Blackjack Bots (Game over)

[Farren]

/confirm.

Give me some time to get things organized on my end, and we'll get this show back on the road.

[Farren]

Barring emergency, Hand 15 should be ready to go within 25 hours or less of this post.

[Farren]

Hand 15

First up to bid this time around: Minimalist bot. It pushes in a whopping

$86,000

. Zen Count/Basic and ND bot both repeat their previous bet of

$5,000

each, while Apple Siri repeats its bet of

$14,000

.

The cards are dealt ...

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Minimalist Bot		10	$86,000	$201,000
Zen Count/Basic		14	$5,000	$1,255,000
ND bot		13	$5,000	$1,005,000
Apple Siri		17	$14,000	$1,046,500
Dealer		10

With the dealer showing a face card, nobody gets any insurance offers, but the threat of a dealer blackjack looms.

Spoiler: Scanning the dealer's card reveals ...

... no Ace. The players are safe, for now.

Minimalist Bot is first to act with a hard 10. It chooses to HIT, receiving a six of clubs for 16. Satisfied with this, it chooses to STAND.
Zen Count/Basic opts not to split its pair and HITS instead. It gets a ten of hearts, putting it at 24. BUST.
ND bot also HITS. It gets an eight of spades, bringing its total to 21 and forcing it to STAND.
Apple Siri is content with its hard 17 and STANDS.

The dealer reveals its hole card ...

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Minimalist Bot		16	$86,000	$201,000
Zen Count/Basic		24 OVER!	$5,000	$1,255,000
ND bot		21	$5,000	$1,005,000
Apple Siri		17	$14,000	$1,046,500
Dealer		17

... and it's another seven of spades. Dealer stands on 17.

Results:

Minimalist Bot loses $86,000

, leaving it with $201,000.

Zen Count/Basic loses $5,000

, leaving it with $1,255,000.

ND bot wins $5,000 on top of its original bet

, bringing it up to $1,015,000.

Apple Siri pushes, keeping its original bet,

remaining at $1,060,500.

[Farren]

Hand 16

Zen Count/Basic opens the betting with a repeat of its previous bet:

$5,000

. ND bot follows suit with its own bet of

$5,000

. Apple Siri doubles its previous bet with a wager of

$28,000

, while Minimalist Bot reduces its wager to

$25,000

.

The dealer swiftly hands out the cards - pausing to reveal the

cut card

immediately after the first three of diamonds is dealt to Zen Count/Basic. After this hand, the shoe will be reshuffled.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Minimalist Bot		12	$25,000	$176,000
Zen Count/Basic		10	$5,000	$1,250,000
ND bot		Soft 13	$5,000	$1,010,000
Apple Siri		12	$28,000	$1,032,500
Dealer		10

Once again, another face card for the dealer. No insurance allowed; do we have a hand, or does everyone walk away a loser?

Spoiler: The dealer scans the face-down card ...

... and once again, it's not an ace. Play resumes.

Zen Count/Basic has a hard 10 vs. the dealer's jack. It declines the opportunity to double down and instead chooses to HIT, receiving a five of diamonds for a hard 15. Insufficient for Zen Count/Basic's needs, it HITS again - receiving a ten of diamonds and going BUST.

ND bot has a soft 13. It chooses to HIT and promptly gets a four of diamonds. Not satisfied with a soft 17, it HITS again - receiving a queen of diamonds and turning the soft 17 into a hard 17. It pushes its luck no further and STANDS on 17.

Apple Siri with a hard 12 asks for a HIT. It gets a nine of clubs - putting it at 21! It is forced to STAND.

Minimalist Bot also has a hard 12 and also asks for a HIT. It receives a seven of hearts - and its programming bug promptly kicks in, asking for a HIT. It gets a ten of spades, which is a BUST.

Finally, the dealer reveals its hole card - a two of diamonds. Dealer hits on 12 and draws a ten of hearts - putting the dealer at 22, which is a BUST for the dealer, giving both ND bot and Apple Siri a win!

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Minimalist Bot		29 OVER!	$25,000	$176,000
Zen Count/Basic		25 OVER!	$5,000	$1,250,000
ND bot		17	$5,000	$1,010,000
Apple Siri		21	$28,000	$1,032,500
Dealer		22 OVER!

Results:

Zen Count/Basic loses $5,000

, leaving it with $1,250,000.

ND bot wins $5,000 on top of its original bet

, bringing it up to $1,020,000.

Apple Siri wins $28,000 on top of its original bet

, bringing it up to $1,088,500.

Minimalist Bot loses $25,000

, leaving it with $176,000.

The shoe is reshuffled by the dealer in preparation for the next hand. Only two more hands to go before the next elimination.

[Farren]

Hand 17

Kilobit Casino would like to thank its patrons for their patience during this tournament. The pit bot inspects the cards after the latest reshuffle and finds that the cards are showing signs of wear. It orders six brand new decks to be opened.

ND bot opens the betting with its usual $5,000 bet.
Apple Siri opts to preserve some of its winnings, pushing in $16,000 worth of chips.
Minimalist Bot repeats its previous bet of $25,000.
Zen Count/Basic repeats its previous $5,000 bet as well.

The dealer does its thing:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Minimalist Bot		20	$25,000	$151,000
Zen Count/Basic		18	$5,000	$1,245,000
ND bot		9	$5,000	$1,015,000
Apple Siri		Soft 13	$16,000	$1,072,500
Dealer		10

Again, the dealer's top card is a face card. Into the scanner the hole card goes.

Spoiler: Scanning the hole card reveals ...

... no Ace. Hope remains for the players.

ND bot opts to HIT with only a 9; the dealer hands it a three of clubs, bringing its total to 12. Still not enough, it HITS again - this time getting a king of hearts, putting it at 22 and BUSTING.
Next up: Apple Siri. With a soft 13, it chooses to HIT. It gets a king of diamonds, making the soft 13 into a hard 13. Unsurprisingly, it HITS again - getting only a two of clubs. It requests a third HIT, which is its last - it gets a ten of hearts and BUSTS.
Minimalist Bot isn't satisfied with a 20; it demands more. It HITS - getting a five of diamonds and promptly BUSTING.
Zen Count/Basic is content with an 18 and STANDs.

The dealer's hole card is revealed: a nine of spades, putting the dealer at 19 where it STANDS. Zen Count/Basic's 18 isn't enough, resulting in a loss for all the players.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Minimalist Bot		25 OVER!	$25,000	$151,000
Zen Count/Basic		18	$5,000	$1,245,000
ND bot		22 OVER!	$5,000	$1,015,000
Apple Siri		25 OVER!	$16,000	$1,072,500
Dealer		19

Results:

ND bot loses $5,000

, leaving it with $1,015,000.

Apple Siri loses $16,000

, leaving it with $1,072,500.

Minimalist Bot loses $25,000

, leaving it with $151,000.

Zen Count/Basic loses $5,000

, leaving it with $1,245,000.

Only one more hand to go before the next bot is eliminated. Stay tuned - we'll be bringing you the action tomorrow! After that, we'll break for the holiday and resume the game on Monday; players will have until then to raise any errors with play.

[Farren]

Hand 18 -- second elimination

The second elimination hand gets underway, with Apple Siri first to bet. It continues to shrink its wager, betting only

$13,000

this time.
The other bots all repeat their previous bets:

$25,000

for Minimalist Bot;

$5,000

each for both Zen Count/Basic and ND bot.

Out come the cards ...

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Minimalist Bot		20	$25,000	$126,000
Zen Count/Basic		10	$5,000	$1,240,000
ND bot		12	$5,000	$1,010,000
Apple Siri		21 BLACKJACK!	$13,000	$1,060,500
Dealer		5

Apple Siri gets a

blackjack

, giving it an instant win with a 3:2 payout! The other bots must play the hand through.
Minimalist Bot once again chooses to HIT with a 20; the dealer passes it a nine of clubs, causing a predictable BUST.
Zen Count/Basic has a hard 10; it chooses to DOUBLE - pushing an extra $5,000 worth of chips into the pot. The dealer hands it one final card - a king of spades, giving it a 20 - an excellent position to be in.
ND bot has a 12; it chooses to STAND, hoping the dealer will bust.

The dealer reveals its hole card: an eight of spades, giving it a 13. Dealer HITS on 13, drawing a seven of spades. That puts it at 20, where it STANDS - pushing against Zen Count/Basic's doubled bet and beating ND bot outright.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Minimalist Bot		29 OVER!	$25,000	$126,000
Zen Count/Basic		20	$10,000	$1,235,000
ND bot		12	$5,000	$1,010,000
Apple Siri		21 BLACKJACK!	$13,000	$1,060,500
Dealer		20

Results:

Apple Siri wins $19,500

from its blackjack, bringing its total to $1,092,000.

Minimalist Bot loses $25,000

, dropping it down to $126,000.

Zen Count/Basic pushes

, remaining at $1,245,000.

ND bot loses $5,000

, dropping it down to $1,015,000.

Minimalist Bot, as the poorest bot this elimination with $126,000, tentatively leaves the tournament in fourth place. Zen Count/Basic, ND bot, and Apple Siri remain.

Kilobot Casino recognizes that even bots need time to spend with family, to say nothing of the spectators and owners. As a result, the usual 24 hour appeal deadline will be extended to 96 hours, with play resuming sometime on Monday.

Players may now appeal any moderator errors. You have until (expired on 2020-11-29 11:00:00) to point out any mistakes. If any mistakes are material, they will be corrected and play redone if necessary. All results, including mistakes *not* pointed out, will be finalized once the timer expires.

Play will resume on Monday, barring any last minute appeals that necessitate a re-do. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Edit> Please send any error reports to both StrangerCoug and me via PM. Thanks!

[Farren]

I won't be around for deadline; there's still a little less than an hour left. So far, the only error of note: ND bot's final stack should be $1,010,000 (instead of $1,015,000); I processed its loss as a push in Hand 18. This error will be corrected.

No other errors have been reported by players or noticed on our end. If any are submitted before the deadline, I will process those in a few hours.

[Farren]

The appeal timer has expired with no further objections. Minimalist Bot, programmed by Ircher, has been eliminated from the tournament.

Current standings as of the start of Hand 19:

Player Name	Bot Name	Stack Size
inspiratieloos	Zen Count/Basic	$1,245,000
Nancy Drew 39	ND bot	$1,010,000
Sirius9121	Apple Siri	$1,092,000

[Farren]

Kilobit Casino hopes that everyone enjoyed the holiday break. Time to get back to the action!

Hand 19

With Minimalist Bot out of the tournament, the action falls to Zen Count/Basic. It opens with the minimum bet of

$5,000

.
ND bot repeats its usual bet of

$5,000

.
Apple Siri opts for a bet of

$12,000

.

The dealer hands out cards to the three remaining bots:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		8	$5,000	$1,240,000
ND bot		14	$5,000	$1,005,000
Apple Siri		15	$12,000	$1,080,000
Dealer		9

Zen Count/Basic, faced with an 8 versus a 9 showing, chooses to HIT. The dealer hands it a ten of clubs, putting it at 18. Not a good position, but what else can it do? It chooses to STAND and hope for the best.

NDbot's starting position is even worse, with a 14. It chooses to HIT, receiving a jack of spades from the dealer - bringing its total to 24. BUST.

Apple Siri's 15 looks even less promising with a 15. It also choose to HIT; the dealer promptly gives it an ace of spades, putting it at 16 and an even tougher choice. Bots can only HIT or STAND with more than two cards; Apple Siri chooses to HIT. The dealer quickly responds - with a five of spades, putting Apple Siri at 21. Bullet dodged; Apple Siri must now STAND.

The dealer reveals its hole card: a six of spades, giving the dealer a 15. The dealer must HIT at 15; it draws an eight of diamonds, bringing it to 23 and BUSTing it.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		18	$5,000	$1,240,000
ND bot		24 OVER!	$5,000	$1,005,000
Apple Siri		21	$12,000	$1,080,000
Dealer		23 OVER!

Results:

Zen Count/Basic wins $5,000

, increasing its holdings to

$1,250,000

.

ND bot loses $5,000

, decreasing its holdings to

$1,005,000

.

Apple Siri wins $12,000

, increasing its holdings to

$1,104,000

.

[Farren]

Hand 20

ND bot's turn to open this time; it makes its usual and customary bid of

$5,000

.
Apple Siri follows up with a bet of

$7,000

, shrinking its wager.
Zen Count/Basic ends with a bet of

$5,000

.

Out come the cards:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		Soft 19	$5,000	$1,245,000
ND bot		13	$5,000	$1,000,000
Apple Siri		14	$7,000	$1,097,000
Dealer		2

All three bots look at their cards and at the dealer's 2.

One by one, they STAND - NDbot; Apple Siri; Zen Count/Basic.
The dealer flips over a ten of clubs, giving it a 12. It HITS - drawing an eight of spades and STANDing on 20. Everyone loses.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		Soft 19	$5,000	$1,245,000
ND bot		13	$5,000	$1,000,000
Apple Siri		14	$7,000	$1,097,000
Dealer		20

Results:

ND bot loses $5,000

, leaving it with a cool $1,000,000.

Apple Siri loses $7,000

, leaving it with $1,097,000.

Zen Count/Basic loses $5,000

, leaving it with $1,245,000.

[Farren]

Schedule:

We're going to post four hands over the next three days. Not sure which day the double will fall on yet. The elimination hand will be posted on Friday, and we'll have a 48 hour timer to allow for appeals over the weekend.

[Farren]

Hand 21

Apple Siri opens the bidding with a bid of

$6,000

- its wagers continuing to diminish as time goes on.
Zen Count/Basic continues its recent trend of bidding

$5,000

.
ND bot repeats its standard bet of

$5,000

.

The dealer deals out the cards ...

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		14	$5,000	$1,240,000
ND bot		7	$5,000	$995,000
Apple Siri		14	$6,000	$1,091,000
Dealer		9

Not a good deal for anyone - except the dealer itself.

Apple Siri, with a 14, chooses to HIT against the dealer's 9. It promptly receives a king of diamonds, pushing it over the limit. BUST.
Zen Count/Basic is in the same boat and makes the same response: HIT. The dealer treats Zen/Count Basic the same - a king of spades this time. BUST.
ND bot with a 7 chooses to HIT. It receives a seven of hearts, putting it at the same danger point: 14. It HITs again - and avoids the fate of its predecessors with a four of spades, putting it at 18 where it STANDs.

The relief is short-lived, as the dealer reveals its down-card: a ten of hearts. That gives it a 19, which means everyone loses.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		24 OVER!	$5,000	$1,240,000
ND bot		18	$5,000	$995,000
Apple Siri		24 OVER!	$6,000	$1,091,000
Dealer		19

Results:

Apple Siri loses $6,000

, bringing it down to $1,091,000.

Zen Count/Basic loses $5,000

, bringing it down to $1,240,000.

ND bot loses $5,000

, bringing it down to $995,000.

[Farren]

Hand 22

Zen Count/Basic is first to open this time, opening with its now normal

$5,000

.
ND bot follows suit with its own bet of

$5,000

.
Apple Siri succumbs to peer pressure (all the cool bots are doing it!) and also bets

$5,000

.

Out come the cards ...

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		14	$5,000	$1,235,000
ND bot		18	$5,000	$990,000
Apple Siri		21 BLACKJACK!	$5,000	$1,086,000
Dealer		2

Zen Count/Basic has a 14 versus a dealer 2. It chooses to STAND, trusting that the dealer will go bust.
ND bot has an 18; it too opts to STAND, reasoning things are not likely to improve.
Apple Siri has a blackjack! Bad time to drop its bet to the minimum, but at least it doesn't have to worry about the outcome here.

The dealer reveals its hole card - a ten of spades. That gives it a 12, to which it must HIT. It does so and draws a six of clubs, putting it at 18, where it STANDs. Zen Count/Basic loses; ND bot pushes.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		14	$5,000	$1,235,000
ND bot		18	$5,000	$990,000
Apple Siri		21 BLACKJACK!	$5,000	$1,086,000
Dealer		18

Results:

Zen Count/Basic loses $5,000

, dropping it down to $1,235,000.

ND bot pushes

, remaining at $995,000.

Apple Siri wins $7,500

, going up to $1,098,500.

[Farren]

Hand 23

ND bot's turn to open this time; it pushes in its standard $5,000 bet.
Apple Siri copies ND bot's bet with $5,000 of its own.
Zen Count/Basic does the same. $5,000 - minimum bets all around.

Here come the cards ...

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		12	$5,000	$1,230,000
ND bot		20	$5,000	$990,000
Apple Siri		14	$5,000	$1,093,500
Dealer		10

With a face card showing, a dealer blackjack is a possibility. The dealer scans the hole card.

Spoiler: Is it an ace?

No aces here. On to the action!

ND bot with a 20 naturally chooses to STAND, as with no blackjack on the dealer's end its success (or at least, lack of failure!) is almost guaranteed.
The other bots are not so fortunate. Apple Siri, with only a 14, opts to HIT - getting a king of spades and a quick 24. BUST.
Zen Count/Basic has more room for error with a 12; it also chooses to HIT - but one jack of clubs later and it too is over the limit at 22. BUST.

The dealer reveals a ten of diamonds, making this another short and brutal hand. ND bot pushes again; everyone else loses.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		22 OVER!	$5,000	$1,230,000
ND bot		20	$5,000	$990,000
Apple Siri		24 OVER!	$5,000	$1,093,500
Dealer		20

Results:

ND bot pushes

, remaining at $995,000.

Apple Siri loses

, dropping to $1,093,500.

Zen Count/Basic loses

, dropping to $1,230,000.

One more hand to go before elimination, and we'll be posting that hand ... today!

[Farren]

Hand 24 - elimination hand

The time has come to say goodbye to another one of the participants. Let's find out who.

First to bet: Apple Siri, which opens with

$5,000

.
Next up: Zen Count/Basic, which follows with the same bet -

$5,000

.
Last: ND bot, which bids ...

Spoiler: How much?

$5,000

, like always.

Here come the cards!

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		Soft 20	$5,000	$1,225,000
ND bot		Soft 19	$5,000	$990,000
Apple Siri		19	$5,000	$1,088,500
Dealer		8

Very promising for the players - no one with less than a 19 against a dealer 8!

Apple Siri STANDS with a hard 19.
Zen Count/Basic STANDS with a soft 20.
ND bot STANDS with a soft 19.

The dealer flips over its hole card - and it's a nine of diamonds, making this an even shorter hand - but far more generous. Everyone wins!

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		Soft 20	$5,000	$1,225,000
ND bot		Soft 19	$5,000	$990,000
Apple Siri		19	$5,000	$1,088,500
Dealer		17

Results:

Apple Siri wins $5,000

, going back up to $1,098,500.

Zen Count/Basic wins $5,000

, going back up to $1,235,000.

ND bot wins $5,000

, reclaiming its original stake of $1,000,000.

Unfortunately, while breaking even is a most impressive accomplishment in a casino - where the house always wins! - it isn't enough to prevail today. With

$1,000,000

, ND bot is the poorest of the remaining bots and is tentatively eliminated from the tournament.

Appeals are now open.

Players will have 48 hours to appeal any plays (including bets) made by their bots. Any mistakes will be fixed; replays will occur if warranted. When the timer expires, any mistakes or errors not caught will be final.

(expired on 2020-12-06 10:45:00) remaining. Please send any appeals via PM to both StrangerCoug and me. Thanks!

[Farren]

No appeals were made, so the final results stand.

ND bot

, programmed by

Nancy Drew 39

, has been eliminated from the tournament.

We'll be resuming the action on Monday. I'm hoping to keep to the same schedule this week - and wrap everything up by Friday, with the last appeal period running over the weekend again.

[Farren]

Hand 25

Two bots remain. Six hands before we crown a winner of the tournament. The first of those six hands starts now.

Zen Count/Basic is first to bet; it opts for its now-customary

$5,000

wager.
Apple Siri makes the exact same wager:

$5,000

.

Here come the cards ...

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		10	$5,000	$1,230,000
Apple Siri		9	$5,000	$1,093,500
Dealer		10

Decent totals for the players, but the dealer has a face card; a dealer blackjack would make short work of everything.

Spoiler: Any aces here?

No ace detected. Play continues.

With the dealer in a firm position, Zen Count/Basic forgoes the double and asks for a HIT instead - receiving a six of clubs, for a total of 16. Too late to surrender; it HITs once more and gets a Jack of Hearts. BUST.
Apple Siri also asks for a HIT. It gets a queen of hearts, and will have to hope the dealer doesn't have a 20. It STANDS.

The dealer reveals a seven of hearts. Dealer always STANDS on 17, which gives Apple Siri a win.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		26 OVER!	$5,000	$1,230,000
Apple Siri		19	$5,000	$1,093,500
Dealer		17

Results:

Zen Count/Basic loses $5,000

, dropping to $1,230,000.

Apple Siri wins $5,000

, climbing to $1,103,500.

[Farren]

Hand 26

Apple Siri is first to bet this time, locking in a

$5,000

wager.
Zen Count/Basic responds with a

$5,000

wager of its own.

The dealer hands out the cards ...

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		14	$5,000	$1,225,000
Apple Siri		14	$5,000	$1,098,000
Dealer		7

... and not very good ones at that, with both bots at 14 versus a 7 showing.

Apple Siri asks for a HIT - getting a king of clubs for 24. BUST.
Zen Count/Basic also asks for a HIT. It gets a two of spades for 16. It HITS again - getting a six of diamonds for 22. BUST.

That kills the hand. No action required by the dealer, but it reveals its hole card per Kilobit policies: a king of spades. Nothing the players could have done to avert this disaster.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		22 OVER!	$5,000	$1,225,000
Apple Siri		24 OVER!	$5,000	$1,098,000
Dealer		17

Apple Siri loses $5,000

, dropping to $1,098,500.

Zen Count/Basic loses $5,000

, dropping to $1,225,000.

[Farren]

Hand 27

Zen Count/Basic opens up the bidding this time, throwing in a

$5,000

bet.
Apple Siri does the same:

$5,000

. Do they know something we don't?

Here come the cards:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		17	$5,000	$1,220,000
Apple Siri		14	$5,000	$1,093,000
Dealer		3

Zen/Count Basic gets a 17, which is an obvious STAND - especially with the dealer having only a 3.
Apple Siri has only a 14, but also opts to STAND.

The dealer reveals a two of spades, for a total of 5. It HITS, claiming a four of spades, putting it at 9. One more HIT - drawing the king of diamonds for a 19. Everyone loses again. The bots' low bets pay off.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		17	$5,000	$1,220,000
Apple Siri		14	$5,000	$1,093,000
Dealer		19

Results:

Zen Count/Basic loses $5,000

, dropping to $1,220,000.

Apple Siri loses $5,000

, dropping to $1,093,000.

[Farren]

Hand 28

Apple Siri bets

$5,000

, apparently locked in.
Zen Count/Basic remains equally unwavering, betting

$5,000

.

Cards are dealt ...

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		14	$5,000	$1,215,000
Apple Siri		16	$5,000	$1,088,500
Dealer		3

... and it's low totals all around.

Apple Siri has a 16 against the dealer's 3. It chooses to STAND, hoping the dealer will go BUST.
Zen Count/Basic has only a 14, and makes the same choice: STAND.

The dealer reveals a six of diamonds, giving it 9. It HITS - drawing a jack of hearts and STANDING at 19. Everyone loses, again.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		14	$5,000	$1,215,000
Apple Siri		16	$5,000	$1,088,500
Dealer		19

Results:

Apple Siri loses $5,000

, dropping to $1,088,500.

Zen Count/Basic loses $5,000

, dropping to $1,215,000.

We'll play out the last two hands tomorrow!

[Farren]

Hand 29

Zen Count/Basic is first up to bet - unsurprisingly, it continues to hold at

$5,000

.
Apple Siri, still trailing by well over $100,000, continues its recent trend and bets

$5,000

.

Out come the cards:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		21 BLACKJACK!	$5,000	$1,210,000
Apple Siri		11	$5,000	$1,083,500
Dealer		Soft 11

Now that looks a bit more exciting! Zen Count/Basic gets a blackjack, while Apple Siri has an 11 ... but the dealer has an ace showing, which could ruin everything. If the dealer also has a blackjack, it'll mean a push for Zen Count/Basic and an instant loss for Apple Siri.

With an ace showing, the dealer is obliged to offer insurance - a 2:1 side bet costing half the original bet that pays off if the dealer has a blackjack.
Zen Count/Basic

refuses

insurance.
Apple Siri

refuses

insurance.

The dealer scans its hole card ... does it have a ten or face card?

Spoiler: Is all hope lost?

Nope! Big sigh of relief for Zen Count/Basic, as that means its blackjack is a winner.

Apple Siri, meanwhile, has an 11 - normally a perfect opportunity to double down, but against a dealer's ace, Apple Siri decides discretion is the better part of valor and opts only to HIT. Good news: it gets a ten of hearts, putting it at 21! Bad news: it should have doubled down. Oops. At 21, it must STAND.

The dealer reveals a two of hearts, putting it at a soft 13. A HIT gives it a two of clubs, for a soft 15. Another HIT: an ace of clubs, and a soft 16. One more HIT, and the last one for sure: another two of clubs, giving the dealer a full house! What a shame this isn't poker; in blackjack, that's only an 18, where the dealer must finally STAND. Everyone wins!

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		21 BLACKJACK!	$5,000	$1,210,000
Apple Siri		21	$5,000	$1,083,500
Dealer		18

Results:

Zen Count/Basic wins $7,500

, climbing up to $1,222,500.

Apple Siri wins $5,000

, climbing up to $1,093,500.

Next hand will be coming up soon!

[Farren]

Hand 30

The last hand of the tournament. Who will walk away with the Grand Prize? Let's find out.

Apple Siri is first to bet. Will this be the moment it breaks its streak of minimum bets, risking everything to take the lead from behind?
Nope.

$5,000

into the pot.
Zen Count/Basic also pushes in

$5,000

.

Here come the cards:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		13	$5,000	$1,217,500
Apple Siri		13	$5,000	$1,088,500
Dealer		10

And we're back to the bad hands. Both bots with 13s against a dealer ten. Out comes the scanner; no insurance this time.

Spoiler: Does the tournament end with a dealer blackjack?

Nope. Play continues!

Apple Siri is first to play. With a 13, it chooses to HIT - getting a jack of clubs, putting it at 23. BUST.
Zen Count/Basic is up next. It also opts to HIT - and gets a five of hearts, putting it at 18, where it STANDS.

The dealer reveals yet another five - a five of clubs, putting it at 15. It has to HIT at 15 - but it draws a four of diamonds, putting it at 19, where it STANDS. Everyone loses.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
Zen Count/Basic		18	$5,000	$1,217,500
Apple Siri		23 OVER!	$5,000	$1,088,500
Dealer		19

Results:

Apple Siri loses $5,000

, leaving it with a grand total of $1,088,500.

Zen Count/Basic loses $5,000

, leaving it with a grand total of $1,217,500.

Spoiler: Final Results (tentative):

Ranking	Player Name	Bot Name	Stack Size
1st Place	inspiratieloos	Zen Count/Basic	$1,217,500
2nd Place	Sirius9121	Apple Siri	$1,088,500
3rd Place	Nancy Drew 39	ND Bot	$1,000,000
4th Place	Ircher	Minimalist Bot	$126,000
5th Place	Aronis	R2-D21	$0

Appeals are now open.

Players have 48 hours to submit any errors. Material errors will be fixed; hands replayed if warranted. Please PM any errors to both StrangerCoug and me. Thanks!
(expired on 2020-12-13 10:45:00)

[Farren]

I received no appeals; results are final.

Congratulations to inspiratieloos for winning Blackjack Bots!

GAME OVER.

Thanks for playing, everyone! And thank you to StrangerCoug for giving me an opportunity to help out with this.

[Farren]

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