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xblackjack(1)		    General Commands Manual		 xblackjack(1)

NAME
       xblackjack - game of blackjack

SYNOPSIS
       xblackjack

DESCRIPTION
       Xblackjack  is a	MOTIF/OLIT based tool constructed to get you ready for
       the casino.  It was inspired by a book called "Beat the Dealer" by  Ed-
       ward  O.	 Thorp,	 Ph.D.	of UCLA.  A number of important	statistics are
       maintained for display, and used	by the program	to  implement  Thorp's
       "Complete Point System" (high-low system).  Harvey Dubner presented the
       strategy	at a panel session of the 1963 Fall Joint Computer Conference.

       The  COUNT used by the strategy starts at zero after the	shuffle.  When
       you see a 2, 3, 4, 5, or	6 you add one to the COUNT.  Subtract one when
       you see a ten, face card, or ace.  The 7, 8, and	9 have	no  effect  on
       the  COUNT.   When  the COUNT is	positive your odds are favorable;  you
       should bet more,	and then stand,	double down, and split more often.

       The complete system takes the number of uplayed cards into  account;  a
       COUNT  of  2  in	the last hand is better	than a COUNT of	2 in the first
       hand.

       All selections are made using the LEFT mouse button.  Bets  are	placed
       using  the  scale labelled "your	bet".  Choices are made	by clicking on
       the pushbuttons (split, double down, hit, or stand).

       Game status and results are shown in the	message	pushbutton  below  the
       card area.  Pressing it will reveal the high-low	INDEX calculation:

		 (COUNT*100)/UNSEEN

       The strategy recommends you bet half the	INDEX in favorable situations,
       and  only buy insurance when the	INDEX is greater than 8.  When	making
       a choice, the relevant table corresponding to the best  choice  is  re-
       vealed too:

		 Pair Spliting
		 Doubling Down
		 Drawing or Standing with Hard Hands
		 Drawing or Standing with Soft Hands

       Press  the  message button repeatedly to	cycle through the relevant ta-
       bles.  There are	separate standing tables for HARD and SOFT  hands.   A
       hand  is	SOFT if	it contains an Ace that	can contribute 11 to the total
       without exceeding 21.  All other	hands are HARD.

       When making choices, first decide if you	should split (when  you	 can),
       then  whether  or  not to double	down, and finally if you should	hit or
       stand.

       Test the	strategy using the slider to the right of the card area.   The
       program	will  play unattended, until you return	the slider to the bot-
       tom.  You can stop by pressing the bottom area of the scale  to	return
       the slider there	immediately, or	click on the message pushbutton.

EXAMPLES
       xblackjack

AUTHORS
       Kirk Erickson (kirke@sgi.com)

       OLIT support contributed	by:
	    Guy	Renard (grenard@elrond.stg.trw.com)

       Cards courtesy of the folks that	built Spider:
	    Heather Rose (hrose@sun.com)
	    Dave Lemke (lemke@ncd.com)
	    Don	Woods (woods@sun.com)

CAVEATS
       You can double down on 10 or 11 only.  Dealer hits soft 17.

KEYWORDS
	 blackjack, twenty-one,	van-john, pontoon, Ein-und-Zwanzig

								 xblackjack(1)

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