Draw Poker Riddle
Two men are playing draw poker with a standard 52-card deck. They spread the deck face up on the table so that both players can see all the cards. Player 1 draws a hand by choosing any five cards he wants. Player 2 does the same. Now, Player 1 can either keep the hand he has or draw up to 5 cards. Player 2 can do the same. The player with the better hand wins.
Rules:
- Cards that are discarded by a player are no longer part of the game.
- All the suits are equal in value, so a flush will tie with another flush unless one has higher cards.
After a few rounds, the players realize that Player 1 can always win if he draws a certain hand on his first turn. What hand should this be?
There is more than one possible answer.
Player 1 should choose one of the following hands: 1. Four tens and any other card; or 2. Three tens and any of the following pairs from a suit not represented by a ten: A-9, K-9, Q-9, J-9, K-8, Q-8, J-8, Q-7, J-7, J-6.