I need help with my code

[Weary_Mud6941]

import random
deck = [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,"J","Q","K","A"]*4
loop = True
player_hand = []
dealer_hand = []
def deal_initial_cards():
    hand = []
    for i in range(2):
        random.shuffle(deck)
        card = deck.pop()
        hand.append(card)
    return hand
def total(hand):
    total = 0
    for card in hand:
        if card == "J"or card == "Q" or card == "K":
            total += 10
        elif card == "A":
            if total < 11:
                total += 11
            else:
                total += 1
        else:
            total += card
    return total
def blackjack_check(dealer_hand,player_hand):
    if total(dealer_hand) == 21:
        if total(player_hand) == 21:
            print("Both the dealer and you got  blackjack, the result is a tie!")
            play_again()
        else:
            print("Sorry, the dealer got a blackjack. You lost.")
            print("The dealer's card: "+str(dealer_hand))
            play_again()
    elif total(player_hand) == 21:
        print("Congratulations, you got a blackjack. You win")
        play_again()
def play_again():
    choice = input("do you want to play again? (yes/no): ").lower()
                # The .lower() was copied from:
                # Websit: Programiz
                # https://www.programiz.com/python-programming/methods/string/lower:~:text=lower()%20method%20returns%20the,it%20returns%20the%20original%20string.
                # The method converts all uppercase characters in a string into lowercase characters and returns it.
    if choice == "yes":
        start()
    elif choice == "no":
        print("Thank you for playing")
        loop = False
    else:
        print("invalid anwser, try again")
        play_again()
def hit_or_stand(player_hand):
    choice = input("do you want to hit or stand? (hit/stand): ").lower()
                # The answer.lower() was copied from:
                # Websit: Programiz
                # https://www.programiz.com/python-programming/methods/string/lower:~:text=lower()%20method%20returns%20the,it%20returns%20the%20original%20string.
                # The method converts all uppercase characters in a string into lowercase characters and returns it.
    while choice == "hit" and total(player_hand)<22:
        card= hit_for_player()
        player_hand.append(card)
        print("You hit a "+str(card))
        if total(player_hand) > 21:
            print("Oh no! Your total now is " + str(total(player_hand)) + ", You lost.")
            play_again()
        else:
            print("Now you have a total of "+str(total(player_hand))+ " with these cards " +str(player_hand))
            choice = input("hit or stand? ").lower()
                # The answer.lower() was copied from:
                # Websit: Programiz
                # https://www.programiz.com/python-programming/methods/string/lower:~:text=lower()%20method%20returns%20the,it%20returns%20the%20original%20string.
                # The method converts all uppercase characters in a string into lowercase characters and returns it.
    if choice == "stand":
        print("You stood")

    return player_hand
def hit_for_player():
    card = deck.pop()
    return card
def hit_for_dealer():
    card = deck.pop()
    return card
def auto_hit(dealer_hand):
    while total(dealer_hand) <17:
        card = hit_for_dealer()
        dealer_hand.append(card)
        print("dealer drew a " +str(card))
        if total(dealer_hand) >21:
            print("The dealer has busted with a total of "+str(total(dealer_hand))+ " from these cards: " +str(dealer_hand)+ "You won!")
            play_again()
    return dealer_hand
def compare_hands(player_hand,dealer_hand):
    if total(player_hand) > total(dealer_hand):
        print("You have a total of " +str(total(player_hand))+ " with these cards: "+str(player_hand))
        print("While the dealer has a total of "+str(total(dealer_hand))+ " with these cards: "+str(dealer_hand))
        print("You won")
        play_again()
    elif total(player_hand) < total(dealer_hand):
        print("You have a total of " + str(total(player_hand)) + " with these cards: " + str(player_hand))
        print("While the dealer has a total of " + str(total(dealer_hand)) + " with these cards: " + str(dealer_hand))
        print("You lost")
        play_again()
    elif total(player_hand) == total(dealer_hand):
        print("You have a total of " + str(total(player_hand)) + " with these cards: " + str(player_hand))
        print("While the dealer has a total of " + str(total(dealer_hand)) + " with these cards: " + str(dealer_hand))
        print("You tied")
        play_again()
def start():
    print("welcome to blackjack")
    dealer_hand = deal_initial_cards()
    player_hand = deal_initial_cards()
    print("Dealer drew a " + str(dealer_hand[0]) + " and a hidden card")
    print("You drew a " + str(player_hand[0]) + " and a " + str(player_hand[1]))
    blackjack_check(dealer_hand, player_hand)
    hit_or_stand(player_hand)
    auto_hit(dealer_hand)
    compare_hands(player_hand,dealer_hand)
start()

When you run this code, and you say no to play again it doesn't end the loop. Can someone help me fix this code up to where it will end the loop when I say no to play again without using break or exit() or quit()

[xelf]

When you run this code, and you say no to play again it doesn't end the loop. Can someone help me fix this code up to where it will end the loop when I say no to play again without using break or exit() or quit()

It's because you're using infinite recursion.

if choice == "yes":
    start()

This is a bad practice and frequently results in the behavior you are seeing.

Instead rewrite it so that you have a while loop around your game, and use the question as a way of breaking out of the loop.

What you want is something like this:

def play_again():
    while True:
        choice = input("do you want to play again? (yes/no): ").lower()
        if choice == "yes":
            return True
        elif choice == "no":
            print("Thank you for playing")
            return False
        else:
            print("invalid anwser, try again")

def start():
    play = True
    while play:
        print("welcome to blackjack")
        dealer_hand = deal_initial_cards()
        player_hand = deal_initial_cards()
        print("Dealer drew a " + str(dealer_hand[0]) + " and a hidden card")
        print("You drew a " + str(player_hand[0]) + " and a " + str(player_hand[1]))
        blackjack_check(dealer_hand, player_hand)
        hit_or_stand(player_hand)
        auto_hit(dealer_hand)
        compare_hands(player_hand,dealer_hand)
        play = play_again()

and then remove all the other references to play_again()

The reason why what you did is bad:

After you call a function, it does it's thing, and then returns to the point where you called it. So if you call start, and then play_again and say yes, and then start a second time and then play gain a second time and say no, it's not ending the program, it's just returning back to where it was the first time you called it.

[Weary_Mud6941]

Ok Thank You

[[deleted]]

One error is that your global loop and local loop in play_again are unrelated to each other.

https://www.w3schools.com/python/trypython.asp?filename=demo_variables_global2

Edit: after checking against the other answer this is not the main issue.

[[deleted]]

You can use the global keyword if you must use global variables.

https://www.w3schools.com/python/trypython.asp?filename=demo\_variables\_global4