The Prisoner's Dilemma 🔒

You and another suspect are caught! The police separate you and offer a deal: betray the other person for a lighter sentence, or stay silent and cooperate. But beware — what the other person does changes everything.

Opponent Strategy

YOUR SCORE
0
ROUND
1/5
THEIR SCORE
0

Round 1: What do you do?

Round History

No rounds played yet. Make your first choice! 👆

Payoff Matrix

🤝 They Cooperate
🗡️ They Betray
🤝 You Cooperate
3/3
You / Them
0/5
You / Them
🗡️ You Betray
5/0
You / Them
1/1
You / Them

Higher numbers = more points for that player

How It Works

  • 🤝Both cooperate: You each get 3 points. Best total outcome!
  • 🗡️You betray, they cooperate: You get 5, they get 0. Tempting!
  • 😱They betray, you cooperate: You get 0, they get 5. Ouch!
  • 💀Both betray: You each get 1 point. Nobody wins big.

💡 The Big Insight

Betraying seems smart in one round — but over multiple rounds, cooperation usually wins! That's why Tit for Tat (start nice, then mirror) is one of the most successful strategies ever discovered.