# Black Jack Welcome to Black Jack on Exercism's Python Track. If you need help running the tests or submitting your code, check out `HELP.md`. If you get stuck on the exercise, check out `HINTS.md`, but try and solve it without using those first :) ## Introduction ## Comparisons Python supports the following basic comparison operators: | Operator | Operation | Description | | -------- | -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `>` | "greater than" | `a > b` is `True` if `a` is **strictly** greater in value than `b` | | `<` | "less than" | `a < b` is `True` if `a` is **strictly** less in value than `b` | | `==` | "equal to" | `a == b` is `True` if `a` is **strictly** equal to `b` in value | | `>=` | "greater than or equal to" | `a >= b` is `True` if `a > b` OR `a == b` in value | | `<=` | "less than or equal to" | `a <= b` is `True` if `a < b` or `a == b` in value | | `!=` | "not equal to" | `a != b` is `True` if `a == b` is `False` | | `is` | "identity" | `a is b` is `True` if **_and only if_** `a` and `b` are the same _object_ | | `is not` | "negated identity" | `a is not b` is `True` if `a` and `b` are **not** the same _object_ | | `in` | "containment test" | `a in b` is `True` if `a` is member, subset, or element of `b` | | `not in` | "negated containment test" | `a not in b` is `True` if `a` is not a member, subset, or element of `b` | They all have the same priority (_which is higher than that of [Boolean operations][boolean operations], but lower than that of arithmetic or bitwise operations_). ## Comparison between different data types Objects that are different types (_except numeric types_) never compare equal by default. Non-identical instances of a `class` will also _**not**_ compare as equal unless the `class` defines special [rich comparison][rich comparisons] methods that customize the default `object` comparison behavior. Customizing via `rich comparisons` will be covered in a follow-on exercise. For (much) more detail on this topic, see [Value comparisons][value comparisons] in the Python documentation. Numeric types are (mostly) an exception to this type matching rule. An `integer` **can** be considered equal to a `float` (_or an [`octal`][octal] equal to a [`hexadecimal`][hex]_), as long as the types can be implicitly converted for comparison. For the other numeric types in the Python standard library ([complex][complex numbers], [decimal][decimal numbers], [fractions][rational numbers]), comparison operators are defined where they "make sense" (_where implicit conversion does not change the outcome_), but throw a `TypeError` if the underlying objects cannot be accurately converted for comparison. For more information on the rules that python uses for _numeric conversion_, see [arithmetic conversions][arithmetic conversions] in the Python documentation. ```python >>> import fractions # A string cannot be converted to an int. >>> 17 == '17' False # An int can be converted to float for comparison. >>> 17 == 17.0 True # The fraction 6/3 can be converted to the int 2 # The int 2 can be converted to 0b10 in binary. >>> 6/3 == 0b10 True # An int can be converted to a complex number with a 0 imaginary part. >>> 17 == complex(17) True # The fraction 2/5 can be converted to the float 0.4 >>> 0.4 == 2/5 True >>> complex(2/5, 1/2) == complex(0.4, 0.5) True ``` Any ordered comparison of a number to a `NaN` (_not a number_) type is `False`. A confusing side effect of Python's `NaN` definition is that `NaN` never compares equal to `NaN`. ```python >>> x = float('NaN') >>> 3 < x False >>> x < 3 False # NaN never compares equal to NaN >>> x == x False ``` ## Comparing Strings Unlike numbers, strings (`str`) are compared [_lexicographically_][lexographic order], using their individual Unicode code points (_the result of passing each code point in the `str` to the built-in function [`ord()`][ord], which returns an `int`_). If all code points in both strings match and are _**in the same order**_, the two strings are considered equal. This comparison is done in a 'pair-wise' fashion - first-to-first, second-to-second, etc. In Python 3.x, `str` and `bytes` cannot be directly coerced/compared. ```python >>> 'Python' > 'Rust' False >>> 'Python' > 'JavaScript' True # Examples with Mandarin. # hello < goodbye >>> '你好' < '再见' True # ord() of first characters >>> ord('你'), ord('再') (20320, 20877) # ord() of second characters >>> ord('好'), ord('见') (22909, 35265) # And with Korean words. # Pretty < beautiful. >>> '예쁜' < '아름다운' False >>> ord('예'), ord('아') (50696, 50500) ``` ## Comparison Chaining Comparison operators can be chained _arbitrarily_ -- meaning that they can be used in any combination of any length. Note that the evaluation of an expression takes place from `left` to `right`. As an example, `x < y <= z` is equivalent to `x < y` `and` `y <= z`, except that `y` is evaluated **only once**. In both cases, `z` is _not_ evaluated **at all** when `x < y` is found to be `False`. This is often called `short-circuit evaluation` - the evaluation stops if the truth value of the expression has already been determined. `Short circuiting` is supported by various boolean operators, functions, and also by comparison chaining in Python. Unlike many other programming languages, including `C`, `C++`, `C#`, and `Java`, chained expressions like `a < b < c` in Python have a conventional [mathematical interpretation][three way boolean comparison] and precedence. ```python >>> x = 2 >>> y = 5 >>> z = 10 >>> x < y < z True >>> x < y > z False >>> x > y < z False ``` ## Comparing object identity The operators `is` and `is not` test for object [_identity_][object identity], as opposed to object _value_. An object's identity never changes after creation and can be found by using the [`id()`][id function] function. ` is ` evaluates to `True` if _**and only if**_ `id()` == `id()`. ` is not ` yields the inverse. Due to their singleton status, `None` and `NotImplemented` should always be compared to items using `is` and `is not`. See the Python reference docs on [value comparisons][value comparisons none] and [PEP8][pep8 programming recommendations] for more details on this convention. ```python >>> my_fav_numbers = [1, 2, 3] >>> your_fav_numbers = my_fav_numbers >>> my_fav_numbers is your_fav_numbers True # The returned id will differ by system and python version. >>> id(my_fav_numbers) 4517478208 # your_fav_numbers is only an alias pointing to the original my_fav_numbers object. # Assigning a new name does not create a new object. >>> id(your_fav_numbers) 4517478208 >>> my_fav_numbers is not your_fav_numbers False >>> my_fav_numbers is not None True >>> my_fav_numbers is NotImplemented False ``` ## Membership comparisons The operators `in` and `not in` test for _membership_. ` in ` evaluates to `True` if `` is a member of `` (_if `` is a subset of or is contained within ``_), and evaluates `False` otherwise. ` not in ` returns the negation, or _opposite of_ ` in `. For string and bytes types, ` in ` is `True` _**if and only if**_ `` is a substring of ``. ```python # A set of lucky numbers. >>> lucky_numbers = {11, 22, 33} >>> 22 in lucky_numbers True >>> 44 in lucky_numbers False # A dictionary of employee information. >>> employee = {'name': 'John Doe', 'id': 67826, 'age': 33, 'title': 'ceo'} # Checking for the membership of certain keys. >>> 'age' in employee True >>> 33 in employee False >>> 'lastname' not in employee True # Checking for substring membership >>> name = 'Super Batman' >>> 'Bat' in name True >>> 'Batwoman' in name False ``` [arithmetic conversions]: https://docs.python.org/3/reference/expressions.html?highlight=number%20conversion#arithmetic-conversions [boolean operations]: https://docs.python.org/3/library/stdtypes.html#boolean-operations-and-or-not [complex numbers]: https://docs.python.org/3/library/functions.html#complex [decimal numbers]: https://docs.python.org/3/library/decimal.html [hex]: https://docs.python.org/3/library/functions.html?highlight=hex#hex [id function]: https://docs.python.org/3/library/functions.html#id [lexographic order]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexicographic_order [object identity]: https://docs.python.org/3/reference/datamodel.html [octal]: https://docs.python.org/3/library/functions.html?#oct [ord]: https://docs.python.org/3/library/functions.html#ord [pep8 programming recommendations]: https://pep8.org/#programming-recommendations [rational numbers]: https://docs.python.org/3/library/fractions.html [rich comparisons]: https://docs.python.org/3/reference/datamodel.html#object.__lt__ [three way boolean comparison]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-way_comparison [value comparisons none]: https://docs.python.org/3/reference/expressions.html?highlight=none#value-comparisons [value comparisons]: https://docs.python.org/3/reference/expressions.html?highlight=nan#value-comparisons ## Instructions In this exercise you are going to implement some rules of [Blackjack][blackjack], such as the way the game is played and scored. **Note** : In this exercise, _`A`_ means ace, _`J`_ means jack, _`Q`_ means queen, and _`K`_ means king. Jokers are discarded. A [standard French-suited 52-card deck][standard_deck] is assumed, but in most versions, several decks are shuffled together for play. ## 1. Calculate the value of a card In Blackjack, it is up to each individual player if an ace is worth 1 or 11 points (_more on that later_). Face cards (`J`, `Q`, `K`) are scored at 10 points and any other card is worth its "pip" (_numerical_) value. Define the `value_of_card()` function with parameter `card`. The function should return the _numerical value_ of the passed-in card string. Since an ace can take on multiple values (1 **or** 11), this function should fix the value of an ace card at 1 for the time being. Later on, you will implement a function to determine the value of an ace card, given an existing hand. ```python >>> value_of_card('K') 10 >>> value_of_card('4') 4 >>> value_of_card('A') 1 ``` ## 2. Determine which card has a higher value Define the `higher_card(, )` function having parameters `card_one` and `card_two`. For scoring purposes, the value of `J`, `Q` or `K` is 10. The function should return which card has the higher value for scoring. If both cards have an equal value, return both. Returning both cards can be done by using a comma in the `return` statement: ```python # Using a comma in a return creates a Tuple. Tuples will be covered in a later exercise. >>> def returning_two_values(value_one, value_two): return value_one, value_two >>> returning_two_values('K', '3') ('K', '3') ``` An ace can take on multiple values, so we will fix `A` cards to a value of 1 for this task. ```python >>> higher_card('K', '10') ('K', '10') >>> higher_card('4', '6') '6' >>> higher_card('K', 'A') 'K' ``` ## 3. Calculate the value of an ace As mentioned before, an ace can be worth _either_ 1 **or** 11 points. Players try to get as close as possible to a score of 21, without going _over_ 21 (_going "bust"_). Define the `value_of_ace(, )` function with parameters `card_one` and `card_two`, which are a pair of cards already in the hand _before_ getting an ace card. Your function will have to decide if the upcoming ace will get a value of 1 or a value of 11, and return that value. Remember: the value of the hand with the ace needs to be as high as possible _without_ going over 21. **Hint**: if we already have an ace in hand, then the value for the upcoming ace would be 1. ```python >>> value_of_ace('6', 'K') 1 >>> value_of_ace('7', '3') 11 ``` ## 4. Determine a "Natural" or "Blackjack" Hand If a player is dealt an ace (`A`) and a ten-card (10, `K`, `Q`, or `J`) as their first two cards, then the player has a score of 21. This is known as a **blackjack** hand. Define the `is_blackjack(, )` function with parameters `card_one` and `card_two`, which are a pair of cards. Determine if the two-card hand is a **blackjack**, and return the boolean `True` if it is, `False` otherwise. **Note** : The score _calculation_ can be done in many ways. But if possible, we'd like you to check if there is an ace and a ten-card **_in_** the hand (_or at a certain position_), as opposed to _summing_ the hand values. ```python >>> is_blackjack('A', 'K') True >>> is_blackjack('10', '9') False ``` ## 5. Splitting pairs If the players first two cards are of the same value, such as two sixes, or a `Q` and `K` a player may choose to treat them as two separate hands. This is known as "splitting pairs". Define the `can_split_pairs(, )` function with parameters `card_one` and `card_two`, which are a pair of cards. Determine if this two-card hand can be split into two pairs. If the hand can be split, return the boolean `True` otherwise, return `False` ```python >>> can_split_pairs('Q', 'K') True >>> can_split_pairs('10', 'A') False ``` ## 6. Doubling down When the original two cards dealt total 9, 10, or 11 points, a player can place an additional bet equal to their original bet. This is known as "doubling down". Define the `can_double_down(, )` function with parameters `card_one` and `card_two`, which are a pair of cards. Determine if the two-card hand can be "doubled down", and return the boolean `True` if it can, `False` otherwise. ```python >>> can_double_down('A', '9') True >>> can_double_down('10', '2') False ``` [blackjack]: https://bicyclecards.com/how-to-play/blackjack/ [standard_deck]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_52-card_deck ## Source ### Created by - @Ticktakto - @Yabby1997 - @limm-jk - @OMEGA-Y - @wnstj2007 - @pranasziaukas - @bethanyG ### Contributed to by - @PaulT89