The Coffee Break CD Collection/The Coffee Break CD Collection.iso/minibj1.man

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                DR. THORP'S MINI BLACKJACK

                  The Game of Twenty-One


All Materials (c) Copyright 1992, Villa Crespo Software, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Villa Crespo Software, Inc. -- 1725 McGovern Street -- Highland Park, IL 60035
Telephone: [phone]


Blackjack is one of the most popular games in casinos around the world.
DR. THORP'S MINI BLACKJACK offers every option you're likely to
encounter in a casino, lets you alter the house rules for the game, and
teaches you the basics of blackjack strategy and card counting. It's all
the fun of real casino gambling without the risk to your bank account!



WELCOME TO MINI BLACKJACK!

The object of blackjack is to form a hand totaling as close to 21 points as
possible, without going over, while trying to beat the dealer's total.
(Cards 2 through 10 are worth their numerical value, face cards are worth 10,
and Aces are worth 1 or 11.)

If the player goes over 21 (called a BUST), the
player automatically loses the bet no matter what cards the dealer draws. Any
player whose points total more than the dealer's (without exceeding 21) WINs.
If the dealer's cards total more than a player's, the player LOSEs the bet. A
PUSH occurs when the player and dealer tie, and the player neither wins nor
loses. BLACKJACK occurs when the player's first two cards total 21. A
blackjack usually pays back 1 and 1/2 times the bet.






THE MAIN MENU

After booting up MINI BLACKJACK, the first thing that will appear on your
screen is the Main Menu. To make any selection, press the corresponding
Function button or use the mouse to click the hand icon over the selection.

[F1]    DEAL            Deal the cards
[F2]    SET-UP          Set up a hand or session
[F10]   QUIT            Return to DOS


The [F4] F/X, [F5] TIME, [F6] STATS, and [F8] SHUFFLE options will be
explained later in the manual in the section titled "MAIN MENU OPTIONS."
To select the number of players, press [F2] in the Main Menu to move to the
Set-Up Menu.





THE SET-UP MENU

[F1] -   PLAYER 1 -     Activate or deactivate player
[F6]     PLAYER 6
[F10]    EXIT           Return to Main Menu

For each player [F1] - [F6] that you select, you will be able to choose from
the following options:

[F1]     SITOUT          Don't play the next hand
[F2]     MANUAL          Play the next hand
[F4]     BANKROLL        Change the amount of money the player has
[F10]    EXIT            Return to Set-Up Menu

To activate a player, press [F2] or click on MANUAL. To increase the player's
bankroll, press [F4]. In the window that appears under the player's number on
the blackjack table, type in any dollar amount up to $999,999 and press
[ENTER]. To deactivate a player, press [F1]. Press [F10] to return to the
Set-Up Menu.

We'll discuss the [F7] HOUSE and [F9] RECALL options in the Set-Up Menu
later in the manual. For now, to get right into the game, press [F10] to
return to the Main Menu. Then press [F1] to DEAL the cards.


PLAYING MINI BLACKJACK

Before the next hand is dealt, each active player has 4 options:

[F1]    $5              Bet $5 on next hand
[F2]    $500            Bet $500 on next hand
[F4]    LAST $          Bet same $ as player bet on previous hand
[F5]    SITOUT          Don't play next hand

For each player being manually controlled, a window will appear on the MINI
BLACKJACK table. Each window displays the player's current BANKROLL,
the LAST $ BET on the previous hand, the RESULT of the last hand, and a
panel labeled BET with a flashing asterisk. Each player can place a bet by
pressing [F1], [F2], or [F4], or by typing in any amount and pressing [ENTER].

After the betting, the dealer deals two up cards to each player and one down
card and one up card to itself. The window for each player now shows the
player's cards and their current total. The player now has a new set of
options:

[F1]    STAND           Do not take any more cards
[F2]    HIT             Take another card
[F3]    DOUBLE          Double your wager and take one more card
[F4]    SPLIT           Split hand into two separate hands
[F5]    SURRND          Surrender (give up on hand)

The [F9] COUNT and [F10] TUTOR options will be explained later.

If you have BLACKJACK (an Ace plus a 10 or any face card), you
automatically win and the computer moves on to the next player. If you do
not have blackjack but are still satisfied with your hand, select STAND to
proceed to the next player.



To receive an additional card, select HIT. You may hit as many times as you
like as long as you don't go over 21. Select STAND when you are satisfied
with your point total. If you go over 21 (BUST), you automatically lose your
wager and the computer deals to the next player.

The DOUBLE Down option is only available after the first two cards of your
hand or any split hand are dealt. When you double down you double the
amount you have wagered and receive one (and only one) more card.

You can SPLIT your hand if the first two cards you are dealt have the same
point value. This creates two separate hands, and you automatically bet the
same amount of money on each hand that you wagered before the deal. After
the dealer gives you your second card for each split hand, you can split each
hand a second time if the cards have the same value. Continue to play each
hand until you bust or decide to stand. NOTE: On split Aces you are only dealt
one additional card on each Ace.

SURRENDERing means that you are giving up on winning this hand. You can
surrender only after your first two cards have been dealt. In such a case
you lose only half your original bet.

After the last player stands, busts, or surrenders, the dealer turns over his
down card. If the dealer has fewer than 17 points, it deals additional cards
to itself until it has 17 or more points or busts.

Finally, the results of each hand are shown. If the dealer busts, all players
who have not already busted or surrendered WIN, and the amount of money bet
is added to each player's bankroll. Any player whose points total more than
the dealer's also WINs. If the dealer's cards total more than a player's, the
player LOSEs the bet. A PUSH occurs when the player and dealer tie, and the
player neither wins nor loses any money.

After all the results are displayed, MINI BLACKJACK returns to the Main
Menu. Press [F1] to deal another hand.

That's the basic game. Read on to learn about other features that will make
MINI BLACKJACK even more fun.



SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES DURING PLAY

Insurance

INSURANCE is an option available to the player after receiving the first two
cards if the dealer's up card is an Ace. Before any more cards are dealt, the
dealer asks each player if insurance is desired against the possibility of a
dealer blackjack. Press [F9] to see the card COUNT or [F10] for advice from
the TUTOR.

If you want to TAKE insurance, press [F1]. You have now put up a side bet,
equal to 1/2 of your original bet, that the dealer has blackjack. If the
dealer does indeed have blackjack and you do not, you win back the insurance
bet at 2 to 1 but lose your original bet. If you and the dealer both have
blackjack, you win back the insurance and push on the original bet. If the
dealer doesn't have blackjack, play continues as normal.

If you want to IGNORE the dealer's offer for insurance, press [F2]. If the
dealer has blackjack, the player loses immediately. Otherwise, play continues
as normal.

Hidden Blackjack

A HIDDEN BLACKJACK occurs when the dealer has a 10 or face card
showing and an Ace down. If a player also has a blackjack, the result is a
PUSH. All other players lose their original bets. However, any additional bets
made during splitting or doubling down are returned to the players.


MAIN MENU OPTIONS

F/X. Pressing the [F4] button in the Main Menu takes you into the F/X Menu.
To change the game speed, press [F1]. Then press one of the keys from [F1]
(fastest) to [F10] (slowest). Press [F2] to change the sound option, then
press [F1] to turn sound off, [F2] to turn sound on, or [F10] to return to
the F/X Menu. When you're done, press [F10] to return to the Main Menu.

Time. Press [F5] in the Main Menu to display the current time, day, and date
onscreen. Press [F10] to return to the Main Menu.

Stats. Press [F6] in the Main Menu to see the statistics of all active
players. The Statistics screen displays such important categories as hands,
splits, and doubles won, lost, and pushed. Press [F10] to return to the
Main Menu.

Shuffle. You can have the dealer shuffle the deck or decks before any deal by
pressing [F8] in the Main Menu.


CHANGING THE HOUSE RULES

By pressing [F7] in the Set-Up Menu, you can access the two menus of House
Rules. Press [F8] to toggle between the Level 1 and Level 2 menus. Press T
to print out the current House Rules and [F10] to escape to the Set-Up Menu.






Level 1 House Rules
[F1] SHOE CONTENTS. Use the [F1] to [F8] keys to choose the number of decks
in the dealer's "shoe" (the object the shuffled cards are dealt from).

[F2] ON SOFT 17 DEALER: Press [F1] for STANDS and [F2] for HITS.
"Soft 17" refers to any hand totaling 17 in which an Ace counts as 11.

[F3] SPLIT PAIRS & TENS. If [F1] is selected, players will not be allowed to
split hands. [F2] allows players to split once. [F3] allows players to split
again once after splitting the initial hand. [F4] allows the players to split
once again a hand that has already been split twice.

[F4] DBL DWN SPLIT HANDS. Press [F2] to allow doubling down on split hands.
[F1] cancels this option.

[F5] ON DEALER TIES YOU: If [F1] is pressed, the player will lose when he
ties with the dealer. If [F2] is selected, a tie results in a push.

[F6] BLACKJACK PAYS: Select the payoff for of a player blackjack: [F1] for
EVEN money, [F2] for 3 TO 2 (most common in casinos), or [F4] for 2 TO 1.

Level 2 House Rules

[F1] DEALER SHOWING TEN. In some casinos, when the dealer's up card is a 10
or face card, the dealer is instructed to look at the down card before dealing
any more cards. If the dealer has blackjack, the hand ends immediately. To
select this option, press [F1] LOOK. To play normally, press [F2] NOLOOK.

[F2] DBL DOWN 2+ CARDS. In the default mode, ([F1] 2 ONLY) players can only
double down after the first 2 cards are dealt. Press [F2] DBL 2+ to allow
players to double down on more than 2 cards.

[F3] CARD DISPLAY. Press [F1] to display all of the players' cards in the
initial deal face DOWN. Press [F2] to deal the cards face UP.

[F4] RED PENETRATION. This determines how far into the deck(s) the dealer
will go before shuffling the cards. Press a key between [F1] and [F9] to
choose a percentage between 50 % and 90 %.


[F5] CHARLIES. The player automatically wins if dealt 5 or 6 cards without
busting. Press [F2] for 5 CARD or [F3] for 6 CARD Charlies. [F1] turns off
this option.

[F6] BETTING LIMITS. To enter a different minimum bet allowed, type a number
and press [ENTER]. Do the same to enter a new maximum bet.


THE BLACKJACK TUTOR

The computerized tutor that's built into MINI BLACKJACK bases its
advice on statistically-derived tables that have been compiled over years
by mathematicians and professional blackjack players. The original and
still most widely used tables are those created by Dr. Edward Thorp in
the early 1960s. (If you'd like to study these tables, you can access them
through the [F9] COUNT command during the play of a hand. See the
section on "THE BASIC STRATEGY TABLES" for details.) These
tables are the basis of any successful strategy for winning blackjack.
Playing with the computer tutor will help you learn the strategy you will
need to be successful at a real casino blackjack table.

To ask the computer tutor for advice, press [F10] after you have been
dealt your cards or after you have been dealt any subsequent cards. The
computer will indicate the statistically best course of action by lighting
up the STAND, HIT, DOUBLE, SPLIT, or SURRND button.

If you want to follow the tutor's advice, press the key indicated by the
computer. To ignore its advice, just press the key that's appropriate to
whatever play you wish to make.


COUNTING CARDS

Just as important as playing your cards properly is the skill to bet properly.
One way to get an edge on the dealer is to COUNT CARDS. The advantage of
keeping an accurate card count is that it tells you how valuable the cards
remaining in the shoe are.



The Card Count is computed by counting the cards as they become visible to
the player. To count, start off at 0 whenever the deck is shuffled. When you
see an Ace, 10, or face card, deduct 1. When you see a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6,
add 1. When you see a 7, 8, or 9, ignore it.

The running count will fluctuate between negative and positive. As an
example, suppose you have been dealt a 6 and a 7 from a newly shuffled deck.
The dealer's up card is a 3. The count would now be +2. Your 6 makes it +1,
the 7 is ignored, and the dealer's 3 makes it +2. If the player next to you
is showing an Ace and a 9, the count would then be +1, since you deduct 1
point for the Ace and ignore the 9.

When the count is positive, the shoe contains more valuable cards than bad
ones. The higher the count, the better the cards. A deck rich in valuable
cards has been statistically proven to favor the player. A card-counting
player will take advantage of this by making larger bets when the count is
positive and smaller "token" bets when the count is 0 or negative.



Knowing the card count can also influence your decision to STAND, HIT, and
so on. For example, suppose you are holding a 7 and an 8, for a total of 15
points. Normally, basic strategy would tell you to HIT the hand if the dealer
is showing a 7 or higher card. But suppose the count is +6, indicating a high
percentage of 10s and face cards still unplayed. A system based on card
counting would likely suggest STANDing on such a hand. (Note: The
computer tutor and the statistical tables do not take card counting data into
account.)

The Deck Count is a refinement of the card count that relates it to the
number of decks left in the shoe. It is calculated by dividing the card count
by the number of decks unplayed. For example, imagine there are approximately
2 unplayed decks in a 6-deck shoe. The current card count is +6. Using the
above formula, the deck count would be +3. In another example, if there is
1/2 a deck left and the card count is +3, the deck count would be +6.

The Hi-Low Index is one of the most exact methods of card counting. It is
calculated by dividing the card count by the number of cards unplayed and
multiplying that figure by 100. This method requires the player to always be
aware of the exact number of cards not yet dealt.

You can see the card COUNT as well as the deck count and the hi-low index by
pressing [F9] during a hand. The window will also show you the percentages
of each card denomination remaining in the shoe, as well as whether each card
would HURT, HELP, or BUST your hand. Press [F10] to return to the game.


THE BASIC STRATEGY TABLES

The basic strategy tables provide valuable data on whether you should HIT,
STAND, or so on during particular hands. To see the tables, press [F9] after
any deal, then press the [F1] STYLE key. Press [F7] NXTTBL to flip through the
5 tables. Press [F10] to EXIT to the game.

The numbers along the top of each grid represent the total of the player's
cards, while the numbers along the left side represent the dealer's up card.
The letters inside the grid tell you whether you should HIT, STAND,
DOUBLE DOWN, or SPLIT, for each combination of the player's and dealer's cards.


Table #1 shows the strategy for when a player has 2 cards, neither of which is
an Ace, and they are not of equal value. Such hands are called hard hands.

Table #2 shows when a player has two cards, one being an Ace. These are
called soft hands.

Table #3 is for hands of 3 or more cards, with an Ace, if present,
representing a 1. These are also hard hands.

Table #4 is for 3 or more cards, with an Ace, if present, counting as 11 or 1.
These are also soft hands.

Table #5 advises the player whether or not to split cards of equal value.







SAVING & RESTORING SESSIONS

When you press [F10] to QUIT from the Main Menu, you will be given three
options. To simply exit to DOS, press [F8] NOSAVE. To GOBACK to the Main
Menu, press [F10]. To save your statistics from the current SESSN (session),
press [F7]. Type in a name for the file in the "Save File" window and press
[ENTER]. You will then return to the Quit Menu. To RECALL a previously
saved session, press [F9] in the Set-Up Menu. Use the [F1] and [F2] keys to
select a session and press [F9] to LOAD it. [F10] returns you to the Set-Up
Menu.










A FEW LAST WORDS

Villa Crespo Software designed MINI BLACKJACK for entertainment use. The
suggested techniques offered by the tutor and in the statistical tables are
consistent with many commonly accepted practices for playing potentially
successful blackjack. However, please keep in mind that: No claims are made
that this game exhibits the only successful or even the most successful of
all available techniques for playing blackjack. No claims are made that use
of this game or its suggested techniques will necessarily enhance your ability
to play better blackjack. Should you choose to use any of the techniques in
this game during real competition, you do so at your own risk. This game is
intended for entertainment use only. Use of this game for wagering purposes
may be prohibited by your local laws.

We hope you get many hours of enjoyment out of MINI BLACKJACK!