Another interesting game ...

[slapdash]

... from Bill Chen and Jerrod Ankenman's "The Mathematics of Poker". Three players. Everybody starts by anteing $10. Each player is dealt just one card. If it comes to a showdown, aces and kings win: the pot is shared between all players with an ace or a king, and if nobody has one then the pot is shared between all players who haven't folded. Starting to the left of the button, there is just one betting round. The only bet size allowed is $10, and when somebody has bet, nobody else can raise, they can only fold or call. Button rotates as usual, so in the long run nobody has any advantage or disadvantage that cames from being first or last to act. OK, a nice simple game. Now suppose you know exactly what your opponents' strategies are: to your left is a rock, who will never make the first bet and will only call with an ace or a king; to your right is a maniac who will always bet if nobody else has, and will always call if somebody has bet. What is your expected win rate if you play optimally against these strategies? How about some guesses before somebody does the calculation?

[GaF]

Re: Another interesting game ... Gut feel is your win rate is microscopically small :unsure In fact, I'm not certain you can get an edge at all..... (though instinctively you must be able to if you know the exact way they play.....)