Logic Puzzles

3. 1 Gold Coin

The five pirates mentioned previously are joined by a sixth, then plunder a ship with only one gold coin.

After venting some of their frustration by killing all on board the ship, they now need to divvy up the one coin. They are so angry, they now value in priority order:Β 
1. Their lives
2. Getting money
3. Seeing other pirates die.

So if given the choice between two outcomes, in which they get the same amount of money, they'd choose the outcome where they get to see more of the other pirates die.

How can the captain save his skin?

Added 1 January 2007 · Updated 5 July 2026

Hint:

Use the same approach.

Solution:

The most senior pirate could give the coin to the least senior pirate. He can use the same logic in the previous puzzle to explain the futility of anyone trying to keep the coin for himself.

Pirates left Captain needs Result
2 1 vote Pirate 2 keeps the coin. His own vote is enough.
3 2 votes Pirate 3 gives the coin to Pirate 1. Pirate 1 would get 0 if Pirate 3 dies.
4 2 votes Pirate 4 gives the coin to Pirate 2 or Pirate 3. Either would otherwise get 0.
5 3 votes Pirate 5 cannot survive. He has only one coin and needs two extra votes.
6 3 votes Pirate 6 gives the coin to Pirate 1. Pirate 5 votes yes because he dies if Pirate 6 dies. Pirate 1 votes yes for the coin.

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Comments (21)

Anonymous 16 December 2006

I don't understand how 'The Pirate's Simple Coin Logic' implies that each pirate will be content with only one coin out of a hundred. It seems illogical based on the information provided.

Anonymous 5 April 2007

The pirate question could use a disclaimer at the bottom. This basic game theory problem has shown that the other pirates wouldn't go for 1 gold coin each and would rather walk away than take something perceived as 'unfair'.

Anonymous 5 September 2007

Your answer to the '1 gold coin' problem is incomplete. It doesn't explain why the 6th pirate has to join. In the 5-pirate case, the captain cannot find two allies and must die, which is crucial for understanding the 6-pirate case.

Anonymous 30 December 2009

The assumption about 'a handful of prisoners' should be clarified. If only a few prisoners are involved, the outcome changes significantly, as fewer prisoners would lead to different results.

Anonymous 24 June 2010

I don't believe that the captain would be able to save himself in the 1 Gold Coin problem. If he gives the coin to the most junior pirate, the other three could still vote against him.

Anonymous 24 June 2010

I believe the captain cannot save himself by giving the coin to the most junior pirate, as the other pirates could still vote against him. They might focus on their priorities and neglect the coin. I may have misunderstood the problem.

Anonymous 30 July 2010

The senior most guy could give the coin to the 3rd guy to secure votes from the 5th and 3rd.

Anonymous 22 January 2011

There seems to be a problem with the proposed solution to the 1 Gold Coin riddle. The senior pirate can give the coin to any of the least 4 senior pirates to maximize their expected outcome.

Anonymous 22 January 2011

The proposed solution for '1 Gold Coin' has a flaw. The senior pirate can give the coin to any of the least 4 senior pirates, which could lead to a unique solution if a pirate prefers to see others die.

Anonymous 11 March 2013

Puzzle #6 is misleading due to a grammatical error. The phrase 'When he gets there, the surgeon says...' creates confusion about who is arriving.

Anonymous 26 January 2015

Problem 3 on the 1 Gold Coin is under contention. The first most junior pirate has the most to gain; left with the second most junior pirate as captain, he could secure the coin and his life.

Anonymous 26 January 2015

The setup of the riddle regarding the 1 Gold Coin is flawed. The first most junior pirate has the most to gain by securing the coin and ensuring his survival, while the second most junior pirate would also survive under the current rules.

Anonymous 3 April 2015

In '1 Gold Coin', the correct answers are either 1 or 4. The captain is 6, and the voting behavior of the others is influenced by their greed.

Anonymous 3 April 2015

The solution to '1 Gold Coin' is either 1 or 4, not just 1. The captain is 6, and only 5 will vote to save their lives, while the others will vote out of greed.

Anonymous 3 April 2015

The answer to '1 Gold Coin' involves either 1 or 4 being the correct choice. The captain is 6, and the voting dynamics are crucial for survival.

Anonymous 2 May 2017

In 1 Gold Coin riddle there is a mistake. The captain always has two votes, yours and the 2nd captain's, because he will be dead if the first captain gets killed. In case of four pirates, the 2nd lower will get a coin.

Anonymous 2 May 2017

There seems to be a mistake in the 1 Gold Coin riddle. The captain always has two votes, including his own and the second captain's, which affects the distribution of coins among the pirates.

Anonymous 8 January 2018

Your answer to the '1 gold coin' problem is incomplete. It doesn't explain why the 6th pirate has to join. Your brief solution seems to imply that the captain can always save his skin, regardless of the number of pirates.

Anonymous 16 April 2020

I think the 1 gold coin answer should be give it to the 4th pirate. The 5 pirates situation is impossible because he will only be able to get 2 votes max, from himself and his second senior.

Anonymous 16 April 2020

In the 1 Gold Coin riddle, the full answer is either 1 or 4. The captain is the 6th pirate, and only 5 will vote because he wants to save his life. The votes for the captain will be affected by the greed of the others.

Anonymous 16 April 2020

For the 1 gold coin problem, the senior most guy (6th) could give the coin to the 3rd guy. He would get votes from the 5th and 3rd guy for that.

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