Russian Roulette Strategy - Quant Trader Interview Question
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Market Microstructure
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Topics: probability, decision-theory, risk-management, game-theory
Problem Description
You are forced to play Russian Roulette. The revolver has 6 chambers, loaded with two adjacent bullets. Your opponent spins the cylinder, points the gun at their head, pulls the trigger, and clicks (no bullet). They then hand you the revolver. You have the option to either spin the cylinder again, or pull the trigger without spinning.
What is the optimal strategy to maximize your chance of survival, and what is the probability of survival using this strategy?
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