# Pontone styled card game

below is a code to play a game of a popular card game, Pontone. you play your game against the dealer. your hand is randomly made and so is the dealers from the set of cards. you play through the normal game of pontone either "hitting" or "sticking". When you finish your play the dealer plays his and the winner is decided at the end.

import random

used_cards = []
player_1_hand = []
dealer_hand = []


this calculates the total of each players hands

def calculate_hand(player):
global total
total = 0
for i in range(len(player)):
card = player[i]
if len(card) == 2:
value = card[0]
else:
value = card[:2]

if value == "A":
total+=1
elif value == "J" or value == "Q" or value == "K":
total += 10
else:
total += int(value)



this part of the code is the dealer playing his hand

def dealer(j):
global dealer_total
for i in range(2):
drawn_card = random.choice(j)
used_cards.append(drawn_card)
unused_cards = [f for f in j if f not in used_cards]
dealer_hand.append(drawn_card)

dealer_total = calculate_hand(dealer_hand)
dealer_play = True

while dealer_play:
if dealer_total<12:
drawn_card = random.choice(j)
used_cards.append(drawn_card)
unused_cards = [f for f in j if f not in used_cards]
dealer_hand.append(drawn_card)

elif dealer_total<=12 and dealer_total<16:
determine_hit = random.randrange(2)
if determine_hit == 1:
drawn_card = random.choice(j)
used_cards.append(drawn_card)
unused_cards = [f for f in j if f not in used_cards]
dealer_hand.append(drawn_card)

else:
dealer_play = False

dealer_play = False

dealer_total = calculate_hand(dealer_hand)

if dealer_total > 21:
dealer_win = False
else:
dealer_win = True

print(dealer_hand)
return dealer_win


this part draws the original hand for the player

def drawhand(j, player):
global stick

for i in range(2):
drawn_card = random.choice(j)
used_cards.append(drawn_card)
unused_cards = [f for f in j if f not in used_cards]
player.append(drawn_card)

stick = False

print(player)
player_total = calculate_hand(player)


this is the main game loop where you play the game.

def gameloop(j):
global stick
global dealer_total

win = True
drawhand(j, player_1_hand)
while not stick:
play = input("stick or hit")

if total == 21:
print("pontone")
stick = True

if play == "stick":
stick = True

elif play == "hit":
draw_card = random.choice(j)
used_cards.append(draw_card)
unused_cards = [j for j in j if j not in used_cards]
player_1_hand.append(draw_card)
player_total = calculate_hand(player_1_hand)
print(player_1_hand)

if total == 21:
print("pontone")
stick = True
elif total>21:
print("bust")
win = False
stick = True

player_total = calculate_hand(player_1_hand)

dealer_win = dealer(j)

if (dealer_total <= player_total and win != False) or dealer_win == False:
print("you win")
else:
print("you lose")

gameloop(unused_cards)


If you have any ways on how to improve this please share.

The improvement I would like to suggest you deals with the big picture of your program rather than its details: the functions dealer() and gameloop() (which is far from being a good function name) are long. This makes them difficult to test and they certainly, among other things (as explained briefly here), violate the single responsibility principle.