Puzzle – Life and Luck

Picture this: Two friends, A, and B, find themselves in a thrilling yet terrifying game of life and death. They are captured by a gang of ruthless thugs and forced to play a game of cards. The stakes are high and the rules are deadly, but one question remains: who will survive?

The Rule of the Game: The game is simple yet deadly. Both A and B will choose a card, and hold it up so that neither of them can see the card they’ve selected. However, one of them can see the card the other has picked. Their goal is to guess which card they have picked. If they can guess correctly, the gangsters will let them go. Whoever guesses incorrectly will die.

Two friends with cards

Probability of Survival:

To determine the chances of survival, we must first understand the probability of guessing the correct card. In this scenario, there are 52 cards in a deck, and each friend can choose any one of them. Therefore, the probability of A guessing the correct card is 1/52 and the probability of B guessing the correct card is also 1/52. But, the twist in the game is that one of them can see the card the other has selected.

The Eye of the Beholder:

If A can see B’s card and B can’t see A’s card, A will have 51 cards to guess from and B will have only 1 card to guess from. In this case, B will have a better chance of survival than A. Similarly, if B can see A’s card and A can’t see B’s card, B will have 51 cards to guess from and A will have only 1 card to guess from. In this case, A will have a better chance of survival than B.

The Final Countdown:

It’s important to note that the scenario where both A and B can see each other’s cards is not possible in this game, as it goes against the rule that neither of them can see the card they have picked.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the buddy who cannot see another’s card has a better chance of survival, as his card will already be seen by his friend. The probability of guessing the correct card increases from 1/52 to 1, and for his friend, the probability goes from 1/52 to 1/51 giving them a much greater chance of survival. Will A and B be able to outsmart the thugs and make it out alive? Only time will tell.