Question

The game starts with a pile of 20 tickets. You and the person you are playing against can choose who goes first and second. On each player's turn, they must take 1, 2, or 3, tickets from the pile. The person that takes the last ticket (s) wins. The game starts with a pile of 20 tickets. You and the person you are playing against can choose who goes first and second. On each player's turn, they must take 1, 2, or 3, tickets from the pile. The person that takes the last ticket (s) wins. What is the strategy the 1st player can use to win all the time?

Answer 1

Player 1 would want to end his turn with 5 sticks left, so that player 2 would end his turn with either 4,3,2 sticks left. Player 1 could do this 10% if the time by adding 4 to one and up (1+4=5, 5+4=9 and so on) if he ends his turn on one of those numbers he can win every time.

Answer 2

The 1st player would have to say 15 and 16. NOT 17.

No matter how it is.

Ex:

14,15,16

15,16