Tue
Jan
11
Tuesday Teaser #24
A classic Martin Gardner puzzle for my first teaser of 2011.
Two men play a game of draw poker in the following curious manner. They spread a deck of 52 cards face up on the table so that they can see all the cards. The first player draws a hand by picking any five card he chooses. The second player does the same. The first player now may keep his original hand or draw up to five cards. His discards are put aside out of the game. The second player may now draw likewise. The player with the higher hand then wins. Suits have equal value, so that two flushes tie unless one is made of higher cards. After a while the players discover that the first player can always win if he draws his hand correctly. What hand must this be?
