Hearts program cheats! I've specifically caught the game cheating. Passed Ace & King Spades to the right & they ended up across the table. I think this is BULL I would expect a program to play by the rules!

Although it definitely cheats (the evidence is overwhelming), is there another way of thinking about this? I have played Hearts on other platforms (android, iPad etc) and these ones don't cheat, but they are just as frustrating, maybe more, because the virtual players play absolutely perfectly. Its almost impossible to win unless you get several wonderful hands passed to you in succession, because the virtual players just play the game so well - too well. My average win rate is 62% in MS Hearts, but in the Android version it's less than 10% - but I see no signs of cheating - just brilliant analytical and strategic play. It stands to reason that if the program plays the game perfectly, it would be impossible to win more than 25% of the time, even if you were a "perfect" player yourself, able to remember every card played.

In MS hearts, yes you get cheating, but also the virtual players are dreadful at actually playing the game. For example there are lots of times when one of the other players could easily stop me shooting the moon when it's obvious that's what I'm doing, but they don't - because they are stupid players. There are lots of other times when I've won when really I wouldnt have done if I were playing a real person with more than two braincells. It could be argued that the MS version is more like real life; people cheat too (although maybe not nearly as much they do in MS Hearts!), and people also don't have the ability to analyse the gameplay like a computer can.

So maybe the cheating is a price worth paying for playing a game with opponents who are fallable? Maybe MS Hearts more closely resembles playing a real game against real people (albeit untrustworthy and stupid ones)? Certainly If MS Hearts improved the gameplaying ability a little bit (just a litte bit - not too much!) , and reduced the cheating quite a lot (but not stop it completely) - you'd have a great faxcimile of a "real" game.

I think you have missed some of the points that I tried to make.

Some people have studied this MSHearts program extensively complete with record-keeping that proves that the cards are not dealt randomly.  Those numbers only confirm what many of us casual players have suspected since our first exposure with Windows 3.1.

You say you can get to 57% and then you lose heavily for a while.  I suggest you take a closer look at the games you lose and ask yourself "why?"  Was it poor play on your part?  Probably not.  The answer is that when your win rate gets to a certain point the program will select hand apportions that will make you lose.  If you played with the cards face-up you would see this clearly.  Some hands are simply not playable as was the case with the example I cited in my comment.  On the other hand, the program will give you games that are easy to win when you have lost enough.

I wonder how many games you have played with real people and real cards because experienced players like myself know for certain that the pre-determined patterns in MSHearts are indeed "consistent" and very much "out of the ordinary".   My first reaction nearly 20 years ago when I first played MSHearts was "it doesn't play like people play".  

As for your last paragraph, I think you missed the point.  People dump games because they don't like having 40 points after only two hands.  They don't like winning the Queen of Spades with a 3 on the first time around for a suit.  People dump when otherworldly stuff happens.  The win percentage is not the point.  No one goes around bragging about being 47-0.  I know that score is a cheat.  But the game cheats too.  The purpose of manipulating a high win ratio is to be able to see how the program will react.  The higher your wining rate, the more the game will cheat with fixed deals.

Dumping is about being able to play a complete game without having your intelligence insulted.  My record is 17 dumped games in a row.  Others have reported higher numbers.

MSHearts is not alone.  The Hoyle version is worse in some ways.  I have read that the version of Hearts played on a Mac is just as bad.  I have tried other on-line versions of Hearts and they all produce fixed "deals".  The first time I pass the Queen Spades and get the A-K passed to me in return I am out.  Do you play Spades?  The Hoyle version of Spades has you snookered by simply never, ever letting you bid nil.  There's always something large in your hand that you could not slough off.

For more insight into this I recommend you do a search for Mrs B's.  You can read more than 1500 comments from people and they have cataloged many more things than what I listed.

I know for sure MS Hearts cheats. I just had a great hand to 'shoot the moon'. East played 7 spades, North played 6 hearts, West played 6 spades, so I played king of spades. Guess what, East won the hand! 

It's very agravating.  Why do they do it.  Just aint right.  They always find a way to set me up but I quit instead of let them get it.   It's our computer they should be fair.

I don't care what anyone says, it 100% cheats there is a forum that suggests 37% is when the game starts to cheat and after watching i noticed this to be true. This therfore make some of the features annoying and pointless like "games in a row" won.

Reaon why i know it cheats

When i hit the magic 36-38% always get dumped with only spade as queen and east ALWAYS wins first hand then proceeds with a low spade.

 Another annoying part is when 2 players sit and allow the other 1 to shot the moon when they could have easy stopped it.

Then watch your win% drop to around 30% and WHAM! you suddenly start getting good hands again.