Cheat or Fold

Poker is the starting point. Your code changes how you play.
Cheat or Fold is a singleplayer programming game set on a retro computer desktop. Play Texas Hold'em against computer opponents, watch how the poker client behaves, and write software that gives you an edge.
The poker table sits beside your script editor and terminal. A small program can react to a turn, inspect the available actions and make a decision. As you learn more about the client, you can go beyond ordinary automation and change parts of its behavior.
Build your own approach
Write programs in a purpose-built language with familiar Python-like syntax. Start with a small experiment, test an expression in the REPL, then grow it into an event-driven strategy. Split reusable code into modules and keep your scripts together in the desktop's file manager.
You decide what to automate. Play a hand yourself, let a script handle routine decisions, or run programs across several poker clients. Opponents have different habits, so a strategy that works at one table may need another look at the next.
Understand what your code is doing
Set a breakpoint, step through a function and inspect its variables. Use the terminal and runtime statistics to see where a program spends its resources. When an idea fails, you have tools to investigate it and try again.
Your virtual computer has limits. CPU time, memory and running processes matter. Improve your code, buy virtual hardware with in-game credits, and decide when a more demanding setup is worth its cost.
Learn by experimenting
The sandbox lets you try things without risking your credits. An optional first experiment introduces a small client manipulation, while built-in manuals cover the desktop, poker and programming. Examples give you a starting point to read, change and test.
All tables, opponents, client manipulation and credits belong to the game. You play against computer opponents, and your scripts run inside the simulation. The language is inspired by Python; it is its own language, not a Python environment.