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Boris for Blackjack Release 4.45 for Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP/VISTA
ReadMe
Notes: All Editions — Updated: December 15, 2007
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For
more Information, upgrade Editions and pricing, go to:
joeblows1..com
or borissoftware.borisbj21.com.
Table
of Contents
This
document contains the following Sections:
$ Document
Overview and Software Registration
$ Software
Overview:
Boris for Blackjack - A Software
Overview by Boris “himself”.
$ System
Requirements
Installing Boris from CD.
Installing Boris from the Website
Download Page.
$ Boris
for Blackjack Release 4.40
$ What’s NEW
$ Recent Fixes
$ Known Problems (under Investigation)
=========================================================================== Document Overview and Software
Registration Number for Free Upgrades
This Read Me file contains important product
information on Boris for Blackjack Release 4.4 for Microsoft Windows 95, 98,
NT, ME, Windows 2000, XP and VISTA.
Casino Gaming Software and our
marketing-affiliates appreciate your interest in Boris’ Software products. We believe that there is no other Blackjack
software available that can compare with Boris’ Comprehensive Features and
Accuracy.
As you shall see in the following Overview, you
TRULY get what you pay for.
For
free access to Boris’ on-going upgrades, send e-mail to: upgrades@borisbj21.com
to receive a registration code (if you don’t already have one) and the URL of
Boris’ Download Page.
Boris for
Blackjack - A Software Overview by Boris Himself (Updated:
12-15-2007)
This File brings you information regarding the latest release of
the Boris for Blackjack, Casino Blackjack Simulation Software.
While the software Editions differ greatly in features, ALL
Editions contain Boris' famous "Blackjack Engine". This "Engine" represents the MOST
ACCURATE and most HIGHLY DETAILED Blackjack software simulation available to
the gaming industry today. As you will
soon discover, Release 4.54 takes the Boris Standard and moves it up a notch,
keeping Boris light-years ahead of the competition.
Since 1991, with Boris' Blackjack-Engine, you are guaranteed
accurately simulated shuffle and "wash" (card-preparation)
procedures. Most Blackjack computer
software simply generates "random" cards for the shuffle. Last I recall, that is NOT what is being done
in ANY casino. Random cards would be
the equivalent of playing "52-Pickup" 3 times for each shoe. Not only is this ludicrous, more important,
it is NOT ACCURATE.
Most Blackjack players are not programmers; most programmers are
NOT Blackjack players. With Boris, you
get both: expert Software Development and the collaboration with many Blackjack
experts and professional-level players during the last 15 years. Thanks to this professional influence, you
will find Boris screen layouts (Blackjack Table, Statistics and Casino
Management) reflecting the REAL WORLD of Blackjack. Everything you see on the screen is there for a reason; the
underlying reason being casino simulation accuracy.
While Boris may not be as "pretty" as the competition,
what good is "glitter" if the "engine" running the software
is a Model T, or the software in general is archaic, inaccurate or
obsolete? Contrary to popular belief,
there is more to beating Blackjack than JUST Card-counting and Basic
Strategy. Boris for Blackjack provides
you with a number of features enabling the study of other winning Blackjack
methods, such as Clump-Tracking, Clump-counting, Shuffle-Tracking, Target,
B.I.A.S; as well as the ability to evaluate a bundle of different betting
methods.
With Boris for Blackjack, possibly for the first time in
Blackjack history, we have a practice tool that can bring us closer to meeting
our practice goals in a shorter amount of time. While practicing with Boris, don't be surprised to find that you
LOSE much of the time (in comparison to play against other Blackjack
programs). This is because Boris
software simulations mimic Real-World-Conditions so closely. What you see with Boris is most likely the
"way" it will look in that casino at that point in time (since the
table opened).
I am reminded of
when I dealt Blackjack for an amusement company outside of Cleveland. While I trained all their dealers how to
properly "wash" and shuffle the cards, they pretty much universally
didn't give a damn, and did as they pleased (one dealer even had the PLAYERS
shuffling the cards). My table was the
only one consistently dealing a Vegas-style game; and, as a result, was the
most difficult to beat. Needless to
say, there were always a line of people waiting to give my table a shot, while
the other tables were often near empty.
People want the REAL THING! (It
sure sells a lot of cola...).
In keeping with Boris’ desire to be light-years ahead of all other
Blackjack Software, look for the KING Shuffler and ONE2SIX Shufflers have been
recently added to the software. It is
my belief that the KING IS BEATABLE.
Because the ONE2SIX shuffler is essentially the same as the KING (with
50 slots instead of 19 shelves) we may well find that similar principles apply
to exploiting this machine. As of
November 2007, I have received several reports from a colleague in the U.K. who
has been winning 200 – 500 pounds per 40 minute session against the ONE2SIX
shuffler. He is excited about having
Boris’ stat screens to evaluate the details of how he is able to accomplish it.
As always, beating the game of Blackjack is about ACCURACY. With Boris for Blackjack, you have
the most ACCURATE Blackjack Simulation Software in existence. Give it a whirl... Play it... Use it for
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and MORE PRACTICE!
Then, when you are ready, you can tackle the live casino environment
with a confidence you will not believe!
Write me and tell me how you do at:
play-reports@borisbj21.com.
You can submit Casino-Reports for inclusion in Boris at: casino-reports@borisbj21.com.
Boris
Ron Fitch for Boris - ron@borisbj21.com
System Requirements
$ An x-86 Processor (Pentium, Celeron, Xeon, etc. or their AMD
equivalent) is required. The new
Dual-Core chips should provide excellent performance, even though Boris is not
designed to take advantage of those designs
$ Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP and now VISTA. Windows emulators under Apple and Linux seem
to produce adequate (but not spectacular) results, although with the latest PC
Macs, I would not be surprised to find that emulation performance has improved
dramatically.
$ 128mb. System Ram (software uses up to 32mb)
$ 30 mb. Of Disk space
$ A VGA Compatible Monitor Supporting 800x600 or 1024x768
Resolution.
===========================================================================
Installing
Boris-for-Blackjack
CD Installation
The BorisInstall.Exe program is under
reevaluation so for Boris 4.45we are simply making use of the tried and true Setup.Exe.
Installation from
Website Download
After downloading
Boris from a website (such as Boris’ D/L Page), unzip the .ZIP file into a
temporary (installation) folder. Your
Unzip program may auto-invoke Setup.Exe, making your job easier.
Installation
Considerations
Remember to
shutdown all running applications BEFORE installing Boris for Blackjack
Software. Because Boris for
Blackjack uses a variety of ActiveX (.Ocx) controls, attempting
installation while other applications are active may result in a number of
Installation Warning messages, requiring your attention. When in doubt, simply restart Windows before
Installing Boris for Blackjack.
Boris 4.45 adds
“445” to the names of most files, eliminating any conflicts with previous
editions.
If there is a
failure at any point during the installation of Boris' Blackjack Software, the
Setup.Exe facility will perform a complete uninstall of the software
installation up to that point.
Under some Windows
installations, there has been a version conflict with the file:
EXPSRV.DLL. Because the most current
version of this file is best left to the Operating System itself, this file has
been eliminated from Boris Installations.
Some software users
have reported that the bottom of the Boris screen is cut off by the taskbar
icons. In Version 5.X, look for Boris
to sport a completely re-sizeable screen.
In the meantime, we have determined that the best solution to this
annoyance is to change the taskbar settings such that it is automatically
hidden until you drag the mouse to the bottom of the screen; which pops it
up. This affects a useful compromise,
and, you might find that you actually PREFER it this way.
What’s New with Boris’ Release 4.45
Boris
for Blackjack Release 4.45 represents a considerable amount of re-design “under
the hood” to improve the look and feel as well as enhance the Blind-Simulation
facility built-in to Boris. Since Boris
4.44, the look/feel of the Blackjack table has been enhanced, as well as the
stat screens. Boris PRO+ users will
note a number of stat screen rewrites giving you more detailed information than
ever before.
In
Boris’ 14 years of existence, Boris has continued to offer state-of-the-art
features with regard to shuffle and wash procedures, as well as the latest in
shuffle machines. No other Blackjack
software correctly shuffles and washes the cards. More important, no other Blackjack software has ever attempted to
emulate the various shuffle machines widely in use in today’s casinos. Currently, Boris supports SIX shuffle
machines. With minor exceptions, if you
see it in the casino, you can practice against that machine simulation using
Boris.
$ Boris’ Opening Banner
Screen
The Opening Banner
Screen has been enhanced with the addition of TWO Option Buttons which appear
during startup after Software Installation.
Once you select a Screen Resolution and Click on [Begin Boris], the Option Buttons will disappear.
$ Boris’ Container Screen
Boris’ Container Screen (the Screen with
Boris’ face) has undergone some subtle, yet significant changes designed to get
things ready for play in a much more succinct manner.
$ There is now a Quick
Casino Entry screen allowing you to invoke the most common kinds
of playing environments. Or, if you prefer,
you can X-out of that screen and directly load a .ENV File (Ctrl-L) from the
list of “canned” .ENV Files.
$ We now load Casino
Descriptor Files (.CDF’s) &
Environment Files (.ENV’s) from the Container Screen BEFORE Entering the
Blackjack Table.
$ Once a .ENV file has been loaded, you can now:
1) invoke the Player Setup Screen (Ctrl-P)
2) invoke the Casino Management Screen (Ctrl-R)
3) invoke the Casino Information Screen (Shift+F5)
4) Display the F1, F2 & F3 Statistics
5) invoke the Cardviewer/Shoeviewer (PBJ, PRO & PRO+ Editions)
$ Boris’ Blackjack Table has been completely revamped
Looking at the Blackjack Table Felt, you’ll
notice some significant changes in the look and feel aspect of the screen. These changes have been made to provide an
even greater amount of realism in the Display Simulation. Noticeable changes include:
$ The table felt has taken on a realistic brushed look. That is because the felt in Boris was
derived from DigiCam pictures of a real Blackjack felt, enhanced electronically
to give it a more “expensive” feathered look.
$ The Discard Tray has been streamlined
$ The drop slot now emulates a brass fixture, with a [SITDOWN] button
underneath it.
$ The Strategy DataBOX (pops up over the chip tray) has now been
enhanced for each software Edition (Student Edition and higher).
$ The Table Identification Plaque looks more realistic and modern.
$ The Blackjack PEEK Device has been improved; both operationally as
well as visually.
$ The Font’s used for Felt Lettering have been revamped, giving a more
pleasing look. The Felt is now also
capable of displaying 6:5, 8:6, 2:1. Etc. for the Blackjack Payoff. The Dealer Draws message supports Hard-17,
as well as Soft-17.
$ The Insurance BAR has been revamped. The BAR’s graphic is based directly on a live Blackjack Felt.
$ The Betting Circles have been reworked from the inside out, giving
us more flexibility.
$ Boris’ Strategy Designer has been completely revamped
For Advanced
Edition Users (and Higher) the Strategy Design Facility has been significantly
enhanced, making it easier to modify most of the strategies found in
Boris. It is recommended that you back
up the .sDB file before making any changes.
$ Boris’ [F1], [F2], [F3] Statistics Screens have been enhanced
cosmetically
The Detailed Statistic Screens have all
been re-evaluated and in many cases color-enhanced, in line with giving the
stat delivery a more psychological-impact (Ex: Red means something
bad/undesirable; Green represents something good/desirable). Most screen entries now have “tool tips”
that popup information about that piece of data when you move the mouse cursor
them. For example, on the F3 Table
Stats, the Insurance Index data pops up the actual formulas used to compute
those indexes, giving you insight into how those formulas are derived.
$ Casino Management Screen (Ctrl-R) and Player Setup Screen (Ctrl-P) have
been enhanced cosmetically
$ The Casino Management
Screen’s [F2] and [F5] Tabs have been streamlined and functionally enhanced.
$ The Player Setup Screen
now includes some card-counting style enhancements (esp. Good for unbalanced
counts), along with the ability to Spread-seats from this screen (Advanced
Edition and Higher).
$ Boris’ Internal Design Changes
Internally, Boris has undergone some
significant design changes, making the software more robust than ever. As a result, “software bloat” is quickly
reducing, while Blind-Simulation speed is continuously improving.
Boris continues to leverage Microsoft’s ActiveX Technology, rather
than making the jump to the .NET platform.
While .NET is useful for some applications, Boris’s Software is better
leveraged using the ActiveX Technology and Visual Basic 6.
Boris for Blackjack Release 4:
Software Notes & Warnings
As
of December 15, 2007 there a couple of operational warnings to note for Boris
Release 4.45:
1.
When
invoking the Ctrl-T (Hit Stand Legend Box), it may appear on one side of the
screen the first time around. However,
on the next hand of manual play it will correct itself to the proper location on
the screen (be it left or right side).
2.
The
Player Setup (Ctrl-P) screen has been recently revamped with one minor problem: When a player is added is added to the
table, setting the Betting/Playing strategies works fine unless you switch back
and forth between the player seats before saving the .ENV file. The solution is to make the correct
settings, exit the player setup screen (Ctrl-P again) and then SAVE the .ENV
file, so you don’t lose the settings.
While this is a hassle, at least we can work around it for now. We will have this problem properly resolved
in Boris 4.45a.
3.
There
have been complaints that the Hit-Stand Buttons (known as the DecisionBAR) is
obscured by the windows taskbar at 800x600 resolution. The recommendation is to either turn off
the Task-Bar, OR, better yet, right click the task-bar and edit the following
properties:
·
Check-off:
Auto-hide the Task Bar
·
Uncheck:
keep the task bar on top of other windows.
Boris for Blackjack Updates
4.44a –> 4.44d:
Upcoming Fixes
and Enhancements
Release 4.45a Update
Release
4.45a will bring us fixes to any reported problems. Look for the Boris 4.45a around March of 2008.
Release 4.44b Update
Release
4.44b will bring us even more Stat Screens for Boris’ PRO+ Edition.
The
PRO+ Users have waited a long time for these screens, whether they know it or not.
A
number of new operation enhancements will be made to the software which
will
benefit all Boris Editions. That way,
everyone benefits.
Additional
updates to will quickly come into being based on your submissions
to
Boris’ “Wish List” (wishlists@borisbj21.com)
along with influence from
my
ongoing Blackjack Research.
========================================================================
Boris for Blackjack Releases 4.50:
Upcoming Fixes
and Enhancements
Details
of what to look for in Boris 4.50 will appear in this ReadMe file in Boris
Updates 4.45a and 4.45b.
Boris Sound Tutor to be
implemented
With
Release 5, look for Boris' Sound Tutor Facility to appear. With the Sound-Tutor, Boris will be able to
VERBALLY instruct you in the proper play and insurance decisions, as well as in
the overall play of the game. To
accommodate the people's different requirements, the Sound-Tutor will allow you
to select from several degrees of sound tutoring.
Additional Strategies Slated to
be implemented - along with the new Strategy Design Facility.
Look for additional strategies to appear
under Version 4.50. Slated for
inclusion is Knockout (K-O) Blackjack, Wong Hi-Lo, and Wong-Halves; amongst
others.
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Product Enhancements and BUG Fixes
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Because
this is a new Release, this section is temporarily empty.