jai_alai_simulation

jai_alai_simulation, an Octave code which simulates the outcome of a jai-alai match.

Eight players participate in the match. The first game involves players 1 and 2. The loser goes to the end of the line of players, the winner scores a point. The next game involves the winner of the previous game and the next player in line. After seven points have been scored, each win now is worth 2 points. The match terminates when 7 points have have been scored.

The code can simulate a single match, or a tournament of n matches. The interesting question is to observe how the placement of a player in the initial lineup affects their chance of winning the match. Assuming the players have equal strengths, there is a clear bias in favor of the players at the head of the line.

Licensing:

The computer code and data files described and made available on this web page are distributed under the MIT license

Languages:

jai_alai_simulation is available in a MATLAB version and a Python version.

Related Data and codes:

jai_alai_simulation_test

Reference:

1. Steven Skiena,
   Calculated Bets,
   Computers, Gambling, and Mathematical Modeling to Win, Cambridge University Press, 2001,
   ISBN13: 978-0521009621.

Source Code:

• i4_modp.m, returns the nonnegative remainder of I4 division.
• i4_wrap.m, forces an integer to lie between given limits by wrapping.
• jai_alai_match.m, simulates on match of jai alai.
• jai_alai_simulation.m, reports on the results of many matches of jai alai.