Copyright: ® G.M.McKay


Contents
500 Card Game for Windows 95

This is the help file for 500 card game for Windows 95.   Click on one of the topics below to learn more about each.   Alternately, you can use the above search button to find a topic.

•	   Computer requirements

•	   Distribution

•	   Run this game

•	   Let's start playing

•	   The game of 500

•	   The rules of 500

•	   Installing 500 For Windows

•	   What version is this?

•	   Registration Incentives

•	   Print the Registration Form


 Author

500 Card Game

This game is a classic!    Please contact me if you need any help, or you have suggestions.

This program is © 1992-1998 G.M.McKay  All rights reserved.


Computer requirements (def.)
      Any 486, pentium or better IBM compatible computer will successfully run this game as long as it can run Windows 95 and has over 8 Mb of memory. It  will  use any sound driver that your Windows has fitted (ie. a sound card or PC speaker driver).   A mouse is preferable (as with all  Windows activities), but this is not a requirement.  It works best if Windows has a standard screen resolution, such as 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, or 1280x1024.   However, it can accommodate any resolution.


Distribution

       This copyrighted game is distributed under the SHAREWARE system which depends upon your support for on-going development.   You are encouraged to freely copy and distribute this product unaltered to  friends,  business associates, bulletin boards and user groups.   HOWEVER THIS  PRODUCT IS NOT FREE!   You have an evaluation period of two weeks.  If you decide you do not like the game, simply pass the disk along to someone else.   If you are still using 500 for WINDOWS 95 after two weeks  of  evaluation, you are obligated to send a minimum payment of $29.   If the future of low-cost quality software is to continue, we all must support this concept.   If you  cheat on this payment may you be constantly finessed.

       When you register, you get lots of goodies, as well as that warm feeling that only comes from the knowledge that you are more saintly than the scum around you.   Click here to find out all about the goodies.

If you registered a previous version that gave you life time registrations (like this one does), simply setup this Shareware program on top of the previous one (ie into the same directory).  It will become registered.   DO NOT delete the previous version.   Note that this applies to 500 For Windows, and 500 For Windows 95, but not 500 For DOS.


Playing the game

These options are available on the Main Menu Screen.   Click on one to learn more about it.

•	   start game

•	   bidding rules

•	   playing rules

•	   misere rules

•	   preferences

•	   help

•	   register

•	   quit


Running it (def.)
       See elsewhere in this file for full details on installing this program (if you are reading this, then chances are that you have already installed it correctly).

       Once the program has been installed, running it is as easy as selecting the icon installed in the START button Programs group.   If  this is too easy, you can also start it by double clicking on 500WIN.EXE in the File Explorer (naturally you have to find the correct directory if you choose the hard way).


Score Table

If you have trouble remembering the scores associated with each bid, you can display the Score Table.   This shows you the scores for each bid.   You can also use it to bid with - click on the score you wish to bid.   A red rectangle shows you the score being highlighted - the background in the rectangle is black for illegal bids (ie lower than the current bid), and red for legal bids.

Display the Score Table by pressing the Options Button or right mouse clicking on any part of the playing surface, and checking the Score Table menu option.   Uncheck the menu option to remove it.


The game

       You can make bids and play cards by either clicking the left mouse button on the card or button, or by using the F1 - F10 function keys.   When you are bidding, you can cancel a bid by clicking the right mouse button on the selection to delete.

You can also bid by left mouse clicking on the score table.   You can see the score table if you check the score table menu item after pressing the options button.

       You can change the rules or your preferences at any time during a game by choosing the main menu item after the option button.   It also lets you review the Bids made in that hand, Replay the cards played in that hand, or shows you the Score Card with the last 15 scores in your game to date.   These options are also available at the end of a hand, to let you review it.  When you review the cards played in that hand, you can control the speed at which the cards are displayed.   You also get to see everyone's cards.

       To stop playing the game and return to Windows, return to the Main Menu, and press quit.


Option Button

Pressing the option button exposes a number of menu options.   You can also see these options by clicking with the right mouse button on any part of the screen.

The items in the menu are:


Main Menu (def.)
Return to the main menu to change an option for bidding, playing, or changing your setup preferences, or to exit.


Review Bids (def.)
Review the bids made this hand.   It shows all the bids all the players made.


Review Cards Played (def.)
Review the tricks played during this hand.   You can select the speed of showing the cards, or stop the review, or show previous tricks.   The card of the player who leads for each trick is displayed first.   This might be considered cheating.


Review Last Trick (def.)
Review the last trick played.   Those people who might consider it cheating to review all the tricks played this hand, will accept the common practice of reviewing the last trick played.


Review Score card (def.)
Review the Score Card.   This shows the scores in the last 15 hands played.   This may help you to see who won, and how many tricks the opposition took.   It shows when games were won or lost.


Score Table (def.)
The Score Table menu item displays the scores awarded for each bid.   This score table appears whenever you need to bid, and disappears when you do not.   You can use this as a guide to the score you need, or you can bid by clicking on the score.   Scores which have already been out bid, are shown as a black filling of the red rectangle, rather than a red filling.   If you do want want this table displayed, uncheck the menu item.


Save Game (def.)
You can save your current game by clicking on the Save Game Item in the Option Menu.   This saves the current cards, and the scores saved on the score card.   It does not save the games won and lost by each team.   You can select this item from the start of the dealing, right up to the last card being played.   You can use this feature to replay the hand you have just played with different bids, or even different game rules!   Load this same hand with the Load Game menu item.


Load Game (def.)
You can load the saved game by clicking on the Load Game Item in the Option Menu.   This will start the saved game from the start of the bidding.   The first bidder is saved with the saved game.


help (def.)
You can see this comprehensive help file if you choose the help option from the Main Menu, or by choosing it from the popup menu by right clicking the card table.


rules
The rules

       FIVE HUNDRED is a well loved card game with a myriad of local house rules (some are accommodated here via the rules menu).   It was created by the US Playing Card Co. in 1904 as a variant of Euchre.   Since then, its popularity has resulted in many variants in many parts of the World.   The principal 500 playing countries are Australia, USA, Canada, and New Zealand.

      The object of the game is to collect 500 points and avoid collecting -500 points.   The game is played in teams with you and your partner (sitting opposite you) playing against the players sitting facing each other.   Cards are ranked in order of Ace down to 5 in the black suits, and 4 in the red suits,  except in the suit that has been designated the TRUMP suit for that hand, in which the  order is - Joker, right bower (the Jack of the trump suit ), left bower (the Jack of the other suit of the same colour), Ace, King, Queen, 10, 9, etc.

       The game starts with each player bidding for the number of tricks they think they can win (with their partner's help) with a particular suit as trumps - 6 is the minimum bid, and the order of the suits is spades, clubs, diamonds, hearts, no trumps.   The highest bidder wins the bid and endeavours to win at least as many tricks as he/she bid; if successful he/she gains the points for that bid otherwise he/she loses those points.   250 points are awarded for all 10 tricks (if the bid is less than 250 points), and the non-bidding team gets 10 points for each of their tricks.

       MISERE (or it is sometimes called NULLO) is a bid in which the bidder tries to lose all 10 tricks (the bidder's partner does not play).   CLOSED MISERE is worth 250 points and can only be bid after a 7 bid has been made, while OPEN MISERE is worth 500 points and must be preceded by an 8 bid.   OPEN differs from CLOSED only in that the bidder displays his hand to the other players after the first lead.   An 8 bid is higher than a CLOSED MISERE bid (in the misere menu you can choose whether you want 8 spades to be higher or not), and 10 no trumps is the only bid to beat OPEN MISERE (10 hearts is of the same points value as OPEN, so OPEN cannot be bid after 10 hearts).   MISERE has a different balance of luck to skill from other bids, so some card schools outlaw it.   You can choose to have no MISERE, only OPEN, or both OPEN and CLOSED.   You can also set the enthusiasm the players have for bidding MISERE, to match your own.   You can also choose the option that Misere can be bid at any time - not having to be preceded by a 7 or 8 bid.

       NO-TRUMPS with no suit as the trump suit is a legitimate bid.   The Joker is the sole trump.

       In both No Trumps and Misere, the Joker may be led as the first of a suit (ie you can nominate that it is a particular suit if that suit has not been played already).   It can also be played as the last card you have in a suit (ie if Spades has been led a few times and you have followed suit every time, but now you do not have any Spades left, then you may use the Joker as that suit).   In all cases the Joker wins the trick.   If you have "thrown off" on a suit, you cannot later play the Joker as that suit (unless you have chosen the setup option that you can Play the Joker at any time).   If the Joker is the last card in your hand, there is no restriction on its use (otherwise you may not be able to play it).

       The winning bidder gets the 3 card kitty (also called blind, widow, guts, or middle) to supplement their hand, and chooses which 3 cards to "throw out" again.   An option in the game allows a 5 card kitty, in which case you throw out 5 cards.

       Each player plays consecutively in a clockwise direction, with the winner of the last trick leading.   Each player must follow the suit led if they can (otherwise it is called reneging).


Installing It

       500WIN is distributed in a form which makes installation easy for you.    Like all Windows programs, its installation is more complex than DOS programs, but the SETUP.EXE utility takes care of all this for you.    This way, it can ensure that you have the correct Windows System files that it needs to run properly, without you having to do any work.

       After installation, you should have these files in the \500WIN directory -

 	500WIN.EXE -  base program

500WIN95.HLP -  Windows help file

500WIN.TXT -  ASCII text help file

 	REGO.FRM   -  user registration form

SCORES.500 -  game scores and set-up info

GAME.500 - saved game

*.CRD      -  data files.

       In addition, it will make sure that you have Windows system files in your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.

       If you received this software from a Bulletin Board or the Internet, it will be compressed into the one file, eg 500_95_B.ZIP.   Before running the installation program you will need to decompress it.   Create a temporary directory, eg C:\500TEMP, and decompress all the files into it.   The software is now ready to install, as if you had bought it on a floppy disk.

       Now start Windows, and run the SETUP.EXE program.   The easiest way of doing this is choose RUN from Windows START button, and type in the drive, directory, and SETUP.EXE name.   Alternatively, you can run it from the File Explorer.

       The installation program prompts you to enter the directory name in which to store the files.   The installation program does NOT interfere with any of your standard set-up eg, AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, *.INI,  path.   It places the icon to start the 500WIN game in a group called "500 for Windows" that it creates in the Programs group on the START button.   If you want, you can easily move this icon to a different group (by the usual method of dragging and dropping).

       If  you created a temporary directory, eg C:\500TEMP,  you can  now remove it.

       The total space that this program takes up on disk is about 3.8 Mbytes.

       If you run 500WIN and find that it does not fill the whole screen, the answer is probably the screen resolution that you have chosen for Windows.   You can change this via the Display icon in the Control Panel.   It works best with standard resolutions, such as 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, or 1280x1024.   However it supports most other resolutions.  If it does not fill the whole screen, you can force it to use another - click here to find out more.

Windows 95 also lets you uninstall this program (not that you would ever want to!).


uninstall

If for some strange reason you wanted to remove this program from your computer, you can do this with these steps - Start Menu button, Settings, Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs.   It is often a good idea to remove the existing program if a disk corruption has occurred, and you need to re-install the program.   Removing all existing files makes sure that the setup program does not bypass an existing file that is actually corrupted.   An alternative is to re-install it to a different directory.


This Version (def.)
VERSION 3.1

       This version of 500 Card Game For Windows 95 has a number of bug fixes and improvements, including displaying everybody's cards when  ing the cards at the end of a hand.   It provides better support for non standard screen resolutions, and displays cards better.   It now supports a 1280x1024 resolution, and has tool tips.   It has a save card function and supports  right mouse clicking.

The help file is a Windows format, searchable help file.

This version includes US rules with the option of a 5 card kitty, an inkle, and a slam bid.

This game compliments 500 Card Game For Windows which runs in Windows 3.1.


Registering your Shareware

 REGISTRATION :

       If you are still enjoying this game after two weeks you should support the  Shareware concept and register your copy by sending a minimum donation of $29.   For an extra $3 handling I will send you, via email, a registered copy of 500 For Windows 95 and a copy of STRIP500  - ie you could have one or both for the same $3.   Make this $6 handling instead of $3 if you want to receive your programs slower via postal mail, rather than email.

Choose from the following:

- the latest, updated registered version (with even better card playing skills).

- if you want it, I will include a copy of STRIP500 (500 card game with naked women playing).

       An additional incentive is that you can register this version and have registered versions for life!   With this registered version you receive a key.   Download any future shareware version from the Internet, or any other source, and you can turn it into a registered version!   Note that this applies to versions of 500 For Windows 3.1, and 500 For Windows 95, (but not 500 For DOS).

       Yet another incentive to register is that the registered copy does not make you endure the initial "nuisance" screen when you run it.

   SPECIAL BONUS -  The registered copy also has a much more pleasing picture as the background to the Main Menu (ie. you do not have to see me and my family).  It also allows you to put in YOUR OWN background to this menu, so if you have a pleasing Bit Map Picture, or even a scanned-in picture of yourself, this can be in the background every time you run it.

       You can register by posting the registration form and a check to me, and choose to receive your registered version by mail, or receive it quicker by email (and pay $3.00 less).

       You can also register on line by credit card by visiting my homepage at http://www.angelfire.com/ga/500cardgame or http://www.geocities.com/heartland/hills/6376.

       Dealer enquires are welcome.  Corporate licenses are available.

see registration form


Start the game (def.)
    Obviously, you press the top button on the menu to start the game.   You can access this Main Menu at any time during a game, and return to the same game.


Bidding rules button (def.)
i) There are a myriad of local rules as well as very local "house rules" which govern the 500 card game.   This is a consequence of it being so popular among so many societies.   Six of the more common Australian, US, and New Zealand bidding rules are accommodated here.

ii) You can choose what sort of partner to have.   You can have a partner who bids conservatively, standard, or as a cowboy.   This way your partner's style can match your own.   This does not affect your opponents who always try to bid as effectively as they can.

iii) Some people adopt the policy of bidding 6 No Trumps to indicate no more than that they have the Joker.   You can choose whether you want the other players to follow this convention or not.


Playing Rules button

i) As well as the more common 3 card kitty (also called blind, widow, guts, or middle), some areas play with 5 cards in kitty.   The extra 2 cards come from playing with black fours as well as red.   This changes the balance or skill and luck in the game considerably.    You can choose 3 cards or 5 in the kitty.

ii) A popular rule in some parts of the USA is to play a SLAM.   This allows the bidder to play to get all 10 tricks.   This may be bid after picking up the kitty, but before playing the first card.   This bid is worth 500 points, and if you do not win the 10 tricks you lose 500 points.   To bid a SLAM, choose the SLAM option, then press the SLAM button that appears when you pick up kitty.   If one of the computer's players bids a SLAM, this is indicated by the bid in the top left corner of the screen.

iii) The most common No Trumps rule is that you can only lead the Joker when it is the first of the suit (ie it has not been led before), and it can be played in a round if it is either the first of the suit, or the last (ie you have not thrown off on this suit).   You can also choose to play the Joker at any time you are void in the suit, even if you have thrown off.   Under this option you cannot play the Joker when you have some of the suit, unless it is being used as the first card of that suit.

iv) When a five card kitty is used, bids are generally higher than with a three card kitty.   This means that the first 6 bid can be a communication bid called an inkle.   Options are available to cause a re-deal if no 7 bids are made, allow the bidder to choose whether to re-deal if no 7 bids are made, ban 6 bids altogether, or play the Australian standard of 6 bids.

v) The non-bidding team get 10 points for each trick that they take.   This may take their bid over 490 points.   They still cannot win the game until they make a successful bid, but you can choose whether you want their score to stop at 490 points, or continue above it.   You can also choose to win the game with 500 points, even if you did not bid.


SLAM bid (def.)
 A popular rule in some parts of the USA is to play a SLAM.   This allows the bidder to play to get all 10 tricks.   This may be bid after picking up the kitty, but before playing the first card.   This bid is worth 500 points, and if you do not win the 10 tricks you lose 500 points.   To bid a SLAM, choose the SLAM option, then press the SLAM button that appears when you pick up kitty.   If one of the computer's players bids a SLAM, this is indicated by the bid in the top left corner of the screen.


Misere Rules (def.)
i) The playing of Misere is the cause of more weird house rules than any other feature.   It involves a very different balance of skill and luck, which tends to polarise people between those who love it, those who loath it, and those who tolerant it.  Because of this variety, you can choose whether to play no Misere, just Open Misere, or both Open and Closed Misere.

ii) Closed Misere is worth 250 points, which is more than 8 Spades (240 points).   However many card schools play that any 8 bid beats Closed Misere.   You can decide which option you want.

iii) The most common way of playing the Joker in Misere is by the same rules as No Trumps.   After all, both bids share the same logic of the Joker being the sole trump.   This game presents the option of making it compulsory to play the Joker as soon as you are void in the suit which is led.   With this rule you can still lead the Joker as the first of that suit.

iv) Because some people love to bid Misere, and others only want it bid rarely, you can choose the level of enthusiasm with which all your players embrace Misere.

v) You can choose to allow the bidding of Closed and Open Misere at any time, or that they must be preceded by a 7 or 8 bid respectively.   Bidding any time, is particularly important if you have chosen the bidding option that only allows you one bid.


Preference Options

i) If you have installed a sound driver in your Windows, you can choose the level of sound you want.   The Full Sound option makes congratulatory noises at every opportunity and calls the bids made, while Part Sound is somewhat more discrete.  500 for Windows 95 supports all sound cards that your Windows is set up for.   This includes the standard PC speaker if you have installed a speaker driver.

ii) You can also set the volume of the sound.   Note that this is only the volume of the WAVE player, not the total volume.   Typically, mixer programs allow you to set the individual components of sound (eg Wave, Midi, Microphone, CD player, etc) as well as the total volume.   You can only set this volume if you have chosen the Full Sound, or Part Sound options.

iii) When you adjust the colour of the card table, the colour of the background changes instantaneously.   This helps you to choose the colour that you really want.   Remember that if you decide on a dark colour, any black writing will be difficult to read.

       Remember also that Windows can be customised to view different numbers of colours (through the Display icon in the Control Panel).   Most people choose not to show millions of individual colours, but stick to about 256.   When an application, like 500 for Windows, tries to show a colour which is not identical to an exact colour, then Windows will dither it.   This means that over the background, it will show a series of dots and crosses to approximate the colour that you chose.   You will quickly find that Windows dithering does not help readability.   If you do not find a card table colour you like, you can always set up Windows to show more colours (and less dithering).

       If you do not like the colour you have chosen - change it to another.

iv) You can give names to the buddies that you are playing with, or simply leave them as Player 1, 2 & 3, or West, North & East.

v)  You can display tool tips or not.   These show the name of cards and options.

vi) You can slow down or quicken the game by adjusting the length of time for which the cards are displayed during a hand.   This also affects the time bids are displayed.

vii) Similarly, you can adjust the speed at which the cards move.   So if you have a slow computer, or are simply in a hurry to get the cards played, you can set this to a fast speed.

viii) The number of games won and lost are recorded.  Press the reset button to set these game scores back to zero.


Tool Tips (def.)
Tool Tips help you by giving more information about the object that the mouse is pointing to.   They can be turned on or off by the Preferences option on the Main Menu.


Help Option (def.)
       Help instructions can be read from the text file 500WIN.TXT, or from the help menu button.   Use the hypertext to move to different topics.   You may also want to search for your topic with the Search button.


Back Ground Picture (def.)
The registered version allows you to install your own picture.   This will be displayed as the background to the main menu.   It is automatically centred.   To use your own picture simply store it in Bit Map format in the directory all the 500 For Windows files are stored in.   Give it the name BACKGRND.BMP.


Register Option (def.)
       If you have read this far, you know that this enjoyable program is NOT free, but is being distributed as SHAREWARE.   This means that if you continue to use it past a short evaluation period, you must register it.   This option helps you to print out the registration form.   If there is a problem printing through Windows, the form is stored in a file called REGO.FRM in your 500 for Windows directory.   You can print this out manually.

 	You can also use this help file to print it - click here.


Quit Option (def.)
       Press the quit button to see what happens.


Registration Form

   Click here to print out this form.

You can also print the file REGO.FRM manually.

To see details of the incentives to register, click here.

_________________________________________________________________________

               FIVE   HUNDRED   for   WINDOWS  95

Name:_________________________________________Date:___/___/___

address:______________________________________________________

City:_____________________________State:_______Code:__________

Country:________________________

Version:_3.1__Email.address:__________________________________

My Copy From:_______________(if the Internet, what site)

Windows ver: ______Floppy (preferably 1.44MB):_________

Registration .......$----- ($29)

Postage & handling..$----- ($3 for email or $6 for post)

             total  $----- ($32 or $35)

Included in the price, please send me: (mark your needs)

______ registered copy of the latest version of 500 FOR WINDOWS 95.

______ STRIP500 (500 card game with naked women playing).

Send registered version by email or post:  ________

I will be grateful for any suggestions, comments, or information on problems with the game you may have.

_________________________________________________________________________

        SEND THE FORM TO:

                              G.M.McKAY

                               29 Melissa St.

                                Strathmore

                                 Victoria , 3041

                                  Australia

ph 03-9379-7696

fax 03-9311-5651

gmckay@dezzanet.net.au

Garry.McKay@courtaulds.com.au

If you want to register on the Internet and pay by credit card, you can at http://www.getsoftware.com or visit my home page at http://www.angelfire.com/ga/500cardgame.


Screen Resolution (def.)
The screen resolution is a measure of how wide and high the screen is.   This resolution is measured in pixels.   It is set in the Display Icon in the Control Panel in Windows 95.   500 for Windows works best with the standard 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024 resolutions, but will scale itself to fit with other resolutions.

Very occasionally, a particular combination of computer and video card does not work well with 500 for Windows at different screen resolutions.   This shows up as the game not fitting on the screen properly.   It may takeup only part of the screen, or only part of the game may be displayed on the screen.   You can fix this by forcing the software to display a particular resolution by including on the command line /RESOLUTION500x400.   Adjust the numbers to make the game suit your screen.   The command line is set by the properties of the 500 for Windows shortcut.


Shareware (def.)
Shareware (also known as user supported software and other names) is a concept not understood by everyone.  The authors of Shareware retain all rights to the software under the copyright laws while still allowing free distribution.  This gives the user the chance to freely obtain and try out software to see if it fits his needs.  Shareware should not be confused with Public Domain software.

 If you continue to use Shareware after trying it out, you are expected to register your use with the author and pay a registration fee.   Only by paying for the Shareware you use do you enable the Shareware author to continue to support his software and create new programs.  Considering that the Shareware registration fees are almost always far less than the purchase price of comparable commercial software it's obvious that Shareware is a good deal for everyone.

  There are real advantages to you in the Shareware system.  You get to try out software to make sure it is compatible with your hardware and that it is  a good deal before you "buy" it with your registration. The author saves the expense of advertising, packaging and distribution and passes the savings on to you.  Plus, most Shareware authors are much more accessible than commercial software sources so that your questions and suggestions are likely to be responded to.