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Date: Fri, 31 May 2013 12:54:22 -0600
Subject: Re: Cutting a deck of cards
From: Modulok <modulok@gmail.com>
To: Lee Crocker <leedanielcrocker@gmail.com>
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> Why on Earth would you want to? "Cutting" a deck makes no sense in
> software. Randomize the deck properly (Google "Fisher-Yates") and start
> dealing. Cutting the deck will not make it any more random, and in fact
> will probably make it worse depending on how you choose the cutpoint.
>
> The purpose of "cutting" cards is to make it more difficult for human
> dealers to stack a deck. Simulating it in software makes no more sense than
> simulating the cigars you smoke while playing.
>
>
Perhaps the OP wanted to study the efficiency and affect of a real-world
shuffling algorithm :-p Maybe he was designing a probabilistic magic trick
and
needed to evaluate how a cut would modify the outcome of a particular stack.
Maybe it was a school assignment. Who knows?

(But yeah if the purpose was for pure randomization then there's no real
point.)

There could be a lot of legitimate reasons though.
-Modulok-

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<div dir=3D"ltr"><div class=3D"gmail_extra"><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">=
<blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-=
left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;p=
adding-left:1ex">
Why on Earth would you want to? &quot;Cutting&quot; a deck makes no sense i=
n software. Randomize the deck properly (Google &quot;Fisher-Yates&quot;) a=
nd start dealing. Cutting the deck will not make it any more random, and in=
 fact will probably make it worse depending on how you choose the cutpoint.=
<br>

<br>
The purpose of &quot;cutting&quot; cards is to make it more difficult for h=
uman dealers to stack a deck. Simulating it in software makes no more sense=
 than simulating the cigars you smoke while playing.<br><span class=3D""><f=
ont color=3D"#888888"><br>
</font></span></blockquote><div><br></div><div style><div>Perhaps the OP wa=
nted to study the efficiency and affect of a real-world</div><div>shuffling=
 algorithm :-p Maybe he was designing a probabilistic magic trick and</div>
<div>needed to evaluate how a cut would modify the outcome of a particular =
stack.</div><div>Maybe it was a school assignment. Who knows?</div><div><br=
></div><div>(But yeah if the purpose was for pure randomization then there&=
#39;s no real</div>
<div>point.)</div><div><br></div><div>There could be a lot of legitimate re=
asons though.</div><div>-Modulok-</div></div></div><br></div></div>

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