Blackjack Basic Strategy

A mobile app for learning and practicing blackjack basic strategy for casino play.

🎯 Overview

Clean, simple, ad-free and free-to-use mobile application designed to help players learn and master basic strategy for casino blackjack. Built using React Native and Expo.

✨ Features

📊 Learn Mode - Interactive Strategy Chart

Complete Strategy Matrix: All hard totals, soft totals, and pairs
Color-Coded Display: Visual cues for each action type
Interactive Highlighting: Tap cells to highlight row and column
Three Sections: Easy tabs to switch between hand types
Mobile-Optimized: Fits perfectly on iPhone and Android screens
Legend: Quick reference for action colors

🎮 Practice Mode - Hands-On Learning

Random Hand Generation: Realistic blackjack scenarios
Action Buttons: Hit, Stand, Double, Split
Instant Feedback: Immediate correct/incorrect indication
Detailed Explanations: Learn why each decision is correct
Statistics Tracking: Monitor accuracy and improvement
Streak Counter: Stay motivated with fire streaks! 🔥
Continuous Practice: Seamless hand-to-hand flow

📸 App Screenshots

Learn Mode

Practice Mode

📈 Progress Tracking

Real-time accuracy percentage
Correct vs. total decisions
Current and best streaks
Motivation through gamification

🎨 Beautiful Design

Vegas-inspired green felt aesthetic
Gold accent highlights with app logo
Professional card display with suit colors (♥♦♣♠)
Clean, intuitive interface
Smooth animations and transitions

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+
npm or yarn
Expo CLI (npm install -g expo-cli)
EAS CLI (npm install -g eas-cli) for building

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone <your-repo-url>
cd blackjack-basic-strategy

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start the development server
npm start

Development Commands

# Start development server
npm start

# Run on iOS simulator (Mac only)
npm run ios

# Run on Android emulator
npm run android

# Run in web browser
npm run web

# Type checking
npm run type-check

# Linting
npm run lint

# Run tests
npm test

📱 Building & Deployment

Setup EAS (One-time)

# Install EAS CLI globally
npm install -g eas-cli

# Login to your Expo account
eas login

# Configure your project (already done)
# eas build:configure

Build for Testing (Preview Builds)

iOS Preview Build (requires Apple Developer account - $99/year):

eas build --platform ios --profile preview

Creates a TestFlight build automatically
Share with up to 10,000 beta testers
No need for physical device access

Android Preview Build (free):

eas build --platform android --profile preview

Creates an APK you can install directly
Share the download link with anyone
No Google Play account needed

Build for Production (App Stores)

iOS Production Build:

eas build --platform ios --profile production
eas submit --platform ios

Android Production Build:

eas build --platform android --profile production
eas submit --platform android

Installation on Devices

iOS (TestFlight):

Build completes → Apple automatically creates TestFlight build
Add testers via email in App Store Connect
Testers receive email with install link
Open on iPhone → Install via TestFlight app

Android (APK):

Build completes → EAS provides download link
Share link with testers
Open link on Android device
Enable "Install from Unknown Sources" if prompted
Install APK

Sharing with Friends

For iOS Friends:

Add their email addresses to TestFlight (in App Store Connect)
They'll receive an invitation email
Limit: 10,000 external testers

For Android Friends:

Share the APK download link from EAS dashboard
They can install directly on their devices
No limit on testers

📱 How to Use

Learn Tab

View the complete basic strategy chart
Switch between Hard Totals, Soft Totals, and Pairs
Tap any cell to highlight that row and column
Use the legend to understand action colors
Study patterns and memorize decisions

Practice Tab

A random hand is automatically dealt
View dealer's up card and your two cards
Select the correct action (Hit, Stand, Double, or Split)
Get instant feedback with explanation
Review statistics at the top
Continue practicing to improve your skills!

🎓 What You'll Learn

Following basic strategy reduces the house edge to approximately 0.5%, making blackjack one of the best casino games for the player.

Hard Totals: Hands without an Ace, or where Ace counts as 1
Soft Totals: Hands with an Ace counted as 11
Pairs: When to split, when to hit or stand
Dealer Considerations: How dealer's up card affects decisions

🛠️ Tech Stack

Framework: Expo SDK 54 / React Native 0.81
Language: TypeScript 5.3
Navigation: Expo Router 6.0 (file-based routing)
State Management: React Context
Testing: Jest + React Native Testing Library
Build System: EAS Build
Styling: React Native StyleSheet with custom theme system

📂 Project Structure

blackjack-basic-strategy/
├── app/                    # Screens (Expo Router)
│   ├── (tabs)/            # Tab navigation
│   │   ├── _layout.tsx    # Tab layout with logo header
│   │   ├── index.tsx      # Learn screen (strategy chart)
│   │   └── practice.tsx   # Practice screen (game)
│   └── _layout.tsx        # Root layout with providers
│
├── components/            # Reusable UI components
│   ├── AppLogo.tsx        # App logo component
│   ├── Card.tsx           # Playing card display
│   ├── Hand.tsx           # Multi-card hand
│   ├── ActionButton.tsx   # Action button with animations
│   ├── ActionButtons.tsx  # Button grid
│   ├── ChartCell.tsx      # Strategy chart cell
│   ├── ChartLegend.tsx    # Action legend
│   ├── ChartTabs.tsx      # Animated tab selector
│   ├── StrategyChart.tsx  # Strategy chart grid
│   ├── FeedbackMessage.tsx # Result feedback
│   ├── StatBar.tsx        # Statistics display
│   └── Screen.tsx         # Screen wrapper
│
├── constants/             # Constants and configuration
│   ├── basicStrategy.ts   # Complete strategy matrix
│   ├── gameRules.ts       # Game configuration
│   ├── colors.ts          # Color palette
│   └── theme.ts           # Design system (with web-compatible shadows)
│
├── contexts/              # React Context providers
│   └── PracticeContext.tsx # Practice game state
│
├── types/                 # TypeScript definitions
│   └── index.ts           # All type definitions
│
├── utils/                 # Utility functions
│   ├── cardUtils.ts       # Card & deck operations
│   ├── handUtils.ts       # Hand evaluation
│   ├── strategyUtils.ts   # Strategy lookups
│   ├── practiceGame.ts    # Practice logic
│   └── chartUtils.ts      # Chart data conversion
│
├── assets/                # App assets
│   ├── icon.png           # App icon (device)
│   ├── adaptive-icon.png  # Android adaptive icon
│   ├── logo.png           # In-app logo
│   ├── splash.png         # Splash screen
│   └── favicon.png        # Web favicon
│
├── __tests__/             # Test suites
│   ├── handUtils.test.ts
│   └── strategyUtils.test.ts
│
└── docs/                  # Documentation
    ├── README.md          # Documentation index
    ├── BASIC_STRATEGY_RULES.md
    ├── TECHNICAL.md
    ├── DESIGN_SPECS.md
    └── DEVELOPMENT_HISTORY.md

🧪 Testing

The app includes comprehensive unit tests for all game logic:

npm test
# ✅ 52/52 tests passing

Tests cover:

Hand evaluation (all edge cases)
Strategy lookups (all scenarios)
Ace handling (soft/hard transitions)
Pair detection
Action validation

🎯 Strategy Rules

The app implements the mathematically optimal basic strategy for:

Multiple decks (4-8 decks)
Dealer stands on soft 17 (S17)
Double after split allowed (DAS)
Standard 3:2 blackjack payout

These are the most common casino rules. Following this strategy gives you the best odds against the house.

💰 Cost Breakdown

Development: FREE (open source tools)
Android Distribution: FREE (can distribute APKs directly or use Google Play)
iOS Distribution: $99/year (Apple Developer Program - required for TestFlight & App Store)
EAS Build Service: FREE tier available, or $29/month for unlimited builds

🎨 Design Philosophy

Vegas Elegance Meets Modern Simplicity

Clean, uncluttered interface
Vegas-inspired color scheme
Professional card aesthetics with custom logo
Intuitive navigation
Instant visual feedback
Mobile-optimized for all screen sizes

📄 License

🎰 Acknowledgments

Basic strategy charts based on mathematical analysis of blackjack probabilities by Edward Thorp, Julian Braun, and others. Verified by computer simulations.

📞 Support

For issues or questions, please refer to the documentation in the /docs folder.

🔒 Privacy

Privacy Policy: PRIVACY.md

Start learning basic strategy today and improve your blackjack game! 🃏♠️

Made with ❤️ for blackjack enthusiasts

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 28 Commits
__tests__		__tests__
android		android
app		app
assets		assets
components		components
constants		constants
contexts		contexts
docs		docs
ios		ios
types		types
utils		utils
.eslintrc.js		.eslintrc.js
.gitignore		.gitignore
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
PRIVACY.md		PRIVACY.md
README.md		README.md
app.json		app.json
babel.config.js		babel.config.js
eas.json		eas.json
jest.config.js		jest.config.js
jest.setup.js		jest.setup.js
metro.config.js		metro.config.js
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
tsconfig.json		tsconfig.json

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