Marcel Dreef

Measuring skill in games: Several approaches discussed

Abstract.An aspect of casino games that in general leads to discussions among both participants and spectators, is the relative extent to which a player can positively influence his results by making appropriate strategic choices. This question is closely related to the issue of how to distinguish between games of skill and games of chance. This is an issue that is interesting from a juridical point of view too, since in many countries the legitimacy of exploiting a specific game depends on the category to which it belongs. This paper summarizes recent developments concerning the measurement of skill in games. It points out the elements in the definitions that need closer attention, it illustrates the analysis with examples and it discusses further possibilities.

On Strategy and Relative Skill in Poker

This article presents a generalization of the equilibrium analysis for the simple two-player poker game with alternate bidding of Von Neumann and Morgenstern. It approximates optimal play for this game if it is played with a regular deck of 52 cards and it discusses some strategic insights. In addition, the paper studies the relative skill level of this game.

On the Role of Chance Moves and Information in Two-Person Games

The value of information has been the subject of many studies in a strategic context. The central question in these studies is how valuable the information hidden in the chance moves of a game is for one or more of the players. Generally speaking, only the extra possibilities that are beneficial for the players have been considered so far. In this note we study the value of information for a special class of two-person games. For these games we also investigate how “badly” the players can do, both with and without knowing the result of the chance move. In this way one can determine to what extent the players are restricted in their possibilities by the fact that some information is hidden in the chance moves of the games. This allows for a comparison of the influence of the chance move to the control that the players have over the game result.