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Let the increments define an upward skip-free random walk, and suppose $\varphi (\lambda )=\mathbb{E}{e}^{\lambda X_1}$ is finite for all $\lambda \ge 0$. If ${\lambda }_0>0$ satisfies $\varphi ({\lambda }_0)=1$ and ${\varphi }^{\prime }({\lambda }_0)>0$, the exponential tilting at ${\lambda }_0$ gives integrable increments of positive mean. The strong law of large numbers makes every nonnegative integer level attainable under this tilted law. Upward jumps are at most one, so the value at a first level hit is exactly that level. The stopped likelihood ratio under exponential tilting therefore gives hitting probability $e^{-{\lambda }_{0}k}$ for integer $k\ge 0$. Subtracting consecutive tail probabilities yields the displayed geometric distribution on $j=0,1,\dots$. For real thresholds use $\lceil k\rceil$ in place of $k$.

First take $k$ to be a nonnegative integer. The exponential tilting constructed from the independent increments restricts to ${\mathbb{P}}_n^{\lambda }$ on each ${\mathcal{F}}_n$. Since its Radon-Nikodym derivative is strictly positive, finite-time change of measure givesUnder the tilted law, $L_n=(M_n^{\lambda }{)}^{-1}$ is a martingale, becauseUse the stopped likelihood ratio under exponential tilting at this finite horizon. In detail, $\{{\tau }_k=j\}\in {\mathcal{F}}_j$, soHere the last expression is defined only on the displayed event, so no value of $M_{\infty }^{\lambda }$ is being assumed. The upward skip-free random walk has integer increments bounded above by one, which imply $S_{{\tau }_k}=k$ on a finite hit: the preceding value is at most $k-1$, and there is no upward overshoot. ConsequentlyAt $\lambda ={\lambda }_0$, the mean under one-sided exponential tilting is finite and positive. The strong law of large numbers gives $S_n/n\to {\varphi }^{\prime }({\lambda }_0)>0$ under ${\mathbb{P}}^{{\lambda }_0}$, so every integer level is hit almost surely. Since $\varphi ({\lambda }_0)=1$, passing to $n\to \infty$ givesLet $H={\sup }_{n\ge 0}{S}_n$. The event $\{H\ge k\}$ is exactly the finite-hit event: an integer sequence with all its values below $k$ has supremum at most $k-1$. Also $\mathbb{P}(H=\infty )={\lim }_k{e}^{-{\lambda }_{0}k}=0$. Subtraction of consecutive tail probabilities gives the geometric maximum of an upward skip-free random walk:This is the geometric distribution counting failures before the first success, with success parameter $1-e^{-{\lambda }_0}$.

The PDF writes only $k\ge 0$, without explicitly declaring integer levels. If it is read as allowing real $k$, then ${\tau }_k={\tau }_{\lceil k\rceil }$ and the displayed factor must be $e^{-\lambda \lceil k\rceil }$; the hitting probability is likewise $e^{-{\lambda }_0\lceil k\rceil }$. For example, increments $+1$ and $-1$ with probabilities $1/3$ and $2/3$ have ${\lambda }_0=\log 2$: hitting level $1/2$ has probability $1/2$, not $2^{-1/2}$. The integer interpretation supplies the intended formula.