<p>I think you are looking at it from the wrong direction, min-max is just a planning algorithm, decision strategy, in the sense that you are describing other algorithms/methods it does not have a category. For example, you have negamax algorithm which is in a sense the same thing the Monte Carlo Search Tree is to Monte Carlo. Min-max category is game theory really.</p>

<p>Now you should be thinking about RL algorithms in another way, and this is taxonomy:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/lAhlN.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/lAhlN.png" alt=""></a></p>

<p>So if you think about methods, you mentioned, let's put them in the right place:</p>

<ul>
<li>TD methods in general - model free</li>
<li>Monte Carlo methods - model free</li>
<li>MinMax - model-based (that could be discussed but it definitely needs access to a world model)</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-14T21:19:50.093Z
2020-05-14T21:19:50.093Z
Igor 
<p>Q-learning is a temporal-difference method and Monte Carlo tree search is a Monte Carlo method. In what category is MiniMax?</p>

<reinforcement-learning><definitions><minimax><monte-carlo-methods><temporal-difference-methods>
In what RL algorithm category is MiniMax?
mason7663
# In what RL algorithm category is MiniMax?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-05-14)

Q-learning is a temporal-difference method and Monte Carlo tree search is a Monte Carlo method. In what category is MiniMax?

**Tags:** reinforcement-learning, definitions, minimax, monte-carlo-methods, temporal-difference-methods


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-05-14. Score: 4

I think you are looking at it from the wrong direction, min-max is just a planning algorithm, decision strategy, in the sense that you are describing other algorithms/methods it does not have a category. For example, you have negamax algorithm which is in a sense the same thing the Monte Carlo Search Tree is to Monte Carlo. Min-max category is game theory really.

Now you should be thinking about RL algorithms in another way, and this is taxonomy:

[![](https://i.sstatic.net/lAhlN.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/lAhlN.png)

So if you think about methods, you mentioned, let's put them in the right place:

* TD methods in general - model free
* Monte Carlo methods - model free
* MinMax - model-based (that could be discussed but it definitely needs access to a world model)


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