Does the Dealer have "pity"?

[Angelpichu]

I feel like I've noticed sometimes if I have a particularly bad string of luck or make too many dumb mistakes, the dealer will start playing poorly as well, skipping item usage occasionally, shooting self/me at the wrong times when no blanks/all blanks respectively, etc.

[RedSage]

Are you talking about the main game? Because "shooting self/me at the wrong times when no blanks/all blanks respectively" is impossible in DoN. The dealer will always play the odds in DoN, so if there's only 100% live/blank rounds left, he'll play accordingly.

The only time he would actually shoot himself with all lives/you with all blanks is the main game, where he doesn't play the odds and instead does a 50/50 on who he shoots.

[megamewtwom]

Guess some other things, Dealer always uses all the items he can at any opportunity (within reason; he won't use two Magnifiers on the same shell or use a Saw on a known blank, and won't try to heal with cigarettes at full HP), and he's always aware of what the last shell is when he gets there (and he won't off himself with the final shell if it's live, as far as I know). I'm not aware of him straight skipping items in either mode, only unless he knows he wouldn't gain anything if he were to use what he has.

[Angelpichu]

Hmm, maybe it's just if I make a lot of mistakes, it leaves the game state in a way that also puts the Dealer at a disadvantage and unable to make any good plays either, rather than intentional pity?

[megamewtwom]

Originally posted by Angelpichu:

Hmm, maybe it's just if I make a lot of mistakes, it leaves the game state in a way that also puts the Dealer at a disadvantage and unable to make any good plays either, rather than intentional pity?

I'm not sure if that's how it works either. If you're on like, 2 lives and 3 blanks and hit yourself with a live, Dealer's left with 1 and 3 and can still do decent moves (namely, not decide to shoot himself or use a magnifier to confirm a live shot). If anything, if you play Double or Nothing, he plays with a consistent (and pretty good) strategy regardless of how good or bad you're doing.

Let me know if you find any of these "pity" scenarios, and I or someone else might be able to let you know what the Dealer's likely thinking and how you might want to play.