Contents
HI [image] LOW

This game can be played with one or two humans.  If you are the only human playing, you get to play two hands, 1 and 4. If two humans are playing, one should look away from the screen whenever the other player is looking at his/her bottom card. Card values are: Aces = 1 or 11, face cards =.5, all other cards are at face value ie: 9 of clubs = 9. You can switch an Ace from 11 points to 1 point if you go over 27 when it is 11.

The multimedia version of 727 comes with a sophisticated speech synthesizer, which couldn't be included with the shareware version. This  means that the computer speaks all the phrases verbally, but you must have a sound card to hear it.The   multimedia version also allows you to change what the computer says, so you could change the language spoken to any other language. There is also a utility that lets you type in any phrase or word and listen to the computer speak it.

CONTENTS

Playing Strategy

Betting Strategy

How to Play the Game

Registering This Program

Modifying the Program

Credits


How to Play the Game

 This game is mouse controlled.  You take action by clicking the left mouse button while the mouse cursor is on a card.  To start asking players if they want another card, click on the deck while the program is in the playing cycle.  To start the players betting, click on the deck  while the program is in the betting cycle. When it is time for a human player to bet or decide on a card, the program presents a little decision box over the deck. Select your decision by clicking the mouse over the appropriate button or press Enter if you want a card.

In the case of betting, the decision box shows the current bet level to save time, but if you wish to raise the bet, it is necessary to type in the new bet level number before selecting the Make Bet button or  pressing Enter.

You can look at your hidden card by clicking on it while no decision box is over the deck.  It would be uncool to look at your bottom card when the dealer is asking if you want a card, so the program won't let you be uncool. You should try to memorize what card is hidden, and this is more difficult if you are playing both human hands. When playing with two different humans, one should look away from the screen when the other wants to see the bottom card.

If you are playing alone, you can select  "Deal Humans Face Up" from the "Deal" menu. This will deal the next game with the human bottom cards face up, making it more convenient to play. The  computer players still can't "see" these bottom cards.

If you want to change the names of the players, or use a different card pattern, click on the utilities menu item.  This item also lets you speed up or slow down the game.

As each bet is made, the program updates the little boxes in the corners of the screen.  The top left box shows the visible points of each player, so you don't have to mentally add up all the cards. This box will only show Aces as 1 point, but the program and humans can count Aces as 11 or 1.

The top right box shows the bet level of each player.  All active players must be at the same bet level before the game will go into the playing cycle. The maximum bet level is three chips.

The bottom left box shows the amount of chips currently in the pot.  This is cleared for each deal.

The bottom right box shows the amount of chips left in each player's bank. These amounts are cleared back to 250 chips after each dealing cycle (6 deals). If you register, the program keeps track of the highest bank after each dealing cycle, and stores the player's name and amount of chips to a history database that can be viewed by selecting it on the main menu. This game doesn't require an ante, as the pots  get big enough anyway.


Playing Strategy

 Is basically a game of you against them. The strategy is simply to build your hand to the point where your points are closer to 7 or 27 than any other player, without going over that amount. This is usually easier said than done. It doesn't matter how  close you are if another player is obviously closer.  In determining the value of any hidden card, remember that the average value of a card in the deck is 4.6 points, but it is most likely that the card will be a face card as there are 3 times more face cards than any other card, and a face card is worth one half of a point. You can pass and not accept a card two times in succession, but if you pass a third time in a row, you can no longer receive more cards. Once you take a card, the passes are cleared and you start again. This passing feature can lead to big pots sometimes.

The computer players do not cheat.  They make playing and betting decisions based on the visible cards on the table.

Although it is possible to have two aces and a five, giving you a potential of 7 and 27 in one hand, this program doesn't consider that possibility, and the hand would be counted as 7 only. Aces can count as 11 only if the hand is over 7.


Betting Strategy

 Since players do not have to declare which point target they are aiming for, you have to figure it out from the visible cards.  The general strategy is to bet low until you are guaranteed some winnings.  You know you will get some of the pot if you are the only one going low, or if you have exactly 7 or  exactly 27 points.

Once you are guaranteed a share of the pot, you should bet the maximum of three, to build up the pot. Some players try bluffing in this game, but you should only try it if there is another human playing, as the computer players do not make playing decisions based on your bets. The program will alert you with a beep whenever a computer player raises the bet to the maximum.

Most players stay in until the bitter end, because you never know what the next card will be.

The computer players have been known to bluff occasionally, but they do not see your bottom card, and they do not know what card is next.


Registration Form
 To register, print this topic, complete the form below, and send  it with $10.00 U.S. or $13.00 CAN,  to the address below.  Checks, cheques, money orders and cash are OK. If a personal check is used  and it is in a currency other than U.S. or Canadian, please send an amount  equivalent to $10.00 U.S. (as of the day you send it).  If paying by VISA card, please send the file "REGISTER.TXT" as EMail,  or equivalent information in an EMail message, to: tslemko@island.net You can get the serial number of the game by selecting 'About JTS' from the Help Menu.

REGISTRATION FORM FOR 727 HI-LOW

NAME:

STREET ADDRESS:

CITY:

STATE/PROV.:

COUNTRY:                             POSTAL CODE

E-MAIL ADDRESS:

SERIAL NUMBER OF YOUR GAME (Mandatory):

VISA CARD NUMBER:                            EXPIRY DATE

NAME ON VISA CARD, IF NOT ABOVE:

(Sorry, no other credit cards can be accepted at this time,

but send me an EMail note if you wish to use MasterCard.)

To Register Your Copy of 727            To Order the Full MultiMedia Version

$10.00 US      _____                    $19.00 US     _____

$13.00 CAN     _____                    $25.00 CAN    _____

B.C. Residents                          B.C.Residents

add 7%         _____                    add 7%        _____

Total Enclosed:         $_______________

Send To:

JTS MICRO CONSULTING LTD.

RR # 4, 10931 LYTTON ROAD,

LADYSMITH, B.C.

CANADA

V0R 2E0

Or EMail: tslemko@island.net if paying by VISA.

An EMail message containing the password to register your game will be sent to you immediately. If for any reason you don't have an EMail address, a letter will be mailed to you with the password. If you order the full MultiMedia version, a disk containing the program will be mailed to your postal address above.


Modifying Program
Modifying the Program

 If you feel adventurous, you can actually do some things to  modify the 727 game.  When the program is considering bets and cards, it looks at the visible cards of each player, and determines which one is the best bet to be competing for the same target.  It uses the table found in the file "POINTS.TXT" to guess at what that player's total points may be. These "assumed" points are then used by the program to make card decisions. You can modify this file with a plain text editor. Be very careful not to change the spacing on each line, as the computer parses a line character by character and will get confused if the spacing changes.

MAKE A BACKUP OF THIS FILE BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT ANY MODIFICATIONS.

You may discover a much better logic.  The figures in the file represent my best guess as to what they should be. If you come up with numbers that make the program play better, let me know by EMail.

If the assumed points are raised, the program will take more cards when  building hands, so it will bust more often, and it will also fold more often.  When the assumed points are lowered the program will fold less often, but will  stop taking cards at a lower level, so it won't bust as often.

You can also modify what the program says when betting or taking cards.  The text spoken is contained in the files "BETS.TXT and CARDS.TXT". Once again, be very careful to not change the spacing up to the '=' sign in these files as the program expects to find a phrase immediately after the '=' sign. You can't add any more phrases, but you can change the ones that are there. In the full mutimedia version, these phrases are spoken verbally by the  program.

Have fun!


Credits

The card bitmaps and drawing functions are contained in qcard.dll.  This excellent DLL was written by Stephen Murphy.