Blackjack Simulator Instructions

Running

This blackjack simulator requires the installation of a Java Plug-In from Sun to run, because the java virtual machine distributed with most browsers is too old to cope with new-fangled technologies like tables. Using the Java Plug-In ensures your java implementation is always up to date.

Description

This simulator runs a Monte-Carlo simulation of the game of blackjack to determine average gains or losses. Because player actions are customisable, the relative worth of various plays can be determined easily.

Usage

The tables at the top are somewhat self-explanatory. The row at the top of each is the dealers starting card. The column on the side is the hand the player holds initially. Setting the box at the intersection of a row and column will set the action for that particular scenario. Possible settings are:

        DBL: double (double your bet, receive only one extra card)

        SPL: split (split your paired hand into two separate hands)

        HIT: hit (receive a card)

        SIT: sit (receive no more cards)

Not all options are always available for each box, for instance splitting obviously does not make sense on non-paired hands.

Below the tables are a number of options, which various casinos use or don't use. They are:

        Allow double after split: After splitting the hand 88 into two hands, then drawing say a 3 to give 11, some casinos do not allow the player to subsequently double their bet.

        Double any hand: Typically you can only the double hands totaling 9,10 or 11, however some casinos allow doubling on any total.

        Only original and busted bets: If the dealer gets blackjack, and you have split hands, you will not lose the bets you made on any hand after your initial hand, unless of course you busted.

        One card only after splitting aces: Many casinos limit players to only receiving one card (as opposed to unlimited) after splitting the hand AA.

        Decks: The number of decks that will be played with, possible settings 1-8. Higher settings make the simulation run faster because shuffles are less often.

        Max Split: Limits the number of times you can split your original hand, possible settings 1-3.

To run the simulation, there are two buttons marked 'Go'. The bottom button will run a simulation with random starting hands. The top simulation will run a simulation with just one starting hand, which can be entered in the box above, in the form 22,AA,A7 etc. Results will appear in the adjacent area.

The very bottom slider controls the number of hands that will be played, from 100,000 to 4,000,000. The more hands, the more accurate, so, depending on the speed of your computer, try to keep the slider as far to the right as you can stand. If simulating individual hands, certain hands are much slower than others (e.g. splitting hands) so set accordingly.

Stuart Gunn (2003)