I spent the first few minutes just trying to nail down the ranking of hand types before touching any code.
Start by clarifying the rules and constraints, then outline a modular design that evaluates each hand independently and compares them. Focus on a clean ranking system and tie-breaking logic, and discuss trade-offs between simplicity and extensibility.
Pro tip: Demonstrate awareness of edge cases like ace-low straights and kicker comparisons, and suggest a data-driven approach (e.g., precomputed hand rankings) to balance performance and maintainability.
Ask about poker variant (e.g., Texas Hold'em), hand size, and whether to support wildcards or jokers. Confirm input format and expected output.
Create a function that takes a hand and returns its type (e.g., flush, straight) and a sorted list of tie-breaking values. Use a ranking system for hand types.
Compare hand types first; if equal, compare tie-breaking values lexicographically. Ensure correct handling of special cases like ace-low straights.
Consider performance optimizations (e.g., bitwise operations for hand evaluation) and write unit tests for all hand types and edge cases.
Talk about trade-offs between a simple, readable implementation and a highly optimized one. Mention extensibility for other poker variants.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.