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====================== Dr. BLACKJACK: The User's Guide ====================== Copyright 1994, E. Perlman and L. Illion Your diskette should contain the following files: BJREAD.ME -- Information for installing and quick play of Dr. BLACKJACK BLACKJ.EXE -- The blackjack program itself. BJ.DAT -- Stores default options and other data. BJUSER.TXT -- Text file form of this document. BJSETUP.EXE -- Program to set up and install Dr. Blackjack. SW.DOC -- Shareware information used by program. REGISTER.TXT -- Registration and ordering information. REGISTER.FRM -- Registration form. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY THIS SOFTWARE AND MANUAL ARE SOLD "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES AS TO PERFORMANCE OF MERCHANTABILITY OR ANY OTHER WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. BECAUSE OF THE VARIOUS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENTS INTO WHICH THIS PROGRAM MAY BE PUT, NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTI- CULAR PURPOSE IS OFFERED. GOOD DATA PROCESSING PROCEDURE DICTATES THAT ANY PROGRAM BE THOROUGHLY TESTED WITH NON-CRITICAL DATA BEFORE RELYING ON IT. THE USER MUST ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK OF USING THE PROGRAM. ANY LIABILITY OF THE SELLER WILL BE LIMITED EXCLUSIVELY TO PRODUCT REPLACE- MENT OR REFUND OF PURCHASE PRICE. ==== Dr. Blackjack: The User's Guide==== Contents Page Introduction ................................................ 1 Installing Dr. BLACKJACK..................................... 1 Quick Play................................................... 2 The Options Table Explanation .......................................... 3 Setting the options................................... 3 The Options: Number of Decks.................................. 3 Playing Strategies............................... 3 Betting Strategies............................... 3 Shuffle Type..................................... 4 Show Shuffle?.................................... 5 Location of shuffle.............................. 6 Resplitting?..................................... 6 Late surrender?.................................. 7 Double after split?.............................. 7 Minimum Bet...................................... 7 Maximum Bet...................................... 7 Opening Bankroll................................. 7 Betting Unit..................................... 7 Cutting the Deck............................................ 8 Placing your bet............................................ 8 Insurance................................................... 8 Playing your hand........................................... 8 Hit................................................... 9 Stand................................................. 9 Double................................................ 9 Split................................................. 9 Surrender............................................. 9 Help.................................................. 9 A Word about the Help Window................................ 9 **Introduction** Dr. BLACKJACK is a complete fast-paced single-player casino game for any level blackjack player. If you are a beginner, you can use the program just to practice playing the game. Dr. BLACKJACK keeps track of your bets and your bankroll and will not let you spend more than you have. Also, it will not allow you to make any plays that are "illegal." Any time you are unsure of the "appropriate" play or bet, you can press the help function key (F1 key) and the Help Window will advise you. Dr. BLACKJACK can teach you a betting strategy ("Takedown Strategy") which does not require cardcounting. (See "Takedown Strategy" in this manual for more details). If you are a serious player trying to improve your cardcounting or shuffle-tracking skills, Dr. BLACKJACK will allow you to simulate the casino (and even the table) of your choice. Several variations of nonrandom shuffle produce a statistically realistic casino game. By pressing the help function key (F1 key), you can instantly view the running count, true count, cards and decks played, and the appropriate bet in the Help Window. The actual formulas used to obtain these numbers are shown as well. If you are practicing shuffle-tracking, Dr. BLACKJACK's help function can help you count and follow the picks. The help function also supports advanced cardcount-based playing strategies which rely on index numbers. **Installing Dr. BLACKJACK** Dr. BLACKJACK requires the ANSI.SYS device driver, a DOS file which provides a set of codes for cursor control. This file comes with your DOS operating system, but to activate it, it must be installed in your CONFIG.SYS file which is in your main directory. To set up the ANSI.SYS file and to copy Dr. BLACKJACK onto your hard disk, you must use the setup program on your Dr. BLACKJACK diskette. To do this, place your diskette into your disk drive. If you are using drive A, type: a:setupbj [and press ENTER] The program will first ask if you wish to install Dr. BLACKJACK on your hard disk. If you type Y, Dr. BLACKJACK will be installed in a directory called BJ. If you do not wish to install Dr. BLACKJACK on your hard disk, type N. 1 The setup program then checks to see if your ANSI driver is installed. If it already is, the program types "Your ANSI driver is already installed." If the ANSI driver is not installed, you are asked whether the program should automatically install it. Type Y at this point. If the setup program is successful, it will type: **ANSI.SYS Installed. **Re-BOOT TO USE! **Remove Dr. BLACKJACK diskette! You then must turn off your computer or re-boot (or press RESET). **Quick-Play** If you do not want to set all the options, you can play Dr. BLACKJACK right away using a set of default options. Here's how to do it: 1. If you have not installed the ANSI driver, you must do so first. See above section (Installing Dr. BLACKJACK). 2. Boot the system (start up your computer) from a DOS disk or hard disk drive as you normally do. 3. If you have already installed Dr. BLACKJACK on your hard disk, type: cd\bj [and press ENTER. Then type:] blackj [and press ENTER] 4. Now follow instructions on screen. ============ If you do not have a hard disk or have not installed Dr. BLACKJACK on it, you must do the following: 1. Insert Dr. BLACKJACK diskette into drive A. 2. If you have a hard disk, you will see the C> prompt. Type: A: [press Enter] 3. You should then see an A> prompt. 4. Type: blackj [press Enter] 5. Now follow the instructions on the screen. 2 **The Options Table** By setting the choices in the Options Table, you control all three aspects of your blackjack game: 1) The house (and table) rules 2) Your playing and betting strategies 3) Your bankroll (balance) To change the Option Table choices, you use only the four arrow keys on your keyboard. The up and down arrow move the red cursor up and down the option rows. When the red (vertical) cursor is on the appropriate row, use the left and right arrows to move the blue (horizontal) cursor to change your selection. When you are finished making your changes, press Enter. Your choices will then be stored with your name on the disk. The next time you play (using the same first name), these same options will appear in the table. If you then want to change any selections, use the arrow keys. If no changes are needed, just press Enter. (Note: Up to five different first names of players and corresponding sets of Option Table choices are allowed. If you try to store any more names, the last name entry will be deleted and replaced with the new name.) Here is some detailed information on each of the option selections: * NUMBER OF DECKS. Based on the casino you wish to simulate, you can select the number of decks. Note that this number may determine what other options you may choose. For instance, if you choose to play with one deck, you will be allowed to select only the "Vegas Single" or "Northern Nevada Single" playing options. * PLAYING STRATEGIES. Playing strategies are methods you use to decide how you play your hand (that is, to hit, stand, double, split or surrender). Basic playing strategy is based on the value of the cards in your hand and the value of the dealer's up card. The rules of play in various casino locations also alter the best choice of play. Dr. BLACKJACK help functions include four different basic playing strategies. (For details and tables showing how these strategies are derived, see Dr. BLACKJACK: A Companion Manual for the Serious Player.) * BETTING STRATEGIES. Betting strategies are the methods you use to decide now much to bet on each hand. Dr. BLACKJACK help functions include three betting strategies: ---Cardcounting Strategy--- In cardcounting, a number is assigned to each played card based on its value (cards 2-6 = +1; cards 7-9 = 0; cards 10,J,Q,K,A = -1). The player adds these numbers together as the hands are played. This sum is called the "Running Count." 3 Cardcounting theory presumes that having a lot of high cards (10,J,Q,K,A) in the remaining cards is to the player's benefit. It follows that the higher the count, the more you should bet. The predictive value of the count is greater when there are only a small number of cards remaining to be played. To take this into account, the running count can be made more useful by dividing it by the fraction of cards remaining. This term is called the "True Count": True Count = (Running Count) / (N/52), where N = number of cards remaining. If you select the Cardcounting strategy, Dr. BLACKJACK will keep track of all these variables for you and will also show you how the calculations and betting amounts are derived. The True Count is also useful to determine when to take insurance (see Insurance). Lastly, the True Count can be used under unusual circumstances to alter your basic playing strategy. For instance, you might ordinarily choose to double on a hand totaling 11 (and the dealer's up card is a 7), but if the True Count is very low (below -9), then the chances of your drawing a high card are poor. In this instance, a double would not be recommended. The number -9 in this example is called an Index Number. (For greater details on cardcounting and its use in betting and playing strategies, see Dr. BLACKJACK: A Companion Manual for the Serious Player.) ---Takedown Strategy--- This is a fairly complex money management system (derived by J. Patterson) which does not require any cardcounting or tracking of cards. It is based on the premise that non-random shuffles can produce predictably biased results. The amount you bet in the Takedown strategy is dependent on how well you have done in the hands just played. In essence, the more you have won in past hands, the higher your bet should be. 4 If you choose Takedown strategy, the Dr. BLACKJACK Help Window (activated by pressing the F1 key prior to placing your bet) will help you keep track of wins and losses and will show you how your next bet is derived. (To learn the details of Takedown strategy, see Dr. BLACKJACK: A Companion Manual for the Serious Player.) ---Shuffletracking Strategy--- Shuffletracking is a counting system based on the fact that casino shuffles are not truly random. In shuffletracking, the player keeps a running count in each of a number of equal-sized groups of cards (called the pick). The number of cards in each pick is the estimate of the number of cards the dealer grasps in each hand while shuffling. In Dr. BLACKJACK, the pick size is set at 1/2 deck (26 cards). When the dealer is ready to shuffle, the shuffletracking player then know the count in each pick as the dealer shuffles. By careful observation of the movement of the picks, the player can then "predict" the count in each deck of the newly shuffled cards. From this information, the player can select the best location for the cut of the cards prior to play. In addition, he can bet based on the estimated count in each deck yet to be played. If you select Shuffletracking strategy, the Dr. BLACKJACK Help Window (activated by pressing the F1 function key prior to placing your bet) can help you follow the count in each pick. During the first shoe, the Help Window assists in this counting phase of shuffletracking. When the dealer is ready to cut, Dr. BLACKJACK can help you decide where the cut should be made (just press the F1 key before your cut selection). Finally, Dr. BLACKJACK will help you determine the appropriate amount to bet based on the previously determined count of that deck. Until the program is reset, the Dr. BLACKJACK Help Window will show you what the previous counts were. (For more information about Shuffletracking, see Dr. BLACKJACK: A Companion Manual for the Serious Player.) * SHUFFLE TYPE. Most serious blackjack players are aware that real card shuffling is not truly random. Conversely, the random shuffles that most blackjack computer programs perform do not accurately reflect actual casino shuffles. Dr. BLACKJACK's straight and zone shuffles are non-random shuffling methods that closely simulate true casino shuffling. 5 ---Random Shuffle--- If you select this method, the cards are always shuffled in a nearly random way. The nonrandom shuffles (straight shuffle and zone shuffle) cannot be done with a single deck of cards, so you must select greater than one deck to use these shuffles (see NUMBER OF DECKS above). ---Straight Shuffle--- In the straight shuffle, the dealer divides the cards into two equal stacks. He then takes a pick (1/2 deck = 26 cards) from each pile, shuffles them together and places these cards in a third location. This process is continued until there are no more cards to shuffle. If you select straight shuffle, Dr. BLACKJACK uses a straight shuffle for all the shuffles but the first, which is always random. You can watch the cards move during the shuffle if you set YES on the "Show Shuffle?" option (see "Show Shuffle?" below). ---Zone Shuffle--- Slightly more complex than the straight shuffle, the zone shuffle also starts off by dividing the cards into two equal stacks. The dealer then further divides these stacks into one-deck (52-card) piles which are placed in rows on the table. Then the dealer takes a pick (1/2 deck) from diagonally located piles and shuffles these together. This shuffled deck is placed in another location. This sequence is done twice until all the cards have been shuffled. If you select Zone Shuffle, Dr. BLACKJACK will use this method on all shuffles except the first, which is always random. You can watch the cards move during the shuffle if you set YES on the "Show Shuffle?) option (see "Show Shuffle?" below). * SHOW SHUFFLE? If you select "Yes", the Straight or Zone Shuffles will be graphically shown to help you follow the shuffle. When you view the shuffle, it takes a little longer (about 10-30 seconds). If you select "No" to this question, the appropriate shuffle will be done very quickly, but you will not see the actual movement of the cards. * LOCATION OF SHUFFLE. The dealer always places a shuffle card into the deck after the shuffle to indicate where the next shuffle will take place. You can choose this location with the Options Table. Your selection will be show graphically in the Discard Pile in the lower right corner of the playing screen. * RESPLITTING? When you are dealt two of the same card (or two face cards and/or 10s), you may split the cards up into two separate hands (see Split below). Some casinos allow splitting only on the first hand. If you trying to simulate such a casino, then select "No" for this option. If you select "Yes", you may split your hand up to three times (for a total of four hands). 6 * LATE SURRENDER? Some casinos allow you to turn in your hand without playing it (after the dealer has checked if he has blackjack). This is called late surrender. If you surrender, you lose half your bet. If you are trying to simulate a casino that allows late surrender, then choose "Yes" for this option. * DOUBLE AFTER SPLIT? Most casinos allow you to double after you have split your hand (see "Double" and "Split" below). In Dr. BLACKJACK, all playing strategies allow double after splitting except "Northern Nevada Single." If you chose "Northern Nevada Single" strategy, Dr. BLACKJACK will set Double after Split to "No" for you. Otherwise, it will automatically be set to "Yes" for you. * MINIMUM BET. Each table has minimum bet allowed. Select the appropriate option for the table you intend to simulate. * MAXIMUM BET. Each table has a maximum bet allowed. Select the appropriate option for the table you intend to simulate. * OPENING BANKROLL. You can choose what your opening bankroll (balance) will be for the playing session. You may start from your previous balance if you choose. * BETTING UNIT. All the betting strategies use the Betting Unit (BU) as the multiple to calculate your actual bet. For instance, if you chose $5 as your betting unit and the suggestion was to bet 4 betting units, your bet would be $5 x 4 = $20. The BU can be the minimum bet for the table. Most money managing strategies suggest using 1% or 2% of your opening bankroll as the BU. Dr. BLACKJACK does all the calculations for you for each of these options. You can then decide what BU you would like. Here is an example of how you might set the Options Table to simulate the $2 minimum, $300 maximum table at Foxwood Casino, Ledyard CT to practice cardcounting. (Assume you have $500 to use and you would like a 1% Betting Unit.) Number of Decks = 8 Playing Strategy = Atlantic City Multi Betting Strategy = Cardcounting Shuffle Type = Straight Show Shuffle? Yes Location of shuffle = 2/3 from end Resplit? No Late surrender? No Double after split? Yes Minimum Bet = $2 Maximum Bet = $300 Opening bankroll = $500 Betting Unit = $5 7 ***Cutting the Deck*** After the dealer shuffles, the player cuts the deck. Follow the instructions on the screen to do this. If you have selected Shuffletracking Betting Strategy, the cut location will be important to you (see Betting Strategies above). By pressing the F1 function key prior to cutting, you can get help in choosing a good cut location. ***Placing Your Bet*** The suggested amount you bet is a multiple of the betting unit you selected in the Options Table (see Betting Unit above). Depending on your selected betting strategy, the Help Window (activated by pressing F1 key) will show you how the bet is calculated. To enter a bet, type in the correct digits (no dollar sign or decimal is needed). If you would like to place the same bet as the previous hand, just press Enter. To reset the Options Table (or to start over or "refresh" your bankroll), type 'r' (upper or lower case). To quit the program (saving your balance and options) type 'q' (upper or lower case). ***Insurance*** If the dealer's upcard is an ace, he will ask if you want insurance. You may bet an additional amount--up to half your original bet-- that the dealer does not have blackjack. Type in digits for your insurance bet in the same way you entered your original bet. If you win the insurance bet (that is, the dealer has blackjack), you are paid twice your insurance bet. If you choose not to place an insurance bet, simply press ENTER and no insurance bet will be made. ***Playing Your Hand*** After you place your bet, a play options menu will appear between the dealer's hand and your hand. The choices are: Hit Stand Double sPlit sUrrender F1(Help) The uppercase character in each word is the character you type to select that choice. For example to split, you would type 'p' (upper or lower case). If the uppercase letter is red, that selection is a valid choice. If the uppercase letter is black, then that choice is not valid. Dr. BLACKJACK will not allow you to make invalid plays. The Help Window (activated by pressing the F1 function key) is always a valid choice. 8 Here are brief descriptions of the playing choices: * Hit. Type an 'h' (upper or lower case) to add another card to your hand. If you have 21 or greater, you may not choose Hit. * Stand. Type an 's' (upper or lower case) when you do not wish to take any more cards. * Double. Type a 'd' (upper or lower case) when you wish to add only one more card to your hand. When you double, your bet amount is doubled. (If you have insufficient funds for a double, Dr. BLACKJACK will allow you to bet the rest of bankroll as a double. Naturally, if you lose, you'll have no more money left!) * Split. If the value of your pair of cards is the same (for example, a pair of 8's) you may split them into two hands with a bet on each. The total bet is therefore twice your original bet. You play each hand separately. To split your hand, type a 'p' (upper or lower case). * Surrender. In some casinos, you may be allowed to surrender your cards before playing (see Late Surrender in Options Table discussion above). If you wish to surrender (and it is permitted in your Options Table selection), type a 'u' (upper or lower case). You will then lose only half you bet amount. * F1(Help). Pressing the F1 function key will provide you with playing suggestions based on the particular playing strategy you selected in the Options Table. If your Betting Strategy was either Cardcount or Takedown, a modification of the basic strategy will occasional apply. The Help Window will always indicate if a deviation from basic playing strategy is recommended. ***A Word About the Help Window (Function key F1)*** Dr. BLACKJACK has very sophisticated detailed Help functions to allow you to practice and learn a variety of playing and betting strategies. You can activate the Help Window almost anytime during your blackjack game by pressing the F1 function key. The Help Window will appear in the upper right corner of the screen. Times to use the Help Window: *In shuffletracking, prior to cutting the deck to help determine where to cut it. *Prior to placing your bet to show how to determine your best bet. *Prior to taking insurance to see if your betting strategy has a recommended choice. *Prior to choosing your play (whether to hit, stand, double, split, or surrender). ============= For an explanation of the theories and strategy tables behind the Dr. BLACKJACK Help Window suggestions, refer to: Dr.BLACKJACK: A Companion Manual for the Serious Player. 9