The Complete Idiot's Guide to Game Theory

Introduction

In our increasingly hectic world, we are required, even forced, to make decisions all the time. This can be stressful, and we often worry whether we made the right choice.

That’s where a little knowledge of game theory comes in handy. Game theory is all about strategizing. It’s about making the best decisions you can—how to go about choosing what to do in the face of uncertain outcomes and scheming adversaries.

How do you make decisions? Do you make snap judgments? Do you painstakingly note down all the pros and cons and weigh them up? Do your decisions affect others? (Do you care?) And one more question: do you anticipate the decisions that others are making and how they impact you? That last question—about anticipating others’ ...