Punto Banco extension work - 10
Extension task A
It should be clear to you by now that gambling on Punto Banco is a mug's game! The casino has a 1.17% edge when we bet on the bank. They have a 1.36% edge when we play on the player and they have a massive 14% edge when we bet on a draw. In the long term, the casino will take in more money than it has to pay out. Phil Ivey, the gambler discussed in the introduction to Punto Banco, found a way to swing the odds in his favour but whatever we did in Punto Banco, we couldn't beat the bank. The longer we played, the more we lost. In fact, the best way to minimise our losses is to not play at all.
Suppose the payout was different? You could experiment with the payouts, to see how generous the casino will be before it loses money. What, for example, would happen if the casino paid out 10 times the stake when there was a draw? How about paying out 20/19 when the bank won instead of 19/20?
Try changing the payouts to find by trial and error some payouts, such that in the long term, neither the bank nor the player lose money!
Extension task B
Another game that can be easily modelled is roulette. You could find out the rules for roulette (there are slightly different versions so just pick one version and go with that), write a description of how it works, then write an algorithm so you have a plan and then write the program. Remember to write a bit of the program at a time and then test it. Then take a copy and do another bit and test it, then take a copy and so on. Write each part in functions like we have here. If you get stuck, there are plenty of forums on the Internet you can post questions to.