Contents

Overview

Main Menu Options

Common Terms

Version 2.0 Enhancements


Overview

BlackJack for Windows Version 2.0 uses Artificial Intelligence / Expert System concepts to provide you the finest BlackJack Simulation available.  This product gives novice players an easy to use interactive interface, experienced players near absolute control over simulated game environment, and for everyone a product that is fun to play.  BJW is widely distributed and highly acclaimed.  Many of its features are the result of customer suggestions.  Which just goes to show you that if you keep the customer's interests first, the rest is all rock-n-roll.

Up to six players in a game

Strategy Selection allowing Automatic Play or Practice for Each Player

The capability to save and restore games

Each player can split hands up to six times

Table-minimum and starting bankroll selection

Six decks in the shoe

Double Exposure

Surrender

Insurance Bets

Double Down

For instructions on Ordering this exciting interactive simulator click on Help and then Order.


Version 2.0 Enhancements

Version 2.0 includes the following enhancements:

1.	Players 1-6 can be configured to play:

-	Manually

-	Strategy Practice with Decision Tables

-	Auto Play with Decision Tables

2.	Game Save and Restore.

3.	Support for multiple game configurations through Save and Restore.

4.	New configuration options control these options:

-	Strategy Practice and Strategy Force options.

-	Displaying the Dealer Busted OK Message Box.

-	Turning Busted Hands over.

-	Displaying Hand Results Dialog Box.

-	Insurance bets can be offerred on Dealer's up-card Ace, or Ten/Face Cards.

5.	New card back selections.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our users for all their great suggestions.

Special thanks to:

 -  Don Richmond, San Angelo, TX

 -  Kim Hastings, Val Priaso, FL

 -  Rick Palm, Palm Tree Computing, San Antonio, TX

 -  John Safranski, IMTEC Corp., Livonia MI

for rapid testing this release.


Main Menu

Select the Play option from the main-menu to start the game.  You also select it anytime you have stopped play on the Next Round Dialog Box.

File

Play

Players

Game

Statistics

Table

Bankrolls

Strategy


File

Open Game File

Save Game File

Action Controls & Strategy

Displays the Action Dialog Box. It allows you to control practice checking and game display features.

Card Back Selection


Open Game File

Displays a simple File Dialog Box that allows you to restore a previously saved game.


Save Game File

Displays a simple File Dialog Box that lets you save the status and current settings of game options to a file.  The save option will allow you to re-write a BJW game file, or save it under a new name.  IMPORTANT! When you add the BJW icon to a program group, set the working directory to the directory containing the BJW.EXE file.  For best results keep saved games in the same directory with your BJW.EXE file.


Action Controls

Practice Passive Checking

Practice Active Checking

Turn Busted Hands Over

Show Results Dialog Box

Show Dealer Busted Message


Practice Passive Checking

You use Passive Checking to practice a playing strategy.  You enter Player strategies under the Main Menu Strategy option and use Passive Checking to see if you have it memorized.  Every time you violate the strategy the game issues a warning beep.

To enable Passive Strategy Checking you must do the following three things:

1	Pull down the file menu, select Action Controls and Strategy, and then Click on Practice Passive Checking.

2	Select Strategy from the Main Menu, select the Player you want Passive Checking on, select Practice for that player, and then go through the strategy configuration dialogs setting up the player's strategy.

3	Select Players from the Main Menu and ensure that you have the correct number of players selected.

When you have completed these steps you should consider saving the game file to keep the player's strategy for later use.

See also Save Game File


Practice Active Checking

You use Active Checking to learn a strategy.  You enter Player strategies under the Main Menu Strategy option and use Active Checking to force yourself to select the correct actions.  Every time you violate the strategy the game issues a warning beep, until you select the correct action.

To enable Active Strategy Checking you must do the following three things:

1	Pull down the file menu, select Action Controls and Strategy, and then click on Active Checking.

2	Select Strategy from the Main Menu, Select the Player you want Active Checking on, select Practice for that player, and then go through the strategy configuration dialogs setting up the player's strategy.

3	Select Players from the Main Menu and ensure that you have the correct number of players selected.

When you have completed these steps you should consider saving the game file to keep the player's strategy for later use.

See also Save Game File


Turn Busted Hands Over

When this radio button is enabled, any hands that go bust are turned face down.


Show Results Dialog Box

When the radio button is enabled, the results dialog box is shown for each player, after every round.  The results dialog box shows which player hands won or lost and the amount of the winnings or loss for each hand.


Show Dealer Busted Message

When this radio button is enabled, an OK Message Box will remind you that the Dealer went bust.


Card Back Selection

Let's you choose one of nine different card backs.  This option is disabled on the DEMO.


Play

Select the Play option from the main-menu to start the game.  You also select it anytime you have stopped play between rounds.


Players

Menu.  This drop-down menu will allow you to select up to six players to play at one time.

Note the Following:

If you change the number of players in the middle of a game, it resets the game statistics.  This is equivalent to stopping the program and starting over, except that all your other options are retained.  Bankroll, winning hands, and losing hands are reset.

The Players option controls the number of players.  If you set up Auto Play or Practice Strategies for all six players and only select One Player on this drop down menu, only one player will be active in the game.


Game

The Game Dialog Box allows you to control table rules.  The Game Dialog allows you to tailor the game to conditions that you want to simulate for:

Double Down Rules

Other Rules

Splits First Pair Only

Dealer Hits Soft 17

Surrender

Double Exposure

When Insurance is Offerred


Splits First Pair Only

Pushing on the radio button limits the ability to split a hand to one time.  The default is five times.  You can request split five times and have six open hands.  If the button is enabled, you can only split one time and have two open hands.


Soft 17

When you push the radio button it forces the dealer to draw when the dealer hand totals 17 counting an Ace as eleven.


Surrender Option
Surrender

Enabling Surrender allows you to throw in your first two cards and loose 1/2 of your bet.  Surrender can be selected on Strategy Decision Logic Tables, too.  However, other rules will take effect when you have drawn 3 or more cards and the logic says surrender.


Double Exposure

Push double exposure and both dealer cards will be dealt face-up.  If you play this game, the house wins all pushes ("ties") and when you hit BlackJack, it only pays even money.  (Not the usual 1 and 1/2 of the original bet.)


Insurance

Insurance is always available on Manual Play, unless you select Double Exposure.  In Double Exposure, the Dealer's hand is always face up and there are no surprises.  The insurance options on the Game Dialog Box let you choose whether Insurance is only offerred when the Dealer's up-card is an Ace or when the Dealer's up-card is an Ace, Face Card or Ten.

Insurance is a side bet that the Dealer has a Blackjack.  When you make an insurance side bet, it is always for 1/2 your original bet.  If the Dealer has a Blackjack hand, you win 2 times the insurance bet.  If the Dealer's hand is not Blackjack, you lose the Insurance bet.  You can lose the bet on your hand and still win the insurance bet.  Alternatively, you can win you hand bet and lose your insurance bet.


Double Down Rules

Only on Ten or Eleven

Selecting the radio button will allow you to double your bet only when you have a card count of ten or eleven in the first two cards dealt.

After Splits

Selecting the radio button will allow you to double down on split hands.  The default is not to allow it.

On 3 or More Cards

This radio button allows you double down when you have three or more cards. (Basically anytime you want to.)  It is mutually exclusive with the Only on Ten or Eleven Option.


Statistics

The Statistics option on the main menu opens the Statistics box.  The box remains open until you close it.  It is updated after each hand.


Table

The table menu option allows you to pick the table you want to play at.  The tables are listed by minimum bet.  If a player's bankroll drops below the table minimum, they are excused from the game.  If you switch tables in the middle of a game, any player that does not have enough money to play at the new table will be dropped.


Bankroll

The bankroll option let's you select the amount of money to start the game with.  Every player will have the same bankroll at the start of the game.  If you reset the bankroll, it resets all game statistics and sets every player's bankroll to the amount selected.


Strategy

The Main Menu Strategy option lets you configure each player for Manual, Practice, or Automatic Play.  Manual Play is the default.  Practice or Auto Play options present you with the Split Hand, Soft Hand, Hard Hand, and Insurance Decision Logic Tables.  These tables allow you to build your own Artificial Intelligence - Expert System Rules for a player.

Player Strategy options are dependent on selections from the Players Menu option and the Action Contols/Strategy File Menu options.  They interact in the following ways:

Player strategy is only in effect for active players.  Example.  You configure all six players for Auto Play, but only select one player on the Players menu, only one player will be active.

Action Controls/Strategy on the File Menu displays the dialog box that allows you to set Passive or Active Strategy Checking.  Passive Strategy Checking will sound a beep when you violate a rule.  Active Strategy Checking will force you to choose a play option consistent with your strategy in the Decision Logic Tables.

Note:  There are situations where the Artificial Intelligence in the Strategy Formulation Driver will override the action you have chosen in the respective Decision Logic Table.  For example, you may have programmed the player to Double Down in a given situation.  The Strategy Formulation Driver will select Double Down (as you have chosen), but may be overridden by other logic rules such as Player->hasMoney.  If the Player does not have enough money to double the bet, the routine will return a Hit action instead.  This logic is used in the Hit Dialog box during manual play, as well.  The Strategy Formulation Driver determines valid actions for all situations.  It is the software that disables Split, Double, Surrender Buttons during normal play.


Common Terms

Double-Down

Face-Card

Hole-Card

Hard-Hand

Push

Soft-Hand

Split-Hand

Surrender


Double Down
Double-Down

An action initiated by the player that doubles the bet and draws one final card.


Face Card
Face-Card

Jack, Queen or King.  These three cards have a rank value of 10 points.


Hole Card
Hole-Card

A card dealt face down.


Hard Hand
Hard-Hand

The point value of the hand, when an Ace is counted as a one.  The Hard-Hand count will always be equal to or less than the soft-hand count.


Push

A tie.  Usually the bet is returned to the player, but not always.  Depends on other game rules and the casino.  (i.e. Double Exposure).


Soft Hand
Soft-Hand

The point value of a hand when an Ace is counted as 11 points.  A BlackJack hand is a soft hand (e.g. A/10, A/K, A/Q, A/J).


Split Hand
Split-Hand

When a hand is dealt, the player initially receives two cards.  If these cards have the same rank value (i.e. two 8's), the player has a split-hand.  The player can elect to split the two cards and receive two more.  This provides the player with two hands in the same game.  BJW allows each player to keep splitting hands until a total of six are active.  Statistically, this is very unlikely.  But it is possible.


Surrender

Some casinos allow the player to surrender their hand and only lose 1/2 their bet.  A player would do this when it is expected that the dealer has a hand that can't be beat.