Saturday, December 10, 2011

Riffle & Faro

The standard way to mix a deck of playing cards—the one used everywhere from casinos to rec rooms—is what is known as a riffle (or "dovetail") shuffle.


(you have to shuffle seven times before a deck becomes truly scrambled.)


A perfect (or "faro") shuffle, meanwhile, wherein the deck is split precisely in half and the two halves are zippered together in perfect alternation, isn't random at all. In fact, it's completely predictable. Eight perfect shuffles will return a 52-card deck to its original order, with every card cycling back to its starting position.


More here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204826704577074501731476934.html?mod=WSJ_Books_LS_Books_8

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