payoff
/ˈpeɪˌɔf/
the reward or outcome a player receives from a strategy
payoff in a sentence
“The payoff matrix shows outcomes for all strategy combinations.”
Origin of payoff
From pay + off, originally nautical slang for settling accounts
Related Words
dominant strategy
a strategy that yields the best outcome regardless of opponents' choices
zero-sum game
a situation where one player's gain equals another's loss
positive-sum game
a situation where all players can benefit simultaneously
prisoner's dilemma
a game where rational self-interest leads to worse collective outcomes
minimax
a strategy minimizing the maximum possible loss
mixed strategy
a strategy involving randomization among possible moves