blackjack

Command-Line Blackjack Game ♠️♥️♣️♦️

Welcome to the Python Command-Line Blackjack game! This project is a text-based implementation of the classic casino card game, designed with modularity and object-oriented programming principles.

The Objective

The goal of Blackjack is simple: beat the dealer by getting a hand value as close to 21 as possible without going over.

Card Values

• Number Cards (2-10): Worth their face value.
• Face Cards (Jack, Queen, King): Each worth 10 points.
• Aces: Can be worth 11 or 1, whichever is more beneficial to the hand. The system automatically adjusts the Ace's value to prevent a bust.

Core Rules

• Bust: If your hand total exceeds 21, you "bust" and immediately lose your bet, regardless of the dealer's hand.
• Dealer's Rule: The dealer plays strictly by casino rules. They must continue to take cards ("Hit") until their total is 17 or higher. The dealer has no free will to stand early.
• Push (Tie): If you and the dealer end up with the same total, it is a tie. Your bet is returned to you.
• Winning: You win if the dealer busts, or if your final score is higher than the dealer's score without exceeding 21.

How to Play

1. Place Your Bet: At the start of each round, you will be prompted to enter a bet amount. You start with a default balance of 100 chips.
2. Initial Deal: Both you and the dealer are dealt two cards. One of the dealer's cards remains hidden.
3. Your Turn (Hit or Stand):
   • Type h to Hit: Receive another card to increase your total score.
   • Type s to Stand: Keep your current total and end your turn.
4. Dealer's Turn: Once you stand, the dealer reveals their hidden card and plays their hand automatically.
5. Result: The game evaluates both hands, distributes the chips accordingly, and asks if you would like to play another round.

Project Structure

The codebase is divided into two main files to keep the logic clean and maintainable:

• modules.py: Contains the core game mechanics, including the Card, Deck, Hand, and Chips classes, along with helper functions for game state evaluation.
• main.py: The entry point of the game that imports the modules and handles the main execution loop and user interaction.

Running the Game

To play the game, ensure you have Python installed on your system. Navigate to the project directory in your terminal and run the following command:

python main.py

Developer Notes: Why import modules?

In main.py, you might notice that we import the entire module (import modules) in addition to specific classes and functions.

This is specifically required to track the dynamic global state of the playing variable. If we had imported it using from modules import playing, Python would have only brought over a copy of its initial value (True). When the game ends in modules.py and playing = False is executed, main.py would not notice this change, causing an infinite loop. By using import modules and referencing modules.playing, we ensure the main loop points directly to the source reference rather than a static copy.