Stag or Hare

The stag hunt as a story: two equilibria, and a choice that comes down to trust.

Two hunters separate at the treeline and cannot signal. The stag needs both of them and pays 5 each; a hare is a sure 3 for one hunter alone, but chasing it abandons the stag - and a hunter left holding for the stag alone gets 0. The story shows the payoff matrix and asks whether there is one right answer the way there was for the prisoners. You lock in a guess, then step through the answer and breakdown.

Why quant interviews test this

The interview point is coordination risk and the payoff-dominant versus risk-dominant distinction. The written solution at /brain-teasers/stag-hunt/solution derives the 3/5 threshold.

The Stag or Hare guide covers how scoring works, the strategy that wins, a worked example and the mistakes most players make.

More Brain Teasers games

• Screwy Pirates - Five rational pirates vote on how to split 100 gold coins, and you work out the split by backward induction from a one-pirate crew up.
• Tiger and Sheep - A hundred rational tigers and one sheep on a magic island, where any tiger that eats becomes a sheep itself - solved by induction on parity.
• The Split Deal - The prisoner's dilemma played as a story: two thieves, separate rooms, and one offer each.
• One Offer, No Discussion - The ultimatum game as a story: one split of 100 pounds, one accept-or-reject, no negotiation.
• The Growing Pot - The centipede game as a story: a pot that doubles on every pass, and logic that says take it immediately.
• Two-Thirds of the Room - The Keynesian beauty contest as a story: pick the number closest to two-thirds of the room's average.
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