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|E ^0Brainware|E                  ^1 Master21 |E                  ^0Brainware|E 
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^C^1by^0
^C^1Stan Ockers^0


     Have you ever played a game of "Blackjack" or "21" with friends,
lost a bundle, and wondered if there was an intelligent, logical
approach to playing this popular game?  Well, there is such an
approach, and the secrets are revealed here in Master21.  With some
practice and dedication you can push the limits of luck a few,
critical percentage points in your favor!

     Master21 reveals an optimal strategy developed over 35 years ago
that combines the count value of your hand with the dealer's up card
to determine if you should take another card or stay with those you
already have.  Hints are given to you based on this strategy.  After
mastering this optimal strategy, you can push the odds of success
further in your favor by learning the technique of card counting.
There is no particular strategy here; you just keep track of the
ratio of cards with a value of 10 to those non-10s remaining to be
dealt.  Master21 continually computes this ratio, and it is available
to you as a hint when betting.  The number of aces left to be dealt
is also monitored and available when betting.  You can follow the
scheme of your choice and use the hint to check whether you are on
track.  With some practice, you can play your friends again -- this
time armed with a solid approach!


^1Master21 Main Menu^0

     The main menu may be invoked at any point in the game by
pressing F10.  This allows you to modify aspects of the game at any
point in the play, including:  adding a new player, changing the type
of a particular player, buying or turning in chips, or asking for a
reshuffle.

     Active Keys from Main Menu:

     Number (1..9)                 -    Select matching option
     Mouse - Right Button
     Enter

     Up Arrow                      -    Move highlight bar up
     Mouse - Up

     Down Arrow                    -    Move highlight bar down
     Mouse - Down
     Space Bar

     Esc                           -    Exit Master21
     Mouse - Left Button

     The following options are available from the main menu:

     ^11^0 About Program
               Displays the title screen.

     ^12^0 Instructions
               Displays instructions for playing Master21.  There
               are four screens of instructions.

               Active Keys:

               Page Up             -    Previous page
               Mouse - Up

               Page Down           -    Next page
               Mouse - Down

               Esc                 -    Exit option
               Mouse - Right Button

     ^13^0 Playing Speed
               This option allows you to adjust the speed of
               play.  The speed of play deals with, among other
               things, how long messages are displayed and how
               fast cards are dealt.  A speed of 1 is the fastest
               speed, while a speed of 9 is the slowest speed.

               Active Keys:

               Right Arrow         -    Move right
               Mouse - Right
               Mouse - Right Button

               Left Arrow          -    Move left
               Mouse - Left

               Number (1..9)       -    Select number for speed
               Enter                    (exit option)
               Mouse - Left Button

               Esc                 -    Ignore changes/
                                        Restore previous state

     ^14^0 Player Types
               This option allows you to select the class or type
               of player.  There can be up to four players in the
               game, and the types of players are AUTO (computer
               controlled), MAN (human controlled), or NONE
               (non-existent).  You can have less than 4 players,
               but you must have at least 1 active player which
               can be either AUTO or MAN.

               Active Keys:

               Right Arrow         -    Move selector right
               Mouse - Right
               Mouse - Right Button

               Left Arrow          -    Move selector left
               Mouse - Left

               Up Arrow            -    Move selector up
               Mouse - Up

               Down Arrow          -    Move selector down
               Mouse - Down

               Enter               -    Exit Option
               Mouse - Left Button

               Esc                 -    Ignore changes/
                                        Restore previous state

     ^15^0 Number of Decks
               This option allows you to select the number of
               decks that will be used in the game.  You can
               play with up to 6 decks of cards.  The number of
               decks is relevant to the number of 10s or aces
               available to be dealt.

               Active Keys:

               Right Arrow         -    Move right
               Mouse - Right
               Mouse - Right Button

               Left Arrow          -    Move left
               Mouse - Left

               Number (1..6)       -    Select number of decks
               Enter                    (exit option)
               Mouse - Left Button

               Esc                 -    Ignore changes/
                                        Restore previous state

     ^16^0 Bank Transaction
               This option allows you to make a transaction at the
               1st National Bank of Vegas.  You can buy more chips or
               turn chips in.  Any time you run out of chips you
               become a non-player.  At the start of the game each
               player's account is -$300 with a chip count of $300.
               If at any point in the game your chip count becomes
               greater than $800, the excess money is added back into
               your account at the bank.

               Active Keys:

               Right Arrow         -    Move to right player
               Mouse - Right
               Mouse - Right Button

               Left Arrow          -    Move to left player
               Mouse - Left

               Up Arrow            -    Turn in chips
               Mouse - Up

               Down Arrow          -    Buy chips
               Mouse - Down

               Esc                 -    Exit option
               Enter
               Mouse - Left Button

     ^17^0 PLAY!
               Play Master21!

     ^18^0 Review Play
               This option allows you to view the last 100 hands
               that have been played.  The dealer's cards are
               shown along with the player's cards for each hand.
               Also shown is a graph and chip count giving the
               total for the player at the end of each hand.

               Active Keys:

               Left Arrow          -    See left player's progress
               Mouse - Left

               Right Arrow         -    See right player's progress
               Mouse - Right

               Up Arrow            -    Scroll up
               Mouse - Up

               Down Arrow          -    Scroll down
               Mouse - Down

               Spacebar            -    Exit option
               Esc
               Enter
               Mouse - Left or Right Button

     ^19^0 Quit
               Quit playing Master21.

^1Master21 Betting^0

     All new players start with $300.  Use the arrow keys or the mouse
to select the appropriate stack and move chips to and from the betting
square.  The maximum bet is $80.  If you decide to bet the max, you can
manually move $80 worth of chips to the betting square or you can press
F5.  F5 will put $80 dollars worth of chips in the betting square;
however, after the chips are in place, your turn is automatically over.

     Active Keys:

     Left Arrow                    -    Select stack to left
     Left Mouse - Left

     Right Arrow                   -    Select stack to right
     Mouse - Right

     Up Arrow                      -    Move chips to betting square
     Mouse - Up
     Mouse - Left Button
     Spacebar

     Down Arrow                    -    Move chips from betting square
     Mouse - Down

     Enter                         -    Complete the bet
     Mouse - Right Button

^1Master21 -- After The Deal^0

     After every player has bet, the cards are dealt to each active
player, and the manual players are given a chance to either take
another card or stand.

     Active Keys:

     Spacebar                      -    Take a hit
     Mouse - Left Button                (receive a card)

     Enter                         -    Stand
     Mouse - Right Button               (refuse a card)

^1Master21 Hints^0

     Hints are available on most screens.  If hints are available,
press "H", and the hint will be displayed.

^1Master21 Help^0

     Help is available from almost any screen by pressing F1.

^1Master21 -- Game Over^0

     As long as any player on the screen has money, the game will
continue.  The game will end when the last active player, manual or
automatic, runs out of money.


^C^1Outside On Disk Monthly^0

     To run Master21 outside of ^1On Disk Monthly^0, type
^1Master21^0.


Disk files this program uses:
^FMASTER.EXE
