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Mixed Strategies in Game Theory

Dominant Strategies and Iterated Elimination

Game Theory and Dominant Strategies

In game theory, a dominant strategy is a strategy that is always the best choice for a player, regardless of what the other player does. When both players have dominant strategies, the game is said to have a dominant strategy equilibrium. However, many games do not have dominant strategies, and players must use other methods to determine their optimal strategy. One such method is iterated elimination of dominated strategies.

Iterated Elimination of Dominated Strategies

Iterated elimination of dominated strategies involves eliminating any strategy that is always worse than another strategy, regardless of what the other player does. This process is repeated until no strategies are left that are dominated by another strategy. The remaining strategies are called undominated, and the players choose from among them.

For example, consider the game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. In this game, there are no dominant strategies. However, the strategy of always playing rock can be eliminated, as it is always worse than playing paper or scissors, regardless of what the other player does. Once this strategy is eliminated, the only remaining strategies are playing paper or scissors. If both players use this process to eliminate dominated strategies, they will both end up playing paper or scissors.

Limitations of Iterated Elimination of Dominated Strategies

Iterated elimination of dominated strategies can be a powerful tool for simplifying complex games, but it does have limitations. It assumes that players are rational and have complete information about the game, which may not always be the case in real-life situations. Additionally, this method may not always lead to a unique solution or even a solution at all in some games.

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