py21 1.2.0

Library for running blackjack simulations

Blackjack

py21 is a blackjack simulator. Users can run the simulation using the default rules or specify their own. Additionally, users can test their own playing and betting strategies.

Installation

Right now py21 can be installed from source or PyPI.

To download from source, clone or download this repository, then navigate to the directory you cloned to and run pip install -e ..

To download from PyPI, use pip install py21

Using py21

To run the simulator, the user must initiate one instance of the Game class and at least one instance of the Player class.

The Player class requires one input, bankroll, and has three optional inputs: strategy_func, wager_func, and insurance_func.

bankroll should be an numerical value indicating the bankroll the player will be starting with.

strategy_func should be a function that will return what action the player will take in a given situation. This function can take as inputs a number of variables containing information about the game such as the player's hand, dealer's up card, and the count. It must return one of the following: HIT, STAND, SPLIT, DOUBLE.

wager_func should be a function that will determine how much the player will wager in a hand. Like the function used for strategy_func it can take as arguments variables on the status of the game. It must return a number that is within the minimum and maximum bets allowed, and no more than the player's bankroll.

insurance_func should be a function that will determine if a player takes insurance when the dealer is showing an ace. It must return True or False.

The Game class has one required argument and two optional ones. players is a list of instances of the Players class that will be used in the game. rules can be a dictionary containing changes to the game's default rules to run the simulation under different scenarios. An explanation of how the dictionary should be structured is below. Finally, verbose is a boolean indicator for whether or not you want information printed out as the game is played.

Running a simulation can be done in a few lines of code:

from py21 import Game, Player

# initiate Player object
player = Player(100)
# initiate Game object
game = Game([player])

# run simulation 1,000,000 times
game.simulate(1000000)

Updating Game Parameters

To update a rule in the game, use this dictionary format:

{param: new_rule}

For example, here is how to change the blackjack payout from 3:2 to 6:5:

from py21 import Game, Player

rules = {"blackjack_payout": 1.2}

player = Player(100)
game = Game([player], rules)

game.simulate(1000000)

Parameters currently available to be modified:

soft_stand

Whether or not the dealer must stand on a soft total.

Default value: True

Possible values: True, False

stand_total

Hand value the dealer must reach before they can stand.

Default value: 17

Possible values: 4-21

double_after_split

Whether or not a player can double down after splitting a pair.

Default value: True

Possible values: True, False

payout

Payout for a winning hand.

Default value: 1 (1:1)

Possible values: 0-9e99

blackjack_payout

Total payout if the player has blackjack.

Default value: 1.5 (3/2)

Possible values: 0-9e99 (infinity)

shuffle_freq

How often the deck is shuffled. If this value is greater than one, the deck will be shuffled after that many hands are played. If it is less than one, the deck will be shuffled when that percentage of the deck is left.

Default value: 4

Possible values: 0-9e99 (note: if the shuffle frequency is too low, an error will be raised when the deck runs out of cards)

min_bet

Minimum bet required.

Default value: 5

Possible Values: 0-`max_bet

max_bet

Maximum bet allowed.

Default value: 500

Possible values: min_bet-9e99

max_players

Maximum number of players allowed in a game.

Default value: 10

Possible values: 1-9e99

insurance_allowed

Whether or not a player is allowed to take insurance when the dealer shoes an ace.

Default value: True

Possible values: True, False

insurance_pct

What share of a player's original bet they must pay to purchase insurance.

Default value: 0.5

Possible values: 0-1

insurance_payout

If the player purchases insurance and the dealer has blackjack, the player will receive this decimal percent of their bet back.

Default value: 1

Possible values: 0-9e99

surrender_allowed

Whether or not the player is allowed to surrender a hand.

Default value: True

Possible values: True, False

surrender_after_split

Whether or not a player is allowed to surrender their hand after splitting it.

Default value: True

Possible values: True, False

num_decks

The number of decks the game will be played with.

Default value: 8

Possible values: 1-9e99

max_split_hands

The maximum number of times a player is allowed to split their hand during a round.

Default value: 3

Possible values: 1-9e99