Sure thing, partner. If we strip a hand down to ranks and suits, we can line it up in a table and spit out a number. Call it a “deterministic score.” I’ll give you the math, but just remember—luck’s still the wild card. So yeah, let’s give the house a curveball and see if you can beat me at the table.

Alright, here’s a straight‑up play‑by‑rules score: 1. Give each rank a base value: 2=2, …, 10=10, J=11, Q=12, K=13, A=14. 2. For suits, add a tie‑breaker: Clubs=0, Diamonds=1, Hearts=2, Spades=3. 3. Build a 5‑digit number: start with the highest card’s rank, then its suit, then next highest rank+ suit, etc. So a hand like A♠ K♥ 9♦ 4♣ 2♠ becomes: 14(3)13(2)9(1)4(0)2(3) → 143213190423. Now sort all hands by that number – the bigger the number, the better the hand. No hidden tables, just pure math. Try it out and see if the house still gets its edge.