Game Theory Books

[TomCollins]

What would anyone recommend for a Game Theory book?

I wouldn't mind a textbook.
Links to Amazon.com get bonus points.

[jakethebake]

You could try doing your own search on Amazon for "game theory" I bet something will come up.

[jakethebake]

Try this... /images/graemlins/grin.gif
Game Theory Book Thread (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=books&Number=1059003&F orum=f19&Words="game%20theory"&Searchpage=0&Limit=250&Main=1059003&Search=true&w here=bodysub&Name=&daterange=1&newerval=5&newertyp e=y&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post1059003)

[TomCollins]

Jake, I'm not that farking stupid. Of course I know Amazon has a search feature.

But I want to get opinions on what is good, and also a poker perspective.

Also, try posting your links correctly. Preview messages is great.

Thanks for the link though /images/graemlins/wink.gif
Game Theory Thread (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=books&Number=1059003&F orum=f19&Words='game%20theory'&Searchpage=0&Limit= 250&Main=1059003&Search=true&where=bodysub&Name=&d aterange=1&newerval=5&newertype=y&olderval=&oldert ype=&bodyprev=#Post1059003)

[jakethebake]

Very weird. I actually did preview. The only time I do is when I post a link because they always get goofed up. Hmmmm....

[BSXX]

This is all I'll say, if you are looking into game theory to improve your poker, there are much, much better ways to spend the time and effort to improve your poker game. MUCH BETTER.

I know Sklansky discusses it briefly in Theory, but unless you are just interested in the topic for its own merits, I can assure you that alot of time and effort will be spent all for not. This is from personal experience. When you begin to learn a little about it, it is a rather boring and obscure study that is used more as an economic model than a study of individual behavior, and the data it produces is not very useful.

The elements of game theory that are involved in poker are already well known by anyone who has read a couple poker books.

[Carlos]

It depends a lot on your math background. If it's strong then Game Theory by Fudenberg and Tirole is a good choice.

If not, then you're probably better served with textbooks that are used in Political Science undergraduate courses.

[TomCollins]

My mathematics background is very strong. I took more math classes than needed to get a BS in Mathematics in college, with a few graduate level classes. Theory and proof intensive books are not only allowed, but recommended. I'm looking for a fairly rigorous book that would allow me to start up if I know very little about game theory.

I am not looking to improve my poker with game theory, but I would bet that some books are more interesting for poker players than others, and thats why I brought it up. I am a math geek who likes to solve problems. Poker is one of those problems, but I enjoy the game theory questions on this board, and want to get more in depth knowledge of the subject.

[turnipmonster]

Tom, get "Game Theory and Strategy" by Phillip Straffin. it's a textbook, but quite good and readable.

--turnipmonster

[TomCollins]

The cover alone might be worth the price of the book.
Cover (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0883856379/qid=1100291555/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/102-0832056-8151355?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

[Flux]

[ QUOTE ]
Tom, get "Game Theory and Strategy" by Phillip Straffin.

[/ QUOTE ]

I second that.

[jdl22]

If you are mathematically inclined I would reccomend getting
two books, one that is basic and probably nontechnical as an
introduction to the field of study and another that is more
mathematically intensive.

For the first book I would reccomend
Game Theory, A Nontechnical Introduction (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0486296725/qid=1100309834/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-3249913-0025717?v=glance&s=books) by Morton Davis.
Also, a very basic, game theory in the real world type
book is
Thinking Strategically (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393310353/qid=1100309899/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/102-3249913-0025717) by Dixit and Nalebuff. This book is
pretty much a popular science book.

On the mathematical end, in my advanced game theory class
(I'm an econ phd student) we are using two books both of
which are excellent. The first was reccomended by another
poster in the thread,
Game Theory (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0262061414/qid=1100310017/sr=2-2/ref=pd_ka_b_2_2/102-3249913-0025717) by Fudenberg and Tirole. The second is
A Course in Game Theory (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0262650401/qid=1100310112/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-3249913-0025717?v=glance&s=books) by Osborne and Rubenstein.

[eastbay]

[ QUOTE ]
My mathematics background is very strong. I took more math classes than needed to get a BS in Mathematics in college, with a few graduate level classes. Theory and proof intensive books are not only allowed, but recommended. I'm looking for a fairly rigorous book that would allow me to start up if I know very little about game theory.

I am not looking to improve my poker with game theory, but I would bet that some books are more interesting for poker players than others, and thats why I brought it up. I am a math geek who likes to solve problems. Poker is one of those problems, but I enjoy the game theory questions on this board, and want to get more in depth knowledge of the subject.

[/ QUOTE ]

Games, Theory, and Applications by L.C. Thomas is a good start, IMO. It's a serious textbook but a reasonable read, rather than a bunch of pure math uselessness (you know, the kind of book that has "Consider a Hilbert Space over blah blah" as the opening sentence.)

eastbay