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Text File | 1994-01-15 | 21.3 KB | 456 lines

GAMBLERS AND MONEY GRUBBERS BLACKJACK (C) COPYRIGHT HYPERWARE 1991 G&GBJ.EXE A Product of HYPERWARE Software 13245 Skiomah Rd. Apple Valley, Ca. 92307 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS This program requires an IBM compatible computer (640K) and EGA with 256 k of ram on the card as a minimum. A 286 or 386 computer is best, an 8088 is O.K., better if it runs 8 mhz. Slower CPUs will work, but since this program is graphics intensive, screen updates may be slower than desired. A hard disk is required and a disk caching program will greatly speed file loads. INSTALLATION / SET UP See INSTALL.TXT for installation details. GAME START UP Type "GAME" and the Intial GAMBLERS AND MONEY GRUBBERS menu will be displayed. Now select the BLACKJACK option to play blackjack. FEATURES 1. Play BLACKJACK with up to 4 other players. 2. Set the number of decks to be used (up to six decks). 3. Change the game rules to suit yourself. 4. Monitor game statistics as the game progresses. 5. Use BET UNITS to systematically increase bets as the count sweetens. 6. Use one or both built in count systems to verify your own. 7. Modify a count system to suit your own ideas. 8. Let the computer play your hand with a strategy you choose or modify with the custom "SUGGESTIONS" and "CUSTOM COUNT" systems. 9. Use the "AUTO PLAY FEATURE" (see 8 above) to test your theories in long term play (speed up the game and let it play up to 30000 hands in a short period of time. 10. Change your table position and the number of players at the table at any time. 11. Monitor your table mates strategy and bets, see how they fare over the long term. 12. Recall your last game and continue play just as you left it last time if so desired. 14. See a quick BIOGRAPHY of other players you may encounter at the table. 13. Easy registration for a low price. GENERAL This rendition of BLACKJACK is meant to simulate a BLACKJACK table that might be found in a professional gambling hall. It allows the user to play against the dealer without any other players or to play with up to 4 other players at the table. If other players are selected, each will use a predetermined strategy (which can be monitored during game play). You will be able to set up and change many aspects of game play to suit yourself. Two card counting systems are available, one can be modified to suit your own needs if you are a REGISTERED USER. A suggested play is available to you when it is your turn to take a card. You can keep track of how you are doing by selecting STATISTICS. REGISTERED USERS will be able to specify starting money as well as save and recall your last game. Additionally, registered users will have access to the CUSTOM CARD COUNTING SYSTEM and the CUSTOM SUGGESTIONS BUILDER. Your position at the table is always occupied with the "generic person". This character can be easily recognized because he/she has no face or other features, and has a prominent "U" in the middle of his/her chest. You have complete control over this character during game play (consider it to be your slave ready to serve your every whim). EXCEPTION: If you have selected Auto Play, U will play for you with the strategy you have selected. MAIN MENU BET YOUR COUNT NEW DECK(s) NUMBER OF DECKS STATISTICS COUNT SYSTEMS OPTIONS DETAILS QUIT GAME BET: This selection accesses the bet menu. If BET UNITS have not been selected (SEE OPTIONS I), the bets that may be selected are listed below. BET MENU $5.00 $10.00 $50.00 $100.00 $500.00 NO BET Use NO BET to escape from this menu. If a bet is selected the game will continue with the dealer dealing the cards to all players. Select all desired options before making a bet. NEW DECKS: This option allows you to choose a new deck or decks if more than one is being used. This will change to a new one of the five decks available and will force a reshuffle of the cards. SHUFFLE PROCEDURE - When new deck(s) are brought into play, The deck is shuffled and cut 4 times. When 6 decks are in use, Subsequent reshuffles will take the discard stack and place them on top of the remaining cards, shuffle this stack one time through, then restart play. NOTE: To keep the card shuffle and deal as realistic as possible, THE SHUFFLE ROUTINE does not use a random number generator, but rather starts with a complete deck or decks of 52 cards. The example below illustrates the shuffle procedure used. EXAMPLE WITH 6 DECKS 1. The six new decks are placed on top of each other to produce the playing stack of cards. ---------- -- | deck 1 | | ---------- | | deck 2 | | ---------- | | deck 3 | | split point ---> ---------- > playing stack before shuffle | deck 4 | | ---------- | | deck 5 | | ---------- | | deck 6 | | ---------- -- 2. This stack is split into two equal stacks and then shuffled with 1/2 the deck to be shuffled coming from each 1/2 stack. This is done six times so that all cards have now been shuffled. The shuffled decks are put back into a stack, the stack is then cut and the process begins again. For new decks or a forced reshuffle, this will happen 4 times before the cards are ready to deal again. If the stack is being reshuffled due to the reshuffle marker being reached, the discard stack is placed on the remaining cards stack and the cards are shuffled as above one time, then put back into play for the next deal. Advanced players may use this knowledge to try to track card clumps during game play. NOTE: When fewer than 6 decks are being used, the shuffle always happens 4 times before the deck is ready for another play. NUMBER OF DECKS: This selection will allow the user to select the number of decks the dealer is using. Possible selections are.... ONE DECK TWO DECKS FOUR DECKS SIX DECKS If a different number of decks are selected, a shuffle is forced and you will be asked to cut the cards. To leave the number of decks the same simply push ESCAPE or reselect the same number of decks again. 1. CUTTING CARDS. This performs an actual cut of the cards as would happen in the real world. Move the hand pointer to the desired point in the card stack (will be shown as a percent of the deck from bottom to top - you will be able to select from 12% to 88%), then press the left mouse button or RETURN. If you push the SPACE bar the deck will be cut at a computer deter- mined random point. STATISTICS: This selection will display many statics of the play. Such as the number of hands dealt, whether you are up or down and by how much. Also included is a YOURS vs STATS display, this lets you know what percent of moves you make that are statistically correct according to the SUGGESTED move. Many other items are show when statistics are displayed. COUNT SYSTEMS: When this item is selected, the COUNT SYSTEMS screen is brought up. This screen shows all player's MONEY, their last bet amount and the type strategy they are using. Also displayed is a ratio of others to tens played. This is a current ratio based on the number of cards played so far during the current shuffle. This screen also displays the number of each card that has been played so far and displays a count and true count of this information. The default count system is used; however if you register, you will be able to change the value associated with each card and therefore effect the way the count is calculated. To change the count system to your own custom system, press "S" and follow the prompts. If you desire to reset the system to the default settings, press "D". NOTE: the custom count system can also be selected from the BLACKJACK OPTIONS II MENU. This page is useful in verifying your own count as the game progresses. OPTIONS: The OPTIONS selection will bring up the BLACKJACK OPTIONS I MENU. BLACKJACK OPTIONS I DEALER CHECKS 10s and ACES BET UNITS UP BET UNITS DOWN ALL CARDS UP GAME SPEED FASTER GAME SPEED SLOWER SURRENDER ALLOWED NEW DEALER << DONE >> 1. DEALER CHECKS 10s and ACES: When selected (indicated by a green box) the dealer will ask for an insurance bet and check for a blackjack with either a 10 or ACE showing as his up card. DEFAULT: dealer only checks for a possible blackjack with an ACE showing. 2. BET UNITS UP: When selected (use either the left mouse button or RETURN), the bet unit (amount of your base bet) will increase in $5.00 increments. If 0 is selected the bet menu will reflect the bets as shown in BET above. NOTE: Many players us a bet unit (E.G. $50.00) and increase their bet as multiples of the bet unit as the card count becomes favorable. This will allow the user to simulate this procedure. 3. BET UNITS DOWN: When selected (use either the left mouse button or RETURN), the bet unit (amount of your base bet) will decrease in $5.00 increments. If 0 is selected the bet menu will reflect the bets as shown in BET above, and bet units will be inactivated. 4. ALL CARDS UP: When selected the dealer will deal all cards to the players face up. This will allow players to more easily perfect their count. DEFAULT: Cards are dealt to players face down. 5. GAME SPEED FASTER: When selected the relative game speed of play will change from the DEFAULT setting of 10. Lower numbers indicate faster game speeds. 1 is the fastest setting allowed. 6. GAME SPEED SLOWER: When selected the relative game speed of play will change from the DEFAULT setting of 10. Higher numbers indicate slower game speeds. 25 is the slowest setting allowed. 7. SURRENDER ALLOWED: When selected the SURRENDER OPTION will be allowed. When surrender is allowed and selected as your choice, you will forfeit 1/2 your bet and turn your cards in to the dealer. NOTE: With SURRENDER ALLOWED you may surrender any hand (first 2 cards only) regardless of count. 8. MORE OPTIONS: This is the entry to the next menu of OPTIONS. When selected you will bring up the BLACKJACK OPTIONS II menu. 9. << DONE >>: Select this option to return to the G & G BLACKJACK MAIN MENU. BLACKJACK OPTIONS II DOUBLE ANY HAND DOUBLE ON SPLIT AUTO PLAY CHANGE PLAYERS CUSTOM SUGGEST CUSTOM COUNT SOUNDS ON NEW DEALER << PREV MENU >> 1. DOUBLE ANY HAND: Allows the player to DOUBLE DOWN on any count of the first 2 cards dealt. DEFAULT: DOUBLE DOWN only allowed on 10 or 11 count of first 2 cards. 2. DOUBLE ON SPLIT: Allows the player to DOUBLE DOWN after splitting cards. DEFAULT: No DOUBLE DOWN after a split allowed. If DOUBLE ANY HAND is selected these rules apply after a split. 3. AUTO PLAY: When selected the players hand is played by the computer. This is handy to allow the player to investigate the merits of different strategy and count systems for long term play. The AUTO PLAY function will play up to 30000 hands for you. All game options are used during AUTO PLAY, including any changes you may make to the CUSTOM SUGGESTIONS screen (see 5. below), the CUSTOM COUNT option (see 6. below), and the BET UNITS (see 3. and 4. above). Use the game speed up feature to rapidly play a large number of hands to check your various combinations over the long term. The strategy "U" will use during AUTO PLAY are outlined below and are available on the COUNT SYSTEMS screen. USE STRATEGY #1 USE STRATEGY #2 USE STRATEGY #3 USE STRATEGY #4 NO AUTO PLAY 1. USE STRATEGY #1 1. Hit on 16 or less 2. Stay on 17 or greater 3. Random bet $10 or $20 2. USE STRATEGY #2 1. Uses strategy from SUGGESTIONS screen 2. Bet is $10 or BET UNIT if selected 3. Increase bet if RATIO improves (see COUNT SCREEN) 3. USE STRATEGY #3 1. Hit on 16 or less 2. Stay on 17 or greater 3. Double on 11 count 4. Split Aces or 8s 5. Bet is $10 times RATIO (see COUNT SCREEN) 4. USE STRATEGY #4 1. Uses strategy from SUGGESTIONS screen 2. Bet is $10 or BET UNIT if selected 3. Increase bet as TRUE COUNT increases (see COUNT SCREEN). 5 X BET UNIT is max bet 5. NO AUTO PLAY 1. Terminates the AUTO PLAY selection. 2. AUTO PLAY starts after you make the first bet. NOTE: If AUTO PLAY is active, push F1 at any time to stop AUTO PLAY. 4. CHANGE PLAYERS: When selected you can change your sitting position at the table as well as change the number of other players at the table. Push Escape to exit this selection without changing anything. 5. CUSTOM SUGGEST: Use this to change the SUGGESTIONS screen to your own preferred suggested moves. Follow the prompts to make your own custom suggestion page. When complete push ESCAPE and your custom screen will be saved. NOTE: The new screen will be saved under the name you signed on with, any time you sign on with this name in the future the CUSTOM SUGGESTION screen will be loaded. You may change back to the original SUGGESTION screen by selecting SUGGESTIONS then pushing "D" for default (only works when a custom SUGGESTION screen is loaded). You can use a CUSTOM SUGGESTION screen in conjunction with AUTO PLAY to test your theories for long term play. ** REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR ACCESS ** 6. CUSTOM COUNT: Use this to alter the way the count is calculated. If you want to install you own counting system, this will allow you to change the value associated with each card. Simply follow the prompts to install your own system. Once a custom system is installed, it will be saved so that you can use it in future games. To change back to the default count system press "D". You can us a CUSTOM COUNT system in AUTO PLAY to test your theories in long term play. ** REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR ACCESS ** 7. SOUNDS ON: When selected you will be alerted with a low tome when a new menu is displayed and you input is required. 8. NEW DEALER: When selected a new dealer (one of the 3 available) will be brought into the game. This forces a reshuffle of the cards. See PLAYERS BIO for a brief biography of each player and dealer (available from the DETAILS screen by pushing "space" or selecting the left mouse button). 9. PREV MENU: When selected will return you to the BLACKJACK OPTIONS I menu. DETAILS: This selection will bring up the DETAILS SCREEN. This screen shows information about the game rules and briefly explains the BLACKJACK OPTIONS MENUS. From this screen you may opt for the PLAYERS BIO screen. This screen shows a short BIOGRAPHY of all the possible players and dealers (push SPACE or the left mouse button for BIOS). Any key or mouse button will escape from PLAYERS BIO screen. QUIT: This selection allows you to quit the game. If you are a registered user, the following will be saved for you. 1. All game statistics (see statistics above) 2. Your money 3. Your CUSTOMIZED COUNT SYSTEM 4. Your CUSTOMIZED SUGGESTIONS 5. The players you were playing with 6. The sitting positions of any players at the table 7. The game speed you have selected NOTE: If you are a REGISTERED user and you have a previous game on file, your last game results will be displayed and you will be asked if you want to START A NEW GAME (Y/N). If "N" or right mouse button is selected your last game will be restored and you can continue just as you left the game last time. Even if you decide to start a new game, the game speed you have been using and was saved will be used for the new game. DECISION MENU: After the dealer deals all cards to the players and it is your ("U"re next) turn, the following menu will be presented for you to make a choice. G & G BLACKJACK SUGGESTIONS HIT STAY DOUBLE SURRENDER SPLIT 1. SUGGESTIONS: This selection will bring up the SUGGESTIONS screen. This screen shows you the statistically correct move based on your card count and the dealers up card (shown at the top of the screen). The suggested move will be displayed in the box at the top of the screen as well as graphically depicted by a flashing square in the indicated box. If you have customized the suggestion screen, "CUSTOM" will be displayed in the SUGGESTIONS box. If the screen has not been customized, the SUGGESTIONS box will say "DEFAULT". If the screen has been customized and you want to use or see the "DEFAULT" screen you can toggle between the 2 screens by alternately selecting "D" or "C". NOTE: The default suggestion screen was derived from a compilation of information from a number of sources, If you believe you have a better set of "correct" moves, you should customize this screen as in "5. CUSTOM SUGGEST" above. The STATS vs YOUR selection under STATISTICS compares your move against the suggested move from this screen (uses CUSTOMIZED version if present) to compute a percent of your moves that were the same as that suggested by this screen. 2. HIT: Causes the dealer to "HIT" you with a card when selected. 3. STAY: Indicates to the dealer you do not want any more cards, the dealer will proceed to the next player in line. 4. DOUBLE: Causes the bet to be doubled - the dealer then deals you only one more card. NOTE: The default rule for DOUBLE only allows this when your first two card count is 10 or 11, and does not allow a DOUBLE after a split. Both of these limitations may be changed with the BLACKJACK OPTIONS II menu. 5. SURRENDER: When SURRENDER is selected, you turn your cards in to the dealer and forfeit 1/2 your bet wager. NOTE: The default rule is no surrender allowed. This can be change with the BLACKJACK OPTIONS I menu. 6. SPLIT: When selected your first two cards will be SPLIT into 2 separate hands, you will then play each individually. Splits are only allowed when the first two cards dealt you are a pair or both equal a 10 count. You can not split multiple times. NOTE: Only those selections you have set the game rules up for (see BLACKJACK OPTIONS I & II) will be available to you. If an item is not available for play, the box next to that selection will be red. MOUSE SUPPORT: Any Microsoft compatible mouse will work with this program. Drag the hand pointer to the desired selection then push the "LEFT" mouse button to select. If the game asks for a response in the form of a "Y/N" answer the mouse buttons are implemented as follows. LEFT MOUSE BUTTON = "Y" RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON = "N" HOW TO PLAY THIS GAME: once all files have been copied to your hard disk, and expanded, you can start the blackjack by typing "GAME". This will run the batch file "game.bat" that will run the initial GAMBLERS AND MONEY GRUBBERS menu program. Select the "BLACKJACK" option to run blackjack. You will be asked to sign in with the name you will be using during the game, then follow the prompts until the dealer appears and shuffles the cards. All game input from then on is through drop down menus as indicated above. BENEFITS OF REGISTRATION If you like this program and intend to use it, a registration fee of $10.00 is requested. Registered users will receive a disk (360K) with the neces- sary files to allow access to the CUSTOM SUGGESTIONS BUILDER and CUSTOM COUNT SYSTEMS portions of this game. REGISTERED USERS will also be able to save and recall the last game they played. Run "README.EXE and select "REGISTER.TXT" for more information. REGISTERED USERS After registering you will receive a disk containing the file BJ.REG. Insure this file is copied to the same directory that you have g&gbj.exe in. The game must find and read this file to allow access to the extra portions of blackjack.