A simulation study of Texas hold 'em poker: What Taylor Swift understands and James Bond doesn't

Falletta, J; Woodcock, S

A simulation study of Texas hold 'em poker: What Taylor Swift understands and James Bond doesn't

Falletta, J

Woodcock, S

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: ANZIAM Journal, 2018, 60 (1), pp. 55 - 64
Issue Date:: 2018-07-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Falletta, J https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9007-123X	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Woodcock, S https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4903-3164	en_US
dc.date.available	2020-05-25T19:07:45Z
dc.date.issued	2018-07-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	ANZIAM Journal, 2018, 60 (1), pp. 55 - 64	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1446-1811	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/126927
dc.description.abstract	© 2018 Australian Mathematical Society. Recent years have seen a large increase in the popularity of Texas hold 'em poker. It is now the most commonly played variant of the game, both in casinos and through online platforms. In this paper, we present a simulation study for games of Texas hold 'em with between two and 23 players. From these simulations, we estimate the probabilities of each player having been dealt the winning hand. These probabilities are calculated conditional on both partial information (that is, the player only having knowledge of his/her cards) and also on fuller information (that is, the true probabilities of each player winning given knowledge of the cards dealt to each player). Where possible, our estimates are compared to exact analytic results and are shown to have converged to three significant figures. With these results, we assess the poker strategies described in two recent pieces of popular culture. In comparing the ideas expressed in Taylor Swift's song, New Romantics, and the betting patterns employed by James Bond in the 2006 film, Casino Royale, we conclude that Ms Swift demonstrates a greater understanding of the true probabilities of winning a game of Texas hold 'em poker.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	ANZIAM Journal	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1017/S1446181118000159	en_US
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.classification	Numerical & Computational Mathematics	en_US
dc.subject.classification	General Mathematics	en_US
dc.title	A simulation study of Texas hold 'em poker: What Taylor Swift understands and James Bond doesn't	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	1	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	60	en_US
utslib.for	0103 Numerical and Computational Mathematics	en_US
utslib.for	0915 Interdisciplinary Engineering	en_US
utslib.for	01 Mathematical Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	09 Engineering	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)/Institute For Sustainable Futures
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.issue	1	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	60	en_US

Abstract:

© 2018 Australian Mathematical Society. Recent years have seen a large increase in the popularity of Texas hold 'em poker. It is now the most commonly played variant of the game, both in casinos and through online platforms. In this paper, we present a simulation study for games of Texas hold 'em with between two and 23 players. From these simulations, we estimate the probabilities of each player having been dealt the winning hand. These probabilities are calculated conditional on both partial information (that is, the player only having knowledge of his/her cards) and also on fuller information (that is, the true probabilities of each player winning given knowledge of the cards dealt to each player). Where possible, our estimates are compared to exact analytic results and are shown to have converged to three significant figures. With these results, we assess the poker strategies described in two recent pieces of popular culture. In comparing the ideas expressed in Taylor Swift's song, New Romantics, and the betting patterns employed by James Bond in the 2006 film, Casino Royale, we conclude that Ms Swift demonstrates a greater understanding of the true probabilities of winning a game of Texas hold 'em poker.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/126927