CVData V4 Improvements
A new version of the CVData Blackjack simulator is now available. If
you are unfamiliar with this product, you can obtain information on the
CVData page. Version 4 changes are
outlined below. Note: Only added features are mentioned. (For blackjack
game, practice and drills, see CV Blackjack
Game.)
 Advanced
Blackjack Simulator
Philosophy
Over the years, many people have created Blackjack simulators to examine
complex techniques. Generally, these sims can only be used by the developers
themselves as they have little or no user interface. The trick is to create
a very generalized interface that can be used by non-programmers to specify
complex conditions and techniques. Such is the attempt in this software.
Version 4 Additions
Ease of Use
- Manuals - There are now two printed manuals. The 96 page Reference
Guide provides detailed explanations of the features and options. However,
there now exist so many features that an additional 48 page User's Guide
has been created. This is a full color manual with dozens of screen
shots, advice and step-by-step instructions to get you started.
- Templates - These are preconfigured sims to get you started quickly
with simple simulations, index generations, Spanish 21 or side bet strategy
creation and simulation.
Technology/Speed
- For a couple of decades we have happily seen PCs increase dramatically
in speed year after year. But a wall was hit a couple of years ago.
Speed increases are now implemented primarily by using multiple cores.
Intel is in its third generation of dual-core chips; now has four core
chips and there are even a few eight core systems. AMD was first with
a dual-core and is on much the same path. Unfortunately, most simulators
do not run any faster on these chips as they do not support multi-threading.
CVData V4 supports multi-threading. Speed on a Quad-Core chip with four
threads is about 3.9 times the speed of one thread. (About 50 times
the speed of SBA for a Blackjack Attack sim.)
- Half-threads is the name of a new feature added to increase the speed
of sims on multi-core PCs while still providing substantial processing
power to other applications.
Custom Rules and Side Bets
The casinos have gone wild with new side bets. Another major addition
to the support of customized rules and side bets is made in this version:
- Poker-like Hands are now supported.
- Streak bets supported.
- Mix and Match allows you to combine various player and dealer cards
to be tested for bonuses.
- Bonuses can be Additive or not.
- Up to 20 side bets and bonuses can be defined in one sim.
- There is now the ability to save your own custom rules and side
bets in a library.
- Many standard Side Bets are supplied in the library including:
21+3, Big Slick, Bonanza Blackjack, Dare
any Pair, Field of Gold, High Tie Bonus, Lucky Ladies, Lucky Lucky,
Match the Dealer, Over/Under, Pair Square. Perfect Pairs, Royal Match,
Spanish 21, Super 7's, Sweet 16 and Streak.
The idea is to allow the specification of tens of thousands of new
rules without learning a programming or scripting language. The 17 side
bets above are all defined by standard Windows option boxes and dropdowns;
not programming code. It is possible to define a bonus that pays if
the dealer up and players first card make a straight-flush, one card
is the Queen of Hearts, there is a third card that is a Four and the
dealer Busts with a Nine just by selecting options. An absurd rule;
but that's the point.
Advanced Functions
The following functions have been moved from the CVData/Hard
Core product into CVData V4.
- Hole-Carding Simulation - Hole-carding support includes the specification
of up to three strategies, one when you don't see the hole card, one
when you see the card and the dealer upcard is high and one when the
upcard is low. The focus is on cover play, not perfect play. You can
also control how often you see the hole card, how often you win Insurance
and under what conditions you see the card. Generally basic strategies
are used; but card counting indexes are supported.
- Hole-Carding Strategy Generation - The index generator can now generate
hole-carding strategies for various rules. Although most players don't
use card counting indexes, index generation is supported including risk
averse indexes. You can now generate (but not sim) partial knowledge
holecarding strategies.
- Double Exposure - DBX is very much like HC except that the dealer
takes ties and there is no need for cover. This means, for example,
you will hit a 20 against a 20. DBX simulation and strategy generation
are supported including the use and generation of indexes.
- Heat - A major focus of CVData has always been the cost of using
highly complex cover. V4 adds two levels of periodic heat. During these
periods, when the player perceives heat, playing and betting strategies
can be changed. The purpose is a more realistic calculation of advantage
that doesn't always assume perfect playing conditions.
Double-Strategy Rules
There exist some new rules that require two sets of strategy tables.
These are now supported:
- Double Down Rescue. One strategy is used for normal Surrender and
different strategy for a Surrender after a Double.
- Discard after Split supported allowing you to throw away a split hand.
A separate strategy is supported to indicate when to discard the Split
hand.
- Discard after Double supported. A separate strategy is supported to
indicate when to discard the DD card and draw another.
Data
There are now 600 columns of data generated. Most columns are generated
per player. But there is never enough. So:
- There are some sets of data that have been too unwieldy to generate.
For example, data is collected by True Count and data is collected by
Hand Depth. But, there have been requests for a combination of the two.
For example, what would a set of True Count data look like only for
the second hand? Generating tables for every combination of TC and hand
depth would add over a hundred thousand new data points alone. The solution
is a new feature called MRI Slices. Like a medical MRI machine, cross
sections of data can be created by limiting stats to a specified range
of TCs, RCs, Hand Depths, shoe segments or Units Bet. This will build
tables that, for example, would show TCs of +4 at a hand depth of 3.
With this feature one can now obtain data that used to require custom
programming.
- The Multi-Sim feature has been modified to allow many sims to automatically
run, each taking a different MRI Slice.
- The new Dealer Hands tables are also affected by the MRI Slice feature.
This allows, for example, data to be collected on dealer hands at a
requested TC, RC, units bet or hand depth, or section of the shoe or
ranges of any of these.
- We don't always play the same game. What is the overall data of all
the games we play? For example; suppose we play six decks, S17, DAS
with a large spread 50% of the time; the same with heavy cover 30% of
the time and Single deck, with a small spread and H17 20% of the time.
ComboSim now allows you to combine multiple sims into one. All ten thousand
stats are combined and displayed as if one sim had been run.
- The Customize button on the sim output main page now allows you to
change hands/hour after a sim, switch between hands played or hands
observed in SCORE calculation, specification of Standard Deviation in
units or dollars and definition of a new relative performance stat called
Game Factor based on EV, DI or SCORE.
- Half count true betting now allows betting, wonging and statistic
collection by half-TCs.
Miscellaneous
- Weak counts like Front Count, Speed Count and counts that look only
at the current round are supported. Variations supported. This feature
also allows count adjustment part way through shoe. Some KO players
do this.
- Inverse wonging allows you to enter below a specified TC or RC and
exit above.
- Variable penetration is supported. (Penetration is extremely important
and what dealer always cuts to the exact same card?)
- Several improvements to HTML reports. (Sample
Report)
- Cover Wonging added. For example, do you leave the table immediately
after a push? What is the effect of delay?
- CVIndex can now create a chart for an index
- Many minor improvements.
CVData/ST
The CVData/HC add-in has been renamed CVData/ST and will concentrate on
shuffle tracking. These features are only available in the add-in product.
- The shuffle has been doubled in speed.
- Shuffles can now have 200 steps. Note: A two pass riffle & restack
and stepladder is only five steps. But in fact I did get a request to
increase the steps from 50.
- Multiple, independent track and play zones now supported for shuffle-tracking.
In fact, you can have two pairs of married trackzones and the software
will pick the best and set up the playzones accordingly.
- Shuffle map feature added from CVShuffle to CVData/ST.
Note: Only recent additions are described on
this page. For a full feature set see CVData
Features .
Orders
Upgrades
- The CVData upgrade includes the new manuals and costs $40 from V3
and $60 from earlier versions. CVData/HC users can receive free upgrades
to CVData V4 and CVData/ST. This is on the honor system as the upgrade
can be downloaded from the Download Page.
Download
For demo and update downloads go to the Download
Page.
Futures
I don't like to talk about future additions. But, I will say that CVData
remains a live product.
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