A simple IRC bot using Python and Twisted Python, incorporating a multi-player (player versus player) variant of Pontoon ("Blackjack"), loosely called Shed Pontoon, which is played in the IRC channel.
You will need Twisted Python
Run the bot by typing:
./PontoonBot.py
It will join the IRC server at the address specified in main, and connect to the channel defined at the top of the file.
Each player needs their own entry in the players.xml file. This maps their IRC nickname against the chips they have, as well as some basic statistics (games played and won, etc). It also has the concept of a bank, in which each player can deposit/withdraw their chips for safety. Of course the XML file can be manually edited.
To bank 200 of your chips do the following (in the IRC channel):
!bank 200
Withdrawing 200 from the bank into your current working funds is similar:
!bank -200
Shed pontoon is a variation on traditional pontoon, the main difference being the players play against each other rather than against the dealer, although the dealer is currently responsible for dealing cards and paying winning hands. It currently uses a card shoe combining 6 decks, with a shuffle marker. Cards are shuffled only when the marker is hit, and a new marker is placed randomly between the last 60-75 cards of the shoe.
Players may elect to have a nickname, and change it as they wish. This is done using the command:
/msg <bot-name> set nickname <new-nickname>
Just passing a space character as a nickname will effectively unset any nickname.
Winners are decided based upon the best hands, and winning players are payed bonuses according to their hand type:
- Shed pontoon - 3 7s of any suit ( 7x bonus )
- 5 card trick totalling 21 ( 4x bonus )
- 5 card trick ( 3x bonus )
- Traditional pontoon - Ace and a ten or picture card ( 2x bonus )
- Clown Wagon bonus - Only remaining player and hand is 16 ( 1.5x bonus )
- High cards - Highest total ( No bonus; just pays the stake back )
A game is started with the command (entered into the IRC channel):
!pontoon <playerlist>
For example:
!pontoon dave kevin bob
Note that all players must be present in the channel and have an entry in the players.xml file. Subsequent !pontoon commands with no arguments will start a game with the players specified previously, and rotate this list every game.
Each player is then dealt a card, and a turn of betting begins.
Dealing proceeds in the order passed to the !pontoon command. Initial bets are placed for each player. When this round is over, the next round begins where players attempt to get the best hand possible.
Maximum bets are governed by how many people are in the game. This is to avoid single player games racking up huge wins due to increased odds. This is set as:
- 1 player - 1% of players' total chips
- 2 players - 10% of players' total chips
- 3 players - 20% of players' total chips
- 4 players - 25% of players' total chips
- 5+ players - 50% of players' total chips
After initial bets, players compete to try and attain the best possible hand before either sticking or busting. Shed pontoon supports sticking, twisting, buying, burning and splitting (up to 4 times). After each player has finished playing, winning calculations are performed, and bets paid.
STICK
If a player has 16 or over, they may stick.
TWIST
A player may twist to get another card from the dealer. Once a player twists, buying a card is not possible.
BUY
Buying a card costs the player their initial bet, and has the advantages that the other players can't see the card, and also will contribute to their winning pot if this hand wins.
BURN
If a player has 2 cards with a total of 14 (not including aces) they may elect to burn. This costs them their initial bet, and gets them a fresh hand. There is no limit to the amount of times a player may burn if they get multiple hands meeting the burn criteria.
SPLIT
If a player is dealt 2 cards of the same denomination, they may choose to split. This creates a new hand and places the initial bet on the second hand. This may be done up to 4 times, and each hand is then played in turn, normally.
At the end of the game, the winning hand(s) are paid. If there are multiple winning hands they all win. In the case of players having several hands (ie they have split) each hand is counted independently. So for example:
Bob, 21, Pontoon
Bob, 20, Normal
Dave, 16, Normal
Bob would win on both hands and Dave would lose on his 16. However, if the hands were:
Bob, 21, Pontoon
Kevin, 21, Pontoon
Bob, 18, Normal
Both Bob and Kevin would win on their pontoon hands but Bob would lose on his 18 hand.
If 2 players have split and have the same hands, they would both win on both hands providing no other hands beat them, ie:
Bob, 21, Pontoon
Bob, 18, Normal
Dave, 21, Pontoon
Dave, 18, Normal
Would pay Bob and Dave on both hands, but if Kevin had a 19 hand, Bob and Dave would only win on their pontoons.
Please report any issues or bugs you may find and I will do my best to fix them.