How can PHP developers efficiently calculate the number of "outs" needed for a poker hand improvement without pre-storing all possibilities?

To efficiently calculate the number of "outs" needed for a poker hand improvement without pre-storing all possibilities, PHP developers can use a formula based on the number of unseen cards in the deck. This formula involves determining the number of outs for each possible hand improvement and adjusting for the cards already in hand or on the table.

function calculateOuts($currentHand, $tableCards) {
    $unseenCards = 52 - count($currentHand) - count($tableCards);
    $outs = $unseenCards - count($currentHand) - count($tableCards); // Adjust for cards already in hand or on the table
    return $outs;
}

// Example of calculating outs for a flush draw
$currentHand = ["Ac", "Kc"];
$tableCards = ["2c", "5h", "7c"];
$outs = calculateOuts($currentHand, $tableCards);
echo "Number of outs for a flush draw: " . $outs;