Blackjack Bots

The code in this repository lets you build and test Python bots to play Blackjack.

To download this code in your CodeSpace, click the green "Code" button and download the ZIP file.

Drag the file and drop it on your CodeSpace.

In the CodeSpace unzip the file using

unzip blackjack_bots-master.zip

This will create a folder containing all the files listed above.

How to play

To play a game, run the program using this command line syntax:

python blackjack_game.py bots/bot_human.py 1

This runs a game with the bot named bot_human playing 1 game (one shuffle through the deck).

At the end of the run of games, the program will print out a final score, showing its overall win/loss and per-hand average. You can use this score to evaluate how well your bot is doing.

Bot Instructions

In the bots/ folder are two example bots you can look at to see how a bot should be made:

• bot_bad.py - This is a terrible bot that just randomly chooses what to do.
• bot_human.py - This bot lets you play as a human. It will ask you what you want it to do.

The bot should follow these rules:

• Name your bot file bot_<username>.py
• Its class must be Bot.
• It must have a method called get_decision(), which will receive three arguments:
  • The dealer's up card, a Card object.
  • The player's hand, a list of Cards.
  • The dealer's previous hand, a list of Cards.

The function must then decide what action to take, returning only one of the following strings: "hit", "stand", "split", or "double down".

If your bot returns an illegal move, such as doubling down on more than two cards, it will be treated as "stand".

The rest is up to you. You can import libraries, make other functions, etc. as you need them to help your bot make the best choices.

Submitting your bot

1. Click the "Add file" button above and choose "Create new file".
2. In the "Name your file..." box, you must name your bot bots/bot_username.py so it can be identified as belonging to you.
3. Paste your bot's code in the box, and then click the green Propose new file button.
4. Click the green Create pull request button to submit your bot.

You may submit 1 bot per person. If you need to update your bot, you can select the file you submitted above and click "Edit".