A Nash Equilibrium Mixed Strategy occurs in game theory when players randomize their strategies in such a way that no player can benefit by unilaterally changing their strategy while the others keep theirs unchanged. In this equilibrium, each player's strategy is a probability distribution over possible actions, rather than a single deterministic choice. This is particularly relevant in games where pure strategies do not yield a stable outcome.
For example, consider a game where two players can choose either Strategy A or Strategy B. If neither player can predict the other’s choice, they may both choose to randomize their strategies, assigning probabilities and to their actions. A mixed strategy Nash equilibrium exists when these probabilities are such that each player is indifferent between their possible actions, meaning the expected payoff from each action is equal. Mathematically, this can be expressed as:
where and are the expected payoffs for each strategy.
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