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Questions tagged [card-games]

Questions regarding probabilities and combinatorics of card games. The number of cards in the deck, number of players, and other parameters can vary.

This tag is for questions about probabilities and combinatorics of card games. The number of cards in the deck, number of players, and other parameters can vary.

Related tags: , . could be relevant in some cases.

1121 questions
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Can you explain this card trick?

Can you explain the card trick that is explained here? Edit: Here's a summary of the trick as explained in the video: Start by asking a spectator to pick any three cards they like out of a standard 52-card deck, without showing them to you, and…
stan
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7
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1 answer

I don't understand why this card trick works

So a friend of mine showed me a very interesting card trick that I don't quite understand. You have 52 normal cards from any regular deck you can buy anywhere. The Ace is worth 1 while 2 through 10 are worth their number value. Jack is worth 11,…
OmniOwl
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6
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1 answer

perfect riffle shuffle problem

A perfect riffle shuffle, also known as a Faro shuffle, is performed by cutting a deck of cards exactly in half and then perfectly interleaving the two halves. There are two different types of perfect shuffles, depending on whether the top card of…
Teru
  • 95
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1 answer

Is there a way to prove the 'Austrian deal' part of the 'Einstein' card trick?

I watched this video the other day. You have between 4 and 8 cards. Look at the bottom one and memorise it. Move the top card to the bottom; do this 8 times in total (like the number of letters in the word 'Einstein'). 'Austrian deal': remove the…
user6376297
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4
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1 answer

Card Probability in Magic: The Gathering

I'm playing with a deck in Magic: The Gathering which can be seen here: http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/21-05-15-robots/ The deck has sixty cards. I'm trying to find the probability of pulling 5 specific cards in my opening hand of 7 cards in any…
Benjamin
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4
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2 answers

Is it possible to get the largest conceivable score in Hearts?

I should explain the necessary rules: in the four-player game of Hearts, the object is to get as few points as possible. The points you receive are determined by the cards you pick up through a hand: hearts are worth $1$ point each, and the queen of…
EMBLEM
  • 143
2
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1 answer

Drawing self-improving cards: get good or remove bad first?

Suppose there is a single player card game in which there is a deck of $n$ cards. A card is either red, green or blank. Initially, the deck consists of $r_0$ red, $g_0$ green and $b_0$ blank cards such that $r_0+g_0+b_0 = n$. All cards initially are…
mafu
  • 537
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What are the most fun and helpful math games?

I am looking for fun and helpful math games to play in my free time. Most math games resort too much to calculation and are not actually helpful in other areas of intelligence - such as logical thinking, defining, relating etc. Any recommendations?
Daschin
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How does this "basic" card trick work

I am a bit confused on how the attached cardtrick works, if anyone can explain that would be amazing, thanks! (im in 7th grade btw so its probably simple to most of you) Step 1 Remove all face cards and the tens cards from a standard deck of playing…
Peter Maloney
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Odds of pulling out 10 specific cards out of a deck

What would the formula be to calculate the odds be of pulling all four 2's, all four 3's and at least 2 of the 4 4's from a standard 52 card deck. No order is necessary as long as these ten cards are pulled first. A second question is what is the…
Reynaldo Schneck
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1
vote
1 answer

Expressing game mechanic in mathematical form

I have encountered a game mechanic that takes repeated arithmetic to figure out, so I was wondering if it could be made simpler by finding an equation to solve. In this game, there are resources that can each be used only once each turn. A…
Indigenuity
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In a perfectly shuffled deck of cards, does it matter how you deal cards to the players?

I'm trying to create a program to play a card game. After a deck of cards (say a standard 52-deck) is shuffled, imagine I'm dealing 5 cards each to all 4 players. I could: Distribute one card to the first player, one card to the second player, one…
Lou
  • 257
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Maximizing the product of two numbers in a set given their differences

This is an interview problem from Glassdoor that I've been unable to solve. You have all the clubs from a deck, 13 cards, and you can choose 2 from the deck and get paid their product, where all face cards are considered to be 0. You can pay…
KD89042
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I don't understand why this card trick works!

So My math professor did a card trick with me where he gave me a set of normal 52 cards and let me shuffle them however I like, he even said that i can arrange them however I would like. Next, he asked me to think of any random number from 1-10…
AspiringMat
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you need to draw 1 card with 4 cards left and 2 draws

I was wondering what are the odds of drawing the 1 card you need when you have 4 cards left and two draws. I instinctively think 50/50 as you have two draws, but then I think it's a 1/4 + 1/3 == > 50/50 What is correct and why?
Michael Crook
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