Single-round prisoner’s dilemma

The Devil’s Advocate™ →Go uptown Pay-off table A cooperates A defects B cooperates A gets 1 year B gets 1 year A goes free B gets 3 years B defects A gets 3 years B goes free A gets 2 years B gets 2 years In which the curmudgeonly old sod puts the world to rights. Index — Click ᐅ to expand: The Devil’s Advocate Tell me more Sign up for our newsletter — or just get in touch: for ½ a weekly 🍺 you get to consult JC. Ask about it here.

To be contrasted with iterated prisoner’s dilemma, a single-round prisoner’s dilemma is a one-off game of prisoner’s dilemma, where there is no chance of getting your own back against a defector in the next round. Because there won’t be a next round. The payoff is thus per the table set out below, and the most rational course of action is to defect.

See also

• Prisoner’s dilemma
• Iterated prisoner’s dilemma
• Agency problem