Solving for dominant strategies and the Nash equilibrium *Fill in the blanks please :) *
Suppose Paolo and Sharon are playing a game in which both must simultaneously choose the action Left or Right. The payoff matrix that follows shows the payoff each person will earn as a function of both of their choices. For example, the lower-right cell shows that if Paolo chooses Right and Sharon chooses Right, Paolo will receive a payoff of 5 and Sharon will receive a payoff of 4.
The only dominant strategy in this game is for to choose .
The outcome reflecting the unique Nash equilibrium in this game is as follows: Paolo chooses and Sharon chooses .

Question Completion:

Matrix payoff:

                                              Sharon

                                  Left              Right

Paolo     Left              8,  3             4,   4

              Right           5,  3             5,   4

The only dominant strategy in this game is for ___Paolo to choose Right.

The outcome reflecting the unique Nash equilibrium in this game is as follows: Paolo chooses Right and Sharon chooses __ Right.

Explanation:

a) Paolo's dominant strategy is the strategy that always provides the greater utility to Paolo, no matter what Sharon's strategy is.  In this case, the dominant strategy for Paolo is to choose RIGHT always.

b) The Nash Equilibrium concept determines the optimal solution in a non-cooperative game in which each player (e.g. Paolo and Sharon) lacks any incentive to change their initial strategies. This implies that each player can achieve their desired outcomes by not deviating from their initial strategies since each player's strategy is optimal when considering the decisions of the other player.