The Topology of Poker

05/03/2023

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by   Laurent Bartholdi, et al.

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We examine the complexity of the “Texas Hold'em” variant of poker from a topological perspective. We show that there exists a natural simplicial complex governing the multi-way winning probabilities between various hands, and that this simplicial complex contains 4-dimensional spheres as induced subcomplexes. We deduce that evaluating the strength of a pair of cards in Texas Hold'em is an intricate problem, and that even the notion of who is bluffing against whom is ill-defined in some situations.