Free Blackjack Combinatorial Analyzer

Update:The code for this software is now open-sourced and can be found here

BlackjackInfo community member MGP has kindly released his blackjack combinatorial analyzer software for Windows as freeware.

Download the zip file here: MGP_BJCA_Setup.zip (7.6 MB).

The software license grants free usage for private, non-commercial use.

Unzip the downloaded file and run the included Setup.exe file. The software requires Microsoft Windows XP or later.

It also requires the .Net framework version 1.1. This is almost certainly an older version of .Net than you already have, so you will need to install that package as well.

You can find version 1.1 at Microsoft.com: .Net Framework v1.1 Redistributable Package (23 MB).

Thanks MGP for an exceptional program!

Screenshots (click to enlarge):

What is Combinatorial Analysis?

Combinatorial Analysis is an algorithmic method of determining the number of different ways of arranging things. As applied to the game of blackjack, this is a four step process:

• Examine every possible hand that could be dealt.
• Assess the outcome of each possible strategy choice at every decision point.
• Weight those results by the appropriate probability of occurrence.
• Finally, sum all those outcomes to arrive at an expected return for the game.

This is a completely deterministic process. There is no simulation or Monte Carlo random selection at work here. Instead, this is a brute-force examination of every possible ordering of cards off the shuffled deck.