Blackjack

Play the classic card game blackjack on your palm.

------------ Blackjack Analysis Toolkit README -------------------

version 1.11

(c) 1999 by John M. Stoneham

Read the Quick Start section below to see how to install and use the program.

Version updates are listed at the end of this file. The latest version is

always available at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/4714/index.html

Files

BJSIM.PRC (main program file)

BJED.PRC (table editor)

BJREADME.TXT (this text file)

(If you are upgrading from version 1.0, you must delete and then re-install

version 1.1, and send me the new User code. If you have already registered

the registration code will be free. If you just need the evaluation code,

I will be glad to send it to you also. Please see below. If you are upgrading

from version 1.01 to 1.04, DO NOT delete that version, or you will be given

a new User code. EVERYONE UPGRADING GETS A NEW EVALUATION CODE!)

NOTE: This program is Shareware. You can evaulate and use all the features

of the full program for free, if you follow these simple steps. When you

run BJSIM, you will first be shown a Shareware reminder, then you will

be in the main program. Tap the Menu button, select Help, then Register.

A registration dialog box will pop up, showing your User code. WRITE THIS

CODE DOWN. Email me ([email protected]) this User code and I will email

your evalutaion code to you within 24 hours, which you will then need to

enter in the registration dialog box. Once this is done, all the features

are fully functional the next 40 times you use the program. The features

that are affected are the Blackjack Tutor (which automatically notifies

you if your selected play deviates from the current strategy), the Counting

Tracker (which is viewed by tapping on the deck meter - the running count,

true count, cards dealt and remaing, and rounds played, are all displayed),

and the BJ Editor (which you can use to define your own strategy, and input

any counting system desired including side counts). After using the program

40 times, these features will no longer work unless you have registered.

To register, send a check for $24 US to:

John Stoneham

PO Box 1192

Port Neches, TX 77651

YOU MUST INCLUDE YOUR USER CODE AND EMAIL ADDRESS WHEN YOU SEND IN YOUR

CHECK! I will then email your registration code to you immediately upon

reciept of the check. Simply enter this registration code in the Registration

dialog box, and all the features of the program will be permanantly

activated, and all shareware reminders are permanantly disabled.

IMPORTANT: The evaluation and registration codes are based on the User

code, which is different for each person. IT WILL CHANGE IF YOU DELETE

AND THEN REINSTALL THE PROGRAM. If this happens, email me the new User

code and I will email your new registration code to you, but only if you

have already registered. This does not apply for the evaluation code, which

will not be re-sent.

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

QUICK START

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

1. Installation

Both PRC files can be installed at the same time. However, the BJ Editor

program will only work if you have obtained an evaluation or registration

code (see above). BJSIM.PRC is about 34K, and BJED.PRC is about 32K. When

BJ Sim is run the first time, it creates an extensive database, increasing

the program size to about 45K. If you don't have enough memory to create

the database, you will see a message telling you so, but you won't be able

to use the program, since the database is required. If your Pilot is telling

you that you have enough memory, it may just be too fragmented. You can

then use a defragmenter (such as Recycle from Deskfree, www.deskfree.com)

and try again. (If your Pilot says you have the memory, but it still can't

create the database, I can almost guarantee you that fragmentation is the

problem, so please don't email me until you have run a defragmenter.)

2. Using BJ Sim

This is the main program. The bottom of the screen has several boxes. The

first 4 boxes are for showing the current total of the player's hand(s).

The first box is the player's original hand, and the other 3 are for when

the player has split his hand (up to a maximum of 4 hands). The fifth box

is the dealer's total. The sixth is the current bet amount. This can be

changed by tapping on the box. The last box is the total "score" or bankroll.

It resets to $1000 when a new game is selected.

To the right of the screen is a vertical graph which represents the "shoe"

(the box that holds the deck or decks of cards as they are dealt). Underneath

the deck meter is a number showing how many decks are in the shoe. Tapping

on the meter will display a dialog box which contains the running count,

true count, cards dealt and remaing, and rounds played. In this dialog

box is a button which will lead you to the running totals on any side counts

that have been entered.

If a hand is over, or a new game has started, the only button showing is

"Deal." Pressing this button will start a hand. You legal playing options

are then shown as buttons ("Hit", "Stand", "Split", "DblDn" - double down,

or "Srndr" - surrender). Only those buttons which are legal under the current

rules will be shown.

The menu (accessed by tapping the Menu silk-screen button) has several

selections. Under "New Game" you have the option of selecting 1, 2, 4,

6, or 8 decks for the new game, and setting the "Shuffle card." The shuffle

card is used to determine when the shoe is re-shuffled. The minimum number

of cards that can remain is 13. The maximum is 26 from the front of the

shoe. Under "Options" you can turn the Tutor on or off, and select the

Rules dialog box. The Tutor will check your selected play against the

current strategy, including counting strategies. (These can be edited

with the BJ Editor program discussed later). The Rules dialog box allows

you to select between the following rules (see How To Play Blackjack for

more info on the rules and how these options are affected):

Dealer hits soft 17

Double down on soft hands

Double down after split

Double down on 9,10,11 or 10,11

Rehit split Aces

Resplit pairs

Late surrender

In the bottom left corner is a popup list which indicates one of four

settings. These settings are linked with the same settings for each of

the strategy and counting tables. In this way, you may select "Single

Deck" from the Rules dialog box, and the rules are updated to those

previously stored in the "Single Deck" setting. This also makes the

strategy and counting procedures for the "Single Deck" setting active.

The four available settings are: Single Deck, Multi Deck, Custom 1,

and Custom 2. Any changes made to the rules will be remembered for that

particular setting. NOTE: Changing from "Single Deck" to "Multi Deck"

only updates the rules and strategies used. It does not change the

current number of decks in the shoe.

When the Tutor is on, if you selected a play that deviates from the

current strategy, you will be told so and asked if you still want to

make that play. This also applies to Insurance, which is only available

when the dealer has an Ace showing.

3. Using BJ Editor

There are four tables that you can edit with this program which are used

by BJ Sim. They are: Stratey, Counting, Side Counts, and Indices. (If any

of the following seems confusing, see How To Play Blackjack below). For

each table there is a popup list contain four choices: "Single Deck", "Multi

Deck", "Custom 1", and "Custom 2." Changing the selection for one table

makes that the current selection for all tables (and the BJ Sim Tutor).

For example, if you want to edit the counting for "Multi Deck," tap the

counting button, then select "Multi Deck" from the popup list. When you

return to BJ Sim, "Multi Deck" will be the active selection. Note that

this may have effected which rules are in effect. You may verify this my

going to the Rules dialog in the Options menu of BJ Sim.

Strategy:

At the top of the Strategy screen, there is a popup list which indicates

which type of hand the player has. The left of the screen, starting at

the top, is 2 though Ace, with a "T" for ten-valued cards, and "A" for

Ace. This represents the dealer's upcard. For each hand and upcard, you

may select a stratey: HIT, STAND, DD (double down), SPLIT, or Q (surrender).

Split is only valid for pairs. You may select more that one strategy for

a particular hand, so that various rule choices won't affect the strategy

table, but each hand must have either hit or split selected. For example,

you may have DD on player 9 with dealer 2, but the current rules may not

allow such a play. Therefore you must also select either hit or stand to

cover that hand. (This may sound more complicated than it really is. Hit

or stand are always legal choices, but the other options aren't. That's

why you must have either hit or stand selected, even if you will only be

playing with rules where DD is the correct choice, and you would never

hit.) Generic basic strategy has been pre-programmed into all four

selections, and may be reset at any time by pressing the "Basic" button.

(You may cycle through the settings for each choice with the hardware up-

and down-arrow keys.)

Counting:

On this screen you may enter any tag numbers you wish to assign to each

card. A generic hi-lo counting scheme has been pre-programmed and may be

reset by pressing the "Basic" button. The "Unbal" button is for assigning

a value which is applied at the beginning of the shoe, before the count

has begun. This is referred to as an "unbalanced" count.

!!PLEASE NOTE!!!: When you have tapped on the "Unbal" button, you are telling

the Tutor to treat the count as unbalanced, without a true count conversion,

even if you enter a starting value of "0". The only way to remove the

"running count only" flag from the tutor and the Counting Tracker is to reset

the count to a "true count flag" by selecting the "Basic" button.

Side Counts:

Here you may enter any tag numbers you wish to assign to each card for

side counting. The "Basic" button resets all values to 0 except for the

Ace, which is assigned 1. This means that for each Ace seen, this side

count is incremented by 1.

Indices:

These index numbers are the heart of any counting system. They are used

to determine when to deviate from the basic strategy referenced in the

corresponding strategy table. Many times, an index number is not used for

a particular strategy. If a number is assigned, tap on the checkbox beside

it. Only those index numbers which are checked will be used by the BJ Sim

Tutor. At the top of the screen is a popup list showing to which type of

strategy this group of numbers applies. The strategy choices are "H/S 12"

(hit/stand) through "H/S 17", "DblDn 7" through "DblDn 11", "Split 2,2"

through "Split A,A", "Srndr 12" through "Srndr 19", and "Insurance". (The

last selection, "Insurance", should only be applied to an Ace up-card.)

Tapping "Basic" will reset the values to a set of generally used basic

index numbers. These have been simplified so that only hit/stand 12-17,

double down 10 & 11, surrender 15 & 16, and insurance are used. A positive

number (including 0) means that if the true count equals or exceed that

number, the basic strategy will be deviated from. A negative number means

that if the true count is equal to or lower than that number, the basic

strategy will be deviated from. (You may cycle through the settings for

each choice with the hardware up- and down-arrow keys.)

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

HOW TO PLAY BLACKJACK

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

1. Basic play

The object of the game (besides to win money) is to have a hand that beats

the dealer's hand. Each card has a value, and suits have no effect. The 2

through 10 all have their face value, while the Jack through King are valued

at 10 each. The ace may be either an 11 or 1, however the player wishes (in

reality, it is always an 11 unless the hand total would exceed 21, then it

is a 1). The dealer must play by certain rules: he must always hit if his

hand totals 16 or less and must stand on 17 and above. If the player's hand

is higher than the dealer's hand, without going over 21, the player wins. A

tie is a "push" (the player doesn't win, but doesn't lose the bet either).

If the player has an Ace and a ten-valued card, that is called a "natural"

or "blackjack" and wins the bet 3:2, unless the dealer also has blackjack,

in which case it is a push. Each player and the dealer initially recieve

only 2 cards, and only one of the dealer's is dealt face up. If this card

is an Ace, the player may purchase "Insurance" for 1/2 his original bet.

If the dealer has blackjack, the bet wins 2:1, otherwise the bet loses.

If the dealer has blackjack, the player looses his main bet, unless he

also has blackjack, in which case it is a push. If the player's first

two cards are a pair, he may "split" the pair and play two hands, laying

another bet equal to the first hand. The player may also choose to double

his bet on the first two cards, in which case he will recieve only one

additional card. In some casinos, it is possible to "surrender" the hand

(after the dealer has determined that he doesn't have blackjack - "late

surrender") and give up only half the bet after seeing the first two cards.

If the player wants additional cards, he "hits"; if he want's no other

cards he "stands." If the player's total exceeds 21, he immediately looses

that hand. After the player is finished and hasn't exceeded 21 ("busted"),

the dealer plays out his hand.

2. Rule variations

These rules are available via the Rules dialog box from the Options menu.

1) Dealer hits soft 17 - Instead of standing on any 17, sometimes the casino

rules state that the dealer must hit his hand if it is a soft 17 (contains

an Ace valued at 11). This is usually the case in single deck games.

2) Double down on soft hands - Some casinos don't allow doubling down on soft

hands (with an Ace valued at 11). Checking this box in the Rules dialog box

indicates that you may double down on soft hand.

3) Double down after split - Some casinos don't allow a double down bet on

hands that have been split.

4) Double down on 9,10,11 or 10,11 - These rules usually apply in Atlantic

City. They mean that you may only double down if your hand totals 9,10, or

11, or sometimes just 10 and 11.

5) Rehit split Aces - When Aces are split, they usually only recieve one

additional card (similar to a double down bet). When this rule is checked,

Aces are treated just like any other card after splitting: they may be hit

multiple times, and resplit, if the rules allow resplitting pairs (see next

rule).

6) Resplit pairs - Some casinos allow you to continue splitting pairs up to

a total of 4 hands, if you keep getting the same card drawn to your new hand.

7) Late surrender - This is usually only available in Atlantic City, and it

is a favorable rule for the player. If the dealer doesn't have blackjack

(hence the "late" part), the player may surrender half his bet without

continuing the hand. Some hands are so bad (e.g. 16 versus Dealer Ace), that

surrendering them is better in the long run than playing them out.

3. Basic Strategy

Many people have done mathematical research into the best play for each type

of hand versus the dealer's upcard. The generic basic strategy can be

reviewed and edited with the BJ Editor program. There are four storage

locations for up to 4 variations. The general consesus is that, with

favorable house rules, playing basic strategy can reduce the house edge to

less than 0.5 percent.

4. Counting cards

Card counting is no secret, and contrary to what some may have heard, it is

not illegal. In fact, you cannot be barred from an Atlantic City casino for

card counting (you can just about everywhere else, though, so you must be

subtle). Card counting is done by assigning values (tag numbers) to each card

rank. The basic hi-lo count has a +1 given for each 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The 7,

8, and 9 are ignored. The Aces and ten-valued cards are assigned -1 each. As

you run through the deck, you keep a running total. By the last card, the

count is 0 (it is a balanced count). However, the running count must be

converted to the "true count", based on the number of cards left to be dealt.

The reason for this is that a +2 after only 5 cards have been dealt does not

give you much information about the remainder of the deck; however, a +2 with

only 5 cards LEFT to be dealt says an awful lot about what your chances are

going to be. To convert a running count to a true count, you multiply the

running count by 52, then divide that by the number of cards remaining,

usually rounding the estimate to 1/4- or 1/2-decks. For example, if the

running count is 2, and you're playing a 6-deck game, and there are about

2 decks left in the shoe the true count is 1 (2 * 52 / 104 = 1).

This can be tricky and takes a lot of practice, but it's the only way to get

an edge over the casino. There are much more complicated counting schemes

than this, but this is a good one to start with. (The BJ Sim uses this.

This is more accurate, but difficult to do in your head. In practice, it is

usually about as accurate to just divide the running count by the number of

estimated decks remaining to be played, switching to fractions of a deck when

less than 1 deck is left. The true count comes out virtually the same

either way, but a program SHOULD be more accurate, right? Just tap on the

deck meter to compare your true count with the "true" true count at any

time.)

5. Index numbers

These numbers tell you when to deviate from basic strategy based on the true

count. For example, if your hand is a 13 and the Dealer has a 6, basic

strategy says to stand. However, if the true count is less than or equal

to -4, you should hit instead of stand. That -4 is the "index number" for

a 13 with a dealer's 6. The more index numbers you are able to learn, the

higher you edge over the house will be (assuming you are playing correctly).

==========

CONCLUSION

==========

All of the above information is programmed into the BJ Tutor. This feature

will tell you when you have made an incorrect play, based on the strategy

table, counting tags, and index numbers. If you only want the Tutor to

track basic strategy and not deviate from that regardless of the count,

uncheck the boxes next to any index number that is checked. This may be a

good idea if you are just learing basic strategy.

Much work has gone into making sure that the Blackjack Analysis Toolkit

is the best Blackjack program available. I have tried to make sure that

it is as bug-free as humanly possible before releasing it. However, no one

is perfect. If you find what you think is a bug, email me and I will do my

best to correct it immediately. Comments and suggestions are welcome, too,

and if there is a feature you are just DYING to have, let me know. If enough

people want it, I will add it.

Caveat: These programs and the accompanying documentation are in no way

implying how to teach you to win money. If you lose money playing real

Blackjack, it is your own fault and not mine. This is just for fun.

----------------

REVISION HISTORY

----------------

1.11 -

The evaluation and registration code-checks were initialized upon database

creation. Ver. 1.1 changed the code cracking routines. When ver. 1.1 was

installed on top of a previous version, the previous codes remained intact

rendering the new codes inoperative. Fixed. Bj Editor ver. 1.1 is unaffected.

1.1 -

Some users noticed that when using an unbalanced count, the Tutor chose

it's plays based on the true count. Almost all ubalanced counts use only

the running count with no true count conversion. Fixed. Also extended the

trial period to 40 uses instead of 10, and added the website to the docs

and the online help.

1.04 -

OK. True count now works the way it's supposed to, based on a 1-deck

conversion. E.g. with 6 decks remaining, the running count is divided

by 6. With 1/2 deck remaining, the true count is twice the running count.

1.03 -

Fixed a bug that caused selecting 6 decks to automatically bump it up

to 8 decks.

1.02 -

Fixed a couple of bugs in the Tutor. A tap on the 'Srndr' button was sent

to the Tutor as a 'DblDn' tap. Fixed a reversal in the code on the true

count equation used in the Tutor. Tutor should work flawlessly now :-)

1.01 -

Fixed a problem with the encryption used in the User code. Very nasty.

1.0 -

First public release