Recommended (free) software?

[RS]

1)
So after downloading CVCX and CVBJ (v5.6?), it says that the demo versions aren't accurate. ie: replacing all 5's with 6's for CVCX, and "win/loss numbers have been randomly altered invalidating all calculations". ???

Does this mean I shouldn't use this software and it's completely inaccurate? Or is it relatively "accurate enough" to get the job done?


2)
Any other (free) software you'd recommend? I'm not looking to purchase anything right now, but feel free to post it anyways (since I will likely purchase some in the future, just not looking to do that right now).

Looking at the list of downloads ( http://qfit.com/downloads.htm ) is kind of confusing what does what...and I don't have much experience with other sites to determine if their software is legitimate or not.



All help welcome!

[zengrifter]

User is banned, content deleted.

[whistry]

If you don't want to shell out for the full versions, you can sometimes find (very) old versions in shops around Las Vegas for cheap. As for free software, there are some good open source libraries (pypoker-eval is a good one, for example) that can help you to write your own sims. It never hurts to learn how to write some code.

[UK-21]

There is some freebie software available online, but the crux of the issue is what do you want to use it for? You may find none of it particularly fits your bill. If you want something that'll come up with the answer for, say, the return on a proposed bet spread for a game, then good old Microsoft Excel will fit the bill nicely - you just need to get your hands on some figures to start with as a baseline, ie the probabilities of winning, losing, pushing or hitting a natural off the top of a new deck and the average distribution of hands at each TC step (all of which are available in good books on the subject).

I would say if you don't want to spend the money, then study the game and build your own "software" using spreadsheets. It can be hard work (and unnecessary if you invested $90) but you do learn along the way.

[RS]

Thanks ZG, I've been looking through there, thanks.

Whistry, I've actually tried a few times to write my own simulator...though, it gets difficult...mainly trying to handle splits and true-random cards. Maybe I'll try it again (I am a comp sci major after all). I never even thought of looking online for open source simulation projects. >_< Thanks for the input, I'll see what I can do with that. !

UK-21, I just want to be able to run sims to get a better idea of how different systems work, verify others' analyses (indices, EVs, spreads, ROR, and anything else), to be able to get the best system I can use given my BR and game/rules.

I'm thinking my best bet is either C++ or Java, neither of which I'm too comfortable with, but they're nice and fast (at least C++ is). Python is nice due to simplicity, but it's also a bit slower than Java/C++.


Thanks for the input guys.

[Frostbyte]

I'm using Python with a free code editor called jEdit for some game-related research at the moment (not BJ). It is far slower than I'd like but absurdly easy to write. Anybody drawn in by this woefully inadequate teaser can PM me for details.

[whistry]

I've also been writing some python lately to analyze non-BJ games. I don't have PM privileges yet but hold that thought, I would like to discuss this when I can PM.

[First Normal Form]

For practicing, I've previously recommended these apps. They are free or dirt cheap. Blackjack7 is open-source to boot. Please note that you can speed up the slowpoke gameplay via the "casino" option files, which are really "program option" files.

If you're looking for a simulator, you could try the open-source PowerSim. If you wanted to modify it to your own needs, it is written in old-style XBasic, a bit weird to get your dev environment running, and tethers you to a dying framework. But, I recently had need to investigate a bj rule, and it was surprisingly easy to understand and modify. I had dismissed it too quickly. At worst, you could port it to a language and style of your own choosing. This blackjack game/sim written in C# is a bit byzantine, but might be more of a solid, modern OO framework to launch from (I'm not qualified to judge). There are bugs, but a commenter lists many of them, which are easy to solve once you know about them.

[UK-21]

UK-21, I just want to be able to run sims to get a better idea of how different systems work, verify others' analyses (indices, EVs, spreads, ROR, and anything else), to be able to get the best system I can use given my BR and game/rules.

So lots of different things then? Why re-invent the wheel? Pay the $90 and get what's acknowledged to be the market leader. How much is your time worth?

[RS]

My time? Hmmm... Well, I don't have much to do for the next few months other than school (which is fairly easy since I'm retaking a bunch of courses -__- ). Plus, writing the sim will help me since I'm studying comp sci....and "writing programs" is something I enjoy doing. (As for writing a CVBJ-type program, that's a bit of a stretch for me right now.)

On the other hand, it isn't that expensive, and from what I can tell, it's the best thing invented. I just don't really like paying money for software. >_< Perhaps I'll give it a go, when I get a chance to purchase it.

[zengrifter]

User is banned, content deleted.

[RS]

Hmm, didn't think of that. How would I go about contacting this fellow? Or is he Norm? Or is it by chance that there's a "Norm" on here and the owner's name of qfit is Norman?

[Most Interesting Man]

About the advice to write code, think about the opportunity cost. How many hours of BJ play does it take to pay for a license of CV? How many hours of play do you lose out on because you're busy writing (or learning) code? Unless you're playing for the smallest stakes and you are well versed in writing such code you might be better off paying for the license.