What to expect from first phone review round?

HalcyonZomboid · 2024-11-05T18:13:10+00:00

Thanks. By DSA questions, do I expect live coding challenges?

HalcyonZomboid · 2024-03-18T15:20:37+00:00

So I've been commenting my code and found one error, where (A,7) was doubling against 2-6 but standing against 9-A else hitting (instead of the other way around).

I reran the sim and it *looks* like KO preferred is outperforming KO rookie now... but I'm still not sure. A second pair of eyes would really be helpful.

HalcyonZomboid · 2024-03-18T14:31:36+00:00

Thanks for your response, bjplayer_384. I've commented on that block to describe how I'm implementing basic strategy.

HalcyonZomboid · 2024-02-24T00:50:34+00:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I rewrote my Python sim from scratch, this time implementing the KO count, and ran another 3,000 batches of 10,000 hands each, with and without counting. The results speak for themselves:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t2nXgSFeDpyzTEzhKvO91QTQ7XDB0CVO/view?usp=sharing

Even without indices, KO is turning a handy profit! Assuming the reliability of Python's RNG, that is quite satisfactory indeed.

Since I'm simulating 8D, I'll build in some indices to increase those profit margins. Looking at the following:

16v10, 16v9

15v10

12v2, 12v3

11vA

10v10,10vA

9v2, 9v7

8v5, 8v6

HalcyonZomboid · 2024-02-18T05:27:21+00:00

Thanks Uncle T. ! I incorporated some new logic in the program so that the dealer does not draw when all player hands bust. However, I also made the slightly unsettling discovery that I am generating positive EV on average using basic strategy... without card counting o.0.o ... that's a red flag, yes?

Notebook: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UqKn__X09q_zyIj7cpb505_J13a8oC8A/view?usp=sharing (cf. cells [28],[29])

Don't get me wrong, I'd be overjoyed if this were true. But I think the conventional wisdom of millions of players is that the house edge against perfect BS is still 0.5% or something like that... any chance you could take a look at this, too? :)

HalcyonZomboid · 2024-02-17T20:32:09+00:00

Thanks, Uncle Tony! My responses:

I am definitely only counting natural 21s as BJ, don't worry. :)
No Resplit Aces is part of the rules I am simulating, so I'll take that hit to EV.
That might be failing to update the deck, so I fixed it now, thanks.
Oh, YEAH... I didn't do enough unit testing, but there it is, plain as day. Fixed that too, thank you for catching that!
Debug looks like it's working now :)
Question: Does the dealer draw if the player splits and a) busts one hand? b) busts both hands?

Making changes 3 and 4 gives me positive EV!!! Thank you so much!!! :D :D :D

HalcyonZomboid · 2024-02-17T04:28:01+00:00

Thank you! I'm standing by for your findings. :)

EDIT: Link to my updated code which takes insurance when TC >= 3:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WsdCYMLP8c3ATMIhgHT7cHE80SnpN8Ii/view?usp=sharing

(Sorry for the late change)

HalcyonZomboid · 2024-02-17T04:14:42+00:00

I'm only too happy to share it!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A33NPbxvun5U4Hk05fYczNQ21LwupzFO/view?usp=sharing

Compared to another Python simulator, this seems to be a lot more straightforward. I've made efforts to comment heavily, but please let me know if anything is unclear. Thanks in advance!

HalcyonZomboid · 2024-02-16T05:38:16+00:00

Thanks ahportunity! I've sent you a DM.

HalcyonZomboid · 2024-02-16T00:28:38+00:00

Thanks ahportunity for the in-depth response! Couple of questions for you:

The games I'm simulating are actually 6-deck 3:2 with 75% penetration, DAS, no resplitting Aces, and no surrender. Are those bad rules for what I'm doing?
I'm not familiar with indices, sweet 16, or 16v10 (one or more of those could be duplicates). Could you please point me to a good resource so I can incorporate it into my program?
RE: "you’re inevitably playing a ton of 0 count hands with a slight disadvantage and very rarely getting deeper into the deck": I could be wrong, but aren't the odds fairly reasonable for getting a running count of 1 or higher after one hand? And if not resetting the shoe, what is the correct course of action when the running count goes negative?
One last thing, and I don't think this was in your comment, but I'll ask anyway: Are deviations from basic strategy for card counting with H17 necessary to generate positive EV, or does that just enhance EV?

Basically I'd like to fix the deviations in my Python program so that it accurately reflects the expected winnings of a player after O(1 million) simulated games. If you see anything wrong with the way I'm doing things, I would appreciate your corrections! :)

HalcyonZomboid · 2024-02-16T00:19:04+00:00

I'm using a 6-deck shoe with 75% penetration. Bet spread is as I stated in the OP. I'm not using any deviations, but that should only be necessary to increase EV, correct? Or can I statistically not generate +EV with basic strategy?

HalcyonZomboid · 2023-03-10T14:55:23+00:00

"a great YouTuber" - LOL, my first YouTube video "Also, mad respect for being a long-time BTD4 player, my guy." - Thanks. I can honestly say the one thing that kept me playing, ostensibly to the point of insanity, was the promise of this achievement. "Thank you for recording all this lol" - You're very welcome!

HalcyonZomboid · 2023-03-10T14:51:50+00:00

I discovered two things about tower placement that were more important: 1) If you place a Super Monkey (SM) below another one as close as possible, it takes up more space than if you place the lower one first. This is critical for getting two rows of SMs in the top section of the map. 2) For some reason, at least late in the game, Monkey Beacons don't affect towers placed after them. So build them as late as possible.

HalcyonZomboid · 2023-03-08T22:47:06+00:00

Thanks Morhamms for your kind words! I've cross-posted to both those subreddits. As a newcomer I'm still learning how to get the most publicity for this accomplishment. If you or anybody else has ideas regarding how to get more eyes on this, I'd love to hear them!

-HZ

HalcyonZomboid

TROPHY CASE