Kelly criterion

You have $25 and a coin that is biased in favor of heads 60% of the time. Your friend gives you 1 to 1 odds, a $1 bet could win an additional $1 (on top of getting back your $1 wagered), for a bet on heads. How much of money should you risk on your first flip, so that you make the most money?

$5 $15 $25 $2.50

This section requires Javascript.
You are seeing this because something didn't load right. We suggest you, (a) try refreshing the page, (b) enabling javascript if it is disabled on your browser and, finally, (c) loading the non-javascript version of this page . We're sorry about the hassle.

1 solution

Michael Esplin
Dec 31, 2018

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_criterion

In probability theory and intertemporal portfolio choice, the Kelly criterion, Kelly strategy, Kelly formula, or Kelly bet is a formula used to determine the optimal size of a series of bets in order to maximize wealth. f = b p q b = b p ( 1 p ) b = p ( b + 1 ) 1 b f^{*} = \frac{bp - q}{b} = \frac{bp - (1 - p)}{b} = \frac{p(b + 1) - 1}{b}

where:

f * is the fraction of the current bankroll to wager, i.e. how much to bet;

b is the net odds received on the wager ("b to 1"); that is, you could win $b (on top of getting back your $1 wagered) for a $1 bet

p is the probability of winning;

q is the probability of losing, which is 1 − p.

0 pending reports

×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...