• Solutions to Assignment 7 and 8 have been posted.
• A study guide/topic list for the final exam has been posted.
• Solutions for your midterm have been posted below.

Course meets every TR from 10:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. in John Greene Hall 219.

Instructor: Ronnie Pavlov
Office: John Greene Hall 304
e-mail: rpavlov@du.edu
Phone: (303)-871-4001
Office hours: Monday 2-3, Wednesday 10-12, or by appointment.

Text: Game Theory and Strategy by Philip D. Straffin.

This book is available at the DU Bookstore.

Most of us have played games such as Tic-Tac-Toe, chess, Go, checkers, and poker. Many games can be studied mathematically using a branch of mathematics called game theory. We will discuss various facets of elementary game theory, including (but not limited to!) how to formulate strategies, what makes some strategies “better” than others, what makes some games difficult or impossible to analyze, and applications to real-world concepts. Specific topics we may cover include the Nash equilibrium, the prisoner’s dilemma, and bluffing in poker.

The class will not be purely theoretical; we will spend lots of time applying the course concepts by playing various games. A homework assignment might involve analyzing a simple game, devising a winning strategy, and then trying it out during class.

The course will be roughly broken up into two halves. The first half will be devoted to games where both players move simultaneously, without knowledge of the other player's move. (These are also called matrix games.) In the second half, we will focus on games where the players move sequentially, taking turns, until the game ends. (These are also called sequential games.)

Your term grade will consist of homework assignments (which may include problems from the text, problems I make up, or slightly longer open-ended projects), one midterm exam, and one final exam, broken down in the following way:

50% Homework
20% Midterm Exam
30% Final Exam

• Assignment 1 and solutions.
• Assignment 2 and solutions.
• Assignment 3 and solutions.
• Assignment 4 and solutions.
• Assignment 5 and solutions.
• Assignment 6 and solutions. (NOTE: the bottom line on page 2 was cut off during scanning. It only says that every remaining position can reach the "big L" shape, which is a L(oss), so all remaining positions are W(ins).)
• Assignment 7 and solutions.
• Assignment 8 and solutions.

You will have a midterm exam on May 3rd and a final exam on June 5th. Both exams will be in our classroom (John Greene 219) during classtime (10:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.)

Here is a list of study topics for the midterm.
Here are solutions for the midterm.
Here is a list of study topics for the final exam.

Students in this course are expected to abide by the University of Denver’s Honor Code and the procedures put forth by the Office of Citizenship and Community Standards. Academic dishonesty - including, but not limited to, plagiarism and cheating - is in violation of the code and will result in a failing grade for the assignment or for the course. As student members of a community committed to academic integrity and honesty, it is your responsibility to become familiar with the DU Honor Code and its procedures: see http://www.du.edu/honorcode.