jackblack 0.7.0

A Blackjack simulator and strategy engine

jackblack

A comprehensive Python library for playing and simulating Black Jack games with customizable strategies. Perfect for learning the game, testing strategies, or running statistical analysis.

Features

• 🎮 Interactive Game Mode: Play Black Jack with a beautiful terminal interface
• 📊 Simulation Mode: Run thousands of games to test strategies and analyze performance
• 🧠 Customizable Strategies: Implement your own betting and decision strategies
• 🃏 Multiple Deck Support: Configurable number of decks (1-8)
• 💰 Betting System: Support for insurance, double down, and split hands
• 📈 Detailed Statistics: Track wins, losses, win rates, and profit/loss
• 🎯 Strategy Analysis: Compare different strategies side-by-side

Installation

From PyPI (Coming Soon)

pip install jackblack

From Source

git clone https://github.com/michaelmunson/blackjack.git
cd jackblack
pip install -e .

Quick Start

Command Line Interface

Run a quick simulation with default settings:

jackblack --rounds 1000 --strategy simple

Run an interactive game:

python -m jackblack.cli --interactive

Python API

from jackblack import Game, Player, Simple, Simulation

# Create players with strategies
player1 = Player("Alice", chips=1000, strategy=Simple())
player2 = Player("Bob", chips=1000, strategy=Simple())

# Play an interactive game
game = Game([player1, player2])
results = game.start()

# Run a simulation
sim = Simulation([player1, player2])
results = sim.run(n_times=1000)
results.print()

Usage Examples

Basic Game Setup

from jackblack import Game, Player, Simple

# Create players
players = [
    Player("Player1", chips=1000, strategy=Simple()),
    Player("Player2", chips=1000, strategy=Simple())
]

# Create and start game
game = Game(players=players, min_bet=15)
results = game.start()

Custom Strategy Implementation

from jackblack import Strategy, Player, HIT, STAY

class MyStrategy(Strategy):
    def decide(self, player, choices, dealer=None, players=None):
        # Basic strategy: hit on 16 or less, stay on 17+
        if player.hand_value() <= 16:
            return HIT
        return STAY
    
    def decide_bet(self, player, min_bet=15):
        # Bet 5% of chips, minimum bet
        bet = max(min_bet, player.chips // 20)
        return min(bet, player.chips)

# Use custom strategy
player = Player("CustomPlayer", chips=1000, strategy=MyStrategy())

Running Simulations

from jackblack import Simulation, Player, Simple, Simple17

# Compare strategies
simple_players = [Player(f"Simple{i}", chips=1000, strategy=Simple()) for i in range(3)]
simple17_players = [Player(f"Simple17_{i}", chips=1000, strategy=Simple17()) for i in range(3)]

# Run simulations
sim1 = Simulation(simple_players)
sim2 = Simulation(simple17_players)

results1 = sim1.run(n_times=10000)
results2 = sim2.run(n_times=10000)

print("Simple Strategy Results:")
results1.print()
print("\nSimple17 Strategy Results:")
results2.print()

API Reference

Core Classes

Game

Main game controller for interactive play.

Game(players, deck=None, min_bet=15, hit_on_soft_17=False)

Parameters:

• players: List of Player objects
• deck: Deck object (default: 8-deck shuffled)
• min_bet: Minimum bet amount (default: 15)
• hit_on_soft_17: Whether dealer hits on soft 17 (default: False)

Methods:

• start(): Start interactive game
• add_player(player): Add player to game

Simulation

Game controller optimized for running multiple games quickly.

Simulation(players, deck=None, min_bet=15, hit_on_soft_17=False)

Methods:

• run(n_times=1, print_sim=False, wait=0.01): Run simulation
• start(): Run single game (non-interactive)

Player

Represents a player in the game.

Player(name, chips=1000, strategy=Simple())

Parameters:

• name: Player name
• chips: Starting chip count
• strategy: Strategy object for decisions

Properties:

• hand: Current hand
• chips: Current chip count
• bet: Current bet amount
• hand_value(): Current hand value
• is_bust(): Check if busted
• has_blackjack(): Check for blackjack

Dealer

Specialized Player class for the dealer.

Dealer(strategy=Simple17())

Methods:

• showing(): Value of visible card
• showing_ace(): Check if showing ace

Strategy System

Base Strategy Class

class Strategy:
    def decide(self, player, choices, dealer=None, players=None) -> str
    def decide_bet(self, player, min_bet=15) -> int
    def decide_hands(self, player) -> int
    def after(self, player, dealer=None, players=None) -> None

Built-in Strategies

• Simple: Basic hit/stand strategy
• Simple17: Dealer strategy (hit on soft 17)

Deck and Cards

Deck

Deck(shuffle=True, num_decks=8)

Methods:

• deal(): Deal one card
• shuffle(): Shuffle deck
• reset(): Reset and shuffle deck

Card

Card(rank, suit="spades")

Valid Ranks: Ace, 2-10, Jack, Queen, King Valid Suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades

Hand

Hand(*cards, bet=0)

Methods:

• value(): Calculate hand value
• is_bust(): Check if busted
• is_blackjack(): Check for blackjack
• split(): Split hand into two

Game Rules

This implementation follows standard casino Black Jack rules:

• Objective: Beat the dealer by getting closer to 21 without going over
• Card Values:
  • 2-10: Face value
  • Jack, Queen, King: 10
  • Ace: 1 or 11 (soft/hard)
• Actions:
  • Hit: Take another card
  • Stay: Keep current hand
  • Double Down: Double bet, take one card
  • Split: Split pair into two hands
  • Insurance: Bet against dealer blackjack
• Dealer Rules: Hit on 16 or less, stay on 17+ (configurable for soft 17)

Command Line Options

jackblack [OPTIONS]

Options:
  --players TEXT...     Player names (default: Player1 Player2)
  --chips INTEGER       Starting chips per player (default: 1000)
  --rounds INTEGER      Number of rounds to simulate (default: 1000)
  --min-bet INTEGER     Minimum bet (default: 15)
  --strategy TEXT       Strategy to use: simple, simple17 (default: simple)
  --verbose             Show simulation progress
  --help                Show help message

Development

Setup Development Environment

git clone https://github.com/michaelmunson/blackjack.git
cd jackblack
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Running Tests

pytest

Code Formatting

black .
flake8 .

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests for new functionality
5. Run the test suite
6. Submit a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Built with Python 3.8+
• Uses escprint for terminal formatting
• Inspired by casino Black Jack games