Two Plus Two Older Archives  

Go Back   Two Plus Two Older Archives > General Gambling > Probability
FAQ Community Calendar Today's Posts Search

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 06-11-2004, 05:49 PM
Poker21 Poker21 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: St. Louis Missouri
Posts: 15
Default how many possible hands in a deck of cards

Can anyone tell me how many possible 5 card hands are in a 52 card deck?
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 06-11-2004, 06:11 PM
jpym84 jpym84 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 42
Default Re: how many possible hands in a deck of cards

The number of possible hands is the number of possible combinations of 5 cards given a 52 card deck, where each unique ordering of the cards isn't counted (i.e. Ts-Js-Qs-Ks-As is the same hand as As-Js-Ts-Qs-Ks). So the number of hands is:
52!/((52-5)! * 5!)
=52! / (47! * 5!)
=(52*51*50*49*48) / (5*4*3*2*1)
=2598960
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 06-13-2004, 12:02 PM
scottjack scottjack is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Nashville, TN, USA
Posts: 22
Default Re: how many possible hands in a deck of cards

There's 2,598,960 possible 5 card hands out of a deck of 52 cards.

The formula is often abbreviated by nCr (where n represents the number of things you're counting, C stands for 'Combination', and r is how many of the n things you want to count at a time) In our case, n is 52, r is 5.

The formula goes like this: nCr = n!/[r!*(n-r)!]

The exclamation point means you take the number and multiply it by itself and each number between itself and 1.

(5! would be 5x4x3x2x1, 52! would be 52x51x50...all the way to 1)

So the calculation is nCr = 52!/[5!x47!]

The formula is in most any decent spreadsheet. To see the details involving the math behind the formula, look up 'combinations' in most any math site.

Hope this is helpful!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 06-13-2004, 12:09 PM
well well is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 25
Default Re: how many possible hands in a deck of cards

[ QUOTE ]
The exclamation point means you take the number and multiply it by itself and each number between itself and 1.

[/ QUOTE ]

You won't multiply the number by itself!
This would make 5! = 5*5*4*3*2, which is in fact 4 times too much!

I understand that it is not that you do not understand...
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 06-13-2004, 04:26 PM
scottjack scottjack is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Nashville, TN, USA
Posts: 22
Default Re: how many possible hands in a deck of cards

you're correct, of course..i only meant to be certain that the original number was included in the calculation.
Thanks for the correction.
[img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 06-22-2004, 12:45 PM
DeadRed DeadRed is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Indiana
Posts: 19
Default Number of different POKER hands

The number 2598960 is well-known, this has always (and properly) been explained that it counts hands that are the same poker-wise as being different. E.g. the 4 royal flushes as 4 different hands. My initial computation on counting the different ranking poker hands has yielded 8154 different ranks of hands, from a royal flush (4 possible ways to make) to 7-5-4-3-2 (1020 possible ways to make without being flush). I am not sure of the accuracy of this number yet, because my double-checking is not coming out right. I will update this when all the numbers jibe.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 06-22-2004, 01:35 PM
DeadRed DeadRed is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Indiana
Posts: 19
Default Re: Number of different POKER hands

i am updating the number to 7462 hands. My double-check says I am missing 896 out of the ~2.6 million card combinations, so I think I am close!
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 06-22-2004, 04:06 PM
BugsBunny BugsBunny is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 537
Default Re: Number of different POKER hands

Lets see if I understand what you're trying to figure here:

Straight flush, including royal = 10 (A, K, Q, J, T, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 high)

4 of a kind = 13 * 12 = 156 (4 of each rank * 12 different kickers)

Full house = 13 * 12 = 156 (3 of each rank * 12 different pairs)

Flush = C(13,5) - 10 straight flushes = 1287 - 10 = 1277

straight = 10 (see straight flush)

trips = 13 * C(12,2) = 13 * 66 = 858

2 pairs = 11(12+11+10+9+8+7+6+5+4+3+2+1) = 858 (you have 11 different kickers for each 2 pair combination. AA has 12 additional pairs, KK has 11, QQ has 10 down to 33 which has 1)

pairs = 13 * C(12,3) = 13 * 220 = 2860

High card = C(13,5) - 10 straights = 1287 - 10 = 1277



Total = 10 + 156 + 156 + 1277 + 10 + 858 + 858 + 2860 + 1277 = 7462
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 06-22-2004, 05:30 PM
DeadRed DeadRed is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Indiana
Posts: 19
Default Re: Number of different POKER hands

That is exactly how I got my number, but my double-check is not coming out right. To make reading easier, let me make this distinction: A "hand" is a card ranking, while a "combination" is a collection of 5 cards. In my terminology the top 5 hearts and the type 5 spades are the same hand, but different combinations. So there are 7462 hands and 2598960 combinations. To verify the number of hands, I am trying to count the number of combinations that make each hand to get a total of 2598960.

[ QUOTE ]
Lets see if I understand what you're trying to figure here:

Straight flush, including royal = 10 (A, K, Q, J, T, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 high)



[/ QUOTE ]

Each straight flush can be made in 4 suits so there are 10 X 4 = 40 combinations that make straight flushes.

[ QUOTE ]

4 of a kind = 13 * 12 = 156 (4 of each rank * 12 different kickers)


[/ QUOTE ]

There is only 1 combination of quads, but the kicker can be of any of the suits, so 156 X 4 = 624 combinations.

[ QUOTE ]

Full house = 13 * 12 = 156 (3 of each rank * 12 different pairs)


[/ QUOTE ]

Each set can be made 4 ways and each pair 6 different ways, so 156 X 24 = 3744 combinations.

[ QUOTE ]

Flush = C(13,5) - 10 straight flushes = 1287 - 10 = 1277


[/ QUOTE ]

One flush in each suit. 1277 X 4 = 5148 flush combinations.

[ QUOTE ]

straight = 10 (see straight flush)


[/ QUOTE ]

There are 4^5 ways to suit the 10 cards, but 4 of these make a straight flush, so 1020 combinations for each straight. 10 X 1020 = 10200

[ QUOTE ]

trips = 13 * C(12,2) = 13 * 66 = 858


[/ QUOTE ]

Each set made in 4 ways, each kicker can be of 4 suits, so 64 combination for each hand. 858 X 64 = 54912

[ QUOTE ]

2 pairs = 11(12+11+10+9+8+7+6+5+4+3+2+1) = 858 (you have 11 different kickers for each 2 pair combination. AA has 12 additional pairs, KK has 11, QQ has 10 down to 33 which has 1)


[/ QUOTE ]

Interesting that you didn't use C(13,2) * 11 kickers to get this number, but it shows an interesting fact: 1+2+3+...+n = C ( n+1 , 2 ). Anyway, each of the two pair has 6 combinations and the kicker 4 suits, so 144 combination per hand. 858 X 144 = 123552

[ QUOTE ]

pairs = 13 * C(12,3) = 13 * 220 = 2860


[/ QUOTE ]

6 ways to make each pair, 4 suits for each of the 3 kickers, or 384 combos/hand. 2860 X 384 = 1098240

[ QUOTE ]

High card = C(13,5) - 10 straights = 1287 - 10 = 1277


[/ QUOTE ]

1020 for each. (See straights above)

1277 X 1020 = 1302540

40+624+3744+...+1302540 = 2599000 which is 40 too many! It's driving me crazy!
[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 06-23-2004, 09:23 AM
well well is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 25
Default Re: Number of different POKER hands

[ QUOTE ]

1277 X 4 = 5148


[/ QUOTE ]
Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:29 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.