Cash out or bust

You repeatedly roll a fair die. On a 11, 22, or 33 you bank $1 and roll again. On a 44 or 55 you cash out and keep everything banked so far. On a 66 you go bust and leave with nothing. What is the fair value of this game (the most you would pay to play)?

Show hints (2)+
  1. Let V(g)V(g) be the expected payout with $g banked: V(g)=12V(g+1)+13gV(g)=\tfrac12 V(g+1)+\tfrac13 g.
  2. Guess V(g)=ag+bV(g)=ag+b; you get a=b=23a=b=\tfrac23, so V(0)=23V(0)=\tfrac23.

Answer

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0.6667 (± 0.005)

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Asked at: Optiver, Akuna Capital

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