Value_counts = defaultdict ( lambda : 0 ) for v in values : Values = def check_straight_flush (hand ) : if check_flush (hand ) and check_straight (hand ) : return True else : return False def check_four_of_a_kind (hand ) : We can represent this as 3C.Ģ, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace Suit and value make up the value of playing cards. For example, we can take out any combination of 2 cards from the hand we are given, but we must replace these two cards with the next two cards from the deck (we can't pick any two cards from the deck). We want to exchange any n number of cards (where n <= 5) in our hand for the next n cards in the deck. We assume that we can see the next five cards (they are not hidden). We are given 10 cards, the first 5 are the current hand, and the second 5 are the next five cards in the deck. The hackerrank question asked me to write a program that would determine the best poker hand possible in five-card draw poker.

In this article I want to do some reflection on how I approached the problem.

I'm not a poker player, so I had a brief moment of panic as I read over the problem the description. The strongest hand in poker is called a Royal Straight Flush, or just a Royal Flush, and it is made out of 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of a matching suit.I recently took a Hackerrank challenge for a job application that involved poker. The suit of the Straight Flush is irrelevant, unless used to break a tie (multiple Straight Flushes in different suits are only possible in non-flop games, in which case the ranking of suits, from best to worst, is spades, hearts, diamonds, then clubs). Hand Description One pairing of the same card.īecause Straight Flushes are ranked by the highest card in the combo, the hand 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (a 9-high Straight Flush) will lose to the hand 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack (a Jack-high Straight Flush). Hand Description Two different pairings or sets of the same card in one hand. Hand Description Three of one card and two non-paired cards. Hand Description Five cards in numerical order, but not of the same suit. Hand Description Five cards, all in one suit, but not in numerical order. Hand Description A pair plus three of a kind in the same hand. Hand Description The same card in each of the four suits. Hand Description Five cards in a row, all in the same suit. Hand Description 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace all in the same suit. The ranking is based on the highest card in the combination, so the best possible Straight Flush would be Ace-high (making it a Royal Flush). In fact, a Straight Flush can only be beaten by another Straight Flush. How Much Money Can You Make Playing Poker?Ī Straight Flush ranks as the top winning poker hand.

Five of a kind poker