Blackjack Bots II (Game over!)

[Kilobit Casino]

It is the year 2080 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Last year, the Kilobit Casino ran a special blackjack bot tournament commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first MIT Blackjack Team. The tournament has now been made an annual event, and the best engineering students in the world have returned to take on the challenge of programming the best casino blackjack bot in the world. If their bot wins, their college gets a huge cash prize.

Twenty hands. Millions on the line. Whose blackjack bot will reign supreme?

PROGRAMMING RULES

1. This is a modding hydra account run by Farren and StrangerCoug. They are not eligible to submit a program.
   
2. Bots must be programmed and given a name prior to the start of the game. At a minimum, you must program the bot how to bet and how to play in any possible circumstance, to include whether and, if so, when to take insurance. In the event that, due to mod error, we fail to catch an ambiguous situation, then:
   1. If there is not a conclusive decision on whether to take insurance, the bot will not take insurance.
      
   2. If there is not a conclusive decision on how to bet, then the bot will bet the minimum.
      
   3. If there is not a conclusive decision on how to play the hand, it automatically forfeits its bet with no refunds given.
   If it’s possible for your bot to make an illegal bet and we fail to catch it in your program, the bet will be rounded to the nearest legal bet, with half rounded to even.
   
3. Kilobit Casino will allow bots that count cards, but you must manually program how your card counting system works into the bot—casino security is suspicious of bots with Internet access and cannot accept bots that name a counting system but do not describe it. For the same security reasons, hyperlinks and image links are not allowed in the programming of your bot.
   
4. You may look up betting and playing strategies while programming your bot, but you may not collaborate with other players while doing so.
   
5. Just like you yourself are not allowed to cheat, you are not allowed to program your bot to cheat either. Things you can’t base your bot’s actions on include things like the dealer’s hole card, cards in the shoe, and the programming of other robots (it can remember another bot’s past actions, though).
   
6. Bots have computer vision and therefore know everything about the outside world that a normal human blackjack player would if a human were playing for it.
   
7. Bots have access to a math library that can do anything WolframAlpha can.
   
8. Bots do not have an internal RNG and therefore cannot resolve actions at random.
   
9. Bots have perfect memory and can recall anything that’s happened.
   
10. Bots know automatically when the shoe is reshuffled and will assume that the shoe has been completely randomized after the shuffle.
    
11. Your bots can be as complex as you like within the above rules, but keep in mind that overly complex bots are more prone to mod error when its program is executed. (See rule 13 in the next section for how this will be addressed.) If you have any questions about what is and isn’t allowed, feel free to ask us in thread.

An example bot program is below. It is intentionally very simple and plays suboptimally; you will likely want to submit a bot with a more advanced strategy than this.

Bot name:

Simplebot

BETTING

Always bet the minimum.

INSURANCE

Never take insurance.

PLAY OF THE CARDS

Go through this list until the first legal move to an applicable situation is found:

1. Surrender hard 16 vs. 10.
   
2. Always split aces and eights.
   
3. Always double down on 10 and 11.
   
4. Hit soft 17 or lower.
   
5. Hit hard 12 or lower. If the dealer’s upcard is a seven or higher, hit hard 16 or lower.
   
6. Stand otherwise.

TOURNAMENT RULES

1. There are four bots and 20 hands in the tournament. The turn order for each bot will be randomized before the first hand. The bot at the top of the randomized list bets and plays first in hand 1, the bot second from the top goes first in hand 2, and so on in rotation.
   
2. After hands 8 and 14, the bot with the lowest score will be eliminated. If there is a tie for lowest score, each bot that is not safe will be dealt one card, and the low card will be eliminated. If there is a tie for the lowest card and the suits differ, then the ranking of suits from highest to lowest will be spades, then hearts, then diamonds, then clubs. If the tie is still unbroken, the players still involved in the tie will be redealt another card, reshuffling if necessary to ensure there are enough cards to deal to each bot still unsafe, and the process repeats as necessary until all ties are broken. After hand 20, the bot with the highest chip total wins; if there is a tie, the tiebreaker procedure above will describe which bot gets second place, and the high card will win the tournament.
   
3. Your bot will be given $1,000,000 to start with. Whenever the amount of money your bot has falls below the amount of the minimum bet, it will be granted a rebuy of just enough money to make the minimum bet. There are unlimited rebuys.
   
4. Bets must be between $5,000 and $1,000,000 in multiples of $1,000.
   
5. There are six decks in the shoe. When the dealer is ¾ of the way through the shoe, it will announce a reshuffle after the current hand.
   
6. Your bot is trying to get closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. Tens and face cards are worth 10, an ace may be treated as 1 or 11, and all other cards are worth face value. Your bot will be dealt two cards, both face up. The bot at the top of the player list bets and plays first in hand 1, the bot second from the top goes first in hand 2, and so on in rotation. When it comes to your bot’s turn, it may do one of five things:
   • Hit:
     Your bot will be dealt another card.
     
   • Stand:
     The turn advances to the next bot. If your bot is last to play, the turn goes to the dealer.
     
   • Double down:
     Your bot’s bet is doubled (unless it is programmed to increase its bet to less than double) and your bot is dealt one last card. After it gets its card, the turn goes to the next bot—your bot cannot hit its doubled hand, nor can it redouble. It may double down on any number, however. If you wish, you may have your bot ask for its double-down card face-down; it will not be revealed until it is time for your bot’s bet to be resolved.
     
   • Split:
     Double your bot’s bet and treat each card as the first card of two separate hands and it will be dealt another card.
     You may only do this if both cards are the same rank.
     The doubled bet is split equally among the two hands, so one hand played for $25,000 becomes two hands played for $25,000 each. A hand may not be split more than three times. Aces cannot be resplit and receive only one additional card each. Other than that, doubling after splitting is allowed.
     
   • Surrender:
     Take half your bot’s bet back, give up the other half, and fold the hand.
   Please note that once your bot hits its hand (with each split hand counting separately), it can only hit again or stand. If your bot has 21, it is assumed that it will stand.
   
7. The dealer must hit with 16 or less and stand on all 17s.
   
8. If it comes your bot’s turn and its two cards already total 21, it automatically wins. This is a
   blackjack
   . (Note that a two-card 21 after a split is not a blackjack, however.) Blackjack pays 3 to 2, so e.g. $10,000 becomes $25,000.
   
9. If your bot’s hand goes over 21 points, it automatically loses the hand and its bet.
   
10. As far as resolving bets is concerned, your bot’s only opponent is the dealer. It doesn’t matter if the bot next to yours has a higher hand than your bot—if your bot’s hand’s higher than the dealer’s, it wins the hand. If your bot ties, it gets its bet back but no extra money.
    
11. If the dealer has an ace face up, the dealer will ask if your bot wants to pay insurance. Insurance costs half your bot’s bet. After everybody has decided whether or not to pay insurance, the dealer will announce whether or not the dealer has a blackjack.
    • If the dealer does have a blackjack, your bot loses its bet for the hand (unless it also has a blackjack, in which case it pushes). If it has paid insurance, that pays 2 to 1, so it usually nets to getting its money back.
      
    • If the dealer doesn’t have blackjack, your bot lose your its insurance money.
12. The dealer will not ask for insurance if it has an upcard of 10 or a face card, but will still announce whether or not it has blackjack.
    
13. Kilobit Casino recognizes that things like radio interference, robot malfunctions, human error, and the like means that bots sometimes do things they’re not supposed to. Therefore, after every elimination, there is a 48-hour break to verify that everything happened correctly. During this time, if there is a mod error in the execution of your bot’s program, PM us what the error was and what should have happened and Kilobit Casino will replay all hands from when the error occured to when the game stopped for break. (They’re nice enough people to restart the 48 hours after the replay, too.) When hands are replayed, all bot’s memories of the way the hands were originally played are overwritten with the events of the replay. Because fixing an error has the potential to change which bot gets eliminated, eliminations are not final until the end of the break. If the mod error resulted in more cards being dealt than should have been, the deck will be reshuffled upon resumption of the game. Once the game resumes, mod errors stand, so we must be notified of any V/LA’s.

PLAYERS

1. Ircher
   
2. biancospino
   
3. Charles510
   
4. Mist7676

^* Awaiting bot.
^† Submitted bot needs correction or clarification; see your PM box.
^$ Submitted bot is being reviewed by the

Kilobit Casino

.

[Kilobit Casino]

An error in the rules has been discovered. Rule #6d of the Tournament Rules, which previously read as follows:

Split: Double your bot’s bet and treat each card as the first card of two separate hands and it will be dealt another card. The doubled bet is split equally among the two hands, so one hand played for $25,000 becomes two hands played for $25,000 each. A hand may not be split more than three times. Aces cannot be resplit and receive only one additional card each. Other than that, doubling after splitting is allowed.

shall now read as follows:

Split: Double your bot’s bet and treat each card as the first card of two separate hands and it will be dealt another card.

You may only do this if both cards are the same rank.

The doubled bet is split equally among the two hands, so one hand played for $25,000 becomes two hands played for $25,000 each. A hand may not be split more than three times. Aces cannot be resplit and receive only one additional card each. Other than that, doubling after splitting is allowed.

The rules did not state that

Splitting

can only be done if both cards are the same rank.

We apologize for the error.

~ Farren ~, on behalf of the

Kilobit Casino

[Kilobit Casino]

This might be fun.

Let me think about if i want to commit to this. What's the deadline?

We currently do not have a deadline set. There are only four slots, though. Should a deadline be set, we will announce that here.

We will note that the commitment involved primarily revolves around the initial programming of your bot, which is done before the game begins. While we recommend that players monitor the game while it runs to report any errors, there is no requirement to do so.

/in (if I'm allowed to send the bot later today)

Sending in your bot later is absolutely fine, provided it is sent in within a reasonable timeframe. Welcome to the tournament!

~ Farren ~, on behalf of the

Kilobit Casino

[Kilobit Casino]

We are still looking for two more players to participate. You can have a look at Simplebot's code if you need an example program, but we strongly encourage you to make your own changes. For more examples, the programming for the bots from last game except from R2-D21 can be found here, but please note that the prohibition against images will be enforced more strictly this time around.

—SC

[Kilobit Casino]

We thank you for your patience as we review the submitted bots. There is one slot still open for anybody still interested, and we hope to start soon.

—SC

[Kilobit Casino]

We thank you again for your patience. We are almost done with the bots; if all goes according to plan, we'll do the introduction Saturday afternoon and the first hand Saturday evening. We plan to post one hand an evening; we'll generally alternate, but Farren's schedule with Stardew Valley means that sometimes I will do two hands in a row and then Farren will do two hands in a row.

—SC

[Kilobit Casino]

Live from Kilobit Casino, it's Blackjack Bots II!

The format is a little different this year, with only four slots open and twenty hands to play, but what hasn't changed is the world's best engineering students programming bots to come play casino blackjack. The rules of the game itself has not changed, either.

In first seat and therefore starting our first hand, we have biancospino and his bot,

KellyBot

!
Our only returning student from last year, Ircher, is sitting in second seat and this time brings along

M Bot

!
In third seat, we have Charles510, who is bringing along

CharlesBot

!
And finally, in fourth seat, we have

Mist's Money Maker

, programmed by none other than Mist7676! It wishes all the other bots good luck

We also wish all of our bots the best of luck, and we will play out first hand tonight

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 1/20

Our second annual blackjack tournament is now underway. All bots have been given $1,000,000 to start with. Of their starting totals, KellyBot bets $97,000, M Bot bets $79,000, and the other two bots start more conservatively with Charles Bot betting $10,000 and Mist's Money Maker betting $5,000.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		20	$97,000	$903,000
M Bot		15	$79,000	$921,000
CharlesBot		17	$10,000	$990,000
Mist's Money Maker		15	$5,000	$995,000
Dealer		5

We once again have a bot acting unusually on a 20 this tournament. Last tournament, as Ircher remembers, Minimalist Bot was discovered to be programmed to hit on a 20. This time we have KellyBot splitting faces, not as obviously bad, but still something the book recommends against. But maybe KellyBot knows something we don't? The dealer is obliged to acknowledge KellyBot's call to split. The queen gets divorced from the jack and paired with an eight instead, and KellyBot is content with a hard 18 on its first hand. The jack gets paired with a king, and KellyBot once again splits, with the jack getting the company of a five. KellyBot stands on the 15, and the king gets mated with a nine. KellyBot stands on the 19 as well. The other three bots like their hands as they are and stay.

The dealer reveals its hole card.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot Hand 1		18	$97,000	$709,000
KellyBot Hand 2		20	$97,000
KellyBot Hand 3		20	$97,000
M Bot		15	$79,000	$921,000
CharlesBot		17	$10,000	$990,000
Mist's Money Maker		15	$5,000	$995,000
Dealer		26 OVER!

The dealer reveals an ace for a soft 16. The dealer must hit, and it gets a king. It must hit again, and it gets a ten, sending it over. Could there be a method to KellyBot's madness, now that it's comfortably in first place?

KellyBot wins $291,000.
M Bot wins $79,000.
CharlesBot wins $10,000.
Mist's Money Maker wins $5,000.

KellyBot leads with $1,291,000. Second place is M Bot with $1,079,000, CharlesBot is in third with $1,010,000, and Mist's Money Maker isn't making Mist money as fast as the other bots are making their programmers, but it's still five grand up at $1,005,000.

Hand 2 is next and will be started by M Bot.

[Kilobit Casino]

Post #11 has had a piece of flavor added to it that was actually in the bot's programming to do that I overlooked. We're not aware of any errors in the betting or decisions of Hand 1 at this time.

—SC

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 2/20

Hand #2 opens up, with M Bot opening the action.
M Bot makes a minor adjustment to its previous bet, wagering

$76,000.

CharlesBot repeats its previous bet of

$10,000

.
Mist's Money Maker increases its bet to

$6,000

.
KellyBot, as biancospino prophesied, increases its bet to six digits - opting for a wager of

$109,000

.

The cards are dealt ...

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		6	$109,000	$1,182,000
M Bot		Soft 17	$76,000	$1,003,000
CharlesBot		8	$10,000	$1,000,000
Mist's Money Maker		14	$6,000	$999,000
Dealer		9

The dealer has a nine showing. Not a good position for any of the bots here; will any of them manage to pull off a win?

[Kilobit Casino]

M Bot, with a soft 17, decides it does not want to press its luck. It opts to

STAND

.

CharlesBot, with an 8, asks for another card.

HIT.

It receives: an Ace of Diamonds. This brings it up to a soft 19 - which CharlesBot is content with;

STAND

.

Mist's Money Maker, with a 14, decides it can't risk going up against a 9.

HIT.

It receives: another Ace of Diamonds. Unlike CharlesBot, this doesn't improve the situation any; again it asks to

HIT

.
It receives: a King of Clubs, which brings it to 25.

BUST.

KellyBot, with a 6, chooses to

HIT

.
It gets: a Ten of Spades. Standing on 16 against a 9 ... well, there really are no right answers there. It chooses to

STAND

.

The dealer reveals: a Ten of Diamonds, putting it at 19 where it must

STAND

.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		16	$109,000	$1,182,000
M Bot		Soft 17	$76,000	$1,003,000
CharlesBot		Soft 19	$10,000	$1,000,000
Mist's Money Maker		25 OVER	$6,000	$999,000
Dealer		19

KellyBot loses $109,000.
M Bot loses $76,000.

CharlesBot pushes, keeping its bet.

Mist's Money Maker loses $6,000.

KellyBot keeps its lead with $1,182,000. CharlesBot moves up to second place with its push, at $1,010,000. M Bot drops to third place with $1,003,000. Mist's Money Maker trails at $999,000.

CharlesBot will start the action for Hand 3.

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 3/20

CharlesBot is first to bet and sticks with the tried-and-true $10,000 bet. Mist's Money Maker also continues to bet conservatively, going only $5,000 this time, whereas the other two bots continue to bet aggressively, with KellyBot putting forth $84,000 of its money and M Bot ponying up $74,000.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		13	$84,000	$1,098,000
M Bot		11	$74,000	$929,000
CharlesBot		Soft 21 BLACKJACK!	$10,000	$1,000,000
Mist's Money Maker		10	$5,000	$994,000
Dealer		6

Right off the bat, we have a player blackjack, with CharlesBot able to cash in on it. Mist's Money Maker doubles down and picks up a king. KellyBot once again acts unusually, doubling down for less on a hard 13 and putting forward only $21,000 extra. It asks for its card face down, keeping it a secret from M Bot, who must act without knowing what KellyBot's double down card is. Fortunately, M Bot is in an easy situation and also doubles down. Since it's last to act anyway, it sees no real point in asking for the card face-up, and everyone can see the nine that comes out of the shoe for it.

The dealer flips its downcard.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		13	$105,000	$1,077,000
M Bot		20	$148,000	$929,000
CharlesBot		Soft 21 BLACKJACK!	$10,000	$1,000,000
Mist's Money Maker		20	$10,000	$989,000
Dealer		20

The dealer flips over a queen, revealing a 16. It must hit, and it picks up a four. It must stand at 20.

We know that CharlesBot is having a chicken dinner tonight and that M Bot and Mist's Money Maker are going to push. All eyes now are on KellyBot. The best-case scenario is if its face-down card is an eight. If it's a seven, then KellyBot pushes, just like all the other bots that didn't get 21. If it is any other card, then KellyBot loses its bet.

Spoiler: KellyBot's face-down card is...

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		19	$105,000	$1,077,000

...a six, which is not enough. It saves $63,000 that it would have lost had it doubled down for full, but had it stood, the dealer would have gone over, and everybody would have won their bets. As it stands, however:

KellyBot loses $105,000.

M Bot pushes.

CharlesBot wins $15,000.

Mist's Money Maker pushes.

To its credit, though, KellyBot remains in first place with $1,077,000. CharlesBot closes the gap and now stands at $1,025,000. M Bot remains at $1,003,000, and Mist's Money Maker remains at $999,000.

Mist's Money Maker will start the action for Hand 4.

[Kilobit Casino]

KellyBot's score at the end of Hand 3 was $1,000 less than it should have been; we have rectified that error and credited the $1,000 back to the bot.

—SC

[Kilobit Casino]

Hand 4/20

Mist's Money Maker starts off the action, retreating back to its comfortable $5,000 bet.
KellyBot, perhaps a little spooked by the recent reversal of fortune, drops its bet down to $61,000.
M Bot takes the opposite tack, raising its bet up to $75,000.
CharlesBot repeats its now-customary bet of $10,000. The dealer swiftly pushes out the cards:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		14	$61,000	$1,077,000
M Bot		20	$75,000	$1,003,000
CharlesBot		14	$10,000	$1,025,000
Mist's Money Maker		15	$5,000	$999,000
Dealer		Soft 11

And it's a rough layout. The dealer has an Ace showing, which means it now must offer insurance.

Mist's Money Maker

declines

insurance.
KellyBot

accepts

insurance, making a side bet of

$30,500

that the dealer

will

have a blackjack, paying out 2:1 odds if it does.
M Bot

declines

insurance.
CharlesBot

declines

insurance.

The dealer scans its hole card ...

[Kilobit Casino]

... and keeps it face down. The dealer does

not

have a blackjack. KellyBot's insurance bet promptly disappears into the dealer's coffers.

KellyBot loses $30,500.

With the side bet resolved, we move to the main action. Up first: Mist's Money Maker.

Mist's Money Maker gestures for a card -

HIT

.
It receives: an Ace of Spades, bringing it up to 16. It ask for another card -

HIT

.
It receives: a King of Hearts, putting it at 26.

BUST

.

KellyBot is in much the same position; anything less than a 17 depends on the dealer busting, which isn't likely with an Ace. It too asks for another card -

HIT

.
It receives: a Queen of Clubs, putting it at 24.

BUST

.

M Bot, the only bot in a decent position, makes the obvious choice and

STAND

s.

CharlesBot follows down the same path as its predecessors -

HIT

.
It receives: a Three of Hearts. Not much of a chance, but better than nothing - it

STAND

s and hopes for the best.

The dealer reveals its hole card: a Two of Spades, putting it at a soft 13. It must

HIT

.
It gets: a Six of Spades, bringing it up to 19, where it must

STAND

.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		24 OVER!	$61,000	$1,047,500
M Bot		20	$75,000	$1,003,000
CharlesBot		17	$10,000	$1,025,000
Mist's Money Maker		26 OVER!	$5,000	$999,000
Dealer		Soft 19

KellyBot loses $61,000.

. This plus the insurance bet drops it to $986,500.

M Bot gains $75,000.

, bringing it up to $1,078,000.

CharlesBot loses $10,000.

, dropping it to $1,015,000.

Mist's Money Maker loses $5,000.

, dropping it to $994,000.

M Bot is now in the lead, with CharlesBot in second place. Mist's Money Maker moves up to third, while KellyBot drops to last place.

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 5/20

KellyBot circles back around to being first to act. This time around, it wagers $90,000 of its funds. M Bot is next to bet and slightly drops its bet to $72,000, CharlesBot sticks with betting $10,000, and Mist's Money Maker once again bets $5,000.

Out come the cards:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		15	$90,000	$896,500
M Bot		20	$72,000	$1,006,000
CharlesBot		5	$10,000	$1,005,000
Mist's Money Maker		5	$5,000	$989,000
Dealer		9

KellyBot is content with its 15 and stands.
M Bot, with a 20, also stands.
CharlesBot, unsurprisingly, hits its five and draws a nine. 14 is not enough for the bot, so it hits again and draws an ace. It decides to hit its 15 and draws a queen, busting on 25.
Mist's Money Maker hits its five and picks up a four, giving it a nine. It unsurprisingly hits again and gets a seven, giving it 16. The good news for the bot is that this is not poker, so it risks one more hit. The bad news is that this is blackjack, meaning that the eight it picks up busts it on 24.

The dealer flips its downcard.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		15	$90,000	$896,500
M Bot		20	$72,000	$1,006,000
CharlesBot		25 OVER!	$10,000	$1,005,000
Mist's Money Maker		24 OVER!	$5,000	$989,000
Dealer		24 OVER!

It's a five, which gives it a 14 that it must hit. It draws a jack and busts on 24.

KellyBot wins $90,000.
M Bot wins $72,000.

CharlesBot loses $10,000.
Mist's Money Maker loses $5,000.

M Bot retains the lead with $1,150,000, and KellyBot recovers to seven-digit territory with $1,076,500, enough for second. CharlesBot falls to $1,005,000, and Mist's Money Maker still isn't making Mist much money at all and remains in last with $989,000.

Our chip leader will start Hand 6 tomorrow night.

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 6/20

M Bot is first up to bet this time. It opts to keep its beat from last hand, pushing in

$72,000

.
CharlesBot bets second, again with its customary

$10,000

.
Mist's Money Maker goes third, but this time it shakes things up a little, betting

$17,000

.
KellyBot is last to bet; it drops its wager down to

$52,000

.

Out come the cards:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		19	$52,000	$1,024,500
M Bot		19	$72,000	$1,078,000
CharlesBot		15	$10,000	$995,000
Mist's Money Maker		8	$17,000	$972,000
Dealer		10

The dealer has a Queen, which means there's a chance it could have a 21. Insurance is only offered when the dealer has an Ace showing, but there's no point in playing out the action against a blackjack.

The dealer scans its hole card ...

[Kilobit Casino]

... and places the scanner down without further comment. No blackjack here! Play continues.

M Bot is up first. Not much to do with a 19; it opts to

STAND

.

CharlesBot goes next. With a 15, it chooses to

SURRENDER

- forfeiting half of its bet to protect the other half.

Mist's Money Maker is next, with an 8. It asks for another card -

HIT

.
It gets a Four of Spades, bringing it up to 12 - which is Not Enough.

HIT

.
It gets a Seven of Clubs, putting it at 19, where it decides it is satisfied.

STAND

.

KellyBot is last, with a 19. It follows M Bot's lead and

STAND

s.

The dealer reveals its hole card: a Two of Hearts, for a total of 12. The dealer must

HIT

.
It gets a Four of Hearts, for a new total of 16. The dealer must

HIT

again.
It gets a Nine of Spades, bringing it up to 25.

BUST

.

Everyone wins - except CharlesBot, whose decision to surrender does not pay off.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		19	$52,000	$1,024,500
M Bot		19	$72,000	$1,078,000
CharlesBot		15 SURRENDER	$10,000	$995,000
Mist's Money Maker		19	$17,000	$972,000
Dealer		25 OVER

KellyBot gains $52,000

, bringing its stack up to $1,128,500.

M Bot gains $72,000

, bringing its stack up to $1,222,000.

CharlesBot loses $5,000

, leaving it back where it started at $1,000,000.

Mist's Money Maker gains $17,000

, putting it at $1,006,000.

M Bot retains its lead; KellyBot keeps 2nd; Mist's Money Maker moves up to 3rd; CharlesBot is now in last, and will start off the action for the seventh hand!

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 7/20

CharlesBot finally ups its bet a little, wagering $20,000. Mist's Money Maker sticks with the minimum $5,000 bet that it usually has, KellyBot risks $57,000, and M Bot risks $72,000.

The cards are dealt:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		16	$57,000	$1,070,500
M Bot		20	$72,000	$1,150,000
CharlesBot		12	$20,000	$980,000
Mist's Money Maker		Soft 14	$5,000	$1,001,000
Dealer		6

CharlesBot decides it's worth betting that the dealer will bust and stands. Mist's Money Maker, having a soft 14, can get away with being more daring and decides to double. A good choice, too, as it picks up a seven and gets 21! KellyBot stands, as does M Bot.

The dealer flips its downcard:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		16	$57,000	$1,070,500
M Bot		20	$72,000	$1,150,000
CharlesBot		12	$20,000	$980,000
Mist's Money Maker		Soft 21	$10,000	$996,000
Dealer		13

Under its six is a seven. That gives it a 13, which it must hit. It does so and draws a seven, giving it a 20 to stand on.

KellyBot loses $57,000.

M Bot pushes.

CharlesBot loses $20,000.

Mist's Money Maker wins $10,000.

M Bot maintains its lead at $1,222,000, and KellyBot remains in second, although now down to $1,070,500. Mist's Money Maker picks up another $10,000 to put it at $1,016,000, and CharlesBot is in last place at $980,000.

The next hand is our first elimination hand. Which of these bots will be the first to send their engineer home?

[Kilobit Casino]

Another correction has been made to Hand 3 as regards Mist's Money Maker's stack after it doubled. As the bot pushed that hand, it does not affect any subsequent hands.

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 8/20

The first elimination hand is upon us. Will we be seeing any twists and turns? Let's find out, starting with the bets.

Mist's Money Maker opens first - and whatever burst of bravery that activated last hand is gone. It goes back to betting the minimum:

$5,000

.
KellyBot is second; it decides to stay the course from the last round, betting

$57,000

.
M Bot goes next; it makes a slight adjustment to its last wager, pushing in

$74,000

,
CharlesBot, currently in last place, pushes in another

$20,000

. This doesn't look like enough to get itself out of last place, but splits and doubles are a thing and could push up the stakes.

The dealer pushes out cards to everyone:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		13	$57,000	$1,013,500
M Bot		20	$74,000	$1,148,000
CharlesBot		12	$20,000	$960,000
Mist's Money Maker		20	$5,000	$1,011,000
Dealer		10

The dealer has a face card showing, which means there's a risk of a dealer blackjack. No insurance is offered here - will this round of the tournament end with everyone losing?

The dealer scans its hole card ...

[Kilobit Casino]

... and once again, leaves it face-down. No blackjack here; Mist's Money Maker is first to act.

Mist's Money Maker, unsurprisingly, opts to

STAND

on its 20.

KellyBot is less satisfied with its own standing. It signals for a

HIT

- and is promptly dealt an eight of diamonds, giving it 21!

STAND

, per Kilobit policies.

M Bot, with another 20, also chooses to

STAND

.

At this point, CharlesBot has one path to potentially avoid elimination - it has to double down and hope for a nine against a dealer 20. That would cause Mist's Money Maker to push instead of winning, putting it at $1,016,000, against a CharlesBot stack of $1,020,000.

Spoiler: What does CharlesBot do?

CharlesBot ops to

HIT

. It gets a seven of diamonds, giving it a 19, where it

STAND

s.

Even if CharlesBot had made the one possible play, it wouldn't have mattered. The dealer reveals its hole card - an eight of diamonds, giving it 18 where it must

STAND

. Everyone wins!

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		21	$57,000	$1,013,500
M Bot		20	$74,000	$1,148,000
CharlesBot		19	$20,000	$960,000
Mist's Money Maker		20	$5,000	$1,011,000
Dealer		18

KellyBot gains $57,000.
M Bot gains $74,000.
CharlesBot gains $20,000.
Mist's Money Maker gains $5,000.

[Kilobit Casino]

Spoiler: Standings and elimination

In first place: M Bot, with $1,296,000.
In second place: KellyBot, with $1,127,500.
In third place: Mist's Money Maker, with $1,021,000.
In fourth place: CharlesBot, with its original stack of $1,000,000.

CharlesBot

, as programmed by

Charles510

, is eliminated. Keeping your original stake can be quite a feat, but this time it's not good enough.

With this, the tournament will now pause for 48 hours. During this time, any player who has spotted any errors in their bot's behavior - cases where the bot has *not* followed the programming submitted to the

Kilobit Casino

- may submit them to us for review. If any errors are submitted, we will review them and make any corrections necessary - including replaying hands if necessary.

If no errors are reported, these results will stand. Note that the bots' programming cannot be changed, retroactively or otherwise.

(expired on 2023-04-24 23:00:00) left to submit error reports.

[Kilobit Casino]

We have received no error reports. As such, the results are now finalized.

CharlesBot

, as programmed by Charles510, has been eliminated from the tournament with a stack of $1,000,000. Thank you for playing!

KellyBot, M Bot, and Mist's Money Maker will resume play tomorrow.

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 9/20

KellyBot returns to being first to bet and puts forth $60,000 of its money. M Bot wagers $73,000; Mist's Money Maker, seeing a need to catch up if it doesn't want to be the second elimination, bets $55,000.

The cards are dealt.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		10	$60,000	$1,067,500
M Bot		5	$73,000	$1,223,000
Mist's Money Maker		14	$55,000	$966,000
Dealer		Soft 11

The dealer has an ace face up and therefore must ask our bots if they want insurance. KellyBot takes the offer and pays $30,000 for the insurance; the other two decline.

The dealer scans its hole card...

[Kilobit Casino]

...which reveals that the dealer has no blackjack, so it collects KellyBot's insurance bet for Kilobit Casino.

KellyBot loses $30,000.

But it hopes to make that money back and then some, since it has a good hand to double down on with a 10. It takes advantage of that opportunity... and gets a six, meaning it now has to hope the dealer busts. M Bot certainly isn't going to win with a five with its two cards, so it obviously hits, and it picks up a ten, giving it a 15. While it's not a great hand against an ace, it chooses to stand with that. Mist's Money Maker isn't happy with its 14, though, so chooses to hit and ends up drawing a four, giving it an 18 on which it stands.

The dealer flips its hole card:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		16	$120,000	$977,500
M Bot		15	$73,000	$1,223,000
Mist's Money Maker		18	$55,000	$966,000
Dealer		19

It is a four, giving it a soft 15. It must hit and picks up a king, converting the soft 15 to a hard 15. It must hit again and draws a four, where it must stand on 19. That's enough to beat all the bots.

Kelly Bot loses $120,000.
M Bot loses $73,000.
Mist's Money Maker loses $55,000.

KellyBot's big loss causes it to fall behind M Bot, the former of which is down to $977,500 behind the latter's $1,223,000. Mist's Money Maker remains in last place with $966,000.

Hand 10 will be dealt tomorrow night.

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 10/20

M Bot is first to open this time, and its wager is within its normal range:

$76,000

.
Mist's Money Maker goes next. The results of last round must have scared it off; it drops its wager to

$12,000

.
KellyBot is last to bet; it opts for a bet of

$58,000

.

Out come the cards ...

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		10	$58,000	$919,500
M Bot		16	$76,000	$1,147,000
Mist's Money Maker		21 BLACKJACK!	$12,000	$954,000
Dealer		2

And we have a blackjack!

Mist's Money Maker

gets an automatic win and a payout of 3:2. But what about everyone else?

[Kilobit Casino]

M Bot is first to act. It's happy with its 16; it chooses to

STAND

.
Mist's Money Maker is up next, but it doesn't have to do anything except count its winnings.
KellyBot is in a good position to double, with a 10 against a dealer 2 - and that's exactly what it does.

DOUBLE

. Its bet doubles to

$116,000

and it receives one more card, which it opts to hide. However, it's the last bot to act, so it reveals the card anyway: a Queen of Spades for a 20.

The dealer flips its hole card, revealing ... a three of hearts, for a total of five. That's a

HIT

.
The dealer takes one more card - an eight of hearts, for a total of 13. Not enough; it must

HIT

again.
Next card in line - the King of Spades. That's a 23.

BUST

. Everyone wins!

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		20	$116,000	$861,500
M Bot		16	$76,000	$1,147,000
Mist's Money Maker		21 BLACKJACK!	$12,000	$954,000
Dealer		23 OVER

KellyBot gains $116,000.
M Bot gains $76,000.
Mist's Money Maker gains $18,000.

KellyBot moves up to $1,093,000, in second place.
M Bot moves up to $1,299,000, in the lead.
Mist's Money Maker moves up to $984,000, in last place.

EDIT> Minor change that affects the flavor but not the result. ~Farren~

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 11/20

Mist's Money Maker is first to bet and makes the biggest single bet we've seen so far this tournament: $110,000. KellyBot bets $65,000, whereas M Bot bets $75,000.

The cards are dealt:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		19	$65,000	$1,028,000
M Bot		11	$75,000	$1,224,000
Mist's Money Maker		13	$110,000	$874,000
Dealer		9

Mist's Money Maker doesn't think its 13 will do against a nine, so it hits and gets a nine itself. That puts it at 22, where it busts. Kelly Bot is happy with its 19 and stands, whereas M Bot doubles its 11 and gets a deuce, unfortunately leaving it stuck with a 13. But hey, the dealer might bust...

The dealer flips its hole card:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		19	$65,000	$1,028,000
M Bot		13	$75,000	$1,224,000
Mist's Money Maker		22 OVER!	$110,000	$874,000
Dealer		22 OVER!

The hole card is a three, giving the dealer a 12. It must hit and picks up a deuce, giving it 14. It must hit again and draws an eight, busting it on 22. Two of our bots can capitalize on it.

KellyBot wins $65,000.
M Bot wins $150,000.

Mist's Money Maker loses $110,000.

That raises KellyBot to $1,158,000 and M Bot to $1,374,000. Mist's Money Maker falls back to $874,000.

Hand 12 tomorrow night

EDIT> Corrected a text error in who bet what; also corrected earnings for M Bot (doubled bet, doubled gains); total was correct. ~Farren~

[Kilobit Casino]

Two of the bots starts flashing an error message - KellyBot and M Bot. A Kilobit technician quickly moves over to investigate.

The technician holds up a loose cable by KellyBot. "Yeah, this'll cause an issue. We'll have to replay the hand."

They then check M Bot. "Validation error here. Its total is wrong.

"

After reviewing errors, the following changes have been made.

On Hand 11, KellyBot should have bet

$69,000

instead of

$65,000

. It therefore should

gain $69,000

, putting its earnings at

$1,162,000

.
On Hand 11, M Bot's total earnings after its doubled win should be

$1,449,000

.

We apologize for the errors.

~Farren~, on behalf of the

Kilobit Casino

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 12/20

KellyBot starts off the action this hand, and it's decided to spice things up a bit; it bets a whopping

$109,000

.
M Bot is next, but doesn't seem to feel any particular urgency. Understandably so, as it has a decent-sized lead at the moment. Its bet is line with its previous ones -

$77,000

.
Mist's Money Maker, on the other hand, takes the exact opposite tack; it bets an eye-popping

$289,000

.

The dealer dishes out the cards for a high-stakes hand:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		17	$109,000	$1,053,000
M Bot		15	$77,000	$1,372,000
Mist's Money Maker		12	$289,000	$585,000
Dealer		6

Not looking good for anyone here - but that includes the dealer.

[Kilobit Casino]

The bots are queried for their moves, starting with KellyBot. And each bot echoes the same thing:

KellyBot:

STAND

.
M Bot:

STAND

.
Mist's Money Maker:

STAND

.

All three bots opting to put their hopes in the dealer's inability to navigate a 6; only KellyBot has any hope to avoid a loss if the dealer doesn't bust.

The dealer flips over: a seven of hearts, for a total of 13. That requires a HIT.
It deals itself: a three of spades, for a 16. One more HIT, with the worst possible odds the dealer can face.
And those odds dish out: an eight of Hearts, for a 24.

BUST

. The bots made the right call here! Mist's Money Maker in particular dodges a bullet; if it had opted to hit, it would have received that three of spades instead - and then either given the dealer a 21 (bad) or busted (potentially worse).

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		17	$109,000	$1,053,000
M Bot		15	$77,000	$1,372,000
Mist's Money Maker		12	$289,000	$585,000
Dealer		24 OVER

KellyBot gains $109,000.
M Bot gains $77,000.
Mist's Money Maker gains $289,000.

KellyBot now stands at $1,271,000.
M Bot now stands at $1,526,000.
Mist's Money Maker now stands at $1,163,000. The standings remain unchanged, but the gaps have narrowed.

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 13/20

M Bot has first action this hand and bets $82,000. Mist's Money Maker is next and, hoping to close the gap some more, bets $109,000, whereas KellyBot bets $164,000.

The cards are dealt out for another high-stakes hand:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		20	$164,000	$1,107,000
M Bot		Soft 21 BLACKJACK!	$82,000	$1,444,000
Mist's Money Maker		19	$109,000	$1,054,000
Dealer		4

All of the bots are in a good position against a weak dealer upcard, but M Bot is in the best position it can possibly be in: it has a blackjack! It will be having a chicken dinner tonight courtesy of Kilobit Casino, but before we can serve that, we have to deal with our other bots. Mist's Money Maker, unsurprisingly, chooses to stand. KellyBot's split tens before, though, and it does again. The ten gets another king, and it chooses to split again. The ten is re-paired with a seven, and KellyBot is happy with standing on that hand's 17. Moving on to its next split hand, the dealer gives the first king a six, and while KellyBot is not the happiest with it, it chooses to stand. The other king is mated with a five, and KellyBot stands on that hand as well with a 15.

We can finally move on to the dealer, which reveals its hole card.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot Hand 1		17	$164,000	$779,000
KellyBot Hand 2		16	$164,000
KellyBot Hand 3		15	$164,000
M Bot		Soft 21 BLACKJACK!	$82,000	$1,444,000
Mist's Money Maker		19	$109,000	$1,054,000
Dealer		17

The dealer has another four for a total of eight. It, of course, must hit again and draws an eight. 16 is not enough for the dealer to stand, so it must draw again. It picks up an ace, allowing it to stand on 17. KellyBot now wishes it quit while it was ahead.

KellyBot loses $328,000.

M Bot wins $123,000.
Mist's Money Maker wins $109,000.

M Bot's still stands strong in the lead at $1,649,000. Mist's Money Maker moves into second with $1,272,000, while KellyBot's big loss causes it to drop to $943,000.

The second elimination hand is next. Who will make it to the final two?

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 14/20

It's time for the second elimination hand. Which two bots will be moving on to the finals? It's time to find out.

First, the bets. Mist's Money Maker is up first, and whatever had gotten into its programming earlier seems to have fled; it bets the table minimum of

$5,000

.
KellyBot is next, and it has no intention of going to the scrap heap quite yet - it pushes in

$378,000

- by far the biggest bet we've seen yet, and enough of a bet to potentially overtake Mist's Money Maker if it wins.
M Bot is last to bet. No surprises here - another bet of

$77,000

.

The dealer dispenses the cards:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		11	$378,000	$565,000
M Bot		15	$77,000	$1,572,000
Mist's Money Maker		17	$5,000	$1,267,000
Dealer		10

KellyBot with an 11 - an excellent position for it to be in. M Bot and Mist's Money Maker definitely at a disadvantage - a 15 and a 17, respectively. But the dealer has a 10, which means it might have a blackjack. No ace is showing, so there's no opportunity to make an insurance bet to salvage things.

If it has a blackjack, then everyone loses - which would knock KellyBot out of the tournament right here and now.

The dealer scans its hole card ...

[Kilobit Casino]

... and leaves it on the table, untouched. The dealer does

not

have a blackjack.

First up: Mist's Money Maker. With a 17, odds on hitting are very poor - and it chooses not to face them, opting to

STAND

.

Next up: KellyBot. With an 11, this is an excellent time to double. Furthermore,

Kilobit Casino

policies allow a bot to conceal its card when it doubles, which would allow us to maximize the amount of time we can build up the suspense.

KellyBot, however regretfully, did not include extra drama in its programming in this case. It opts to

HIT

- receiving a seven of spades for a total of 18.
Not the best total to bring up against a potential 20, but the odds of busting are too high - it chooses to

STAND

.

M Bot is last. With a 15, it signals a

SURRENDER

against the dealer's 10 - forfeiting half of its bet (but only half!) no matter the outcome.

Now, it's the dealer's turn. We know it doesn't have an ace. If it has an eight, nine or any ten-point card, KellyBot is out - a push won't be enough here. With a seven, Mist's Money Maker is out. With anything less, the dealer will have to hit - which could go either way.

Spoiler: What does the dealer have?

The dealer flips over its hole card to reveal - a two of clubs, for a 12. It must

HIT.

One more card, which is ...

Spoiler: This suspense brought to you by our sponsors

a jack of hearts, for a 22. The dealer is

BUST!

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		18	$378,000	$565,000
M Bot		15 SURRENDER	$77,000	$1,572,000
Mist's Money Maker		17	$5,000	$1,267,000
Dealer		22 OVER

KellyBot gains $378,000.

M Bot loses $38,500.

Mist's Money Maker gains $5,000.

[Kilobit Casino]

Spoiler: Standings, and the Elimination

In 1st place so far, with a current bankroll of $1,610,500: M Bot!
In 2nd place, with a current bankroll of $1,321,000: KellyBot!
In 3rd place, with a current bankroll of $1,277,000: Mist's Money Maker.

Mist's Money Maker, as programmed by Mist7676, has been eliminated from this tournament. It goes out having beaten the odds, but this time that's not good enough. Thank you for playing!

In accordance with

Kilobit Casino

policies, the tournament is now paused for 48 hours. Any player in the game (including the eliminated player) may submit an error report if their bot did not behave in accordance with its programming any time between hands 9 and 14. We will review all reports, and if any have any material impact, we will replay all hands from the moment of the error and adjust results as necessary.

Once the deadline passes, any unreported errors will stand.

(expired on 2023-05-02 23:00:00) left to submit error reports!

[Kilobit Casino]

We have received no error reports. The results are final -

Mist's Money Maker

, as programmed by Mist7676, has been eliminated. Thank you for playing!

The finals will begin tomorrow!

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 15/20

Each bot will rotate first action three times instead of two before elimination from here on out. KellyBot is first and ponies up a whopping $221,000, while M Bot wagers $80,000 of its money.

The dealer dispenses the cards from the shoe:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		13	$221,000	$1,100,000
M Bot		17	$80,000	$1,530,500
Dealer		5

While neither KellyBot nor the dealer is in a great position, KellyBot thinks it can improve its position and asks for a hit. The dealer gladly complies, and hands it a five. Happier with the 18, it stands. M Bot is good with its 17 and also stands.

The dealer reveals its hole card:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		18	$221,000	$1,100,000
M Bot		17	$80,000	$1,530,500
Dealer		17

It flips an eight, and with 13, it must hit. The dealer draws a four and now must stand on 17.

KellyBot wins $221,000.

M Bot pushes.

M Bot is still at $1,610,500, but KellyBot closes the gap, now with $1,542,000. Stay tuned tomorrow for Hand 16

[Kilobit Casino]

We'll be working on tonight's match later this evening (by Las Vegas time); we'll take a look at R then!

~ Farren ~ on behalf of the

Kilobit Casino

[Kilobit Casino]

We had some spare time and were able to look at it sooner.

KellyBot's R parameter is currently set to 0.5 as of the end of Hand 15, and will remain unchanged for Hand 16.

~ Farren ~ on behalf of the

Kilobit Casino

.

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 16/20

M Bot is first up to wager this time. Continuing with the trend of last round, it opts to push in a little more cash:

$85,000

.
KellyBot follows up with another large bid:

$281,000

.

Out come the cards:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		14	$281,000	$1,261,000
M Bot		17	$85,000	$1,525,500
Dealer		6

A risky position for everyone - but the dealer has a six showing.

With a 17, M Bot opts to STAND.
KellyBot, with a 14, has more choices. But it too opts to STAND, trusting that the dealer will bust.

The dealer reveals its hole card ...

[Kilobit Casino]

... revealing an ace of clubs, for a 17. Dealer stands.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		14	$281,000	$1,261,000
M Bot		17	$85,000	$1,525,500
Dealer		Soft 17

KellyBot loses $281,000.

M Bot pushes.

KellyBot falls to $1,261,000. M Bot remains at $1,610,500 and retains its lead.

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 17/20

KellyBot continues to make big bets in an effort to catch up, this time betting $253,000. M Bot is more conservative, betting $85,000.

The cards are dealt out:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		Soft 21 BLACKJACK!	$253,000	$1,008,000
M Bot		15	$85,000	$1,525,500
Dealer		10

KellyBot has a blackjack, which is great, but the more important question right now: does the banker? With a king up, the dealer cannot ask for insurance, and the hole card is immediately put in the scanner.

Spoiler: And the scanner says...

...that the dealer does not also have blackjack, which means KellyBot's big bet paid off!

M Bot, however, doesn't see itself as so lucky. With a hard 15 against the dealer's king, neither hitting nor standing is an attractive option, and so the bot opts to cut its losses and surrender.
The dealer just flips over its hole card, which was a seven, and sits back. It would have had to stand anyway.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		Soft 21 BLACKJACK!	$253,000	$1,008,000
M Bot		15	$85,000	$1,525,500
Dealer		17

KellyBot wins $379,500.

M Bot loses $42,500.

KellyBot's blackjack enables it to capitalize on M Bot's surrender and take the lead, the score now being $1,640,500 to $1,568,000. Hand 18 is up next as the finals for Blackjack Bots II continue.

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 18/20

Three hands left to go in the tournament. M Bot gets to open this one; it continues its foray into the eighty-thousands with a bet of

$82,000

. KellyBot, on the other hand, decides to dial things back a notch, pushing in

$183,000

.

Out come the cards:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		Soft 14	$183,000	$1,457,500
M Bot		17	$82,000	$1,486,000
Dealer		10

Not the best of positions here, and the dealer has a 10. Does it have a blackjack?

The dealer scans its hole card ...

[Kilobit Casino]

... and bleeps a negative. The hand continues!

M Bot is first to act. With a 17 - even against a 10 - it doesn't have a lot of good options. It opts to STAND.
KellyBot, with a soft 14, has more options. It avails itself of those options, opting to HIT - getting a queen of hearts.
Not really an improvement - changing its soft 14 into a hard 14. That doesn't change its move, though - again, it HITs. The dealer promptly flips another card - a three of spades.
That's 17, and KellyBot is satisfied; it STANDs.

The dealer reveals: a five of spades, for a 15. Good odds of going bust here; did the bots make the right call? The dealer flips itself a card ...

Spoiler: Did they win?

... and it's a five of hearts, for a 20. The dealer STANDs there, and that's it for the hand this round. Everyone loses.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		17	$183,000	$1,457,000
M Bot		17	$82,000	$1,486,500
Dealer		20

KellyBot loses $183,000.
M Bot loses $82,000.

M Bot comes out ahead thanks to a lower bet, but its lead is thin - and there are only two hands left to go.

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 19/20

It is the penultimate hand of the second annual Blackjack Bots tournament, with either bot potentially able to win. KellyBot returns to being first to act and goes bold with a bet of $365,000. M Bot, however, bets a more conservative $85,000, perhaps hoping KellyBot suffers a big loss.

The cards are dealt out:

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		9	$365,000	$1,092,500
M Bot		12	$85,000	$1,401,500
Dealer		9

KellyBot has a nine. Against a dealer nine, it's not the best hand to double with, so it decides to HIT instead, picking up an eight to give it a 17. Happy with that, it STANDS.
M Bot has a twelve and decides to HIT. It also picks up an eight—of the same suit, no less, but that doesn't matter in blackjack—and ends up with a 20. Unsurprisingly, it then STANDS.

The dealer flips its hole card to reveal that behind its nine is another nine, giving it an 18 on which it must STAND. This is better news for M Bot than for KellyBot, as a 17 will not cut it.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		17	$365,000	$1,092,500
M Bot		12	$85,000	$1,401,500
Dealer		18

KellyBot loses $365,000.

M Bot wins $85,000.

M Bot moves up to $1,571,500, well ahead of KellyBot's $1,092,500, but M Bot is not safe. The next hand will be the last, and KellyBot could bet

EVEN MORE

money in an attempt to attain the gold medal. Which bot will win?

[Kilobit Casino]

HAND 20

It all comes down to this final hand. Whichever bot has the most money at the end of this hand will walk away with the victory, and the grand prize - a huge cash payout to the winning team's college. First - and arguably the most important - comes the betting. KellyBot is behind, but it has one major advantage - it gets to bet last. Will it take advantage of this?

M Bot is queried for its bid first. It pops up -

$91,000!

M Bot's largest bet so far - nowhere near the figures some of its opponents have been willing to wager, though. Still, if its opponent was counting on it to be predictable, it may very well have thrown it a curveball.

KellyBot is queried for its bid. biancospino, its programmer, has promised us that KellyBot's bid would bet even more. Does it?

Yes, yes it does.

Spoiler: But does it bet enough?

The figure pops up:

$437,000.

It could be enough! If M Bot loses and KellyBot wins, then KellyBot has bet enough to win the tournament. Of course, doubles and/or splits could change things up too - but that will have to wait for the cards, which are coming up next!

[Kilobit Casino]

The dealer, unperturbed by the implications of the bets, dishes out the cards.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		19	$437,000	$655,000
M Bot		19	$91,000	$1,480,500
Dealer		4

Normally, any player sitting at a blackjack table would be happy to see these numbers. A 19 against a dealer's 4? Decent odds for a win! Unfortunately, these aren't the numbers KellyBot needed to see. It needs to win, but it also needs M Bot to lose - and if it's tied with M Bot, that can't happen - they'll share the same fate no matter what happens.

M Bot has to go first, and is naturally satisfied with its 19; it opts to STAND.

KellyBot is up next.

If both bots win - or if both bots lose - KellyBot loses the tournament. It has only one hope - it has to double down.

Double down on a 19? Preposterous - normally. But here, the ability to double its bet means that if it wins despite having to take one extra card, it will take the lead even if M Bot wins. And if it loses? Well, it's no worse off than it would have been otherwise. Its odds are poor, but poor odds beat impossible odds any day of the week.

Spoiler: What does KellyBot do?

Unfortunately for KellyBot, this edge case was not accounted for in its programming. It looks at its 19 and signals STAND.

The dealer reveals its hole card: a jack of clubs. Which means it has to HIT. It reaches for the deck - which means everyone will now get to know: did KellyBot have a chance at all? If it had doubled down, would it have won?

Spoiler: The dealer reveals ...

... an ace! An ace of diamonds!
The dealer, now at a 15 - flips over another card - an ace of clubs. Two aces in a row!
That's a 16, so the dealer hits once more, drawing a ten of clubs and finally going BUST. If KellyBot had claimed that first ace, the dealer still would have busted at 25 - the desperation play would have worked!

Both bots win the hand.

Bot	Hand	Total	Bet	Stack
KellyBot		19	$437,000	$655,000
M Bot		19	$91,000	$1,480,500
Dealer		26 OVER

KellyBot gains $437,000.
M Bot gains $91,000.

[Kilobit Casino]

Spoiler: Final standings

The final totals have been tallied.

In 1st place, with $1,662,500: M Bot!
In 2nd place, with $1,529,000: KellyBot!
In 3rd place, being eliminated in hand 14: Mist's Money Maker!
In 4th place, being eliminated in hand 8: CharlesBot!

As always, the players have 48 hours to report any errors that occurred in hands 15-20. If none are reported, these final results will stand.

(expired on 2023-05-10 21:00:00) remaining.

[Kilobit Casino]

With all remaining players waiving their right to contest, the results are locked in.

Congratulations to M Bot, programmed by Ircher!

Game over.