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CONTENTS
                        STRATEGY POKER
                 Copyright (c) 1993 Bob Stech
                      All Rights Reserved

Strategy Poker is a 5 card poker game similiar to the video
poker games found in Las Vegas.  This is a 9-6 game
(see DRAW POKER ODDS). The player bets from 1 to 5 coins and
get five cards.  0 to 5 of these cards can be discarded and new
cards received.  The object is to get the highest possible
poker hand, thereby receiving more points for your bet.

The games features strategies for perfect play, meaning that
for every possible hand, there is only one correct play, based
on the mathematical outcome for every possible combination for
that hand.  See STRATEGY for a discussion on this subject.

Other features of the game include:
     AUTOPLAY, where the computer will automatically play
                an unlimited number of hands according to
                the strategies contained in this program.
     TRACK MODE, where your errors based on the startegy
                will be recorded for later review.
     SHOW MODE, where the computer will show you which
                cards to keep.
     LEARN MODE, there the computer will not let you discard
                the wrong cards.
     BEEP MODE, where the computer will beep if your play
                is incorrect but will allow you to continue.

Players sign in by initials to play the game and a variety of
STATISTICS are kept to let you analyze your play.  High hands
are kept by initials with number of hands between them to give
you an average number of times these hands appear for you.
CONTROLS are available to control speed and sound.


Other topics available:

GENERAL OPERATION
TECHNICAL INFORMATION, includes backing up data files and
                         installing new releases.
NEW RELEASE INFORMATION
REGISTRATION



                      DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY

THE AUTHOR MAKES NO WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION, EITHER
EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO THIS SOFTWARE OR
DOCUMENTATION, INCLUDING THEIR QUALITY, PERFORMANCE,
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

IN NO EVENT WILL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT,
SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF
THE USE OF OR INABLIBITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE, DOCUMENTATION, OR
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS SOFTWARE OR DOCUMENTATION.

STRATEGY POKER is the copyrighted property of Bob Stech You are
granted a limited license to use STRATEGY POKER, to copy and
distribute it, provided the following conditions are met:

    1.  No fee may be charged for such copying and
        distribution other than actual costs incurred,
        plus any small distribution fee.

    2.  STRATEGY POKER may ONLY be distributed in its original,
        unmodified state, complete with data files and
        this documentation.

    3.  STRATEGY POKER may not be distributed as part of a
        package or group of programs.

    4.  The paid registered version may NOT be distributed.



                       NOTICE

If you paid a shareware distributor, bulletin board fee, etc.
for this program, you paid for the service of copying and
distributing the program, and not for the program itself.
Nothing ever gets to the author of this product from such a
sale.  You may evaluate this product, but if you make use of
it, you should register your copy.

                  The ShareWare Concept

The ShareWare concept is an attempt to provide software at low
cost.  The cost of offering a new product by conventional chan-
nels is staggering, and hence dissuades many independent au-
thors and small companies from developing and promoting their
ideas.  ShareWare is an attempt to develop a marketing channel
where products can be introduced at low cost.

If the ShareWare concept works, then everyone benefits.  The
user will benefit by receiving quality products at low cost,
and by being able to try the software before purchasing it.
The author benefits by being able to enter the commercial
software arena without first needing large sources of venture
capital. But it can only work with your support.

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REGISTRATION
              REGISTRATION FOR STRATEGY POKER

To register your software, print the file ORDER.TXT or just
write the information on a piece of paper and send with a check
or money order for $10.00 to:

              Bob Stech
              5454 Kellogg Ct.
              Willoughby, Ohio  44094

You will receive a special code which will allow you to
register your software on the ABOUT screen.  This code will be
valid for all future releases of this software.  Also, all
statistics generated to date will be preserved from the
shareware version into all future releases.

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STRATEGY
                         STRATEGY

The strategy found in this game is based on mathematical odds.
Every hand (there are over 2 million combinations) will fall
into a ranking category from 1 to 28.  You should keep the
lowest number ranking hand because this offers the best odds to
improve your hand based on all possible outcomes.  It is
important to remember that for any given hand, a different
strategy might produce better results.  It is based solely on
the shuffle of the cards.

Remember, it is common to get a hand that has multiple
rankings.  Always play the lowest ranking hand.

THIS STRATEGY APPLIES ONLY TO A 9-6 POKER GAME WITH A JACKPOT
OF 4000 POINTS FOR A ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH WITH MAX POINTS BET.
see DRAW POKER ODDS

After your cards are dealt, use F10 to review the rankings if
you are not sure which hand you have.  The rank you have will
be blinking.

Each rank has a specific expected return percentage associated
with it, based on all possible draws.  The higher your hand in
the rank, the higher the expected return percentage.  A
positive expected return does not mean you will win money on
that hand, but that if you played that hand for every draw
combination possible, you would have won more points than you
lost. Also, a negative expected percentage does not mean that
you cannot win on that hand, but that if you played enough of
this hand to draw every possible draw, you would lose more
points that you win.  You can develop some interesting
statistics from this data.  For example, a low pair, rank 15 is
the cutoff for an a positive versus a negative expected return.
Everything above has a positive expected return percentage and
everthing below has a negative expected return percentage.
Co-incidentally, this hand is also the most common hand dealt.
I will leave it to your investigation to determine just how
common this hand is compared to the others and if it falls into
the positive or negative expected return category.

The Draw History option shows a summary by initials of the rank
off all your hands, the outcome, and the percentage return that
you experienced.  The last page for each initials show the
total hands and the overall won/loss percent.

With autoplay, you could generate a lot of statistics.  You
might be able to use this data to get some idea of the casino
advantage for a game of this type.

The following table is the rank table.  Some examples are given
in cases where there might be confusion.  A high card is a
JACK, QUEEN, KING OR ACE.

      RANK   HAND

        1.   Royal Flush
        2.   Straight Flush
        3.   4 of a Kind
        4.   4-card Royal Flush
        5.   Full House
        6.   Flush
        7.   3 of a Kind
        8.   Straight
        9.   4-card Straight Flush
       10.   Two Pair
       11.   High Pair
       12.   3-card Royal Flush (10,Q,K hearts)
                                (Q,K,A hearts)
       13.   4-card Flush
       14.   Open straight 10-J-Q-K only (mixed suits)
       15.   Low Pair
       16.   4-card Straight
             open at both ends
       17.   3-card Straight Flush - Type 1
             a. No high card & none missing (4,5,6 clubs)
             b. one high card & 0 or 1 missing (8,9,J clubs)
                    (9,10,J clubs)
             c. two high cards (eg 8,J,Q clubs)
       18.   2 high cards same suit-no ACE
       19.   Four high cards
       20.   2 high cards same suit one is ACE
       21.   3-card Straight Flush - Type 2
             no high card & 1 missing (6,7,9 clubs)
             one high card & 2 missing (7,8,J clubs)
             ace is one of cards (A,4,5 or A,2,4)
       22.   4-card inside straight (9,J,Q,K mixed suits)
             with 3 high cards
       23.   3 high cards, but discards ACE if one of the
             cards and play rank #18
       24.   2 high cards (J,Q)
       25.   Jack-10 or Queen-10 or King-10
             of the same suit
       26.   1 high card
       27.   3-card Straight Flush - Type 3
             no high card & 2 missing (5,6,9 clubs)
       28.   None of the Above

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GENERAL OPERATION
                      GENERAL OPERATION

PLAY - Select to begin play.  Your initials will be requested
       before you can start.  Statistics are kept by initials
       so each player should use different initials.  After
       your initials are entered, the poker screen will appear.
       You start with 40 points, which happens to be the same
       amount of quarters in a roll (Sorry, no free drinks).
       Bet from 1 to 5 points:
          Hit "B" to bet one at a time (or click on B=BET).
          Hit "M" to bet max points (or click on M=MAX BET).
          or Click right mouse button to bet max points.
       If you bet max points, your hand will be dealt, otherwise
       you must hit the "D" button to draw (or click on the
       D=DRAW).

       After your hand is dealt, you have the following options:
         1-Discard cards by pressing 1,2,3,4,5 or clicking
           on the card with your mouse.  Pressing the number
           or clicking again on the card will bring it back.
           After discarding, Hit D to draw or click on D=DRAW.
         2-Press S to stand (or click on S=STAND)
         3-Press F10 or click on F10=STRATEGY to see the rank
           of your hand in the strategy charts.  Hit any key
           to return to your hand.  Note:  You can only use
           the F10 option when all 5 cards are showing.

       After the hand is over, you will be win points according
       to the payback schedule on the bottom of the screen.
       After the hand is over, you have the following option:
         1-Play another hand.
         2-Hit ESC key or click on ESC=MENU to return to menu.

 ***** SECRET FOR FAST PLAY: *****
       The NUM LOCK key is turned on and the numeric keyboard
       can be used to control play.  Use "*" to bet 5 points
       and use the 1-5 keys to discard.  After discarding,
       use the "-" key to draw.  With some practice, you can
       play without looking at the keys.  If you get a pat hand,
       you will have to hit the "S" key.

HELP - This is where you are now.

CONTROLS - Control the speed the cards are dealt and a sound
       option when points are bet and won.
       See CONTROLS for more information.

STATISTICS - A variety of statistics are kept to record your
       play.  Select this option to view them.
       See STATISTICS for more information.

STRATEGY - Lets you select any learning strategies based
       on the strategies in this game.  Any or all of the
       modes may be turned on at any time.  Double click
       on the mode to select to highlite with arrow keys
       and hit enter.  Select the mode to learn more
       about it:
      TRACK MODE, where your errors based on the startegy
                 will be recorded for later review.
      SHOW MODE, where the computer will show you which
                 cards to keep.
      LEARN MODE, there the computer will not let you discard
                 the wrong cards.
      BEEP MODE, where the computer will beep if your play
                 is incorrect but will allow you to continue.

REVIEW - Select to review any playing errors.  Errors are only
      tracked if the TRACK MODE is on.  Up to 50 errors will
      be kept.  After that time, you will be given a message
      are need to review your errors to make room for more.

AUTOPLAY - Select to automatically play hands.  Good for
      creating a large statistical base.  Use separate
      initials for your autoplay hands.
      See AUTOPLAY for more information.

ABOUT - Shows the author and current version of the software.
     Also show whether the software is registered and who
     it is registered to.

QUIT - The quit option will end the game.  It first confirms
     that you want to quit.  Statistics for the current
     session are displayed and saved.  You then have the
     option to restart.  Use this option to restart with
     a new player, since new initials will be requested
     before play or autoplay begins again.
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STATISTICS
                     STATISTICS

Two types of statistics are kept by initials.

History - This history shows the results of the hands.  The
          categories are:

                    Nothing
                    Jacks or Better
                    Two Pair
                    Three of a Kind
                    Straight
                    Flush
                    Full House
                    Four of a Kind
                    Straight Flush
                    Royal Straight Flush

         The results of all hands fall into one of these
         categories.  The percentage of each is also shown
         based on the total hands.  Amount won or lost is
         based on a point value equal to a quarter.
         The number of errors made is also shown.

         History statistics can be seen by selecting
         STATISTICS from the main menu.  Two options are
         available.  CURRENT SESSION and HISTORY.
         CURRENT SESSION shows the hands played for the
         current player in progress.  This option also
         shows the hands since a Royal Flush, Straight
         Flush, or Four of a Kind.  Hands since data
         represent all players, including autoplay.
         HISTORY data shows the same data, but for each
         player, one player per page.  History data
         does not include current session data.

ROYAL FLUSH HISTORY, STRAIGHT FLUSH HISTORY and
FOUR OF A KIND HISTORY.  Select each of these to see
         the statistics for that hand.  Data includes
         date, time, hands since previous, and initials.
         Last page gives the average number of hands
         between the hands.  Autoplay hands are included
         in these statistics.

         Individual hand history can grow quite large,
         especially Four of a Kind history and especially
         with autoplay.  See PURGING STATISTICS to
         eliminate data from these files.

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DRAW POKER ODDS
                      DRAW POKER ODDS

Video poker games have a casino advantage just as any other
casino game.  These odds are set by the payback schedule for
the various hands you receive.  The payback for this game is as
follows (assuming max coins bet):

    ROYAL FLUSH            4000
    STRAIGHT FLUSH          250
    FOUR OF A KIND           25
    FULL HOUSE                9
    FLUSH                     6
    STRAIGHT                  4
    THREE OF A KIND           3
    TWO PAIR                  2
    JACKS OR BETTER           1
    ALL OTHERS                0

This game uses a 9-6 payback schedule which corresponds to the
Full House and Flush paybacks.  Other payback schedules might
be 8-5 or even 6-5 and their are a lot of other payback
schedules.  Some games might pay 10's or better but the other
payoffs will be lower to compensate.  It is a good idea to
examine the payoff schedules before you play.  However, if you
do not get the Full House or Flush, it does not matter what the
odds are.

The strategy contained in this program is for a 9-6 payoff
schedule with 4000 points for a ROYAL FLUSH and WITH MAX COINS
BET ON EACH PLAY.  If you bet less than 5 coins, then the
strategy table changes.

Also keep in mind that any jackpot of $1200 or more is taxable.
A W2-G form is provided with your jackpot money.

There are some games if you look around that pay 4700 coins for
the ROYAL and are also 9-6.

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AUTOPLAY
                       AUTOPLAY

Autoplay is where the computer plays all hands, but at a very
fast pace.  Autoplay is a good way to generate a large number
of statistics for your analysis.  Select AUTOPLAY from the
menu.  You will be prompted for the number of hands to play.
Hit enter to play until ESC is hit.  It is a good idea to use
different initials for autoplay hands, so save your hands and
restart before using autoplay.

Autoplay displays the number of hands played.  This is the
total number of hands played since last saved, not the number
of hands requested to be played.

Autoplay can be slowed down by using the speed control if
desired, but no sound is available during autoplay.  During
autoplay, the computer starts with 40 points and if it runs
out, 40 more points are given.  The amount shown is a running
total of pretend money won or lost based on a point being equal
to a quarter.

Hit F10 during autoplay to turn off the card display.  Hands
will be played much faster this way.  Hit F10 again and the
cards will be displayed.

Autoplay used the strategy contained in this program and never
makes an error.

Hit ESC at any time to stop autoplay.
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TRACK MODE
                        TRACK MODE

TRACK MODE is available from the STRATEGY menu option.  Double
click or highlight and hit enter to turn track mode on/off.

While TRACK MODE is on, all errors according to the strategy
will be saved for later review.  Select REVIEW from the main
menu to view errors.

See REVIEW OPTION
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REVIEW MODE
                       REVIEW MODE

Select REVIEW from the menu to review any errors you may have
made according the the strategy contained in this program.  A
screen will be displayed and will show you the cards you were
dealt.  Your play versus the strategy play will be shown.  F10
will take you to the strategy display screen.  Hit any key to
see next error.

Errors can only be review once.  Once it is viewed it will be
deleted from the error list.  Also, when your error limit is
reached, a message will be displayed on the PLAY screen
indicating such.  You are required to review your current
errors before any more hands can be played.

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SHOW MODE
                 SHOW MODE

SHOW MODE is available from the STRATEGY menu option.  Double
click or highlight and hit enter to turn track mode on/off.

With show mode on, the desired cards to hold based on the
strategy contained in this program is shown.  You can use this
information to suit your needs.

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LEARN MODE
                     LEARN MODE

LEARN MODE is available from the STRATEGY menu option.  Double
click or highlight and hit enter to turn track mode on/off.

With learn mode on, the computer will not allow you to draw new
cards or stand if the wrong play is made according to the
strategies contained in this program.
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BEEP MODE
                     BEEP MODE

BEEP MODE is available from the STRATEGY menu option.  Double
click or highlight and hit enter to turn track mode on/off.

With the beep mode on, the computer will beep when you hit draw
with the wrong cards discarded according the the strategies
contained in this program.  Play will continue unless the Learn
mode is on, where errors are not permitted.
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CONTROLS
                       CONTROLS

Select CONTROLS from the menu to adjust the speed or sound
of the game.

SPEED controls the speed at which the cards are dealt.  This
can be set to FAST, MEDIUM, or SLOW.

SOUND controls the sound when points are bet or when points
are won.  A sound will be heard for each point.
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PURGING STATISTICS
                    PURGING STATISTICS

You can purge unwanted data from your statistics.  History and
Draw History statistics are kept by initials.  Select PURGE
from the statistics menu, enter initials to purge and hit
enter.  A confirmation message will appear.

You can also purge hand history (eg. FOUR OF A KIND HISTORY).
Select this option and enter the number of records to KEEP.
This number of records will be kept on the Royal Flush,
Straight Flush, and Four of a Kind history.  Oldest records are
purged first.

History and Draw history data is backed up to files before
purging.  These can be restored by copying back to the old
name:

  copy  BSPOKER.HIS  to SPOKER.HIS
        BSPOKER.RAN  to SPOKER.RAN

  to restore files.
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TECHNICAL INFORMATION
                 TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Files included with this software:

    SPOKER.EXE     These are required
    SPOKER.HLP     files and are the
    SPOKER.BIN     only ones required.

Files created during execution:

    SPOKER.HIS     History file
    SPOKER.RAN     Strategy history file
    SPOKER.HI1     Royal Flush history
    SPOKER.HI2     Straight Flush history
    SPOKER.HI3     Four of a Kind history
    SPOKER.SEC     Registration file, when you register.

    If you are in the practice of backing up your files,
    the files created during execution are the ones that
    should be periodically back up.

When you get a new release of the software, only the
first three files above should be replaced.  All files
created during execution should remain as is in order
to preserve statistics.


Other files you may encounter:

    ORDER.TXT      Order form
    LICENSE.TXT    License agreement, READ.  This info
                   is also included in SPOKER.HLP
    VENDOR.TXT     Vendor information
    SPOKER.TXT     Any special instructions for an upgrade.

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NEW RELEASE INFORMATION

                NEW RELEASE INFORMATION

STRATEGY POKER V2.0 - This is the initial release.

