B L A C K J A C K TWENT1.DOC[75665,1045] by Rick Perry EE Dept., Villanova Univerity, Villanova, Pa. 19085 PH-215-645-4970 The program, TWENT1.100[75665,1045], was designed especially for use on the TRS-80 Model 100 computer. The rules of the game were adapted from the book, "Beat the Dealer", by Edward O. Thorp, Vintage Books, 1966. The Pack Four packs of cards shuffled together are used. Before dealing, if there are less than 30 cards remaining, the packs are reshuffled. The Deal The player gets two cards face up. The dealer receives one card face up and one card face down. Betting The player places his bet before any cards are dealt. The bet may range from $ 1.00 to $ 10000.00 in increments of $ 0.50. Naturals If the first two cards dealt either to the player or to the dealer consist of an Ace and a 10-value card, they constitute what we shall call a "natural" or "blackjack". If the player has a natural and the dealer does not, the player receives 1.5 times his original bet from the dealer. If the player does not have a natural and the dealer does, the player loses his original bet. If both player and dealer have naturals, no money changes hands. The Draw The player looks at his hole cards and may elect to "pass" (i.e. "stand"); otherwise he can request additional cards from the dealer, which are dealt face up, one at a time. If the player "busts" (goes over 21), he immediately loses his bet to the dealer. After the player has drawn his cards, the dealer turns up his hole card. If his total is 16 or less, he must draw a card and continue to draw cards -1- until his total is 17 or more, at which point he must stand. If the dealer receives an Ace, and if counting it as 11 would bring his total to 17 or more without exceeding 21, then he must count the Ace as 11 and stand. The Settlement If the player does not go over 21 and the dealer does, the player wins an amount equal to his original bet. If neither player nor dealer busts, the person with the higher total wins an amount equal to the original bet of the player. If dealer and player have the same total, not exceeding 21, no money changes hands. Splitting Pairs If the player's hole cards form a pair, he may choose to treat them as the initial cards in two separate "twin" hands. The original bet goes on one of the split cards and an equal amount is bet on the other card. The player automatically receives a second card on each of the split cards. He then plays his twin hands, one at a time, as though they were ordinary hands, with the following exceptions: In the case of split Aces, the player receives only one card on each Ace. Further, if a face card or Ten falls on one of the split Aces, the hand is not counted as a natural but only as an ordinary 21. Similarly, if a player splits a pair of face cards or Tens and then draws an Ace, it counts only as an ordinary 21. If a player splits a pair and receives a third card of the same value, he is not permitted to split again. Doubling Down If the player's hole cards total hard 10 or 11 he may elect to double his bet and draw one, and only one, more card. A player who splits any pair except Aces may, after receiving an additional card on each of the split cards, double down on any twin hand which totals hard 10 or 11. Insurance If the dealer's up card is an Ace, the player may place an additional side bet equal to half his original bet. After the player has decided whether or not to do this, the dealer checks his hole card. If the dealer has a natural, the side bet wins twice its amount. If the dealer does not have a natural, the side bet is lost and the play continues. The original bet is settled in the usual way, regardless of the side bet. -2- The Program The program keeps tract of the total amount of money won (or lost, if this total is negative). When the game begins, and after each shuffle, the player must enter his bet. At the end of a hand, if you wish to continue without changing the amount of your bet, hit ENTER. If you wish to change the amount of your bet for the next hand, hit the space bar. When entering your bet, type the letter "q" (or "Q") to end the program. Type the letter "r" (or "R") to perform the POWER OFF, RESUME function. An escape mechanism has been built into the program to enable the player to change the value of his bet or the value of his winnings in the middle or at the end of a hand. This was not intended to be used as a method of "cheating" but rather as a means of easily correcting for keyboard entry errors (such as entering 750 instead of 7.50 as a bet). To use this mechanism, hit the escape key, ESC. You will then be prompted for new values of your purse (total amount won) and bet. A null entry will leave the current value unchanged. -3-