Quote:
Originally Posted by FreeShot
Maybe I'm missing something. I don't see the dilemma. It seems like the optimum play is to always steal while trying to convince the other person to split. I can't see where it is ever advantageous to split.
Once the other guy chooses "steal", you can never get any money. Even the situation in the video, I would have chosen steal rather than taking my chances in trying to recover money from the guy once he wins and decides not to pay.
ETA: I guess that is the whole point of the game, maybe. To watch some sap get talked into splitting while the other guy intends to steal.
Maybe this'll help. It's commonly called the Prisoner's Dilemma, where you and a buddy are both being interrogated. There are the following options with consequences:
If neither of you talk, you both get 2 years in prison.
If one of you talk, the talker gets to go free but the other person spends ten years behind bars.
If you both talk, you both spend ten years behind bars.
You can't communicate with the other person. Do you talk or stay quiet?
I might be screwing up the numbers on that, but that's the gist. It's a very common Game Theory question.