problem 1 is a nightmare, IMO. I don't see a way to do it without a computer. For example:

Player A hand = AsAc

Player B hand = KsKh

clearly we should pick player A's hand, but how many different possible sets of community cards does player A win with, or perhaps easier to calculate, how many set of community cards exist that allow player B to draw or win?

Player B can't win or draw with 1 pair or 2 pair (i think), so lets start with 3 of a kind.

So player B wins with 3 of a kind IF: There is 1 king is in community hand, and 0 Aces; and less than 4 spades; and less than 4 clubs; and does not contain Q, J, {10}; and does not contain {2},{3},{4}, {5}; and does not contain any 5 card straights (save for later); and contains less than 4 hearts (save this for flush calculations).

You will also have to repeat this calculation for flush, straight, full house, 4 of a kind, and straight flushes; for every possible starting hand... And I'm not 100% convinced my 3 of a kind example is complete...And if you look closely, if you change player A's hand to AsAh, it will change the above calculation... Also with different starting hands of 1 pair, the player who is "behind before the flop" can still tie on 2 pair (just not in this example).

I just don't see how this can be done without slogging through the hands...

So either there is a major shortcut that I can't see, or it is time to heat up a computer...

This post was edited by Azrad on Oct 28 2013 11:49am

Azrad, that's unnecessarily complex. There are already programs that calculate equity given any amount of information in a hand. AsAc vs. KsKh is 81.946% equity. The problem is gathering equities for every possible combinatorial match-up and averaging the equities of the starting hands that are ahead. AsAc can face a total of 49*48/2 = 1176 match-ups; each individual combination does. That's 1176^2 = 1,382,976 total match-ups whose equities would need to be gathered and averaged.

So I still agree with you that it's a nightmare.

unrealpk, you would need to offer a very high amount for someone to crunch all the numbers. I've already solved both, though.

Worth our time to learn but not yours

First one is 100%

Your question must be wrong.
You are saying after the river is dealt and you know both hands to pick ww or lw. That can be 100% decided.

I think the question is asking, you know both the starting hands, but you have no seen the community cards. But it is worded badly.

Also: even if the question was "you know both the hands, and all the community cards" your chance of winning is still not 100%. There are ties in poker, and in that case the ability to choose either hand still won't get you a win. In other words, there will be outcomes where it is not possible to get a win, and therefore you can't win 100% of time.

This post was edited by Azrad on Oct 30 2013 02:53pm

No need to spend time over this, guy just gambles all day, and hasn't responded to the thread at all

true dat

BUT, let me clearify what he means in the OP, as these are games that are normally offered in the Bar n Pub section of this forum

1) Here he means you know both players hands before any community cards are dealt (the five on the table). The player choses, before the flop, whether the winning or losing hand will win the game. Bar and pub operates with two modes; WW(winner wins) and LW(loser wins). Alas winning the pot(best hand) can mean losing the game.
2) Same as 1), but you only know your two cards. --> you know only your two cards and then you chose whether the hand that wins the pot will win or lose the game.

Your wording is terrible... learn English, its worth your time to learn

aka

#1
I know both ppls hands preflop, pick which will win

(even though you said after all 5 community cards are dealt)
I think you mean who will win based on cards dealt to each person?

#2
I know only my hand, "will it lose or will it win?"

ez

This post was edited by Magicalmaged on Nov 5 2013 06:53am