You _can_ write readable code and still get into top100 on Advent of code. :-)

balance_bots.py

import collections


test = '''\
value 5 goes to bot 2
bot 2 gives low to bot 1 and high to bot 0
value 3 goes to bot 1
bot 1 gives low to output 1 and high to bot 0
bot 0 gives low to output 2 and high to output 0
value 2 goes to bot 2
'''


input = open('d10_input.txt').read()

def parse(instructions):
    for instruction in instructions.splitlines():
        first, *rest = instruction.split()
        if first == 'value':
            value, goes, to, bot, n = rest
            yield first, int(value), int(n)
        elif first == 'bot':
            n, gives, low, to, what1, n1, and_, high, to, what2, n2 = rest
            yield 'low', int(n), what1, int(n1)
            yield 'high', int(n), what2, int(n2)

def prepare(instructions):
    values, low, high = collections.defaultdict(list), {}, {}
    for instruction_type, *rest in parse(instructions):
        if instruction_type == 'value':
            value, bot = rest
            values[bot].append(value)
        else:
            from_, *destination = rest
            vars()[instruction_type][from_] = destination
    return values, low, high
    

def execute(instructions):
    values, low, high = prepare(instructions)
    outputs = {}

    def give(destination, value):
        destination_type, destination_index = destination
        if destination_type == 'bot':
            values[destination_index].append(value)
        elif destination_type == 'output':
            outputs[destination_index] = value
        else:
            assert False, 'cannot happen'

    while True:
        for bot, bot_values in values.items():
            assert len(bot_values) <= 2, 'too many values'
            if len(bot_values) == 2:
                if set(bot_values) == {61, 17}:
                    print(bot)
                low_value, high_value = sorted(bot_values)
                bot_values.clear()
                give(low[bot], low_value)
                give(high[bot], high_value)
                break
        else: break

    assert not any(values for values in values.values())
    return outputs

assert execute(test) == dict(enumerate([5, 2, 3]))
outputs = execute(input)
print(outputs[0] * outputs[1] * outputs[2])