A particular permutation of the 52 cards of a deck of (French-suited) playing cards.
The order is as follows:
6♥️9♠️Q♦️2♣️5♥️
8♠️J♦️A♣️4♥️7♠️
X♦️K♣️3♥️6♠️9♦️
Q♣️2♥️5♠️8♦️J♣️
A♥️4♠️7♦️X♣️K♥️
3♠️6♦️9♣️Q♥️2♠️
5♦️8♣️J♥️A♠️4♦️
7♣️X♥️K♠️3♦️6♣️
9♥️Q♠️2♦️5♣️8♥️
J♠️A♦️4♣️7♥️X♠️
K♦️3♣️
Which, when presented for a few seconds to a casual observer, might look sufficiently random. However, if you arrange the cards in 13 columns, it looks like this:
6♥️ 9♠️ Q♦️ 2♣️ 5♥️ 8♠️ J♦️ A♣️ 4♥️ 7♠️ X♦️ K♣️ 3♥️
6♠️ 9♦️ Q♣️ 2♥️ 5♠️ 8♦️ J♣️ A♥️ 4♠️ 7♦️ X♣️ K♥️ 3♠️
6♦️ 9♣️ Q♥️ 2♠️ 5♦️ 8♣️ J♥️ A♠️ 4♦️ 7♣️ X♥️ K♠️ 3♦️
6♣️ 9♥️ Q♠️ 2♦️ 5♣️ 8♥️ J♠️ A♦️ 4♣️ 7♥️ X♠️ K♦️ 3♣️
Moreover, if you arrange the cards in 4 columns, it looks like this:
6♥️ 9♠️ Q♦️ 2♣️
5♥️ 8♠️ J♦️ A♣️
4♥️ 7♠️ X♦️ K♣️
3♥️ 6♠️ 9♦️ Q♣️
2♥️ 5♠️ 8♦️ J♣️
A♥️ 4♠️ 7♦️ X♣️
K♥️ 3♠️ 6♦️ 9♣️
Q♥️ 2♠️ 5♦️ 8♣️
J♥️ A♠️ 4♦️ 7♣️
X♥️ K♠️ 3♦️ 6♣️
9♥️ Q♠️ 2♦️ 5♣️
8♥️ J♠️ A♦️ 4♣️
7♥️ X♠️ K♦️ 3♣️
Characteristics
As you might imagine, this stack (and many others) are very useful to anyone who would want to have precise control over a deck of cards, like magicians, tricksters, gamblers and mathematicians.
The order in this stack gives rise to the following structure. No matter how you cut the deck1 you’re sure to know that:
- Every 2nd card is of the same color (red or black)
- Every 4th card is of the same suit (hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs)
- Every 13th card is of the same number or face (ace through 10, Jack, Queen and King)
- In this particular stack, the next card’s value is the “current” card, plus three (mod 13)
295
Assuming, of course, a regular cut.