Casino Blackjack
written by
Paul H. Forrester
(C) Copyright 1985
The Object of the Game
In the game of Blackjack, or 21 as it is also known, all players
play against the dealer. To win a hand of blackjack, a player must
have a greater total than the dealer does, without going over 21.
If the player wins, he is paid one dollar for every dollar that he
has bet. If the first two cards dealt to a player add up to 21, the hand
is considered a 'natural' or a 'blackjack', and the player is paid $1.50
for each dollar bet.
Defining a Stake and Placing a Bet
The stake is the amount of money in the player's proverbial pocket.
Each player may define a stake of any amount up to $99,999.
If a player has not defined a stake or has lost his entire stake
during play, he will be prompted to enter a stake before a bet can
be placed.
To place a bet, each player moves the mouse pointer into his circle
and clicks the mouse button. The amount of the bet must be between
the TABLE MINIMUM and TABLE MAXIMUM. The player then enters the amount
to be wagered on the next hand and clicks on "Place bet". An alternate
way for the player to enter a bet is to use one of the three buttons at
the bottom of the bet box. Options that are displayed in dim print are
not available. If the player does not wish to participate in the next
hand, he clicks on "Cancel bet". The computer will deal only to players
who have placed a bet.
To enter a bet from the keyboard, type the number of the circle that
a bet is to be placed on (e.g. press the '1' key to place a bet for
Player 1).
Starting the Play
To begin the hand, any player can do any of the following:
CLICK the mouse on the deck that is in the upper right corner.
DOUBLE CLICK the mouse anywhere on the table.
PRESS the 'D' key on the keyboard.
The cards will be dealt from the deck in the upper right corner.
Playing the Game
All number cards count as their face value. Face cards count as
ten. Aces count as either one or eleven, whichever is most beneficial.
Each player takes a turn placing a bet in a circle on the table.
After all bets have been placed, the computer deals two cards
to each player, and two to the dealer.
When all of the hands have been dealt, the first players hand is
turned face up, and he can do one of the following:
HIT Take another card.
STAND Take no more cards and let the next player play.
DOUBLE Double the size of the bet and take one more card
face down. The final card will be revealed after
the dealer's hand is played.
SPLIT Split the hand and play it as two separate hands.
This is possible only if the two original cards have
the same value, e.g. a pair of 7's.
The first player continues to play until STAND is selected or until the
player 'busts', that is, the total of his cards goes over 21.
Next, the second player plays his hand, and so on.
Using the Menu Bar Items
The items on the menu bar can be used to alter the playing conditions.
CHANGE TABLE: This option can be used to change the number of decks
that will be used at the table and to change the minimum and maximum
bets that will be allowed at the table.
HIDE CARD TOTALS: Turns off the showing of card totals.
This is a useful feature when one is attempting to become an expert player.
To cancel the effect of this command, use the Show Card Totals option.
SHOW DECK TOTALS: Used to obtain information about the current
state of the deck. This is useful when learning a counting system.
ADVISE: Used when a player wants advice from the computer on
how to play the hand. The advice is given according to the counting
system the player has chosen. It is important to remember that the
advice is statistical in nature, and therefore will not lead to success
in every hand.
CONFIGURE: Used to specify the counting system and the disposition
of winnings for each player.
The default is the simplest strategy, the BASIC strategy. See
the CARD COUNTING section of this manual for references on the
other counting systems.
The player can also specify the disposition of his winnings.
Winnings can be added to the player's bet or the player's stake.
Alternately, both the winnings and the original bet can be added to
the stake. This last option is the default.
Any or all of the players can be configured to play automatically.
The default is manual play. See the AUTOPLAY section of this
manual for more information.
HELP: Available during the game by selecting one of the items listed
under the Help heading.
Card Counting
CASINO BLACKJACK "knows" four card counting strategies. In brief,
they are:
BASIC: Actually just a method for play, specifies when to hit
or stand based on the dealer's up card.
FIVES COUNT: The player keeps track of the number of fives that
have been played. When all of the fives have been used, the player
has a 2 to 3 percent advantage over the dealer. The player bets more
when he has the advantage, and less when the dealer has the advantage.
PLUS/MINUS: groups of cards are assigned point values. Some cards are
given plus values, and others are given minus values. When the count is
plus one or greater, the player has the advantage, and should bet more.
POINT COUNT: Similar to plus/minus, but more sophisticated.
We recommend the use of this program in conjunction with a book that
teaches blackjack counting. There are many good books available on
the subject. A few of them are:
Playing Blackjack as a Business by Lawrence Revere
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Beat the Dealer by Edward O. Thorp
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Casino Games by Bill Friedman
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The BLACKJACK Players 10 COMMANDMENTS by Richard Earl Gummer
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Autoplay
Any or all of the players can be configured to play automatically.
After the player has been configured, an initial bet must be placed
for the computer. After that, the computer will make its bet based on
the advantage that it "thinks" it has. The computer will play according
to the counting strategy that it has been configured for.