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Text File | 1989-02-14 | 21KB | 374 lines

Instructions for the "Poker Challenge" series. Copyright 1989 The WorkWare Co. There are two programs in the "Poker Challenge" series: 7 Card Stud: the executable file is 7STUD.EXE. Texas Hold'em: the executable file is HOLDEM.EXE. The following instructions apply to both. STARTING UP: In the instructions, "Enter <text>" means type in the text between the angle brackets <> and press the 'Enter' key. TO START THE PROGRAM: With the program disk in Drive A:, at the DOS prompt (A>): If you have the 7 Card Stud disk: enter <7STUD>. If you have the Texas Hold'em disk: enter <HOLDEM>. A sign-on screen with a copyright notice will appear first. Press any key. The Main Menu will appear. Press 'G' to "Get on with the Poker Game." TROUBLE STARTING UP: When the program starts up, it assumes that your computer is IBM-compatible. If when the program starts, it doesn't do anything, or "hangs" your computer, your computer isn't "compatible" enough. You may still be able to run the program, however, by starting it as follows: 1) Enter the executable file name followed by "-S", e.g., <7STUD -S>. Try this if the program "hanged" your com- puter or nothing showed on screen. The "-S" command-line parameter prevents the program from writing directly to the screen RAM addresses. 2) Enter the executable file name followed by "-N", e.g., <HOLDEM -N>. Try this if the program started, you saw a sign-on screen, but nothing else happened when you pressed a key to go on. The "-N" prevents the program from using sound effects. MONOCHROME MONITOR: The program prints text on screen in three ways: bright, dim, and reversed. On some mono monitors, especi- ally those that are green, it may be hard to read the dim text. If so, enter the executable file name followed by "-B", e.g., <7STUD -B>, to start the program. The "-B" forces dim text to be bright. COLOR MONITOR: If you have a color monitor but the program does not come up in color, you need to enter <MODE CO80> at the DOS prompt. You must be in the directory containing the DOS file MODE.COM or your DOS path must include the directory. See "MODE" in your DOS manual. GENERAL HELP, COMMAND LINES & KEYS: ALWAYS READ THE SCREEN FOR KEYS YOU MAY PRESS! If you will do that, you won't need much of any other help. Often, the last row on screen shows you a command line of keys that you may press. For example: Esc=Exit /Up/Dn=Scroll F9=Print all F10=Print form The example is taken from the current screen. In the example, the 'Esc' key exits the current screen and activity. The up and down cursor keys scroll through the text on screen. The 'F9' key prints all, in this example all the help text. The 'F10' key prints a form for other poker programs. MAIN MENU: ╔════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ See License / Help ║ ║ Use the Stakes from Last Night's Game ║ ║ Get on with the Poker Game ║ ║ Adjust the Players' Stakes ║ ║ Read Info on Other Games ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════╝ Quit for the Night At the Main Menu, press the 1st letter of your selection. The 1st letters are "SUGARQ". The selections are: 'S': See your license and instructions for the program. 'U': When you "Quit" the game, a list of the active players and their stakes is saved in a disk file. The next time you play, if you want to resume the previous game, press 'U' to re-load the saved information from disk. 'G': Play the game. Details are in "Playing the Game" below. 'A': Change the players' stakes; set which players are active. Details are in "Adjust the Players' Stakes" below. 'R': The WorkWare Company publishes other poker games. To read about them, press 'R'. Note that the sample screens in "Read Info..." contain information about the game you are playing. 'Q': Quit the game, return to DOS. PLAYING THE GAME: Press 'G' at the Main Menu to "Get on with the Poker Game." Your computer opponents, "AutoPlayers," will automatically make their bets. You will play in position #1, named "Pecos McClure." When it is your turn to bet, a rectangular section near your cards will light up with the wording "Your Bet." The amount of the bet to you is indi- cated on screen, e.g., "Bet 4.00". When there is no bet to you: TO CHECK: press Enter. TO BET: type in your bet with the number keys, press Enter. When there is a bet to you: TO CALL: type in the amount of the bet, press Enter. TO RAISE: type in the sum of the bet and your raise, press Enter. You should follow the professional table rule that a raise must at least equal the "to you" bet, up to the betting limit of the round. The AutoPlayers follow this rule. IMPORTANT: See "Speedy Re-deal" and "Shorthand Betting" below. If you mistakenly bet too little, or bet more than the "to you" bet plus the betting limit, your bet will not be accepted: re-enter it. After each round you play, the winner and the value of the winning hand are displayed on the middle lines of the game screen. In addi- tion, the value of any hand that stayed through the last card dealt is displayed beside the hand. For example: ┌───┌───┌────┐ │10│10│7 │ If this hand is the winner, both "Flush" and ┌────┐ ┌────┐ "King Hi" will be lit up. │6 │───│5 │ │ │ ┌────┐ If this hand called the final bet but did not └────┘ │K │ win, only "Flush" will be lit up. 298.00 ┌────┐ Flush│2 │ If this hand did not call the final bet, neither King Hi│ │ "Flush" nor "King Hi" will be lit up. └────┘ Each player's current stake is displayed at the player's position on screen (298.00 in the above example). The pot, displayed on screen, is not paid to the winner until the next deal starts. SPEEDY RE-DEAL: After each hand, when you are asked "Deal [Y/N]?", press the Enter key instead of 'Y'. During the hand, e.g., while the first cards are being dealt, if you see that you want to fold your cards, press Enter without waiting for your turn to bet: the "real-time delay factor" will be turned off and the AutoPlayers will speed through the hand. SHORTHAND BETTING: You can play the game using mostly just the + (plus) and Enter keys: IF THE BETTING LIMITS ARE FIXED (i.e., you must bet the limit): You can make or call a bet by entering 1 "+" sign. To raise, enter two "++" signs. IF THE LIMITS ARE VARIABLE (i.e., you may bet any amount up to the limit): You can make a bet by entering 1 to 4 "+" signs. If there is no bet "to you," then one + will bet 1/4 the limit (rounded off to a whole dollar amount), two ++ 1/2, three +++ 3/4, and four ++++ the entire limit. If there is a bet "to you," one + will call, two ++ will raise by doubling the bet, three +++ will triple the bet, and four ++++ will raise the limit. Shorthand bets automatically stay within the betting limits. POKER CALCULATOR: When it is your turn to bet, PRESS THE F5 KEY to pop up a screen of information about your hand. The information includes the value of your hand, "come" possibilities, warnings about your opponents' hands, etc. Also, there is a "Poker-odds" calculator at the bottom of the pop-up screen. To use the calcu- lator, first determine the number of cards that will help your hand. Then use the + or - key to change the calculator's help cards to the number you determined. The calculator will automatically display your chances of getting your help card in the cards yet to come. ADJUST THE PLAYERS' STAKES: Use the up & down arrow keys to move up and down one of the two columns, "Stake" and "Playing." The TAB key changes columns. Under "Stake," enter the player's stake for the game. Enter any number up to 999999.99. Do not use commas. Under "Playing," enter <Y> or <YES> if you want the player in the game. To take a player out, enter <N> or <NO>. You can not take your position (player #1, Pecos McClure) out of the game. ┌────────────────────────────────┐ │ FOR SERIOUS PLAYERS ONLY │ └────────────────────────────────┘ The following information is provided to give you insight into your AutoPlayer opponents and the table rules. NOTE: Under "Read Info on Other Games," press the F2 key to see sample screens from the "Mastery of Poker" series. THE SAMPLE SCREENS SHOW THE CURRENT SETTINGS AND REPORTS FOR YOUR "CHALLENGE" GAME. THEY ARE A PART OF YOUR PROGRAM. The "Poker Challenge" series is based on the "The Mastery of Poker" series. The "Challenge" games are complete programs in themselves, not just limited versions of the "Mastery" games. However, the "Challenge" games were designed for casual players who want only to play a little poker, without rating players, setting table rules, analyzing results, and so on. The "Mastery" programs, on the other hand, were originally designed for studious or professional players. Besides including Hand/Game Analyzers(tm) and various report screens, the "Mastery" programs allow the user to set stay-or-fold standards and skill levels for each AutoPlayer. The user can also set all the table rules. The "Challenge" series uses AutoPlayers' ratings and table rules pre-set to "loose" standards for the casual player. To examine the ratings and rules, do as follows: 1) At the Main Menu, press 'R' to "Read Info on Other Games." 2) Press 'F2' for sample screens. 3) Press 'S' to examine "Setup--variable skill ratings." Or press 'A' to examine "Adjust--variable table rules." The following examples are taken from the 7 Card Stud game, but they generally apply to Hold'em as well. UNDERSTANDING THE AUTOPLAYERS: ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Rating Player # 6, Riverboat Tom │ │With 3 cards Stay On: With 4 cards Stay On: │ │2 High Card(s), QUEEN or higher 3 High Card(s), JACK or higher│ │3 Cards to a Straight, THREE high 3 Cards to a Straight, THREE high│ │3 To Inside Straight, 2 hole(s) 3 To Inside Straight, 2 hole(s)│ │3 Cards to a Flush, FOUR high 3 Cards to a Flush, FOUR high│ │Y A Pair of EIGHTS or higher Y A Pair of EIGHTS or higher│ │Y A Pair with a QUEEN kicker Y A Pair with a QUEEN kicker│ │── ──── Y Two Pairs, THREES up│ │Y Trips, TWOS or higher Y Trips, TWOS or higher│ │ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │ │With 5 cards Stay On: With 6 cards Stay On: │ │4 High Card(s), TEN or higher 4 High Card(s), TEN or higher│ │4 Cards to a Straight, FOUR high 4 Cards to a Straight, FIVE high│ │4 To Inside Straight, 1 hole(s) 3 To Inside Straight, 2 hole(s)│ │4 Cards to a Flush, FIVE high 4 Cards to a Flush, FIVE high│ │Y A Pair of QUEENS or higher Y A Pair of QUEENS or higher│ │Y A Pair with a KING kicker Y A Pair with a KING kicker│ │Y Two Pairs, EIGHTS up Y Two Pairs, EIGHTS up│ │Y Trips, TWOS or higher Y Trips, TWOS or higher│ │ │ │ Tight 1 Bluff 2 Alert 3 Math 1 Calmness 2 Reading 1 Betting 2 │ │TAB skips to the next Entry / Use Left & Right Arrow Keys to change Entry│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ STAY-OR-FOLD STANDARDS: The standards are represented in the quad- rants of the screen, labeled "With x cards Stay On:". Because of space, the instructions from the "Mastery" manual can not be repro- duced here. However, the stay-or-fold standards are somewhat self- explanatory. The standards dictate what hands an AutoPlayer will consider staying with after the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th cards. SKILL SETTINGS: There are 7 poker skills listed near the bottom of the setup-ratings screen: Tight, Bluff, Alert, Math, et cetera. The stay-or-fold standards and the skill settings together create a player's style. At times, the skill settings may override the stay- or-fold standards. For example, the stay-or-fold standard may call for the AutoPlayer to stay with a pair of Kings or higher, but if his "Tight" and "Math" skills are set high (2 or 3, not 0 or 1), he will usually fold if a pair of Aces shows up against him. The probability that skill settings will override stay-or-fold standards increases in later rounds. The higher the skill ratings, the more they take precedence over the stay-or-fold standards. Except when skills are set to 0, AutoPlayers will simulate the unpredictability of live players. The following are (very) abbreviated explanations taken from the "Mastery" series' instructional manual: Tight: This influences how tightly the player will play when his hand is beaten by cards dealt face up to other players. With all skill settings, 1 is for the average player, 3 is for the strong- est. (Settings of 0 are for special purposes.) Bluff: This influences how often and well the player bluffs. Alert: This influences the simulation of the player's alertness. It affects the skills labeled Tight, Math, Reading, and Betting. Math: A setting of Math 1 will make the player, like an average living player, overestimate the value of any given hand, especial- ly "come" hands. Math 2 will give the player some mathematical skills with card odds. Math 3 will make the player skilled in poker mathematics, taking into account both card odds and money or "pot" odds. Calmness: This determines whether the player will go "on tilt," that is, whether the player will bet more recklessly sometimes. Reading: This influences the player's skill in reading opponents. For instance, a Reading 1 player may read an opponent who has 3 Kings showing and raises another player's 4-flush showing, but the Reading 1 player will likely miss the indications when another player pairs his first (door) up card and raises (the indication, of course, is trips). Betting: A player rated Betting 1 will usually call a bet if in- tending to stay, but will seldom bet aggressively or raise. Bet- ting 2 players usually bet aggressively. Betting 3 players bet aggressively but take their position relative to other players into account. UNDERSTANDING THE TABLE RULES: ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Adjust the Table for 7 Card Stud │ │ Active Players = 8 │ │ AutoPlay Pecos McClure Y Rated 21 Stake $167.50 │ │ AutoPlay Boulder Bill N Rated 11 Stake $151.75 │ │ AutoPlay Jill Wayne Y Rated 7 Stake $198.30 │ │ AutoPlay Fast Freddie Y Rated 12 Stake $144.90 │ │ AutoPlay Middlin' Mabel Y Rated 7 Stake $423.40 │ │ AutoPlay Riverboat Tom N Rated 15 Stake $175.00 │ │ AutoPlay Slow Sally Y Rated 7 Stake $185.95 │ │ AutoPlay Las Vegas Fuji Y Rated 10 Stake $31.30 │ │ │ │ Real-Time Delay Factor? 4 Delay off if you folded [Y/N]? Y│ │ Sound effects on [Y/N]? Y│ │ Betting Limits: │ │ On Card # 3 $ 4.00 │ │ On Card # 4 $ 4.00 │ │ On Card # 5 $ 4.00 │ │ On Card # 6 $ 4.00 │ │ On Card # 7 $ 4.00 │ │ on the Ante $ .25 │ │ Lo Hand come-in $ .00 │ │ Hi Hand come-in $ .00 Betting limits are fixed [Y/N]? Y │ │ Maximum # Raises? 3 │ │ AutoDeal # Hands? 0 Hands per hour in live game [10..99]? 25 │ │ Rake % Pot? 0 ........ or Collect from players every 1/2 hour $ 0.00 │ │ All hands up after showdown [Y/N]? N │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ AutoPlay (player name): A 'Y' beside a player's name indicates he is an AutoPlayer. An 'N' indicates you are playing the position. Real-Time Delay Factor: A number from 0 to 20 determines the speed of the dealing and the AutoPlayers' betting. Delay off if you folded: If 'Y' is here, then whenever you fold your hand, the AutoPlayers speed through their play no matter what the Real-time Delay Factor is. Sound effects on: A 'Y' here turns on card-dealing and betting sounds. Betting Limits: The numbers entered here determine the betting limit for each round. The amount of the Ante is shown. In 7 Card Stud, the Lo or Hi "come-ins" are shown. ("Forced come-ins" are used in the "Mastery" series to simulate Casino rules, but do not apply to the "Challenge" series.) In Hold'em, in place of the "come-ins," the amount of the Blind Bet is shown. Betting Limits are fixed: A betting limit may be variable or fixed. "Variable" means that a player may bet any amount up to the limit. "Fixed" means that a player must bet the limit. A 'Y' entered here makes the game fixed-limit. Frequently, 7 Card Stud is played with variable limits and Hold'em is played with fixed limits. Maximum # Raises: This number is the maximum number of raises allowed. The maximum is not enforced when only 2 players remain to bet against each other. AutoDeal # Hands: This setting does not apply to the "Challenge" series; so, it is always 0. Hands per hour in live game: The program uses this figure for two or three calculations, e.g., to estimate the "Money won per hour." It does not affect the speed of the computer game. Rake % Pot .... or Collect from Players every 1/2 hour: Casinos rake the game, by taking a percentage of each pot or a set amount every 1/2 hour. These settings are always 0 in the "Challenge" series. All hands up after showdown: If 'Y' is entered here, even the folded cards are turned up after the showdown (final bet). This is useful for developing or practicing "card sense." If 'N' is here, only the cards of players who were in for the final bet are turned up.