Scissors-Stone-Paper - and how to win at it

Submitted by bafrog on

Scissors Rock Paper is a classic among the pants bag games where no material is needed.

Game concept

One round of the game usually begins with the synchronized recitation of the phrase "scissors, stone, paper". For "paper", both players hold out their hand with the character they have chosen themselves.

  • SCISSORS - index and middle fingers extended in a manner similar to the victory sign
  • STONE - clenched fist
  • PAPER - flat hand

Depending on who has which sign extended, one of the two opponents wins:

  • SCISSORS wins über PAPER, but is inferior to STONE.
  • STONE wins über SCHERE, but is PAPER inferior.
  • PAPER triumphs over STONE, but is inferior to SCISSORS.
  • When the characters are equal, neither has won.

A classic run has as many runs until one of the two opponents has won twice.

How to win the game

There are several strategies that can help you choose the "right" character. These are simply based on the fact that you can predict with a certain probability which character your opponent will choose.

Basic tendencies:

  • Beginners: men tend to be more "STONE", women tend to be more "SCARY".
  • Advanced: Tend more towards "SCISSORS" and "PAPER", knowing the beginners' tendencies.
  • Individual: Most of the time, a player tends towards a certain character. Ideally, you observe your future opponent playing with others before you play against them.

Trends that emerge from gameplay:

  • If someone has chosen a character twice in a row, they are unlikely to choose it a third time.
  • If you have won and your opponent is frustrated, he will most likely display the one you won with before. Especially with young opponents (your youngsters) this is a good method.
  • Sometimes it is also possible to see which sign your opponent chooses by observing him during the game. If you are fast enough, you can also use this to your advantage.

Universal Rules:

  • Often it is impossible to tell exactly what an opponent will take, but often what they will not take. A 'draw' can be achieved by choosing which character would be beaten by what is not taken. Example: You are playing against an advanced player, so assume that he will not take STONE. So he will take SCARES or PAPER. Therefore, you choose SCISSORS, since you will win against his PAPER and at least draw against his SCISSORS. You took the character that would be beaten by STONE. However, since you know with near certainty that he will not take this, it is für you to take it safely.
  • It has been statistically proven that SCISSORS were the least used in competitions. Therefore, when in doubt, take PAPER.

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