I think you have not read the rules carefully enough to appreciate the challenge of this game,<p>&gt; <i>Third, each pirate would prefer to throw another overboard, if all other results would otherwise be equal.</i><p>If a pirate found themself in a situation where they thought their vote wouldn&#x27;t change the outcome -- <i>i.e.</i> all other results would otherwise be equal -- they would vote to murder the proposer. In the situation you describe, every pirate would find themselves in that situation, and would thus vote for blood.