[Math] Combinations Problem: Choosing 5 card hand with 4 different suits

combinations

I'm a little confused about how to solve the following problem. Could someone possibly give me an intuitive way to think about it. Thank you very much!

Problem: How many ways are there to choose a 5 card hand such that there are 4 cards with 4 different suits, (♧︎, ♢︎, ♡, ♤) and the fifth card could be anything.

Best Answer

By the Pigeon Hole Principle: the fifth card must be one of those four suits also.

Count ways to select: a suit to have two cards, two cards for that suit, and one card for each of the three others.


Assuming this is a standard 52 card deck (4 suits with 13 cards each and no jokers).

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