Rock Paper Scissors
This game is no different from the game you used to play as a kid, and we've even heard stories of it still being used to settle some serious questions, but more of that later.
Rock-paper-scissors game, as it's known at casinos operating on the Playtech network, has one aim and it is beating the computer or casino for a settled amount bet.
As you would imagine, all you have to do is place your bet and pick one of the three options that you think will defeat the opposing show. It's simple to play, and great fun for passing away some time.
Play
Rules
For single and multi-stage betting, the following simple rules apply.
- Rock beats scissors because scissors are blunted by rocks
- Scissors beat paper because scissors cut paper in two
- Paper beats rock because paper envelopes rock
- If both opponents pick the same icon, then the game is a draw
The player may also bet that they can beat their scissors, paper, stone opponent in a back to back heads up series of two, three or even four games straight. But, he must win each one to win the moolah! There are no second chances. And bear in mind that although the World Record holder for this game scored 98 correct guesses, we reckon that scoring four straight wins against an RNG are pretty slim, especially for multi-stage bets draws count as losses. But hey, it's got to still be worth a punt every now and again, right?
So, are there any tactics or strategies that can be employed in this game that will help to tip the odds of making a winning bet in a player's favour? The answer is unfortunately not on the players side. This one is down to pure luck more than skill, but we would still recommend mixing and matching your choices of rock, paper, and scissors to get one up on the casino. The odds are in fact the same, whichever symbol you pick. However, given the odds of winning, take a look at the following example. The number of games we always go for is highlighted, and the numbers should show you why.
The following gives you some idea as to our estimated probability of winning and the payout percentage if you win a game.
- "Single show" has a probability of 0.1 or a 1 in 9 with 1.9x payout
- "Two shows" have a probability of 0.1 or a 1 in 9 with 8.7x payout
- "Three shows" have a probability of 0.04 or a 1 in 27 with 26x payout
- "Four shows" have a probability of 0.01 or a 1 in 81 with 78x payout
As you can see, we always bet on the two games in a row option. The odds are still 1 in 9 like the single hand show, but the payout is 8.7 times your stake.
We just have to add a bit of rock paper scissors trivia here! And it's a fact that can give you an edge when playing it. The New Scientist magazine reported that the way to win this game is to always start with scissors because the rock has been psychologically proven to be the most popular of the three shows. This, in turn, means that your competitor is likely to go with paper, which means your scissors show wins.
So, when starting by showing scissors, you should, theoretically, grab yourself an early victory.
The scissors show the first strategy also worked well for the auction house Christie's in 2005 when an art collector couldn't make his mind up whether to sell a painting through them or their rivals, Sotheby's. To solve his conundrum, he instructed them to play one hand of this game against each other. Not to be outdone Christie's consulted its employees on the best strategy and settled on the advice of its director's 11-year-old daughters. Their advice? Scissors, because everybody expects you to choose rock.
It panned out beautifully as Sotheby's went in with paper and were cut in two by scissors as the $20,000,000 deal went to Christie's.
No one is saying you'll walk away with a cool twenty million dollars by playing rock, paper, scissors online, but hey, it's fun and can be a nice little earner.
