This one is pulled straight from Advent of Code so if you've done that before you'd recognize it immediately.
Start by clarifying the problem requirements, especially the card order and hand types. Then outline a solution that parses each hand, determines its type, and compares hands by type first, then by card values in order. Finally, discuss implementation details and complexity.
Pro tip: Mention that you can encode each hand as a tuple (hand_type, card_values) and sort using that tuple, which simplifies comparison and avoids custom comparator logic. Also, note that handling the joker variant (if applicable) requires careful adjustment of hand type evaluation.
Confirm the card order (e.g., 2-9, T, J, Q, K, A) and hand types (five of a kind, four of a kind, full house, etc.). Ask if jokers are involved and how they affect hand types.
Represent each hand as a string of 5 cards. Map each card to a numeric value for easy comparison. Count card frequencies to determine hand type.
Based on frequency counts, assign a numeric rank to each hand type (e.g., five of a kind = 7, four of a kind = 6, etc.). Handle special cases like jokers if needed.
Compare hands by hand type first; if equal, compare card values in order from left to right. Use a tuple (hand_type, card_values) for easy sorting.
Sorting n hands takes O(n log n) time. Each comparison is O(1) since hands have fixed size. Space complexity is O(n) for storing hands.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.