Close Out Dice Game Simulator

This project simulates and analyzes different strategies for playing the "Close Out" dice game, a game where players aim to accumulate points for numbers 1-6 until they are all "closed out."

Game Rules

• Players can choose to roll either 1 die or 3 dice on their turn
• When rolling 1 die, each roll is worth 3 points
• When rolling 3 dice, each roll is worth 1 point
• A number is "closed out" when it accumulates 3 points
• The game ends when all numbers (1-6) are closed out
• The goal is to complete the game in the fewest possible turns

Strategies Analyzed

The simulator compares four different strategies:

1. One Die Strategy (one_die)

   • Always rolls a single die for 3 points per roll

2. Three Dice Strategy (three_dice)

   • Always rolls three dice for 1 point per roll

3. Mixed Strategy (mixed)

   • Randomly chooses between rolling one die or three dice each turn

4. Hybrid Strategy (hybrid)

   • Starts with one die for the first few turns
   • Switches to three dice for the remainder of the game

Features

• Single game simulation with detailed turn-by-turn analysis
• Bulk simulation of thousands of games to generate statistics
• Strategy comparison metrics including:
  • Average turns to completion
  • Median turns
  • Minimum and maximum turns
  • Standard deviation
  • Head-to-head competition results

Usage

To run the basic simulation:

python simulation.py

To debug a single game with detailed output:

python simulation_debug.py

Project Structure

• game.py - Core game logic and mechanics
• simulation.py - Main simulation and analysis code
• simulation_debug.py - Detailed single-game debugging tool

Analysis Results

The simulation provides detailed statistics for each strategy, including:

• Win rates in head-to-head competition
• Average number of turns to completion
• Variability in game length
• Optimal strategy identification

This tool is useful for:

• Understanding game dynamics
• Testing and comparing different strategies
• Identifying optimal play patterns
• Analyzing game balance and mechanics

Author

Mitchell Swaney

• GitHub: @SwaneyStudios