Pokemon TCG Pocket player tracked coin flips to claim game was on "hard mode"

A Pokemon TCG Pocket player, u/sawdomise, recently posted a detailed analysis of their in-game coin flips, suggesting that their game might be operating on an unofficial "hard mode". Tracking their last 100 matches, they found an unusual discrepancy in coinflip results.

Here's what u/sawdomise stated in their Reddit post:

"I've tracked coinflips the last 100 games and figured out I've accidentally put the game on hard mode. How do I turn the difficulty back to normal?"

I've tracked coinflips the last 100 games and figured out I've accidentally put the game on hard mode. How do I turn the difficulty back to normal? byu/sawdomise inPTCGP

While the overall game-wide distribution of heads and tails was close to an expected 50/50 split, the original poster's personal flips apparently heavily favored tails at 64.2%, while their opponents' flips skewed in the opposite direction with 66.7% landing on heads.

This led the OP to ask the community if there was a way to reset their perceived difficulty level. Attached to their post was a chart showing a total sample size of 299 coin flips, revealing an imbalance that raised questions about the fairness of the game’s RNG mechanics.

The post quickly gained traction, with various community members chiming in with statistical analysis, humor, and theories regarding potential biases in the game's programming.

Redditor u/Gangster301 was quick to point out a misinterpretation of the data:

"He didn't flip 200 tails in 300 coin flips from what I'm seeing, since the total for the 299 sample size is 158 heads and 141 tails. He got about 2 tails per 1 heads for HIS flips, but assuming that is about half of the flips, then it's 100 tails in 150 flips, which is just a 1 in ~37,000."

While still unlikely, this probability is far more reasonable than initially assumed.

Adding a humorous take, u/A_Ticklish_Midget suggested that if they were a developer, they would find it amusing to single out one player for particularly bad luck.

Comment byu/sawdomise from discussion inPTCGP

While meant as a joke, this comment resonated with some players who have also experienced suspicious streaks of bad luck.

On a more mathematical note, u/The-Jolly-Llama took issue with the statistical misunderstandings in the thread.

Comment byu/sawdomise from discussion inPTCGP

They concluded that either u/sawdomise’s data logging was flawed, or there was a legitimate issue with their in-game RNG.

Meanwhile, u/Dirty_poster55 provided a practical solution, recommending that players avoid decks that rely heavily on coin flips:

"The meta now has many decks that dont require coin flips at all. Just stay away from celebi, moltres, misty, lickilicky, eevee, zapdos, marowak and youre good. I think I honestly have bigger problems with deck shuffles and mixed energy productions"

They argued that deck shuffling and inconsistent energy production were much bigger concerns than coin flips in the current meta.

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Is Pokemon TCG Pocket's coin flip system rigged?

Some cards that heavily depend on coin flips in the game (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The discussion highlights a fundamental question: Is Pokemon TCG Pocket's coin flip truly fair? While u/sawdomise’s data suggests an unusual bias in their personal flips, the overall sample indicates that the game-wide RNG functions within reasonable statistical expectations.

However, several players have raised concerns about the fairness of the game’s mechanics, with some planning to track their own results to compare findings.

There is also historical precedence for skepticism toward Pokemon TCG Pocket’s RNG mechanics. Some players recall instances where opening packs or receiving special cards appeared to be predetermined, raising suspicions that certain in-game mechanics operate under hidden conditions.

While randomness is an expected part of any card game, players expect transparency in how it is implemented. If multiple users begin reporting similar patterns in their coin flips, it could suggest an underlying issue with how probability is handled in the game.

Additionally, the perception of unfair RNG can have a significant impact on player experience. Players who feel consistently unlucky may alter their deck-building strategies, avoid certain game modes, or even quit playing altogether.

The ongoing debate about the fairness of the coin flip system underscores the importance of clarity in-game mechanics. If developers wish to maintain player trust, addressing these concerns — whether by confirming the fairness of the system or making adjustments — could be crucial in the long run.

The situation remains unresolved, but this debate has sparked a renewed interest in examining how RNG works in Pokemon TCG Pocket. If more players begin tracking their results and find similar patterns, it could pressure developers to address potential issues in the game’s coin-flip mechanics.

Until then, avoiding coin-flip-heavy decks might be the safest strategy for those who feel like they're stuck on "hard mode".

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