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Precision Software Appli…tions Silver Collection 1
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Precision Software Applications Silver Collection Volume One (PSM) (1993).iso
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blkjakii.exe
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BJ.TXT
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1991-03-24
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BLACKJACK STRATEGY II
Version 2.0
A Simulation Tool
for Playing and Betting Strategies
A Blackjack Tutor
and A Game
A SHAREWARE PROGRAM
Copyright 1984 - 1991 by David K. Fibush
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 2
BLACKJACK STRATEGY II (version 2.0)
(copyright 1991 by David Fibush)
A SHAREWARE PROGRAM
TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE
1.0 Getting Started
1.1 Fast Start...............................3
1.2 Overview.................................4
1.3 Main Option Menu.........................4
2.0 Changing Options
2.1 House Rules..............................5
2.2 Play & Display Options...................6
3.0 Manual Bet Inputs.............................9
4.0 Shuffle.......................................9
5.0 Deal.........................................10
6.0 Play
6.1 Insurance...............................10
6.2 Player's Blackjack......................10
6.3 User Play...............................10
6.4 Dealer Play.............................11
6.5 End of Play.............................12
6.6 End of Game.............................12
6.7 Data Summary and Exit Options...........12
7.0 Strategy
7.1 Hard Hands..............................15
7.2 Soft Hands..............................15
7.3 Hands That Can Be Split.................15
7.4 Surrender...............................15
8.0 Simulation...................................15
8.1 Simulation Files Menu...................18
8.2 Card Weights and Betting Selection......19
8.3 Strategies for Simulation...............20
8.4 Results Data............................21
9.0 Copyright and Shareware Registration.........22
10.0 Disclaimer...................................22
11.0 Product Support..............................22
APPENDIX A. Basic Rules of BlackJack..............23
APPENDIX B: Bibliography..........................24
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 3
1.0 GETTING STARTED
System requirements: IBM PC compatible, 128K memory, any display.
Your master disk contains the following files:
BJ.EXE main program for the blackjack game.
STRATEGY.DTA default basic strategy data.
OPTIONS.DTA options data.
SIMULATE.001 thru .010 sample simulation data files.
RESULTS.DTA sample default results data file.
RESULTS.001 sample simulation results data file.
BJ.DOC this documentation file in MS Word format.
BJ.TXT this documentation file in ASCII format.
Only the first two files are needed to run the program. The program
will create an OPTIONS.DTA file if it does not exist. STRATEGY.DTA is
a text file which can be created or modified with any text editor
however you must use the exact original as a template. Extensive
simulation capabilities are included in the program so that direct
editing of STRATEGY.DTA is not normally required.
To protect your BLACKJACK STRATEGY game you should always operate
using a working copy of the program disk or copy it to your hard disk.
Use the following procedure to make a working copy.
1. Format a blank disk. Include your operating system if you wish to
boot your computer from the work copy.
2. With your master disk in drive a: and the formatted disk in drive
b: copy all programs from the master to the work copy using the
command Copy a:*.* b:
1.1 FAST START
Place your work copy disk in drive a: or move to the hard disk
subdirectory containing BJ.EXE and at the prompt A> type the command
BJ <carriage return>. At the opening screen press <carriage return>,
at the main manu press <carriage return> and the game will start.
(Note: there is an additional "Key Screen" for non-registered copies.)
With the original default conditions you are the third player at a
five player table, bets are automatically made at 10 units so you need
only play your hand. Press F1 for a display of the possible actions.
H = hit, S = stand, D = double, Y = yes-split.
Section 6.0 gives detailed playing instructions and Section 8.0
explains how to use the powerful siulation tools. Complete
instructions for customization of the house rules, display, and
playing parameters are given in Section 2.0.
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 4
1.2 OVERVIEW
BlackJack Strategy II is much more than just a game, it is a tutor and
a powerful simulation tool. House rules and a wide variety of display
options may be changed to customize the operation for all uses. The
play screen is character oriented to allow operation with all display
types and uses the advantages of color when it is available. Up to
six players and the dealer are shown providing a realistic casino
table. As a tutor the program keeps track of correct and incorrect
decisions with a optional beep when an incorrect decision has been
made. The basis for the tutorial is either the basic blackjack
playing strategy included with the program and recommended by many
experts or strategy data from the simulation files.
Simulation of a wide variety of play and betting strategies is easily
accomplished using the built-in strategy tables. There is provision
for up to ten simulation data bases each containing: point count
weights for each card, two different play strategies to be invoked
based on the current true point count, and ten different bet sizes to
be used based on one of two different point count adjustment systems.
Results of the simulation are automatically written to disk in comma
delimited files for easy analysis using a spreadsheet or database
program.
1.3 MAIN OPTION MENU
As soon as the program has loaded into computer memory you will see
the opening screen with the J.P. Enterprises copyright notice and
related information. Pressing any key moves on to the main option
menu (shown in figure 1) which displays the House Rules, Display
Options and Play Options. (Note: there is an additional "Key Screen"
for non-registered copies.) This is the only menu that will be shown
if the simulation feature is not used (see Item 28. on the menu). All
the options that are appropriate for playing the game and using it as
a tutor of the basic playing strategy are available on this one menu.
If you do not wish to change the options enter 0 <carriage return> or
just <carriage return> to continue to the play screen or simulation
menu. Use the original default conditions to start playing the game
immediately and become familiar with its operation. With the original
default conditions you are the third player at a five player table,
bets are automatically made at 10 units so you need only play your
hand.
2.0 CHANGING OPTIONS
When any menu is displayed you may change a value by entering the
corresponding item number. You are then prompted to enter either a
value or a yes/no response. A carriage return will give the default
value. The menu is then redisplayed showing the new value and you may
enter more changes or continue to the next step. If you have made any
changes they may be saved before the game starts.
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 5
*** HOUSE RULES *** *** DISPLAY & PLAY OPTIONS ***
* DEALER PLAY * 11. 1st card down on autoplay N
1. Dealer hits soft 17 N 12. Player hand value Y
13. Player present bet size Y
* SPLITTING * 14. Player present holdings Y
2. 1 card only on split Aces Y 15. Number of cards not dealt Y
3. Allow split of unlike 10s N 16. Number of hands played N
4. Allow more than 1 split Y 17. Size of dealer's bank N
18. Point count of cards shown Y
* DOUBLING * 19. Record of decisions made N
5. Allow double on split Y 20. Sound on Y
6. Allow double 10 and 11 only N 21. Position 6 5 4 3 2 1
7. Allow double on 3+ cards N User ? N N N Y N N
22. Number of Players 5
* DECKS & SHUFFLE * 23. Speed of play (1 to 20) 15
8. Number of Decks 6 24. Number of Hands 100
9. Shuffle Percent 80 25. Basic bet size 10
26. Manual bets for player N
* SURRENDER * 27. Initial player holdings 1000
10. Surrender allowed N 28. Use simulation data N
29. Menu and play colors 1
30. Basic strategy STRATEGY.DTA
Item to change or 0 for no change
Figure 1. MAIN OPTION MENU
2.1 HOUSE RULES
* DEALER PLAY *
Option 1. Dealer Hits Soft 17 - this gives an advantage to the house
since there is a good chance to improve the hand. If this is set to
"N" the dealer will hit all 16s and stand on all 17s.
* SPLITTING *
Option 2. Allow 1 Card Only on Split Aces - split aces are a powerful
hand, some casinos will only give you one card for each hand in this
case.
Option 3. Allow split of unlike 10s - this means you can split a
combination like Jack - Queen. Although this might seem to be an
advantage it is never advisable to split 10s as 20 is a very good
hand.
Option 4. Allow more than 1 split - definitely an advantage to the
player hence limited to one split by some casinos. In Blackjack
Strategy the maximum amount of splits is two with five or less players
and only one split with six players due to screen size limitations.
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 6
* DOUBLING *
Option 5. Allow double on split - this gives an improved advantage to
the player since you only double if you have a good chance to win. If
this is set to "N" a double is not allowed on split hands.
Option 6. Allow double on 10 and 11 only - many casinos have this
restriction.
Option 7. Allow double on 3 or more cards - a fairly unusual option of
considerable advantage to the player.
* DECKS & SHUFFLE *
Option 8. Number of decks - a number between 1 and 10 as determined by
the house management. Some casinos have tables with different numbers
of decks. The smallest number of decks is advantageous to "card
counters" however when one deck is used it is often shuffled about
half way through to limit the counter's advantage.
Option 9. Shuffle percent - the point in the deck which triggers the
next shuffle when a hand is completed. Generally around 80% for
multiple decks and as low as 50% for a single deck. You may select a
value between 50% and 99%.
* SURRENDER *
Option 10. Allow surrender - you may surrender your original hand for
one-half of your bet. This action takes place after the dealer has
checked for a blackjack when your turn to play comes. This is
advantageous to the player with a bad hand when the dealer has a high
card showing.
2.2 PLAY AND DISPLAY OPTIONS
* DISPLAY OPTIONS *
Various values can be displayed on the screen as the game is in
progress. A setting of "Y" displays them and a setting of "N" keeps
them off. Each is described below.
Option 11. First card down on automatic play - For a more realistic
(but less informative) display you can have the first card dealt down
on hands you are not playing. At the appropriate times (bust, end-of-
hand, etc) the card will be shown with a delay so you can see what it
was. If you are using this option it would make a more realistic
situation to set option 12, player hand value, to "N".
Option 12. Player hand values - this will show the playing value of
each hand just above the first card as play progresses. Turn this off
if you are doing some serious practicing.
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 7
Option 13. Bet size - shows the present bet value for each player.
Option 14. Player holdings - shows how much money each player has.
"There's time enough for counting when the dealings done". Unless you
are about to run out and want to double or split. (The bank will lend
you the money as negative holdings are possible)
Option 15. Number of cards not dealt - a graphical display that shows
the relative number of cards used and those that have not been dealt.
The exclamation point indicates the place in the deck that contains
the shuffle trigger point.
Option 16. Number of hands played - shows the total number of hands
played not including splits.
Option 17. Size of dealer's bank - shows the amount of money in the
dealer's bank. The dealer starts with 10,000.
Option 18. Point count of cards shown - a continuous display of data
relating to the point count based on the betting system being used.
When in the simulation mode (Option 28 set to "Y") two different
methods are used with parameters as described in Section 8.0. For the
Ace Rich betting method the following information is displayed.
RC = running count 1/2 decks = number of unseen half-decks
TC = true count AR = ace rich count
BTC = bet true count
For the Weight Adjustment betting method the following information is
displayed.
RC = running count 1/2 decks = number of unseen half-decks
TC = true count ARC = adjusted running count
ATC = adjusted true count
If not in the simulation mode (see Option 28) the words "Basic
Strategy" will be displayed.
Option 19. Record of decisions made - each action taken by the user-
player is compared against the strategy. If the action does not agree
with the strategy the computer will beep to let you know of your
"error". A running count of the actions and percent correct may be
displayed.
Option 20. Sound on - the beep described in option 19 may be turned on
or off.
* PLAY OPTIONS *
Option 21. User Inputs - Each of the active player positions (there
can be up to 6) will be played either automatically by the computer or
manually by you, the user. By setting just one position to "Y" you
simulate an actual game where you are playing that position. Note
that positions are numbered from right to left which is the dealing
order at the blackjack table. If you wish to play more than one
position for more practice at making play decisions then set each of
the desired positions to "Y".
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 8
For completely automatic play set all the positions to "N" and the
computer will play all the hands. This allows you to sit back and
watch or let the computer play a few thousand hands to evaluate the
basic strategy or one of your design as defined by simulation data.
Option 22. Number of Players - Values from 1 to 6 are allowed. Due to
screen space limitations, splitting a second time can only take place
if there are 5 or less players. You would be surprised how common
this can be if you are using 6 to 10 decks. Other numbers of active
positions are available to suit your desired playing conditions.
Remember you can manually play any or all of the positions.
Option 23. Speed of Play - A value which controls the speed of the
game. The highest speed will play about 3000 individual player hands
per hour with all positions in automatic play which is useful for
simulation. The slower speeds will help you learn to count cards. Try
different numbers to get the effect you like.
Option 24. Number of Hands - This specifies the number of sets of
hands that will be played before the program automatically stops and
offers an exit point or various continuation possibilities. Large
numbers are used for simulation or just not being bothered with
restarting the game. If there are five players, setting number of
hands to 1000 means that 5000 hands will be played plus any splits.
There is an interrupt method to access the exit options at the end of
each set of hands:
Hit any key while automatic play is in progress. After the
last hand is played an "interrupt received" message will be
displayed. Hit <carriage return>, wait for the point
counter's delay then the summary screen will be displayed.
Option 25. Size of Basic Bet - bet size to be used if no manual input
is given. Amounts between $2 and $1000 are allowed. This value is
overridden when the simulation mode is in use.
Option 26. Manual Bets for Players - If you want to modulate your bets
manually set this to "Y". In that case you will have to supply a bet
input for each position you are playing. When placing your bet a
<carriage return> gives the value of the Basic Bet if desired. When
Manual Bets is set to "N" the computer automatically bets the Basic
Bet each time or the value given by the simulation data when in the
simulation mode.
Option 27. Initial Player Holdings - this is how much money each
player starts with. Don't lose more than you can afford.
Option 28. Use Simulation Data - this turns on the simulation mode and
provides access to the various screens that are used to input the
simulation data. Set this to "Y" for the simulation mode. An
explanation of the simulation mode menus is in Section 6.
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 9
Option 29. Menu Colors - entering this option number will move to
another menu screen where you can select from the following:
1. Default Colors - color or mono based on your hardware.
2. Grayscale Monochrome - works well on monochrome monitors.
3. Black and White Monochrome - use this for laptops.
Option 30. Basic Strategy File - this is the name of the file to be
used for the basic strategy when not in the simulation mode. A
strategy recommended by many experts for multiple deck games is stored
in the file STRATEGY.DTA. You may modify this file or develop others,
however, such changes are more convenient using the built-in strategy
editor when in the simulation mode (Option 28 set to "Y").
If any of the options are accessed, the program will ask if you wish
to save the changes to the options file (OPTIONS.DTA). A "Y" will
save the changes and a "N" will discard the changes.
3.0 MANUAL BET INPUTS
If you have selected the option for manual bet inputs, a screen
similar to Figure 2 will be displayed at the start of each hand.
Amounts from $2 to $1000 will be accepted. The figure shows that
Player 1 bet 20, Player 2 bet 5 and Player 3 is being asked for a bet
value. The function keys allow easy input for multiples of the basic
bet. Push F1 for a help menu. Hands running in the automatic mode (see
Option 21) will be bet at the basic bet size if simulation is not
being used or will be determined by the point count and betting matrix
if simulation is being used.
Deck [..*****************!****]
Place your bets.
Player 4 Player 3 Player 2 Player 1
Your bet?
Bet= 5.00 Bet= 20.00
Hold=355.00 Hold=782.50 Hold= 600.00 Hold=1255.00
Figure 2. MANUAL BET SCREEN
4.0 SHUFFLE
This is automatic at the start of the game, if the end of the deck is
reached during a hand or when the cards left with the dealer at the
end of a hand are less than the calculated amount based on the Shuffle
Percent (see option 9 in the main menu). Also there will be a shuffle
if there are not enough cards left for 4 per hand to be played
including the dealer. Each shuffle is a computer representation of
cards randomly chosen from the decks to be used. Cards are then placed
in that order to be used until the next shuffle.
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 10
5.0 DEAL
Cards are dealt in the usual order. The first card to the dealer is
shown "down" as are the first cards to automatically played hands (if
that Option 11 is set to 'Y'), all the rest are up. After the cards
are dealt various optional values are displayed, such as, hand number,
player bets, etc.
6.0 PLAY
6.1 INSURANCE
If the dealer is showing an Ace, all user controlled hands are asked
if they would like insurance. Acceptable responses are:
F9 or Y or y for Yes
F10 or N or n for No
Insurance is a side bet for an amount equal to one-half the present
bet on the hand. If the dealer has a blackjack, insurance pays 2 to 1
hence you break even if your hand (say a 20) would have lost to the
dealer's 21. At that point the screen is cleared and a new hand is
dealt.
When the dealer does not have a blackjack you lose your side bet and
play continues. Automatically played hands do not take the insurance
bet.
6.2 PLAYER'S BLACKJACK
Any players that have blackjack are immediately paid at 1.5 to 1 and
their first card is shown, if necessary, and then the cards removed
from the table.
6.3 USER PLAY
If hand play values are to be shown they will be displayed at the top
of the hand in the form "NN H" for hard hands or "NN S" for soft
hands. As the individual hand is played the value will be updated as
an aid in decision making. The hand values are also displayed on
automatically played hands.
The user is then asked to make play decisions based on their cards and
the allowed possibilities by answering the prompt "Action" with the
following choices available:
F1 displays a one line help display of these responses.
E or e or F2 to go to the exit options at the end of the hand.
Normal play continues.
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 11
L or l or F3 for "look" which will momentarily display the decision
programmed into the strategy. This is like learning from flash
cards, you can always look at the answer if needed.
V or v or F4 to view the hand play value. This is of interest if the
hand play value option is off. It simulates asking the dealer for
the value.
F5 momentarily displays the card point count based on the weighting
system being used.
Q or q or F6 to surrender (or quit) only with the original hand if
that action is allowed by the house rules.
Y or y or F7 will split the hand. If the player has a pair they may
be split and played as two hands with the same bet required on
each hand as the original bet. When the hand is split each hand
is played separately. If a second pair were to be dealt on either
hand and a second split is allowed (provided there are 5 or less
player positions) and then there are three hands played for that
position.
D or d or F8 for double when allowed by the house rules. If this is
selected the bet is doubled and only one more card is dealt to
that hand.
H or h or F9 for hit which deals another card to the hand.
S or s or F10 for stand which ends the decision process for that
hand.
Following the action determined by the decision (user or computer) the
hand play value is calculated. If the total is greater than 21 the
hand is bust which is indicated in the hand play value location and
the cards are removed from the table after first showing any down
card. If the total is 21 or less, further action is requested if the
previous action was a hit.
Since all this action happens automatically if no user positions have
been specified there is another escape to the exit options.
Hit any key while automatic play is in progress. After the
last hand is played an "interrupt received" message will be
displayed. Hit <carriage return> and wait for the point
counter's delay and the summary screen will be displayed.
6.4 DEALER PLAY
After all hands are played the dealer's hand is played. First the down
card is shown then the dealer hits 16 and stands on hard or soft 17
depending on the house rules option setting.
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 12
6.5 END OF PLAY
Each hand still active (not blackjack or bust) is compared to the
dealer's to determine win, lose or push. Player's holdings and the
bank are adjusted accordingly.
6.6 END OF GAME
New hands will continue to be dealt until the hand count reaches the
maximum set by the options. Shuffling will occur as needed. Once the
hand count maximum is reached a summary of the data for that run of
hands will be displayed along with the exit options.
6.7 DATA SUMMARY AND EXIT OPTIONS
Figure 3 shows the data summary and exit options. The highest, lowest
and final holdings are shown for each player along with the hand at
which those holdings occurred and the "efficiency" at that point.
Efficiency is defined as winnings divided by the total amount bet
expressed as a percentage. This calculated value can be used to
evaluate the quality of your strategy as modified by the "laws of
chance". The values shown are typical for the basic strategy contained
in the file STRATEGY.DTA.
At this point you have three exit options:
[E]nd the game and return to the operating system.
[N]ew options essentially restarts the game by returning to the
options screen and resetting the hands played to 0.
[P]rint will send a copy to the data summary to your line printer.
[F]ile results data will append to the present results file using
appropriate data shown on the summary screen. This data is in
comma delimited form, see Section 8 for details.
c/r <carriage return> will continue the play until the maximum
number of hands is reached or on a hand-by-hand basis if the
hands are already at the maximum.
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 13
DATA SUMMARY Strategy file name = STRATEGY.DTA
Player 6 Player 5 Player 4 Player 3 Player 2 Player 1
Highest
holdings 2015 1800 1735 1920 1710 2075
at hand 6036 1586 2028 1496 2023 4243
efficiency 1.39% 4.19% 3.02% 5.11% 2.93% 2.10%
Lowest
holdings 865 285 135 590 -70 740
at hand 40 5764 5547 5843 5482 129
efficiency -26.47% -1.03% -1.30% -0.58% -1.63% -16.56%
Final
holdings 1920 530 635 785 250 1415
at hand 6140 6140 6140 6140 6140 6140
efficiency 1.24% -0.64% -0.50% -0.29% -1.02% 0.56%
Total Amount Won = -465 Total decisions = 0
Total Amount Bet = 443250 Total correct = 0
Total Hands Played = 37671 Percent correct = 100.00%
Overall Efficiency = -0.10% Strategy file: STRATEGY.DTA
[E]nd game, [N]ew options, [P]rint summary, [F]ile data, c/r continues
Figure 3. DATA SUMMARY AND EXIT OPTIONS
7.0 STRATEGY
The strategy used for automatic play (and as a prompt if you "look"
before making your decision point) is determined by characters in
either a text file or one of the simulation data files. In both cases
the data is as shown in figure 4. A basic strategy is in the file
STRATGY.DTA, supplied with the program. You may change the
controlling characters with a text editor, however, it is much more
convenient to use the simulate mode (Option 28 should be a "Y") and
make changes to the simulation database with the built-in strategy
editor. Operation of the simulation mode is explained in Section 8.
If you do wish to change the basic strategy file it is critical that
each decision letter be in the correct location for proper operation.
Make a copy of STRATEGY.DTA under some other name and then use your
text editor in the overwrite mode to change decision letters. The
name of the new file may then be entered under Option 30 of the main
menu or you may rename the altered file to the default name
STRATEGY.DTA for use by the program. Each table has the dealer up
card values across the top and player hand values shown on the left
and in the middle. Action determining decision letters are <S>tand,
<H>it, <D>ouble, <Y>es do split and <Q>uit as in surrender.
If no strategy file exists on the disk a "dumb strategy" of hit 16 or
less, stand on 17 or more will be used.
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 14
HARD HANDS Dealer Shows
|....Can not Double........| |.........Can Double.......|
Player 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
21 S S S S S S S S S S 21 S S S S S S S S S S
20 S S S S S S S S S S 20 S S S S S S S S S S
19 S S S S S S S S S S 19 S S S S S S S S S S
18 S S S S S S S S S S 18 S S S S S S S S S S
17 S S S S S S S S S S 17 S S S S S S S S S S
16 S S S S S H H Q Q Q 16 S S S S S H H Q Q Q
15 S S S S S H H H Q Q 15 S S S S S H H H Q Q
14 S S S S S H H H Q Q 14 S S S S S H H H Q Q
13 S S S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H
12 H H S S S H H H H H 12 H H S S S H H H H H
11 H H H H H H H H H H 11 D D D D D D D D D H
10 H H H H H H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D D H H
9 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H D D D D H H H H H
8 H H H H H H H H H H 8 H H H H H H H H H H
7 H H H H H H H H H H 7 H H H H H H H H H H
6 H H H H H H H H H H 6 H H H H H H H H H H
5 H H H H H H H H H H 5 H H H H H H H H H H
4 H H H H H H H H H H 4 H H H H H H H H H H
SOFT HANDS Dealer Shows
|....Can not Double........| |.........Can Double.......|
Player 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
21 S S S S S S S S S S 21 S S S S S S S S S S
20 S S S S S S S S S S 20 S S S S S S S S S S
19 S S S S S S S S S S 19 S S S S S S S S S S
18 S S S S S S S H H H 18 S D D D D S S H H H
17 H H H H H H H H H H 17 H D D D D H H H H H
16 H H H H H H H H H H 16 H H D D D H H H H H
15 H H H H H H H H H H 15 H H D D D H H H H H
14 H H H H H H H H H H 14 H H H D D H H H H H
13 H H H H H H H H H H 13 H H H D D H H H H H
12 H H H H H H H H H H 12 H H H H H H H H H H
HANDS THAT CAN SPLIT Dealer Shows
|......Player Hard.........| |.......Player Soft........|
Player 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
20 S S S S S S S S S S 20
18 Y Y Y Y Y S Y Y S S 18
16 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 16
14 Y Y Y Y Y Y H H H H 14
12 H Y Y Y Y H H H H H 12 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
10 D D D D D D D D H H 10
8 H H H H H H H H H H 8
6 H H Y Y Y Y H H H H 6
4 H H Y Y Y Y H H H H 4
Figure 4. STRATEGY DATA
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 15
7.1 HARD HANDS
These are hands that do not contain an Ace (or where the ace must be
valued at 1 in order not to bust). If they contain only two cards or
if a double is otherwise allowed by the house rules the right side of
the first table is used. Only player values down to 4 need to be
considered as lower values must contain an Ace and would be determined
in the second table.
7.2 SOFT HANDS
These hands contain 1 Ace valued at 11 which could be reduced to 1 if
the subsequent hit were to cause a "bust". Only values down to 12 need
to be considered as 2 Aces is the lowest soft hand.
7.3 HANDS THAT CAN BE SPLIT
In this table the "Y" stands for, yes do split. The other characters
indicate the action of choice rather than split and are assumed to be
<N>o in automatic operation. Only even values for the player are
considered as they are all pairs. The only soft pair is 2 Aces.
7.4 SURRENDER
"Q" for quit is used for surrender to differentiate it from the other
choices. When the "Q" occurs in the table it will be interpreted as an
"H" if surrender is not allowed by the house rules option setting.
Therefore you do not want to put a "Q" in a location that should be
split, double or stand except when actually using the surrender
option.
8.0 SIMULATION
Card counting is a popular way to improve the player's chances of
winning at blackjack. Each card, 2 through Ace, is given a point
value which is then used by the player to calculate the "count" as
each card is shown. As the count changes the player will change
playing strategy and amount bet in accordance with a scheme designed
to pull the odds of winning in favor of the player. BlackJack
Strategy II provides a way to simulate various card counting schemes
and record the results on disk for analysis using a spreadsheet,
database or other program.
There are many counting systems. (See Appendix 2 for a bibliography.)
Most authors provide a series of methods starting with simple counting
of fives or tens and continuing to more complete methods with weights
for each card. Two representative systems are described in:
1. C. Ionescu Tulcea, A Book on Casino Blackjack, Pocket Books,
New York, (1982).
2. K. Uston, Million Dollar Blackjack, SRS Enterprises Inc,
Hollywood, California, (1981).
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 16
A flow diagram showing how the playing and betting decisions are made
is shown below.
Count Index Matrix ---|
|
|--> Play Decision
|
|
Card Values --> Running Count --> True Count --|
| |
| |
Number of Cards Remaining --| |
|
Count Adjustment
|
|
|--> Bet Size
|
Count Index Matrix ---|
First, each card in the deck is given a weight, such as;
A, 10, J, Q, K = -1: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 = +1: 2, 8, 9 = 0.
As each card is shown during play, the player keeps a running count of
the weights for all cards seen. The running count will vary over a
plus and minus range as the cards from the deck(s) are used. To
produce a statistically useful value the running count is modified
based on the number of cards still unseen.
Tulcea uses the formula,
Running Count * 100
True Count = ------------------------
Number of Unseen Cards
Uston uses the formula,
Running Count
True Count = ----------------------------
Number of Unseen Half-decks
These methods are equivalent with the first equation giving a value
very close to 4 times larger than the second equation. Working with
smaller numbers and estimating half-decks is somewhat easier so Mr.
Uston's formula is used in BlackJack Strategy II.
Once the true count has been determined to the nearest integer value,
it is used to determine how to play for each possible combination of
dealer up-card and player hand. Two strategies are defined, a base
strategy and an alternate strategy. A count index is assigned to each
playing combination where the alternate strategy may be invoked. No
count index value is assigned to combinations where the base strategy
is always used. A playing decision will be based on the alternate
strategy in either of the following two cases:
If the count index is positive and the true count is larger
(more positive) than the count index, then the play decision
is based on the alternate strategy.
If the count index is negative and the true count is smaller
(more negative) than the count index, then the play decision
is based on the alternate strategy.
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 17
Zero (0) is considered to be a positive number, that is, if the count
index is 0 a true count of +1 or greater will indicate that the play
decision should be based on the alternate strategy. Absence of a
count index is not equivalent to 0.
Decisions about insurance are also affected by true count. In fact,
you can often tell if a player is a card counter if they take
insurance on what might seem to be an irregular basis. An insurance
count index (one value, normally a small positive number) is used in
the same manner as the play count index.
A key aspect of any blackjack playing system is to modulate the bet
size based on favorable or unfavorable conditions. The two authors
referenced above have considerably different ways of determining what
bet level should be used. Tulcea uses a true count based on different
weight values for some of the cards, particularly tens and aces. Uston
adjusts the true count based on the ace content of the unseen cards.
Both methods are available in BlackJack Strategy II with the use of
one or the other as selected in the values menu when the simulation
mode is being used.
The calculation for Tulcea's method is just as with his true count
(shown above) but with different weights for some of the cards. Number
of decks get into the system because the bet level index is different
if 1, 2 or more than 2 decks are unseen. This creates a small matrix
which is included in the simulation data.
Uston's formula for ace adjustment is a calculation based on the ace
richness of the unseen half-decks. Note that the Ace Rich Count is,
however, calculated based on the number of seen half-decks.
Running Count + 3*(Ace Rich Count)
Bet True Count = ------------------------------------
Number of Unseen Half-decks
where;
Ace Rich Count = 2*(Number of Seen Half-decks) - (Number of Aces Seen)
Ten different simulation data files are handled by the built-in
strategy editor. By changing Option 28 in the main menu to "Y",
the simulation file menu and strategy editor become available.
Each simulation file contains the following items:
1. Point count weights for each card (10, J, K, Q are "tens")
2. Adjusted point count weights for each card (Tulcea's bet system)
3. Bet values ($) for the ten bet levels
4. Bet index values for 1, 2 and 2+ unseen decks for ten bet levels
5. True count level at, or above, which insurance should be taken
6. Bet decision method to use, Ace Rich or Weight Adjustment
7. Base decision strategy array (usually the basic strategy)
8. Alternate decision strategy array
9. Count index array.
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 18
8.1 SIMULATION FILES MENU
When you have completed option changes on the main menu, and if Option
28 is set to "Y", the simulation files menu (shown in Figure 5) will
be displayed. This menu is used to define the names of the simulation
data files and results files as well as determine which files will be
used in the present simulation run. The names of the files are stored
as part of the OPTIONS.DTA file which includes data from the main
menu. Selection of Item 23 returns to the main options menu in case
any of those parameters need changing before starting the simulation
run.
*** Simulation Data Files *** *** Results Data Files ***
1. Simulate.001 11. Results.001
2. Simulate.002 12. Results.002
3. Simulate.003 13. Results.003
4. Simulate.004 14. Results.004
5. Simulate.005 15. Results.005
6. Simulate.006 16. Results.006
7. Simulate.007 17. Results.007
8. Simulate.008 18. Results.008
9. Simulate.009 19. Results.009
10. Simulate.010 20. Results.010
21. Write deal data to results file N
22. Change play or bet strategy Y
23. Return to House Rules menu
Strategies will be from the simulation file: Simulate.003
Results will be written to the data file: Results.005
Item to change or 0 for no change
Figure 5. SIMULATION FILES MENU
Each simulation file contains the additional data necessary to run the
simulation in conjunction with the parameters set by the main options
menu. When a simulation file item number (1 through 10) is chosen the
player may enter a new file name or (if the name is okay) just give a
<carriage return> to indicate that is to be the active file for the
present simulation run. A file with that name need not exist, the
program will write the file using the basic strategy which can then be
modified using the strategy editor. The last simulation file name
selected before leaving the menu will be shown near the bottom of the
screen and that file will be used in the simulation run.
|Card Point Count Weights
|Bet values and indices
10 Simulation Files |Insurance count level
|Bet adjustment method
|Base and alternate strategies
|Count index array
|Time, Date, Name of Simulation File Used
10 Results Files |House Rules, Card Point Count Weights
|Hand-by-hand Data (optional)
|Summary Data
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 19
Names for ten results files are also stored in the OPTIONS.DTA file.
There is not necessarily any correspondence between simulation files
(items 1 through 10) and results files (items 11 through 20). In
fact, one could imagine many different results files being written for
one set of strategies (simulation file) based on making changes to
parameters in the main options menu. Data will be written to the
results file indicating the status of all odds-determining options.
When a results file item is selected and a file is named (or <carriage
return> given for name selection as above), if that file exists, an
opportunity is given to allow writing over the existing file ("Y") or
returning to the simulation menu without writing over the file ("N").
In the latter case it is necessary to select the item again and give a
different name in order to not write over the existing file.
Names of the simulation and results files to be used are indicated
near the bottom of the screen. These names will be saved, if they are
to be used in another run it will not be necessary to select the item
numbers again. To edit the simulation data for the file selected,
make sure item 22 shows a "Y". To return to the main options menu
select item 23.
8.2 CARD WEIGHTS AND BETTING SELECTION
There are three types of menus used to enter the data into one of the
ten simulation files. (Remember, the simulation file was chosen in an
earlier menu.) The first is the Values Menu where you enter card point
count weights, betting information and the insurance level true count
value. Next there are two Strategy Menus for entering strategy data;
the first is for hard hands, the second is for soft hands and hands
that can be split. For each of these two strategy menus, three sets
of data may be displayed and modified; base strategy, alternate
strategy and count index. This makes a total of seven menus that may
be accessed to enter the data for one strategy.
VALUES MENU
HARD HANDS BASE HARD HANDS ALTERNATE HARD HANDS INDEX
OTHER HANDS BASE OTHER HANDS ALTERNATE OTHER HANDS INDEX
Figure 6. Chart of Strategy Menus
Entering a carriage return cycles through "Values", "Hard Hands" and
"Other Hands", that is, it moves vertically on the above chart.
Entering "A", "B" or "I" changes to Alternate Strategy, Base Strategy,
or Index, that is, moves horizontally through the chart of menus.
The Values Menu allows you to enter the data that will be used in
calculating point count, determining bet levels and deciding when to
take insurance. Data areas of the menu are shown in Figure 7.
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 20
*** CARD WEIGHTS & BET MATRIX for Simulation File "Simulate.001" ***
* CARD POINT WEIGHTS * * BETTING MATRIX *
Number of Unseen Decks
Card Play Bet Bet Size 1 2 2+
A 0 0 13 14 14 14
2 1 0 12 11 11 11
3 2 0 10 10 10 10
4 2 0 8 9 9 9
5 3 0 7 8 8 8
6 2 0 6 7 7 7
7 2 0 5 6 6 6
8 1 0 3 5 5 5
9 -1 0 2 4 4 4
10 -3 0 2 3 3 3
True count level to take insurance = 3
Betting method = Ace Rich Adjusted True Count
Figure 7. VALUES MENU
Five data areas are available for modification; card point weights,
bet size, bet index, true count level to take insurance, and betting
method. Hit the <TAB> key to cycle through the five areas, a data
entry which can be modified will be highlighted. There are range
limitations on the various types of data. These limitations and other
available commands are shown in a highlight box at the bottom of the
screen. Left/Right cursor keys are used to move between the columns of
the data types that have multiple columns; card point weights and bet
index. Up/Down cursor keys are used to change rows for the weight and
bet data. Range limits are listed below.
Card point weights: -9 to +9
Bet size: 2 to 1000
Bet index: -99 to +99
Insurance count level: -99 to +99
8.3 STRATEGIES FOR SIMULATION
Three sets of two menus are used to enter the strategy data that
applies to the simulation. Use a carriage return to cycle between the
"Hard Hands", "Other Hands" and "Values" menu. Use the appropriate
letter "A", "B" or "I" to chose one of the three sets "Alternate",
"Base" or "Index".
The hard and other hands menus are essentially the upper and lower
half of Figure 4. The index menu is a similar layout, however, index
values are used instead of letters. Play of the game will commence
when the <ESCape> key is pressed in any of the simulation data menus.
Whatever the status of the data at that time, it will be saved in the
simulation file and used for play.
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 21
Base and alternate strategies are determined by the character values
in the database in the same manner as for the basic strategy text file
described in Section 7. Use the cursor and tab key to move around in
the arrays. Cursors move one character, tab cycles between the groups
of characters, two groups in the hard hands menu and four groups in
the other hands menu. At each character location only "H", "S", "Y",
"D" or "Q" may be entered. Upper or lower case is acceptable. In the
index menu values between -99 and +99 may be entered. Entering a
value of 100 or pressing the delete key removes the value in which
case the base strategy will always be used. A playing decision will be
based on the alternate strategy in either of the following two cases:
If the count index is positive and the true count is larger
(more positive) than the count index, then the play decision
is based on the alternate strategy.
If the count index is negative and the true count is smaller
(more negative) than the count index, then the play decision
is based on the alternate strategy.
To keep a record of the strategies used or as an aid in entering the
correct data, it is possible to print each of the strategies, for the
simulation file being used, on the printer or save the data to a file.
From the Values Menu select [P]rint or [F]ile. In the case of writing
a file, a file name will be suggested, such as, SIM-3.DTA. A
different name may be entered if desired, or enter <carriage return>
to write the file with the suggested name.
One of the things you will want to do when using a simulation is to
check that the program is doing what you expect. You can use the
print out mentioned above, however, it is easier to use an on-screen
display. There is a "trick" feature that will display the count index
in the upper left hand corner of the screen. At the "action" prompt
during manual play of a hand, press the <insert> key. Starting with
the play for the next player on the screen the count index will be
shown.
8.4 RESULTS DATA
Data gathered as a result of playing a number of hands is stored in
the file specified by the options screens. If Item 28, use simulation
data, in the main option menu (Figure 1) is set to "N", the basic
strategy will be used and the results file will be RESULTS.DTA. In
this case it is necessary to tell the program to write the data by
selecting [F]ile at the data summary and exit options menu (Figure 3).
Each time you reach this menu and write the file it will use the same
name, therefore, overwriting the previous data. If you want to save
the data from various runs in this non-simulation mode it will be
necessary to change the file name from the DOS command line before
making another run. It is much more convenient to use the simulation
mode.
When simulation data is used (Item 28 in the main option menu is "Y")
there are 10 different results file names that may be selected and the
names may be changed from within the program. This is the preferred
way to handle results data.
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 22
All results files contain three types of information: A header with
time, date and strategy file name, House rules in a comma delimited
format, and Financial results in a comma delimited format. In each
case there is a comma delimited header indicating the meaning of each
data item.
House rules are in the order shown in the main options menu. Where
the data is yes/no, a 1 = yes and 0 = no. If the simulation mode is
being used point count weights are shown for A through K. The
financial data is similar to that of the summary screen.
As an option, the results file will contain data from each set of
hands played. Data supplied is; Dealer up card, Player hand value,
Hard or Soft for each Hand, and Each players holdings. Hand values
are before play and holdings are after play. This comma delimited
data can be used for a more detailed analysis of the game.
9.0 COPYRIGHT and SHAREWARE REGISTRATION
BlackJack Strategy II is copyright 1985 - 1991 by David K. Fibush.
The BlackJack Strategy II (Program) is protected by copyright laws and
is a proprietary product of J.P. Enterprises and David K. Fibush. This
is a shareware program. If you use this program and received it from a
source other than J.P. Enterprises you are expected to send the $15
registration fee to:
J.P. Enterprises
9100 SW 182nd Ave
Beaverton, OR 97007
10.0 DISCLAIMER
Use of this program acknowledges this disclaimer of warranty:
The Program is supplied "as-is". J.P. Enterprises
disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied,
including, without limitation, the warranties of
merchantability and of fitness of this program for any
purpose. J.P. Enterprises does not warrant that the
functions contained in the Program will meet your
requirements or that the operation of the Program will
be either error free or appear precisely as described
in the Program documentation. J.P. Enterprises assumes
no liability for damages direct or consequential,
which may result from the use of this program.
11.0 PRODUCT SUPPORT
This program has been thoroughly tested. If you find the program does
not work as described in this documentation, or if you have
suggestions for improvements, please write to:
David K. Fibush Compuserve 73770,1714
J.P. Enterprises Internet davef@tv.tv.tek.com
9100 SW 182nd Ave. or davef@techbook.com
Beaverton, OR 97007
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 23
APPENDIX A. Basic Rules of BlackJack
A.1 THE OBJECT OF THE GAME: The player attempts to beat the dealer by
obtaining a total of cards equal to or less than 21, such that
the player's total is higher than the dealer's. Note that the
idea is to BEAT THE DEALER, not get as close as possible to 21.
A.2 NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Generally the game has a dealer and one to
seven players. BlackJack-Strategy allows up to six players.
A.3 NUMBER OF DECKS: One to six decks are common. "Card counters"
prefer a one deck game.
A.4 VALUE OF CARDS: Each card has the same value as its spots except
for the ace and picture cards. All 10s and picture cards are
counted as 10. The ace can be valued as either 1 or 11, at the
option of the player. A hand containing an ace that can be
counted as 11 (that is, by counting the ace as 11, the hand does
not exceed 21) is called a "soft" hand. All other hands are
"hard" hands.
A.5 THE DEAL: Each player is dealt two cards in sequence, one at a
time, either face-up or face-down, depending on the rules of the
house. The dealer's card that is face-up is referred to as the
"up-card" and the value of this card is the key piece of
information used to determine the playing strategy. Additional
cards to the players are dealt face-up, one at a time based on
the players choices during the play.
A.6 BLACKJACKS: If the first two cards dealt to a player are an ace
and a ten-valued card, the player has a blackjack and receives
one and one-half times his original bet. If the dealer has a
blackjack and the player does not, the player loses the total of
his original bet. If both the player and the dealer have a
blackjack, the hand is a tie or a "push". In most casinos and in
BlackJack-Strategy, hands with a blackjack are settled
immediately.
A.7 HITTING OR STANDING: A player may draw as many cards as he wants,
as long as his total does not exceed 21. "Hitting" is when a
player asks for an additional card and "Standing" is when no
additional cards are requested.
A.8 BUSTING: If the player's cards exceed a total of 21, he has
"busted" and loses the hand regardless of the dealer's total. If
the dealer busts, all players who have not busted win the hand.
A.9 TIES: If the player and the dealer have the same total, the hand
is a tie or a "push". No money settlement takes place.
A.10 DEALER'S PLAY: The dealer must draw cards until he has a total of
17 or above. In some casinos the dealer may hit a soft 17 in
others he must stand on any 17.
Blackjack Strategy II, Page 24
A.11 DOUBLING DOWN: In most casinos a player may double the amount of
his bet after looking at his first two cards. He then receives
only one additional card. Many casinos allow doubling only on
totals of 10 or 11, some allow doubling on any hand.
A.12 SPLITTING PAIRS: If the player's two cards are identical in
value, the player may "split" them by betting an amount equal to
his original bet on the second card. Each card is then played as
a separate hand except that if aces are split, only one
additional card is allowed on each ace. Some casinos allow
splitting only once and some up to three times, for a total of
four hands. BlackJack-Strategy allows splitting two times (three
hands) when there are five players or less in the game. With six
players BlackJack-Strategy only allows splitting once for each
player.
A.13 INSURANCE: If the dealer's upcard is an ace, the player may make
a side bet called an insurance bet. The amount of the side bet
may be as much as one-half of the original bet. If the dealer has
a blackjack the casino will pay two to one on the insurance bet,
therefor, the player loses his hand but wins on insurance and
"breaks even" if he bet the maximum amount on the side bet. If
the dealer does not have blackjack, the insurance bet is lost and
the play of the hand continues. In BlackJack-Strategy an
insurance bet is always one-half of the original bet. (This is
why only even numbers are allowed for bets, it the keeps numbers
as integers.)
A.14 SURRENDER: The player may surrender his original hand for one
half of the bet. This action takes place after the dealer has
checked for a blackjack when your turn to play comes.
APPENDIX B: Bibliography
1. R. Baldwin, W. Cantey, H. Maisel , and J. McDermott, "The Optimum
Strategy in Blackjack", Journal of the American Statistical
Association, 51, 429-439, (1956).
2. L. Revere, Playing Blackjack as a Business, Lyle Stuart, Inc.,
New York, (1973).
3. L. Revere, The Revere Advanced Point Count Strategy, Paul Mann
Publishing Co, Las Vegas, Nevada (1973).
4. E.O. Thorp, Beat the Dealer, (2nd edition), Random House, New
York (1966), also in paperback Vintage Books, (1966).
5. E.O. Thorp and W. Walden, "The Fundamental Theorem of Card
Counting", International Journal of Game Theory, 2, 2, (1973).
6. C. Ionescu Tulcea, A Book on Casino Blackjack, Pocket Books, New
York, (1982).
7. K. Uston, Million Dollar Blackjack, SRS Enterprises Inc,
Hollywood, California, (1981).
