Five card draw

This puzzle was inspired by a magic trick performed by Ricky Jay on the tonight show.

Puzzle

Take a well shuffled deck of cards and deal off 10, face up, in a single line. You and a friend are going to take turns taking a card from either end of the line. The player with the better five card hand wins. Do you want to go first or second?

Hint

With a little planning (and false shuffling) you can make this into more of a magic trick by dealing the cards face down.

See also

• Coin game