Blackjack

Play a good version of blackjack on your palm.

Pilot Blackjack, Version 1.1

(c)Copyright 1997 Redtail Software

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BLACKJACK is Shareware

Please Register!

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Ever play one of those cheesy, handheld versions of Blackjack or Poker? Did

you notice that they deal out of an infinite deck? Did it bother you that

your favorite casino lets you split Aces, but this little jobbie from Fry's

Electronics, that you had to wait an hour in line for, doesn't? Why can't I

double after splitting? And how do I change that bet? We'll, I was a little

more than bothered, so I wrote this much more realistic version of Blackjack.

Here's the deal (pardon the pun):

What is Blackjack

=================

A very cool game that is easy to play (and easy to lose!). Basically, you're

trying to beat the dealers hand without going over 21 (which is, of course, the

highest hand). The dealer must hit when his hand is 16 or less. When you win,

you get paid the amount of your bet. If you receive an Ace and face card (or 10)

on your first two cards, you have Blackjack and you are paid 1.5 times your bet.

To start the play, hit the "Deal" button. This will deal out four cards, two to

you and two to the dealer. The second card to the dealer is dealt down, so you

don't know the dealer's total.

You now have up to three options, depending on the cards you got dealt. Normally,

you'll only be able to hit or stand. But, you will occasionally be able to Double

Down or Split, which is explained below. You'll know when you can DD or Split

when the appropriate button appears: Double Down is "Dbl" and Split is "Split".

Features of Pilot Blackjack:

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o Configurable number of decks: 1-6 decks available.

o Double Down - You can configure blackjack to double down on 10,11 ; 9,10,11;

Any two cards (registered version only) or Never.

o Double down after split - This is configurable, some house rules don't

allow you to double down AFTER you split your hand.

o Split any pair - You can split any pair, with up to 3 hands being played.

When splitting Aces, you only get one more card per hand. Good luck!

o Betting dialog - A greatly enhanced betting capability for version 1.1

allows you to pick a bet from a list, increment/decrement the bet or

specify your own bet using graffiti.

o Table Limit preference - You can set a number of table limits. See the

preference dialog.

o Blackjack saves your last game, including last bet played and your bank.

o Option for turning off your card total display during the deal. This will

give you practice at counting those cards faster (gotta watch those dealers,

I've caught them 3 times counting the cards wrong!).

o Table Speed option - If you really want those cards whipped out there,

choose a fast play speed. Otherwise, for those that want to see what

actually happened, choose normal or slow.

o Deck Meter - The deck meter will show you the percentage of cards left in

the deck. Useful for card counting with one or two decks when you're trying

to determine if a card will come up next.

o Deck status dialog - Click on the deck meter to see a deck status dialog.

If you didn't actually count those cards, like me, you can still see the

percentage chance that an Ace or Face card will be dealt next. Too bad

the dealers won't give you this same information.

o Force shuffle - OK, the cards are just not falling right and you're on a

bad run. Why not just shuffle the cards and start afresh. Do this in

the Deck status dialog (see above).

o Dealer hits soft-17 preference - Does you're local casino hit on soft-17? If

you want to recreate this, check this preference item.

o Insurance offered - If the dealer's upcard is an Ace, you're offered

insurance (and, if you have a Blackjack, even money). The insurance bet

is always 1/2 your original bet and pays 2:1 if the dealer has a Blackjack.

Installation:

============

So you wantta play a little Blackjack, eh? First of all, you should install

it, so I can swiftly take all your money away. So place this application file

(bj11u.prc) in your pilot's add-on directory (probably c:\pilot\add-on).

Then run the program called instapp.exe that resides in c:\pilot. In the File

Name edit box, enter "add-on\bj11u.prc" (without quotes) or for you typing

challenged, mouse motivated people, press on the browse button and find that

file. Press the Install button. Now this is important: The app will get

installed during your NEXT hotsync. So put the unit in the cradle, press the

HotSync button and prey (Oh, I mean, wait).

BLACKJACK Terminology

=====================

DOUBLE DOWN: Only offered after your first two cards are dealt and they total 9,

10 or 11 (depending on preferences set). When you DOUBLE, you're doubling your

current bet and you receive only one more card down. Why do that? Because the

dealer may have a really bad hand (like a 6 showing) and you've got 6/4. The

chances are that he'll bust and/or you'll probably end up with a nice hand.

SPLIT: You can split any pairs. When you split, the cards are moved into

two hands (you can only play one hand at a time) and your bet is doubled

(you're really playing two hands, each with their own bet). You can split

two times, for a total of three hands being played.

BET: You can change your bet anytime between hands. Just press anywhere on

the Blackjack play surface and a Bet listbox will pop-up. Select the desired

bet (between $5-$25) and that will be used for the next hand.

Good luck!

Registration Notice:

===================

This application is NOT freeware. It is shareware and if you continue to use

the software, you are expected to register it. The registration fee for

Blackjack 1.1 is $14.00 and this entitles you to all future upgrades of

Blackjack.

This version has a 15 day lock. You can use it for 15 non-consecutive days,

at which time the application will lock itself out and will not be playable.

When you receive your registered version, this lock will be removed.

Registration Method:

====================

You can register Blackjack on PilotGear's web site only. This is a

secure transaction to protect your credit card information they and accept a

variety of payment methods, including American Express, Mastercard and

Visa.

You can go to Redtailsoft's website to access the direct PilotGear link:

http://www.RedtailSoft.com

Or, you can go to PilotGear's web site and search for Blackjack in the card

games area:

http://www.PilotGear.com

Thanks for supporting shareware!

Stu Slack

Redtail Software