• Game theory is a relatively new discipline that has seen spectacular successes in evolutionary biology and economics, and is beginning to revolutionize other disciplines from psychology to political science.
• Ken Binmore is a renowned game theorist and mathematician, and he explains the theory in a way that is both fun and non-mathematical yet also deeply insightful.
• Wide coverage - Binmore reveals how game theory, as well as providing deep scientific and philosophical insights, can be valuable and enjoyably applied to everyday life - from social gatherings to ethical decision-making to gambling.
• Explains why John Nash, whose life story was told in the film A Beautiful Mind, won a Nobel prize. And includes mini-biographies of other fascinating, and occasionally eccentric, founders of the subject.

  
Games are everywhere: Drivers manoeuvring in heavy traffic are playing a driving game. Bargain hunters bidding on eBay are playing an auctioning game. A firm negotiating next year's wage is playing a bargaining game. The opposing candidates in an election are playing a political game. The supermarket's price for corn flakes is decided by playing an economic game. 
 
Game theory is about how to play such games in a rational way. Even when the players have not thought everything out in advance, game theory often works for the same reason that mindless animals sometimes end up behaving very cleverly: evolutionary forces eliminate irrational play because it is unfit. 
 
Game theory has seen spectacular successes in evolutionary biology and economics, and is beginning to revolutionize other disciplines from psychology to political science. This Very Short Introduction introduces the fascinating world of game theory, showing how it can be understood without mathematical equations, and revealing that everything from how to play poker optimally to the sex ratio among bees can be understood by anyone willing to think seriously about the problem.