Five cards enter the scene. One disappears, and the other four reach the magician in a carefully chosen order. There are no words, gestures, or marked cards.
The Magician and the Five Cards
Riddle statement
A spectator chooses five distinct cards from a standard 52-card deck and hands them to a magician's assistant.
The assistant:
- examines all five cards;
- hides one of them;
- hands the other four to the magician, one at a time, in any chosen order.
The magician may see only the identities of those four cards and the order in which they are presented. No words, gestures, or other signals are allowed.
Before the trick begins, the magician and assistant may agree on a fixed system.
How can they guarantee that the magician always determines the hidden card?