[Math] Probability of winning a game by rolling the die first

diceprobability

Two persons are playing a game where they take turns rolling a die (so A rolls first, then B, then A again and so on). The first person to roll a $6$ wins the game. What is the probability that the person who started the game (rolled the die first) wins?

This was the question that I was given, but I feel like the probability depends on the number of turns played? My approach was that the probability of rolling a 6 at any particular turn will be $\frac{1}{6}$. So, the probability of winning in $n$ turns will be the probability of not rolling a $6$ on the first $n-1$ turns (since if a $6$ had been rolled, that would have been the last, i.e. the $nth$ turn) and then rolling a $6$ on the $nth$ turn. The required probability would then be $$\frac{5}{6}\cdot\frac{5}{6}\cdot\frac{5}{6}\cdot…(n-1\text{ times})\cdot\frac{1}{6} = \frac{5^{n-1}}{6^n}$$

Is this train of thought correct? Or have I misunderstood something?

Best Answer

Clearly $p_A + p_B = 1$ (somebody wins). And if $A$ misses on the first throw, then $B$ is in the position that $A$ was originally in; so $p_B = (5/6)p_A$. Putting these together, you find that $p_A=6/11$ and $p_B=5/11$.

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