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┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
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│ B L A C K J A C K T U T O R │
│ │
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│ V E R S I O N 1 . 0 0 │
│ │
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│ U S E R M A N U A L │
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└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
If you have any questions
or problems with this
program, please write to
the author. Include a
S.A.S.E if a reply is
requested.
David Sherville
1306 Sandia Ave.
Sunnyvale,Ca.
94089
BLACKJACK TUTOR MANUAL V1.0
(C) 1985 David Sherville
All Rights Reserved
=============
P R E F A C E
=============
Welcome to BLACKJACK TUTOR version 1.0.
BLACKJACK TUTOR is a true simulation of the popular '21' casino
gambling game. It is intended to be used as a tutor for users to gain
proficiency in the game of Blackjack, and to introduce some playing
strategys that give the user an advantage over 'the house' or casino.
Quick summary of Features included in version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------
* support for Color and monochrome monitors
* 1 to 7 players may play
* 1 to 99 decks may be used
* Hit, Stand, Double, Split, Insurance and Surrender
* Frequency Distribution of hand totals to check randomness
* Automatic configuration for Nevada casinos
* Manual configuration for custom play
* Game results displayed after each play
* Up to 2 splits per player also double after split
* User friendly menus, no complicated commands to remember
* Nothing hidden from player, all hands displayed
* High speed automatic play mode
* Automatic or Manual cut feature
* Card counting via true and running Point Count ( weights adjustable )
* Automatic betting strategy for Point Count available
* Statistics track of each player
* Single and Multiple deck Basic Strategy tutor on line
* Efficiency measurement for player playing Basic Strategy
* Statistics saved to disk file for future review
* Set playing styles of automatic players
Simulation of the game of Blackjack in BLACKJACK TUTOR is intended
to follow as closely as possible the actual game played in Nevada
casinos. The long term benefits to the user will be increased
understanding of the game and its rules variations, tutoring in the
Basic Strategy--a basic framework of proper playing decisions based on
the dealers face card, tutoring in a Point Count strategy that extends
the Basic Strategy to include card counting to further the players
advantage over the casinos, and the savings of many trips to Nevada if
a simulation such as BLACKJACK TUTOR was unavailable.
Minimum configuration needed to run BLACKJACK TUTOR
---------------------------------------------------
* IBM PC, XT, and most compatibles
* 128K of memory
* MS-DOS or PC-DOS 2.0 or greater
* one Single sided disk drive
* IBM color or IBM monochrome card
* Color or monochrome monitor
Table Of Contents
-----------------
Getting started...............................................1
1.1 USERWARE concept
1.2 Making backup copies
Introduction to Blackjack.....................................2
2.1 Object of game
2.2 Brief description of terms
Operating BLACKJACK TUTOR.....................................3
3.1 Files needed for BLACKJACK TUTOR
3.2 Running BLACKJACK TUTOR
3.3 Game variables
Basic Strategy and Card counting chart........................4
Further reading...............................................5
Warranty and Updates..........................................6
6.1 Limited warranty
6.2 Registration form
1. Getting started
===================
1.1 The USERWARE concept
=========================
The USERWARE concept is defined as programs that :
a.) respect the users integrity by giving them a chance to try
complete versions ( no demos ) then deciding for themselves
if programs meet their requirements.
b.) have no complicated license agreements or copy protection,
you may make as many copys as you need, run them on as many
machines as you like, and give away copies to your friends
or upload and download them from electronic bulletin boards.
c.) are continuously updated and supported by the author(s).
d.) ask users to support the USERWARE concept by paying a small
fee, and registering the program.
1.2 Making backup copys
========================
The first thing to do with your BLACKJACK TUTOR package is to
make backup copys of the original distribution disk and then place
the original somewhere safe. Do all your work on the backup copy.
BLACKJACK TUTOR is not copy protected so you can use the DOS COPY
or DISKCOPY commands.
1.2 Making backup copys
========================
Place a blank diskette in the "B" drive and your DOS diskette in
the "A" Drive. Type FORMAT/S B: <ENTER>
After a few minutes of disk spinning, you will see the following message:
Format complete XXXXXX Bytes Free
Format another Y/N?
Type N <ENTER> . You will now be back to the DOS prompt A>.
Remove your DOS disk from "A" drive. Insert BLACKJACK TUTOR in "A" drive.
Type COPY *.* B:/v <ENTER>
2. Introduction to the game of Blackjack
=========================================
The purpose of this section of the manual is to give a brief
explanation of the rules of Blackjack. Only the basics will be
covered due to the many books available on the subject. See the
FURTHER READING section of this manual for further information.
2.1 Object of game
===================
The object of the game is to draw cards that total as close as
possible to 21 without exceeding it. The dealer gives each player two
cards and himself one up (face card) and one down (hole card). Each
player then stands or draws additional cards, one at a time. If you
bust (go over 21) you immediately lose even if the dealer subsequently
goes over. If your total is closer to 21 than the dealer's, you win.
If there's a tie (push) nobody wins. Face cards count as 10, Aces
1 or 11, and all others count at face value.
2.2 Brief definition of terms
==============================
SPLIT---If player's first two cards are the same value, they may be
split into two hands. The player must place the original bet
on each of the hands. Split Aces are limited to one card each.
DOUBLE--A player may double on certain totals allowed by the casino.
SURRENDER-A player may choose not to play on his first two cards by
surrendering. This causes player to lose 1/2 his original bet.
INSURANCE-An option offered to players when the dealer has an Ace
showing. Players may take insurance (in an amount up to 1/2
the original bet) against the dealer having Blackjack.
Insurance pays 2 to 1.
3. Operating BLACKJACK TUTOR
=============================
3.1 Files needed for BLACKJACK TUTOR
=====================================
The main files needed to run BLACKJACK TUTOR are BJT.COM and BJT.000.
A additional file BJRECORD will be created by the program ( if it does
not exist from a previous session ) to keep track of statistics of play.
3.2 Running BLACKJACK TUTOR
============================
Place a copy of your distribution disk in drive A: or B: and type
BJT <return>.
You are now greeted with the question, "Are you using a color
monitor? ( Y or N )". BLACKJACK TUTOR gives you the option of using
a RGB, Composite, or Monochrome display to try and maximize the number
of display configurations the program will run on. Type Y or N to suit
your display configuration.
The next screen displays the version number and copyright information.
Please include the version number in any correspondence to me. Please
support the USERWARE concept ( and a poor programmer ) and register your
copy of BLACKJACK TUTOR. When you are finished reading this screen,
press any key to continue.
3.3 Game variables
===================
Now its time to set the Game variables. The following questions will
be asked and you will be prompted for answers.
a.) How many players?
1.) 1 to 7 players plus the dealer may play.
b.) Player 1 enter bet, then press return. Table limit $1 to $10000
1.) enter each players bet followed by <return>.
c.) Select (A)utomatic Cut or (M)anual Cut
1.) press (A) if you would like the computer to automatically
"cut" the deck for you.
2.) press (M) if you would like to be prompted for a "cut"
percentage after each shuffle.
d.) Would you like to change the point count values? ( y or n )
1.) the "point count values" are numbers assigned to each
card for card counting purposes. The program comes pre-
configured with a set of values and you are given the
option of changing these if you so desire.
e.) Clear statistics file BJRECORD? ( y or n )
1.) BJRECORD is used to continuously accumulate statistics.
f.) Activate Automatic play? ( y or n )
1.) if you choose not to run automatic play, then skip to g.
Automatic play will enable player to run a number of hands
automatically and save results in BJRECORD. To run 1000
hands with 7 players will take approx. 3.5 minutes on the
IBM PC. To activate automatic play, press (Y) and the
following screen will appear:
Choose one of the following to select playing strategy for each player:
(a)---Dealer mimic ( plays just like dealer )
(b)---Never bust ( won't hit on 12 )
(c)---Basic strategy
Player 1 enter playing strategy selection
You may now select a playing style for each player to
follow during automatic play. For example, if (a), Dealer
mimic, is selected for player 1, each hand he plays during
automatic play will be played exactly the way the dealer
plays his hands in a normal game.
2.) How many hands to autoplay? ( NOTE:limit is 9,999,999 )
a.) you may now enter the number of hands to play for
automatic play. Remember, 1000 hands takes 3.5
minutes on the IBM PC.
3.) Activate display during autoplay? ( y or n )
a.) enter (Y) if you would like the normal screen display
during autoplay. You can watch each player play
automatically, but the plays go so fast that its very
hard to see each players total, it also slows down
the autoplay time, so its probably best to enter (N).
While in autoplay, with (N) an indicator on the screen
shows total hands to autoplay and current hands played.
4.) Are these choices OK? ( y or n )
a.) if a mistake was made during autoplay configuration,
you may rerun the entire configuration.
g.) Activate automatic betting by Point Count? ( y or n )
1.) (Y) will allow player to have his bet set automatically
according to the True or Running count. The following
prompt will appear:
Player 1 automatic bet by (T)rue or (R)unning count or (N)one?
(N)one will cause normal betting to continue. Bets may
still be changed at the end of each play, however, they
will still follow the counts if a previous selection was
made. This eliminates constantly changing bets manually
during the game.
2.) Are these choices OK? ( y or n )
a.) if a mistake was made during bet configuration,
you may rerun the entire configuration.
h.) Automatic game configuration
1.) the next step is to select the rules for the playing
area we will be simulating. The following screen will
be displayed:
Choose one of the following and game will automatically be configured to
match playing area selected. If you choose (a) thru (e), a Basic Strategy
Tutor will be on line for use. When you see the option S(T)rategy select,
press (T) at any time during play to receive updated Basic Strategy advise
The following strategys are implemented in BLACKJACK TUTOR version 1.00 :
(c)---Las Vegas single deck
(d)---Nevada multiple deck
(f)---manual configuration, S(T)rategy key off
(g)---Reno Blackjack machines
choices (a), (b), and (e) will be implemented in
future versions. If (c), (d), or (g) is selected,
then rules corresponding to that playing area will
automatically be setup. For example, if (d) is
selected then the following screen will be displayed:
Summary of user selections
--------------------------
Decks selected......................................................4
Players selected....................................................7
Player 1 bet..................................................$ 2.00
Player 2 bet..................................................$ 2.00
Player 3 bet..................................................$ 2.00
Player 4 bet..................................................$ 2.00
Player 5 bet..................................................$ 2.00
Player 6 bet..................................................$ 2.00
Player 7 bet..................................................$ 2.00
Burncards...........................................................4
Percentage dealt before shuffle.....................................65
Dealer hits soft 17.................................................FALSE
Automatic cut by computer...........................................TRUE
Double down on any two cards.....(if false, 10 or 11 only)..........TRUE
Allow late surrender..........(dealer checks for "21" first)........TRUE
Allow double down after split.......................................TRUE
Display dealers first two cards face up.............................FALSE
Will dealer peek at hole card if 10 or face up......................TRUE
Activate autoplay...................................................FALSE
Screen display activated............................................TRUE
Vary bets automatically according to True or Running count..........FALSE
Press--(R)erun setup (C)ontinue with game
at this point, you can either rerun the configuration
setup, or start playing Blackjack. If (f) was selected
from the previous menu, then custom configuration of
the rules setup can be performed. Note: Basic Strategy
will only be available if a preconfigured area is
chosen such as Las Vegas, Nevada.
i.) Custom game configuration--setup for rule variations
1.) if (f) was selected ( manual configuration ) then the
next step is to answer prompts to select the rules
for the playing area we will be simulating.
2.) How many Decks? (1 to 99), then press return
a.) this sets the number of 52 card decks used.
3.) Enter percentage of cards dealt before shuffling (1-100)
a.) in Nevada, after the dealer shuffles, selected
players are offered the shuffled deck along with a
plastic card. The player then "cuts" the deck by
placing the plastic card ramdomly into the deck.
Then the dealer separates the deck according to
the player's cut and places the plastic card 50 to
60 percent into the deck from the first card to be
dealt. This prompt controls the percentage of
cards dealt before shuffling.
4.) Enter number of Burn cards ( 1 to 9 )
a.) after cards are shuffled and "cut" and game is
ready to be played, the dealer usually removes a
couple of cards from the top of the deck and places
them into the discard pile. These discarded cards
are called burncards.
5.) Will Dealer hit soft seventeen? ( y or n )
a.) soft hands are hands that include the Ace. Soft
seventeen would therefore be Ace and 6.
6.) Double on 10 or 11 only? ( y or n )
a.) The best places to play Blackjack in the United
States are casino's that offer "Las Vegas" rules.
All casino's in the Reno/Lake Tahoe area, with the
exception of the MGM Grand Reno, do not play by
"Las Vegas" rules. One of the "Las Vegas" rules
allows the player to Double down on any to cards,
not just 10 or 11. This gives the player an
additional edge. See the Basic Strategy chart in
this manual for instructions on which hands to
Double down on.
7.) Allow players to Surrender? ( y or n )
a.) This is another of the "Las Vegas" rules. If you
are dealt two cards that you do not like, and the
dealer does not have a "natural" Blackjack ( face
card or 10 and Ace ) you may Surrender your hand
to the dealer. In some cases, it is to your
advantage to surrender. Surrendering will cause
you to lose one-half of your bet.
8.) Allow Double after splitting? ( y or n )
a.) This is another of the "Las Vegas" rules. If you
Split a pair, you may Double down on the first two
cards of each split. This gives the player another
additional edge.
9.) Display Dealers first two cards face up? ( y or n )
a.) this is an option that I've noticed is available
in a few of the Las Vegas casinos.
10.) Will dealer peek at hole card if 10 or face card?
a.) this is an option that I've noticed is available
in a few of the Las Vegas casinos. In most casinos
if the dealer has a 10 or face card up, the dealer
will peek at the hole card to see if it is an ACE.
j.) Playing the game
1.) at this point, a summary of user selections is displayed.
You can either rerun the configuration setup, or start
playing Blackjack. I will assume you are happy with the
configuration, so we will play Blackjack.
2.) the first message you will see is "Dealer Shuffling".
If you selected manual cut, you will be prompted to "cut"
the cards. If automatic cut is selected then the next
message will be "Cut card placed behind card xx"
3.) through out the rest of the game, prompts on the 25th line
of the display will be used to inform you of decisions to
be made. The first of these prompts is :
PLAYER 1 select--(H)it (S)tand (D)ouble (P)air split Playing S(T)rategy
If you are counting cards and would like to check your
count, you may press (R) anytime after the shuffle to get
the latest updates of the True and Running counts. They
are displayed in the following format :
Count R=5.000 DR=3.269 T=1.529
R = the running count. Each cards weight ( set in the
configuration ) is counted as each card is played. If
the running count is positive there is an abundance of
Aces, Face cards, and 10's left in the deck, this is an
advantage in the players favor. If the running count
is negative there is an abundance of small cards left in
the deck which is an advantage for the casino. A simple
betting method would be to multiply your bet by the
running count and bet it before the start of the next game.
DR = decks remaining. T = true count. The true count is
a more accurate way to keep track of the cards remaining
in the deck. True count = running count / decks remaining.
Note the (T) option. This will give you the correct Basic
strategy play based on your first two cards and the dealers
face card. If you are learning the Basic strategy and are
not sure of the strategy for your particular hand, press (T)
to get the correct strategy. If (P) is selected for a split
pair, (T) will give the correct strategy for each of the
split pairs.
4.) after all players have made their decisions, the dealer
hits to his respective total and then pays or takes each
players bet depending on the players total relative to the
dealer. Then the following menu is displayed :
-------------BLACKJACK MENU-------------
Change (B)ets (E)xit to DOS
(C)ontinue game View S(T)atistics
(V)iew game setup Rerun (G)ame setup
(F)requency Dist. Point counte(R)
----------------------------------------
(B) allows each player to change his bet before the next
play begins. If player 4 is the only player wanting to
change his bet, then press (B) and use the <return> key
to toggle the bet prompt to player 4. If <return> is
pressed for any of the players, that players bet will
remain unchanged.
(C) will continue to the next hand. If the number of
cards dealt exceeds the "percentage of cards dealt before
shuffle" ( set in the configuration ) then a shuffle will
be performed.
(V) will allow player to view the configuration setup.
(F) will display a frequency distribution of all the card
totals of all players and the dealer.
(E) will exit to DOS and save all statistics to file
BJRECORD.
(T) will cause the following information to be displayed
for each player :
Player 1 Bet...........$ 2.00
-------- Insurance.....$ 0.00
Gain..........% 150.00
Total Won.....$ 5.00
Total Spent...$ 2.00
Efficiency...% 100.00
BET will show the current players bet and will reflect
changes if player changes bet or has the "automatic bet by
count" activated.
INSURANCE keeps track of how much each player spends for
insurance bets. Insurance is generally a bad bet unless
the player is counting cards and knows just what is left
in the deck.
GAIN indicates how well the player is doing, as you can
see by the above example, player 1 received a "natural"
21 ( face card or 10 and Ace ) and the gain reflects the
$3 profit he made on a bet of $2 ( natural 21 pays the
player 1.5 times his original bet ).
TOTAL WON and TOTAL SPENT are just what they are.
EFFICIENCY is active only if player has chosen
automatic configuration to Las Vegas, Nevada. It monitors
each players hand and checks to see if player makes the
proper play based on the Basic Strategy selected. This
is useful when learning the strategy to check and see if
you really know it as well as you think you do.
The following display is also displayed for the dealer:
Dealer Hands.......... 1
------ Shuffles....... 1
Gain..........% 0.00
Take..........$ 0.00
Payout........$ 17.00
(G) will allow player to reconfigure the game.
(R) this will cause the True and Running counts to be
displayed. It is also active anytime after the shuffle.
4. Playing Strategy
====================
BASIC STRATEGY---Las Vegas, Nevada
----------------------------------
HIT or STAND
--------------
If Dealer has-------4 thru 6 up-------Hit until you get 12
If Dealer has-------2 or 3 up-------Hit until you get 13
If Dealer has-----A or 7 thru K up----Hit until you get 17
DOUBLE DOWN Single deck Four decks
------------ ------------ -----------
Double on 8--(no 6+2)--5 or 6 up no
Double on 9------------2 thru 6 up 3 thru 6 up
Double on 10------------2 thru 9 up 2 thru 9 up
Double on 11------------ Always Except Ace up
Double on A2 or A3------4 thru 6 up 5 thru 6 up
Double on A4 or A5------4 thru 6 up 4 thru 6 up
Double on A6------------2 thru 6 up 3 thru 6 up
Double on A7------------3 thru 6 up 3 thru 6 up
Stand on A7------------A, 2, 7, 8 up 2, 7, 8 up
Hit on A7------------9 or 10 up 9, 10, A up
Double on A8------------ 6 up no
NOTE: A2 thru A6-----if you can't double down, always hit.
SPLIT PAIRS
------------
Split on 2,2------------2 thru 7 up 2 thru 7 up
Split on 3,3------------2 thru 7 up 2 thru 7 up
Split on 4,4------------4 thru 6 up 5 or 6 up
Split on 6,6------------2 thru 7 up 2 thru 6 up
Split on 7,7------------2 thru 8 up 2 thru 7 up
Split on 8,8 or A,A----- Always Always
Split on 9,9--------Except when Dealer has 7, 10, A up
CARD COUNTING
--------------
NOTE : After each shuffle count is reset to zero.
Use the Basic Strategy for playing decisions, and make your
bets according to the true count. If true count is 1, bet 1,
if true count is 2, bet 2, if true count is 3, bet 3, ect.
Remember true count = running count / decks remaining.
Ace.......................................................-2
2......................................................... 1
3......................................................... 1
4......................................................... 1
5......................................................... 2
6......................................................... 1
7......................................................... 1
8......................................................... 0
9.........................................................-1
10.........................................................-1
J.........................................................-1
Q.........................................................-1
K.........................................................-1
5. Further Reading
==================
The following list is by no means complete, but it should be
enough to get your Blackjack library started. BLACKJACK TUTOR is
meant to be used as a simulator and a tutor. It was not intended
to completely explain the game of Blackjack and the why of the
Basic Strategy and Card counting, this is at best left to the
experts. I am not affiliated with any of the authors or publishing
companys of these books. I recommend them only because I've read
them and found the quality to be quite good.
1.) "Beat the Dealer" by Edward O. Thorp
This is the book that started card counting and strategys.
It scared the Nevada casinos into changing the rules of
Blackjack. Thorp is Professor of Mathematics at UC Irvine.
2.) "Playing Blackjack as a business" by Lawrence Revere
Lots of great visual aids for the Basic and other
strategys. Revere has a degree in Mathematics and
has been involved in the gaming industry 27 years.
3.) "Blackjack, a winners handbook" by Jerry L. Patterson
This gentleman offers schools in Blackjack. The and the book
book reviews a hundred or so Strategy systems and tells
which ones to avoid.
4.) "Turning the tables on Las Vegas" by Ian Anderson
A counter who continues to play unbarred, tells all.
6. Warranty and Updates
========================
6.1 Limited Warranty
=====================
This program is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind.
The author of this program cannot assume responsibility for damages,
derived or consequential, from the use of, or reliance on, this program.
The authors sole liability consists of the replacement of defective
programs that have been ordered directly from him with the proper fee
paid. Programs that have been modified or lost as a consequence of
attempts to defeat the copyright protection will void this warranty.
Every attempt has been made to insure the accuracy of the calculations
performed by BLACKJACK TUTOR, however, sometimes bugs do manage to creep
in. I would be most appreciative of notification of any defects that
are discovered as well as any suggestions for improvements. It was my
original plan to make BLACKJACK TUTOR version 1.00 as complete as
possible, eliminating the need for updates, however, with a program of
its size, I've realized that improvements will definitely be necessary.
Notice of updates will be mailed to registered owners only.
6.2 Registration form
======================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mail to: David Sherville
1306 Sandia Ave.
Sunnyvale, Ca. 94089
Please register me and send the latest not copy-protected version
of BLACKJACK TUTOR for the IBM PC, XT, and compatibles. Enclosed
find a Check or Money Order $15 for each copy ordered. California
residents please add 7% sales tax.
Name______________________________________________________________
Address___________________________________________________________
City_____________________________State___________Zip______________
Phone (______)____________________________________________________
Computer type__________________________Memory installed___________
Operating system__________________________________________________
Monitor type______________________Display card____________________
Comments__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
NOTE: all information is kept under the strictest confidence.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
