Anyone ever play the game 31?

Rules:

Each player is dealt 3 cards face down, discard/draw piles in middle. Each player has option to take face up card or draw and must discard after hand, like gin. Goal is to get highest total; cards are counted like blackjack but must be suited, with the exception that a set counts 30.5. AsTsTs = 31 wins instantly; all other hands must knock. Knocker lays 2:1 that he can beat at least one other player; each other player immediately following knock has one final turn to improve. Low hand loses.

Questions:

I'm struggling with the exact probabilities to find a) at what total one should knock first hand, dependent upon position [note that the 'UTG' player, upon knocking, would limit opps to one additional card each, while the 'button' player would face two chances - albeit only one where the opps knew the finite horizon] and b) what a reasonable rate of improvement would be over the course of several rounds of a hand [how quickly does a particular holding devalue?]

Any help, or just random thoughts, would be highly appreciated.

Cheers!

[MickeyHoldem]

I calculated the average starting hand to be ~13.0
Given the chance to pick 1 additional card the average hand will improve to ~15.7

This was calculated through a sim.

Edit: Just noticed I didn't take into account the fact a set was 30.5... but I doubt that will change the numbers more than .1

[magiluke]

I played it once. And that was years ago. I barely remember what the game is about even after reading you post.

Well, I guess my post wasn't helpful, but I did answer your title question.

Sim, eh? Where could I find one of those? Are they available in such a flavor as to input any opening number of cards and draws?

Also, note that the average hand might not be the important one as the knocker has to lay 2:1.

[magiluke]

Usually, especially with off the path games like this, you have to write it yourself.

Maybe this tutorial (http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/) will help.

Man, that was sarcastic... I'm sorry =D

[Piz0wn0reD!!!!!!]

i play a game called 13, or tien len. its the best.

har har.

No worries, I figured as much. Unfortunately, I haven't done any programming for a while, nor do I know any C++. Of course, the saddest thing of all is that I just finished a degree in economics from a top-10 program, with a year's worth of statistics and a healthy helping of game theory, and I still get stuck doing what should be relatively basic [censored] like this.

And I'm unemployed.

Che sera, eh? Time for law school.

[Tater10]

Here is the "random thoughts" you were asking for...

I played a game called schwimmen (sp). Very similar

http://www.pagat.com/commerce/schwim.html