Practice Game Theory: Get a Competitive Edge in Strategic Decision-Making, Avoid Getting Outplayed, and Maximize Your Gains. (Game Theory Series) Paperback – January 26, 2022

Game theory is a fascinating subject. Some games have outcomes that one wouldn't expect. For example when I read the prisoner's dilemma I was convinced that both people would stay silent, it only makes sense. But then it turns out it actually doesn't make sense from an individual perspective - only a collective one. And human beings are usually pretty self-interest-driven. It was a very entertaining read.

One improvement would be to replace the pronouns with actual noun descriptors. It makes the material much easier to assimilate. DC

There are much better books on game theory. Most of them, actually

I read the first installment of this series last year and was glad that the author came out with a sequence. In this book, he builds upon the information he shared in the first book. The first chapter was a quick recap of the relevant parts of the previous book so if one picks this book up first can understand what he's talking about. I appreciated the smooth transition between chapters, each adding more information to a given technique, deepening one's knowledge. This book is about extensive form games, illustrated on game trees. These games are more interesting and real-life like than the primers such as the prisoner's dilemma or stag hunt. The games shown in this book have more real-life application potential. My favorite chapter was the one where he presented the story of two bridges and the overtaking of an island in WWII. How the parties strategized, what outcome could they expect. It's a very interesting book!The calculations made me a bit nervous again at first sight but there was no new calculation compared to the first book, thank God... just the same mixed-strategy algorithm, an evil I already knew. It's well broken down so even folks with little math knowledge can catch up. The calculations are an important part of proving the game. So I wouldn't skip them.

The format and content of this book makes it look like a game theory textbook you find in college; professors who teach game theory would find the organization of game theory concepts useful. However, that's all there is to it. It doesn't provide any new insights, nor does it emphasize its real-world applicability (it's game "theory" after all). Readers super-invested in game theory could revise the familiar concepts, but they can do that by searching online (or reading other books like this one). Newcomers would experience a learning curve when reading this book.