortunately, I do not have the means to regression test as far back as iOS 12 which is the minimum version on the OS that RBG will support. Well, it turns out there was a bit of an issue with that release as it applied to iOS 12.
The issue manifested in that RBG was crashing as soon as it was launched on an iOS12 iPad. The crash was immediate and was not providing me with any data in the form of “crash reports”. When Jim texted me using “Send Feedback”, I immediately started to diagnose the issue.
Luckily, I was able to uncover some chatter in the Apple Developer Forums that appeared to explain the issue and, following guidance, I was able to make some adjustments in this release. My fingers are crossed that it works. I have tested pretty extensively to ensure nothing breaks on IOS 17, but if you run into issues, please reach out to me.
Many thanks to Jim, a long time supporter, for reaching out and letting me know about the problem. As I told him when he apologized for "causing me trouble", I'm grateful that the issue happened to him (first?) because not everyone would have taken the time to let me know and give me the opportunity to address the issue.
There is another fix in this release: Josh also reached out to me using "Send Feedback" to alert me to the fact that the "bubbles" on the Blackjack games started displaying with with a black, square background behind the gold circle that contains the point count as cards get dealt. In his words, he didn't want me to get lambasted by OCD reviews. Little did Josh know how OCD I happen to be - he knows now! Thanks for letting me know, Josh. I've rectified that issue in this release and, unlike Jim's issue, I was able to definitively test that fix.
Lastly, Karen also reached out to me about a couple of edge cases in Pai Gow where the House Way was not properly optimizing the Low Hand when Straights & Flushes were played in the High Hand. Thanks so much for the text and the screenshots, Karen! They were extremely helpful in identifying the problems and making some minor adjustments.
If it's not been made clear from previous release notes, I sincerely appreciate the support, feedback, & collaboration with the RBG Player Community. I’m just one guy! A decently skilled developer who created an app so he could play Mississippi Stud on an iPhone. Little did I know that my app would grow to 60+ casino games based on Player requests. I cannot do what I do by myself. I am indebted to all of you who take the time to report a bug or let me know when an image is skewed or request a new feature or a change to the app. Though I may not be able to make every change immediately, they all end up in my product backlog and will eventually be addressed.
While it would be cool to be as successful as one of the "big box software companies” that have teams of programmers, designers, testers, marketers, and customer support people, I bet those companies don't have as much fun as I have when I get to respond to your texts and emails and interact with all of you - my virtual friends. Please keep your messages coming!
If you haven’t already, please encourage a friend or casino buddy to check out Riverboat Gambler. Also, a review in the App Store letting folks know about your experience with the app is always appreciated!
Please Stay Safe!
~Danny
version 60.2.0
posted on 2023-10-04
Oct 4, 2023
Version 60.2.0
Quite a bit of work went into this release. I hope you like it and I hope I didn't break anything!
The main thrust of this release was to adjust the screens for 11" iPads that have adjusted displays to use "More Space". Prior, screens were not being fully utilized & things were not nicely centered. Definitely an issue for my OCD. On a side note: if you notice issues with a screen on your device, please make me aware using "Send Feedback".
RBG currently supports 18 device sizes/resolutions and many of the game boards can be configured, in Preferences, for Left or Right Handed modes. This feature tends is extremely beneficial on an iPhone where you're overworking your thumb to reach buttons! On iPads, the games support both Portrait & Landscape modes.
Another huge benefit of supporting the increased resolution of the 11" iPads is that it makes Craps, Roulette, & Sic Bo (iPad only games) available.
As a result of these changes, it was necessary for me to exhaustively test each game. While doing so, I made some adjustments and enhancements and addressed some minor backlog items related to some of the games. In addition to these changes, I updated my development environment to support iOS 17 and tested the games on that version of the operating system.
Game enhancements:
1. Fish, Prawn, Crab: I've removed the "Roll" button to present it more in line with Craps and Sic-Bo. Now, to roll the dice, simply tap them.
2. Criss Cross: on iPads, I modified the screens so that the bankroll balance sits between the Deal & Fold buttons like it does on most games. I've been playing a lot of Criss Cross lately as I try to develop a decent strategy for that game and I accidentally hit “Fold” a couple of times; not cool!
3. Texas Shootout: I've adjusted the placement of the results message that gets displayed at the end of a hand. Sometimes, that message can be large and it was covering up too much of the Community Cards. Now, it should be easier to interpret the results while being able to see all of the cards on the table.
4. Criss Cross: if a Full House was Folded, the "Oops! Achievement” for "Folded Full House" wasn't being awarded. This also affects the other "Oops!" achievements.
5. 3 Card Fury: the alignment of the "Failed To Qualify" windows were not correct for iPads that were in Landscape mode and set to Left-Handed mode.
6. Ads: I'm so sick of shady advertisers that I could chew nails! Still, the infrequent ads do generate a small amount of revenue for me and I'll take every dime I can get. I have been running into situations where the ads (one should be shown after every 85 hands) are not defaulting to being on mute. Personally, I find that aggravating! I've made some changes in this release that I am hoping will mute them correctly.
There are still more than 100 items in the backlog. These items include your requests & suggestions and code refinement activities that I need to address. Please continue to use "Send Feedback" to share your thoughts with me. I take all input seriously and will do the best I can to satisfy your requests. If I can't, I'll be honest with you about it.
If you haven't already, please consider leaving a review in the App Store to share your impression of RBG with others. I read and respond to all reviews. I don't have the financial resources to do mass advertising of the app, so you are my marketing team. I also believe that you are the best advertising I could have. As long as you are supporting Riverboat Gambler, I will continue to work tirelessly to improve and enhance it.
Best wishes to all! My mom will be returning to Florida for the Winter in the next few weeks. Her health is amazing! Thank you to everyone who continues to ask about her. The previous two years were a medical nightmare! She's had a heck of a journey and I'm happy to report that she can be expected to be around for many, many more years!
Thanks!
~Danny
version 60.1.0
posted on 2023-09-27
Sep 27, 2023
Version 60.1.0
I’m not gonna lie: I’m a bit nervous about this release because it contains a lot of code changes. I have done my best to test everything, but there’s always risk that something was missed.
I’ve been working overtime on implementing some changes that are required to support some regulatory requirements that come due in January 2024. The changes are related to displaying ads in the EU. While most of that code is currently in the app and was being tested, none of that code is active in this release. I was planning to submit it to Apple for review and approval to ensure everything is done correctly, but then I started to get some alerts about devices for which I did not have adequate screen support.
So, I did a quick pivot to work on supporting those devices. Given that there are 64 games in RBG and that many games support Left-Handed and Right-Handed variants as well as Portrait & Landscape on iPads, “new screens” are a tremendous amount of work; literally 100s of hours.
It turns out that some of the newer, larger iPads now allow a user to change the display resolution of their device to make it finer (“use more space”). Unfortunately, the only 12.9” iPad I own isn’t new enough to have that feature. Mine only supports “Larger Text” which basically makes the resolution identical to a 9.7” iPad for which RBG has always had screen definitions.
From what I can determine with my simulators, this “new” feature applies to iPads that are 11” and 12.9”. Again, given the number of games and the orientation variations, that means that I need to define layouts for about 256 game screens and then a handful of other screens.
In order to ensure there is a decent user experience for folks who have changed their display resolution from Default, I went through and updated each game to use an existing screen definition for a device in a manner that ensures that everything is nicely centered. Next, I will be working on updated definitions that will take better advantage of the extra space by making cards and chips and other elements larger.
IMPORTANT: Craps, Roulette, and Sic-Bo will not be available on these screens until I can create the custom layouts for those games.
While making these changes, I also came across a bug in the animation for Casino War. When the cards were being dealt, I was seeing a “partial ghost” of the cards remaining at the top of the screen; sometimes, they flickered. I have no idea how long that has been happening because I don’t play Casino War. The fact that nobody mentioned it to me could be an indication that nobody else is playing that game or, if they are, those folks are too kind to have “complained”.
Never fear complaining folks. RBG has evolved because of Player support, bug reports, suggestions, requests, and other feedback. I just ask that you reach out to me directly using “Send Feedback” instead of posting a bad review that, for some reason, folks never seem to update AFTER I’ve addressed their issues and concerns - LOL.
One thing I have noticed in the the new changes is that the “Failed To Qualify” windows seem to leave a light “trail” on the screen when they are animated from off-screen. I don’t know why this is happening; I suspect it’s a bug with the underlying animation engine for IOS. However, I have confirmed that when I get the screens updated to use the layout approach I normally use, those trails will disappear. That being the case, I’m going to leave it alone for now.
As always, thank you to everyone for your continued support. After this release, I am going to jump back into finalizing the changes that I must release in the EU before mid-January 2024. Then, I will start updating the screens for these non-default iPad screen sizes.
After all of that, there is another new game and some other great enhancements planned!
~Danny
version 60.0.2
posted on 2023-09-06
Sep 6, 2023
Version 60.0.2
This release addresses an issue that exists in the Pai Gow games. Andrew as kind enough to reach out to me using "Send Feedback" to report that the some wild Straight Flushes were being incorrectly classified as 7-Card Straight Flushes for bonus purposes.
This issue has likely existed for a long time and I appreciate that you took the time to report it, Andrew! It's the collaboration with Players like you that continue to help Riverboat Gambler become the best app that it can be!
More games and enhancements are in the works! Thank you to everyone for your continued support and please keep sharing RBG with your friends!
~Danny
version 60.0.1
posted on 2023-08-30
Aug 30, 2023
Version 60.0.1
Quick enhancement release to address a problem reported by Matthew, one of RBG's MVPs. If there's an issue, big or small, it will not escape Matthew! I appreciate your help and support so much, Matthew!
Many of the unique achievements for each game in Riverboat Gambler will award some amount of "bonus chips". For example, after your first 10 hands in each game, you should get a $50 bonus. Well, it turns out that "since Moby Dick was a minnow", if you're playing on an iPad in landscape mode, the award amount would be cut off and you wouldn't see the amount that was awarded. This means that many people may have been earning achievements and may not be aware of the fact that those achievements increased their bankrolls! While testing, I identified that there has also been an issue on the Achievements screen when it gets rotated on the iPad.
Thanks for letting me know, Matthew.
RBG continues to evolve and I'm focusing on adding some features like "tournaments". My idea for tournaments would be that, for specific games, folks would accumulate "points" based on their play over a 24 hour period. Then, at the end of that period, the top winners would receive some bonus chips. The challenge I'm facing is how to implement it. One school of thought is to leverage Apple's Game Center and another is to track the standings using some "cloud services". The former would require me to implement a hook into the Apple Game Center services - something that is extremely new to me. The latter would require me to pay for some services that could become more expensive than I can currently afford.
If you like the ideas of "tournaments", please let me know. I'm literally "sitting on the fence". I don't think the feature is crucial to RBG because it's intended to be an app to help you learn new games and work on strategies, but I also think it could add some additional fun to the mix.
As always, thank you for your continued support!
If you haven't already, please take the time to post a review in the App Store. Your reviews are my only marketing. What you say about the app may influence whether someone else downloads it. The more folks who download and play, the more pennies I get from Google from those rare ads. And, since I'm never going to be Candy Crush, I need to rely on economies of scale and a lot more pennies to make RBG profitable.
Stay Safe!
~Danny
version 60.0.0
posted on 2023-08-24
Aug 24, 2023
Version 60.0.0
Game 64 has arrived! That's 63 more games that I ever envisioned when I first created RBG to allow me to play Mississippi Stud on my first iPhone!
This game was suggested by my brother, Tracy, and it's interesting.
Three Card Sabotage is a variant of the classic favorite Three Card Poker. In the game, the Player is trying to form a better three card poker hand than will the Dealer. In this game, though, the Dealer receives four cards while the Player still only receives three.
What?!? How is that fair?
The twist is that the Dealer also deals an additional two "sabotage cards" from the deck. These two cards are dealt face down and, when the hand is ending, these two cards are used to try to sabotage the Dealer's hand: any of the Dealer's four cards that match a "sabotage card" get thrown out before the Dealer makes a hand. This means that the final Dealer hand could contain fewer than three cards!
Another difference from classic 3 Card Poker is that the Dealer ALWAYS qualifies; there's no wimping out when he doesn't have at least a Queen-high hand!
Sabotage is an interesting game, but remember that, if the two sabotage cards don't affect the Dealer's hand, the Dealer effectively has an extra card from which to make his hand!
Bug fixes:
1. Many thanks to Scott for reaching out via email to alert me to an issue with Wild 5 Poker. A bug in that game was not properly reading Straight Flushes. As a result of Scott's help and the screenshots that he provided, I was able to isolate and address the bug in this release! Thank you, Scott!
Additional Changes/Enhancements:
1. I've introduced a 3rd sub menu from the main games menu: "Texas Hold'em Games". All sub menu names are now prefaced with a "blue diamond" to help in quickly locating them while scrolling. Remember, you can still get to an alphabetized list of the games by using the Search icon! Also, if you mark a game from a submenu as a favorite, it will appear at the top on the main game menu.
2. I've also been cleaning up the code some more and just sliced out literally 1000s of lines of redundant code. Always feels good to clean up the code base but is also terrifying that something will get broken and not caught in my testing.
3. I am still working on identifying the cause of some sporadic crashes that appear to be related to the check for the Loyalty Bonuses. If you are impacted, please consider reaching out to me using "Send Feedback" to provide me with any details you may have.
4. I "tweaked" the layout of the Seach Screen because it was a little skewed on some devices.
I have a ton of great ideas for RBG and I have been playing around with some of them. As soon as I figure out the best (and most inexpensive) way to implement these new features, I think you're going to have your socks knocked off!
In the meantime, please keep sending your feedback, suggestions, bug reports, and requests. As many folks have said in their reviews, I do my best to respond immediately. I'm just a "text away" if you use "Send Feedback" from any game's menu.
Also, if you haven't already, please consider leaving a review in the App Store. I know it doesn't sound like a huge thing, but your reviews are my best marketing and I could really use the help letting folks know about my little app.
As always, I appreciate you and I will keep enhancing and maintaining this wonderful, little virtual casino training space as long as you continue to support it!
~Danny
version 59.1.2
posted on 2023-07-24
Jul 24, 2023
Version 59.1.2
Some more maintenance items as I work to whittle away at the backlog of clean-up tasks. I've updated the diagnostic logging in an attempt to track down some sporadic crashes.
Once I've taken care of the maintenance items, I'll get back to enhancing RBG. Please keep your suggestions and requests coming!
~Danny
version 59.1.1
posted on 2023-07-17
Jul 17, 2023
Version 59.1.1
Simple maintenance release. I've updated some of the libraries that are used to serve ads and updated images.
I am working on additional games and enhancements, though! Please keep your ideas and requests coming. Everything gets evaluated and added to the backlog for consideration.
As always, thank you to everyone for your continued support. I truly appreciate you!
~Danny
version 59.1.0
posted on 2023-07-13
Jul 13, 2023
Version 59.1.0
In response to a request from Mike who messaged me via text using "Send Feedback", I've modified the screens to allow you to quickly access the Casino Wallet by tapping on the bankroll. The option still exists on the menu, but this shortcut was a great idea. Thanks, Mike! Please keep the ideas coming!
Additionally, I've updated some of the 3rd party libraries that are used to present some of the ads.
I have more changes planned and am continuing to refine the code base to correct some of the "rookie mistakes" I made when I first started RBG. I truly appreciate your support and feedback. Please continue providing your input. As anyone who has reached out should be able to attest, I take all input seriously and will do my best to implement all suggestions that are made.
Please keep telling your friends about RBG and, if you haven't already, please consider leaving a review in the App Store. Your reviews are pretty much my entire marketing strategy and can have an impact on folks who find the app and are considering taking it for a test drive.
The local Seminole casinos in Florida are close to offering Craps & Roulette, so I'm excited to try out some of the strategies I've been developing while playing RBG!
Please stay safe!
~Danny
version 59.0.1
posted on 2023-06-27
Jun 27, 2023
Version 59.0.1
This release contains a bug fix to Joker Poker (Video Poker) in which the Sequential Royal Flush (the ultimate monster hand) wasn't being read correctly. Thankfully, I caught this issue in my testing and nobody was bitten by it!
Additionally, I've modified the app to track Game Stats for the Video Poker games. I highly encourage anyone who uses this feature to reset the current stats as some have been recorded, but not correctly.
More changes coming! My mom made it back to Michigan safely and I am going to be spending a lot more time working on the backlog and some enhancements that I have planned. Please keep your ideas, requests, and suggestions coming!
~Danny
version 59.0.0
posted on 2023-06-09
Jun 9, 2023
Version 59.0.0
To be candid, I'm finding myself pretty addicted to video poker; my favorites are Deuces Wild and Double Double Bonus. Mom and I dropped into the local casino last week and I sat at a machine for about 2 hours and doubled my money. Granted, the payouts are not as extreme as a nice hand of quads on Mississippi Stud, but it's still fun to leave the casino "ahead"! My only complaint with the machines are that the "Bet Max" and "Deal/Draw" buttons are too close together. On at least one occasion, I hit the wrong button and it proved to be expensive! For that reason, there will never be that type of button in RBG. In RBG, you still have to pick your increment and tap the wager space up to five times to make your bet.
In this release, I have added a sixth video poker game that I noticed on the machine I was playing: Triple Bonus Poker. It's very similar to Double Double Bonus, but, like most video poker games, there are some minor differences on the pay table. In this game, the differences apply to how quads are paid out.
Additionally, in response to a suggestion from Kyle, I've updated the VP games to change the "Deal button" to a "Draw button" after the initial cards get dealt. Definitely an idea that needed to be implemented. Thanks, Kyle!
I've not been getting any additional feedback about the dice images for Craps not matching the final roll. I STILL have not seen the issue myself. I'm hoping the lack of feedback means that the changes I made in the previous releases crushed the bug. If you experience a situation where the final dice images do match the roll outcome, please reach out to me using "Send Feedback". For now, I'm going to consider the issue resolved.
More changes and enhancements are coming. I am about to take a couple of weeks of "down time" to hang out with my mom and get her relocated back to Michigan for the summer months. She has all but recovered 100% from the health issues that she's had to deal with for the past 2+ years and, now, it's time to start enjoying her "Golden Years". Many thanks to those of you who have reached out to ask about her and for all of the prayers.
~Danny
version 58.0.0
posted on 2023-05-17
May 17, 2023
Version 58.0.0
This release contains a new video poker game and a couple of nice enhancements.
1. BUG: Video Poker games: Kyle was kind enough to let me know that on games like "Royal Flush" that have different payouts for 4 of a Kind based on the denomination of the "quads", the engine was not selecting the correct win. Thanks for texting me with "Send Feedback", Kyle. I appreciate you helping to keep the game bug free!
2. ENHANCEMENT: Video Poker games: As I expected, there has been some confusion about how the VP games pay out. The table at the top of each screen represents the number of "units" (chips) that get paid for each hand that wins. They ARE NOT odds. If you bet in $5 increments, a unit is $5; if you bet in $25 increments, a unit is $25. That means that if you hit a hand that pays "25", the payout is 25 x your increment/unit. To help with the confusion, the main wager button will no longer display the total amount wagered when it's tapped; it will show the number of wagers that have been placed and the table at the top of the screen will change to highlight the column that matches the wager count. While I'm sure this will cause additional confusion, it is a little closer to the actual "machine experience". I encourage everyone to take 5 minutes to read the "How to Play". While I am finding Video Poker games to be a great distraction, they are not table games; there are differences of which you should become familiar.
3. NEW GAME: Kyle requested that I prioritize "Video Poker: Double Double Bonus" as a game. Given that most of the work was already done, I did my best to deliver! Here you go, Kyle. Thanks so much for your help! As a side note, I spent about 5 hours in a casino on Mother's Day and all I played was video poker. It's a great game! You don't have to lose much and the upsides were pretty rewarding.
4. ENHANCEMENTS: Gregory, a Pai Gow and Asia Poker Dealer, pointed out some issues in how hands in those games were not being properly optimized by the House Way algorithm; namely as it applied to Straights, Flushes, and Straight Flushes. I’ve made some additional refinements and am feeling really good about how those hands get played in Pai Gow. Next, I will be focused on using the same approach in Asia Poker. Thanks so much for all of your help, Gregory!
~Danny
version 57.0.2
posted on 2023-05-11
May 11, 2023
Version 57.0.2
This week has had a couple of "rapid fire" releases. If you're able, please review the release notes for the previous release, 57.0.1. to read about the new games, bug fixes, and enhancements that were made.
In this release, I am trying another "Hail Mary" fix to Craps. After changes that were made to address crashes on iPhones, a bug appeared that randomly impacts the dice; they are not always updating on the screen to match the final roll. There is no rhyme or reason. Hence, the artillery-strike approach I am using to address a bug I cannot reproduce.
In addition to working on this issue, I am working with Jeffrey on addressing some edge-cases in the Pai Gow games. There are some situations in which the House Way (which also controls the Dealer's cards) is not playing the hands in the most optimal manner. Because my goal is authenticity, this is important to me. However, I do want to make sure that folks realize that if their hand is not played optimally using "House Way", they should gain some solace in the fact that the same algorithms apply to Dealer hands.
RBG is "on fire"! Please keep telling your friends and others about the app. I need to spend a couple weeks working on the versions for "other platforms", but I am filling up the backlog with some really great suggestions and ideas. I truly appreciate the support from the Player Community!
Please, if you haven't already, consider taking a couple of minutes to post a review in the App Store. I know it seems trivial, but it really is the only marketing that I have. I don't have the funds to invest in expensive ads. The greater the number of people who play , the greater the number of hands that get dealt. In keeping with my commitment to you, an ad continues to be shown after every 100 hands. The more "100 hands" that get dealt, the higher my ad revenue becomes. It's not a fabulous amount of income, but every penny helps!
Also, please remember that you can get $1000 in chips every 24 hours by playing the Reward Ads in the Chip Store. Nobody says you have to watch them, but you do have to play them....
Please keep using "Send Feedback" to submit your ideas, requests, and suggestions! I think 2023 is going to be an exciting year for Riverboat Gambler!
Since I'm assuming this release will hit the App Store BEFORE Mother's Day (or very close, at least): Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, YOUR Mom, and all Moms!
~Danny
version 57.0.1
posted on 2023-05-08
May 8, 2023
Version 57.0.1
In response to many requests, I have added a handful of video poker games to RBG! Personally, I never really understood the "draw", but having created these four games and played them, I now see why others like them! I will likely add more video poker in the future if these become popular. NOTE: please read the "How to Play" if you're not familiar with the differences between video poker and table games. While they are not slot machines, they are also not table games. One important difference is that if you hit a win, your initial wagers are not refunded. Instead, like a slot machine, once wagered, those chips are gone.
When I added the new games, I also started to add a sub-menu concept to the main menu as a way to continue to get that menu under control. Soon, I will make additional changes to group other games by "type"; like Pai Gow, Blackjack, Hold'em, etc. Your favorites will still be at the top of the menu and all games will still be sorted alphabetically on the Search menu.
Additional Changes/Enhancements:
1. BUG: Rob reached out via "Send Feedback" to alert me to an issue with Heads Up Hold'em on the iPad 12. In Landscape mode, the "Odds" wager button was being covered up by the Ante wager button. Since the Odds wager is a forced bet that increments automatically as Antes are placed, it was a bit confusing to see the bankroll decrease by twice the Ante each time a wager was made, but to not see the chips on the board. That has been fixed in this release. Thanks, Rob!
2. BUG: Jeffrey reached out with some screenshots of Craps. This bug is a head scratcher and I'm not 100% sure I've resolved it in this release because I cannot reproduce it. The issue is that after a roll completes, the dice on the board are not always updating correctly to reflect the final roll. I made some "Hail Mary" changes in this release and will also continue to try to reproduce the issue in order to get to an actual root cause. I suspect this is the last remnants of the issues that were previously causing Craps to crash on iPhone. Thanks for letting me know, Jeffrey, and please let me know how this release works out on your device!
3. ENHANCEMENT: Double Draw, Lunar Poker, and the Video Poker games require the Player to tap cards to Hold or Discard them. I cleaned up the code that was handling those operations and re-styled the indicators that are displayed on the cards. Now, they look a lot nicer. They are dynamic based on the size of the cards so please reach out if any of them are too small. I did my best to check all impacted games on all devices, but you've seen me drop that ball before!
4. ENHANCEMENT: I had a little fun with graphics and added a new style of dice for the games that use dice. Check out Preferences in those games!
5. BUG: Ties in Pai Gow Tiles were not being properly resolved. Many thanks to Gregory, a Pai Gow Dealer, for reaching out to me using "Send Feedback" and helping to educate me. He is also advising me on some tweaks that are required for some Asia Poker edge cases. Gregory: your help is invaluable!
I have a question for those who made it this far in the release notes: My mother has gotten me addicted to a non-casino game that offers "tournaments" in which you can play against a bunch of other people and the top finishers win "prizes". I'm curious: would anyone be interested in "RBG Tournaments" where the Players who amassed the most chips in a particular game during a period of time would win prizes? If you are, please reach out via "Send Feedback" or via the support email address and provide me your thoughts. On paper, it looks cool but it would be a ton of wasted work if I “build it and they DON’T come”.
I'll close with my standard "Thank you for your support" line. I really do appreciate the support of the Player community. There is no way that RBG would have become what it is today without your support, patience, suggestions, and feedback.
~Danny
version 56.12.7
posted on 2023-04-19
Apr 19, 2023
Version 56.12.7
Major bug fix that impacted ALL games. Thank you very much, Brad, for alerting me to this one! It's ugly and it's sure to generate a lot of noise if folks don't see the alert messages and updates I have posted on Twitter (@RiverboatApp).
Board controls became disabled if you changed the screen during an active hand (e.g. accessed the Chip Store, How To Play, or Pay Table after cards were dealt). The issue is resolved in this release.
And, here I thought it was going to be a nice, slow, easy week after finally getting to the bottom of that nasty, elusive Craps issue!
~Danny
version 56.0.0
posted on 2023-04-09
Apr 9, 2023
Version 56.0.0
Game #57 has arrived and I love it! Requested by Linda, "Cali Lowball" is sure to become a favorite of many! I've played this game for hours and feel like I'm becoming addicted to it! What is really wild about the game is that, like a 2-Way Bad Beat, you actually WANT the Dealer to have better cards than do you because, in Cali Lowball, the WORST hand wins! Be sure to read the instructions to fully understand the game. There is no such thing as a Straight or a Flush and ACES ARE ALWAY LOW. Check it out and let me know what you think. Many thanks to Linda for reaching out with the request!
A few releases back, I made a change that impacted the games that require the Dealer to "qualify". In those games, the first time the Dealer fails to qualify, a message pops up to explain the parameters for Dealer qualification and what happens in the game should the Dealer fail to qualify. These messages were served once and only once. When I started to get a lot of support questions on the topic, I opted to make those messages show up once, per session, per game, when the Dealer failed to qualify. While doing that helped to reduce the support questions from folks who were new to an impacted game, it create a whole other "problem". Namely, experienced Players had to deal with seeing a message that was really a "Duh! No kidding!" message from their perspective.
In this release, in response to inquiries from Robert (a long time supporter, advocate, and advisor) I prioritized making such messages optional. Now, Players may turn these messages off using the "Show Popup Instructions" switch in Preferences for games that are impacted. I want to thank Robert for bringing this to my attention and mostly for his patience. I can relate to the fact that having a "dumb" message pop up while trying to play a game with which you are familiar can be annoying!
Enhancement: I received some rather cool/educational feedback from Eric, a former casino Dealer, about Faro. I turns out that the "final sequence" option in that game was historically referred to as "Chasing the Turn". It makes sense when you consider that that is basically what is occurring. For that reason, I've rebranded that part of the game. Now, instead of the boring "final sequence" verbiage, all references to that "bonus game" should be reflected as Chasing/Chase the Turn. Thanks Eric!
Bug Fix: Rabbit Hunter: If the Bad Beat Bonus was wagered and there was a Push with a Pair of Tens or higher, the app would crash while trying to calculate a bonus that should not be paid.
Bug Fix: There were a handful of crashes that appeared to have been caused by the 3rd party libraries that are being used for logging. It's pathetic that trying to log some information could create an exception that would crash the app, but it's the reality of app development. Hopefully, the changes that I made will prevent such situations from occurring in the future!
The backlog of general "TODO" items has been significantly reduced. This is great news because it means I can get back to focusing on enhancing RBG with new features! I have a lot of exciting plans for the app, but I will always prioritize Player requests and bug fixes above those plans. There are still a few (very few) crashes occurring on Craps for the iPhone. Those issues are my number one priority. If you have any suggestions or requests, though, please make sure that you reach out using "Send Feedback" or via the support email that can be found at TheRiverboatGambler.com so that I can add them to the backlog.
Finally, I never get tired of saying: I sincerely appreciate you! Your support and patience are amazing and your input continues to improve RBG as an app! Please, if you haven't already, consider leaving a review in the App Store and, please, encourage your friends, family, and complete strangers to "check RBG out"! The more that YOU help with the marketing, the more I can focus on writing code!
~Danny
version 55.7.0
posted on 2023-03-29
Mar 29, 2023
Version 55.7.0
One of the features for which I get a lot of positive feedback is the "Poker Hands" option from the game menus. I'm told it helps folks who are new to poker become more familiar with the composition and rank order of the hands. So, when Devan contacted me via the support email account and requested that a copy of the Faro board be made available that could be used to track the card counts in that game when it is being played live it sounded like a nice enhancement.
Look for "live play board" on the Faro game menu. This feature can serve as the abacus if you are dealing Faro to a group of family and friends. Using your mobile device, you can now deal the cards and, by pressing and holding the corresponding cards on the live play board, you are able to increment the counter for each card. I opted to go with a "long press" to prevent an accidental "tap" on card that could screw up the count and slow down the game. The counter for each card will increment to 4 and then a subsequent press will reset the count. I hope the Faro Players like it! Please, if you have any suggestions, just let me know!
A HUGE bug was uncovered by Chuck and reported via "Send Feedback". While I'm sure Chuck didn't find it amusing because it prevented him from playing Craps on his new IPhone, I have to admit it made me chuckle at my own mistake.
When Craps and Roulette are first loaded, those games store some necessary screen coordinates to the device. These coordinates are required to calculate which wagers are being placed. When we update our devices the upgrade process typically transfers all existing application data from the old device to the new device. In the case of Craps and Roulette the fact that I wasn't verifying that the previously saved coordinates matched the current device and reloaded as necessary created a situation where you could be playing on a device that contained coordinates for the wrong device. The problem only manifested if you went from a smaller sized device to a larger one. Thanks to Chuck having reached out, that issue has been resolved in this release. You have to agree, it was a ridiculous "bug" given the fact that folks change devices constantly!
Lastly, I've updated some of the support libraries that are used to serve the ads that are shown after every 100 hands/spins/rolls. As I've stated many times in the past, I always get a little nervous when updating 3rd party libraries because I don't have any control over the code base for those libraries, but I've done some extensive testing and all seems good.
As always, my thanks to everyone for your continued support, feedback, and suggestions. More changes are coming. Please keep your messages coming! If you haven't already, please consider leaving a review in the App Store and please help to spread the word about RBG to your friends and family!
~Danny
version 50.11.2
posted on 2022-08-02
Aug 2, 2022 Version 50.11.2
It's hard to believe how quickly time has passed this month. The previous release was made at the beginning of July and, now, here we are at the end of July.
This release addresses some issues that Matt identified with how the Pai Gow House Way rules were being applied. Thanks for the assist, Matt! I appreciate your continued support.
Most of the changes are related to ensuring that the best possible Low Hand is played when a Straight, Flush, or Straight Flush are possible in the High Hand.
Additionally, I have updated some of the supporting libraries that are used.
My sincerest appreciation to all of you who continue to reach out using "Send Feedback" to make suggestions and to submit requests. Your support is greatly appreciated. More changes are coming!
~Danny
version 50.7.2
posted on 2022-05-14
May 14, 2022 Version 50.7.2
Well, I did it again! In the release before last, I made a "simple, minor change" and I broke Casino War! Holy Cow, Danny! Get your act together!
Thanks to "Player X" who contacted me through "Send Feedback" to alert me to the issues. Now all should be right in the world of Riverboat Gambler!
version 50.6.2
posted on 2022-04-24
Apr 24, 2022 Version 50.6.2
More updates to the screens on iPads. Hopefully, now things are better aligned. Please let me know if you come across any screen issues. I could be happy for the rest of my life if I didn't have to update those screens again; but I will!
Also:
1. DJ Wild Poker bug fix: Many thanks to Terrie who wrote in via email to alert me to the fact that the engine was reading a wild Royal Flush incorrectly as 5 of a Kind. This would happen any time there were four wild cards and any part of Broadway. Nice find, Terrie! Nice hand, too!
2. Craps enhancements: Joel suggested adding an indicator as to how much has been wagered on the Craps table. I thought it was a great idea, so I added it! Joel also pointed out that on his iPad, the "shortcut" options I added a little while back were overlapping the options used to toggle Place Bets On/Off. So, I tweaked that a bit on all devices.
Thanks for your continued support and feed. I'll be focusing on some new games shortly. Please keep telling folks about Riverboat Gambler and, if you haven't, please consider leaving a review in the App Store. Currently, I'm only 2.4 million reviews behind Candy Crush!
~Danny
version 50.5.0
posted on 2022-04-11
Apr 11, 2022 Version 50.5.0
I'm still working on cleaning up the user interfaces (a.k.a. screens) to make things look cleaner and more crisp. In this release, I've stretched my graphics skills even further to clean up the RBG logo. Believe me, that work is killing my OCD! The main graphic has 640,000 pixels in it and I've pretty much adjusted each one - many, many times! SMH!
Other updates in this release:
1. DJ Wild Poker bug: Many thanks to Shawn who reached out to me with screenshots using "Send Feedback" in the app to alert me to the fact that certain "Wild Straights" were being classified as "Natural Straights" when the payouts were made. I truly appreciate that you took the time, Shawn!
2. The screen background on the "Versions & Credits screen" wasn't properly anchored at the top of the screen so one could see the preceding screen (on some devices).
version 50.4.5
posted on 2022-04-05
Apr 5, 2022 Version 50.4.5
Bug Fixes & Enhancements:
BUG 1: Thanks to a bug report that "Judy" posted in an App Store Review, I was able to isolate a bug in Deuces Wild that was improperly reading a hand that contained 4 Deuces. Thanks so much for letting me know, Judy! I appreciate your help and patience.
BUG 2: The puck in Craps (iPads only) was resetting its position if the iPad orientation changed. The active point remained in play, but the "ON" button was returned to the "Don't Come Bar" area of the table. And nobody ever noticed that?!? The code to deal with that situation had been commented out. No idea why. Hopefully I didn't break something else by making it active. I didn't see any adverse impacts in my testing...
BUG 3: Thanks again to Matthew for detecting that if a hand of Bonus Six Stud Poker was played and then the Ante wager for the next hand was changed the 5th Card Option wager from the preceding hand was not removed from the board.
ENHANCEMENT 1: or games that don't support an actual "Fold", that stat is now "greyed out" on the Game Stats screen. Matthew was questioning why, despite multiple folds in Face Up Pai Gow, that stat stayed at zero. The reason is that Pai Gow technically doesn't have a "Fold". It's a Win/Lose/Tie proposition. The Fold button was only added to help the game go more quickly in those cases where the Player couldn't win against the Dealer's face up cards.
ENHANCEMENT 2: The biggest change in this release is to the screen backgrounds. A couple of folks reached out to me and asked if there was anyway to make the contrast better. So, as I always do, I decided to see what could be done. Personally, I like the new "look", but, to paraphrase Dr. McCoy: "I'm a programmer; not a graphic artist!".
Please let me know what you think and reach out with any suggestions. I'm learning a lot about the image editing tool that I bought and I'll be making some additional "tweak".
More features and enhancements are coming. Please keep your ideas flowing. They continue to be the motivation for the evolution of RBG!
~Danny
version 50.4.4
posted on 2022-03-27
Mar 27, 2022 Version 50.4.4
Bug Fixes:
1. DJ Wild Poker: Trey was kind enough to send in a very professionally detailed defect report that described an issue with how the remaining bankroll was being incorrectly calculated. This could cause the Player to get stuck with a dealt hand but insufficient funds to play out the hand.
version 50.4.1
posted on 2022-02-22
Feb 22, 2022
Version 50.4.1
Acting upon some additional feedback from Matt, I made some changes to the Pai Gow card games that are intended to improve the user experience. Prior to this update, the cards reacted oddly if you quickly tapped them multiple times when removing a played card from the board. Now, to remove a played card from the board you will "press and hold" instead of double tapping them.
I will be looking into making a similar update to Pai Gow Tiles in the near future.
As always, thanks to everyone for your continued support, feedback, and suggestions.
If you've not already, please consider leaving a review in the App Store to share your experiences and thoughts with others. Also, remember that I am super easy to reach via "Send Feedback" in the app, email from the support site, and on Twitter: @RiverboatApp.
~Danny
version 50.2.0
posted on 2022-02-07
Feb 7, 2022 Version 50.2.0
I'm pretty excited about this release!
Quite a while ago, someone asked me if it was possible to modify the app so that the Player could "slow roll" their own cards. By this, they were asking that the Player cards be dealt face down and then the Player could reveal those cards at their own pace. As I recall, the specific game that was mentioned was 3 Card Poker and the rationale was that it would add a bit of suspense to the game. Unfortunately, I failed to add that request to the backlog and completely forgot about it. As a result, I cannot remember who requested the feature. But, whoever you were, you have my thanks for recommending what I think many will find to be a fun enhancement and I apologize for the delay in making it happen.
In this release, I have added an optional "Player Reveals Cards" setting under Preferences for the following six games:
1. Mississippi Stud
2. Three Card Poker
3. Cajun Stud
4. Let It Ride
5. Big Raise Stud Poker
6. Criss Cross
By default, the feature will be "Off" so nothing will change unless you access Preferences for one of those games and turn "Player Reveals Cards" on. When the setting is "On", all cards will be dealt face down and the game will pause until all Player cards have been revealed. You will reveal your cards by tapping on them one at a time; in any order.
Check it out and let me know what you think! If you have a favorite game to which you would like me to add the feature, let me know. For many of the games, it did not seem to make sense to me to add this feature. But, then again, I still primarily only play MS Stud!
Bug Fixes:
1. Wild Five Poker: yet another bug was introduced wherein if you discarded a card in one hand the setting was not being reset before the next hand was dealt. This meant that if you tried to "stand pat" in a subsequent hand, the game was still discarding which ever card was in the previously discarded position. Doh! That was a bonehead mistake! Thanks to Howard, Jay, and others for reporting the issue to me.
As always, my sincerest appreciation to all of you for playing Riverboat Gambler and for helping me to spread the word and for your suggestions that continue to improve it. Who knew that the little app I created so I would be able to play Mississippi Stud on my iPhone would end up containing this many games and would be dealing more than 5 million hands a month around the World?!? Wow! #SoVeryHumbledByYou
If you use Twitter, please consider following me: @RiverboatApp or watch for #RiverboatGamblerIOS. It is proving to be an efficient and effective way for me to get out messages about bugs and fixes and enhancements.
~Danny
version 50.1.0
posted on 2022-02-04
Feb 4, 2022 Version 50.1.0
Bug Fixes:
1. Quick fix to the last game that was released, Wild Five Poker. There was a bug that was evaluating the Wild 5 Bonus hand when determining the outcome of the forced Bonus wager. This resulted in the Bonus not being properly paid. Thank you, Howard, for catching and reporting this. I appreciate you!
2. Recently, I updated the Blackjack games because a bug had set the Bonus limits to $3K. When I "fixed" that, I created a situation that could freeze those games during a Double Down action because the engine was interpreting the DD wager to be in excess of the table max. Thank you, Willie, for reaching out to me via "Send Feedback" so I could squash that bug and squeeze it into this release. You rock!
~Danny
version 49.1.5
posted on 2022-01-14
Jan 14, 2022 Version 49.1.5
This release contains a couple of enhancements:
First, "Blackjack Fever" left a review about Blackjack. It was a kind 5-Star review, but (s)he did say that there "seem to be a lot of 10s". As I have stressed, all deals, rolls, & spins in Riverboat Gambler are 100% random. However, as I do with all reviews, I looked at the game to make sure there wasn't a bug (that's always a possibility). I didn't find a bug, but I did notice that the 8 decks that are used were being reshuffled as soon as one-half of the "shoe" had been used. I honestly don't know what the correct "reshuffle point" should be, but I decided that "half the shoe" probably didn't adequately simulate what I've seen Dealers do in a casino when they "cut the cards" with the "yellow card". For that reason, those games will now reshuffle when the shoe is down to 104 cards (2 decks). Hopefully, that is a bit more realistic.
While I'm talking about Blackjack (a game I don't play because I'm always scared of getting beat up for "splitting 10s"), I wanted to mention the Blackjack Card Counter feature that I added some months back. I have never received any feedback on it. I added it because I watched the movie "21" and thought I might want to learn how to count cards…LOL. I would love to hear from the Blackjack Players as to whether or not that feature adds value and (more importantly) if I implemented it correctly.
The next change is just the addition of a new "Player Message". Many of you will see it right away, because those messages only get shown once. The purpose of the message is to try to clarify the "Net Win" part of the messages that get shown after some of the hands complete. A while back, someone reached out to me via "Send Feedback" because the previous messaging was confusing him. Honestly, in retrospect, it would have been much easier to simply explain the original messages to him and leave it at that, but I liked his input and I changed ALL of the games to report a “Net Win” when appropriate.
Now, the most frequently asked question I get is about the new message....LOL
In short, here's the deal (pun intended):
The "Net Win" is the total that your bankroll INCREASED after a hand ended.
For example, if you win $200 on a hand, but you also had a $25 wager on an optional bonus that did not win, your "Net Win" is $175 ($200 win - $25 loss).
Watch your bankroll. You will still be paid the $200 (and you will be refunded the original wagers), but, at the end of that hand, you are not "ahead" by $200. You are really only ahead by $175. Technically, it's possible to win a hand and actually lose or break even. Case in point would be the way I wager on 3 Card Poker (I play it if I can’t get a seat at MS Stud because it’s right next door). I place the same $25 wager on the Ante, the Pair Plus, and the 6 Card Bonus. When I beat the Dealer without a Pair Plus or 6 Card Win, I get paid $50, but, I'm “net even” because I lost $50 on the two "bonus" wagers. In that case, the Net Win is zero; something that is painfully obvious when the Dealer pays me with my own money….doh!
That is what the messages try to communicate.
The last thing I'll say on this topic is that "Net Win" only shows if there is a Net Win. If you break even or, worse, lose, there is not any message. To be candid, that's intentional because it's just depressing to constantly see when we are losing.
The last change is an update to the libraries that are used to display ads. Yes-there are still Reward Ads for free chips. Remember, I listened to you and got rid of ads between hands!
Thanks, everyone, for your continued support. As we start 2022, I am excited about the prospects and future for Riverboat Gambler. My little app continues to grow because of your support, your feedback, your requests, and your help. What started out as a simple training exercise has turned into something I never could have envisioned. I'm humbled and grateful for you and I am having a blast working with you!
~Danny
version 49.1.4
posted on 2022-01-08
Jan 8, 2022 Version 49.1.4
Small bug fix to Texas Hold'em Bonus.
Many thanks to Matthew for reaching out to me using the feedback email address on the support site to let me know that it was possible to bet "The Flop" before the cards were fully dealt. If that occurred, the game got stuck because the Turn wager button never enabled (even though it was flashing). The only option the Player had was to Fold the hand and forfeit his wagers. Not cool!
Thanks again, Matthew. Your help and patience are truly appreciated!
I have also made a change to remove the Achievements option from the game menu if bonuses are disabled. The idea for this change came from working with Alan who was noticing that none of the Achievement counters weren't working. The reason the counters were not working was that bonuses were disabled. When bonuses are disabled, nothing related to Achievements happens. So, it only creates confusion to keep them included in the menu. Thanks for helping diagnose that "problem", Alan!
~Danny
version 49.1.3
posted on 2022-01-02
Jan 2, 2022 Version 49.1.3
Happy 2022 to all! My hope is that this year is better for you than those before it and that those that follow it will be even greater!
This first release of the year contains a simple bug fix to Pai Gow Tiles. Bryan found an edge case where the House Way rules were playing a Low Hand that outranked the High Hand. As always, thanks for the assist, Bryan!
Please keep your suggestions and feedback coming. And please help to spread the word about the app this year to help me to increase the size of the Player Community!
~Danny
version 49.1.2
posted on 2021-12-13
Dec 13, 2021 Version 49.1.2
Wow! I am doing more updates at a time when I had planned to do no updates...LOL.
The last release changed the results messages that are shown after a hand ends. I was attempting to address something that Robert rightly called out as confusing. This release is a bit of a refinement to that change in an attempt to make things less confusing. In many of the games, Players can place optional wagers that can be won & paid regardless of whether the hand is won. In the results, it may say "Player Won", "Player Wins", "Player Paid" etc for a bonus even though the hand was lost. Then, in some games, there is a summary that says something along the lines of "Winner Paid: $XXXX". My goal with the "Winner Paid" summary message was to communicate when a net increase to the Player bankroll occurred. This feature was added a long time ago when Criss Cross was introduced because there is a lot that goes on in that game (two Player hands with three different wagers and the optional bonus bet) and required a lot of math to determine if the outcome of the hand positive.
At some point next year, I will re-evaluate the summary message, but, for the time-being, I have changed the summary message from "Winner Paid" to "Net Win". Hopefully, if you read these release notes a couple of times, things will be more clear.
Thanks everyone for your support and for reaching out to me after the last change to allow me to explain the change and my intent. It truly means a lot to me that my Players continue to help with the app!
The holidays are here and my mother has returned to South Florida for the winter. She is battling her 3rd bout of cancer. After surviving breast cancer and then liver cancer, she now gets to fight multiple myeloma (bone cancer). I am about to take some much needed vacation from my day job and am hoping to spend a significant amount of time with her. I still have some ideas to enhance the app, but I am really hoping for just "me and Mom" time for the rest of the year.
Please keep your suggestions and requests coming! RBG started out as a game that I wanted on my iPhone and has become your app, too. I am here to support you as much as you support me.
I hope that you all have a safe and happy holiday season and get to spend a lot of quality time with the people you love!
~Danny
