Two-Finger Dakota

by Danny Doucette

Skinny Dakota is such a compulsive gambler that he opened his own casino, so it's not much of a surprise to see him conning some kids in the park. He saunders over to you and tells you about his latest addiction.

Morra is a game for two players. Each displays either one or two fingers, and simultaneously tries to guess what the other player will choose. If both chose right, or both chose wrong, neither wins. If only one person choses right, they win a number of chips equal to the total number of fingers shown chosen (either 2, 3, or 4).

Skinny goes on to explain that he's found a strategy whereby he is pulling a very nice. Wisely, you decline his offer for a low-stakes game. As Skinny walks off to con more kids out of their lunch money, you begin wonder what his strategy is.

What might Skinny's strategy be? On average, how many chips would he win per hand with this strategy?

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