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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 23 October 2009 |
Hey kids! Are you tired of watching overpayed professional athletes ruining sports by getting arrested, using steroids and hawking cheap shoes? Of course you are.
Let me tell you about the new craze in competition that is sweeping the nation. It has been around longer than basketball, it is more exciting than baseball and it features more thrills a minute than football.
The best part about it is, anyone can play. Whether you are young or old, tall or short, even fat and skinny, you can join in the fastest-growing sport in the world.
Rock, Paper, Scissors!
That’s right, Rock, Paper, Scissors, or RPS for short, is quickly gaining popularity with tournaments held all over the globe offering prize money and prestige.
RPS is growing into a serious business. Next month, the eighth annual International Rock Paper Scissors Championship will be held in Toronto. There is over $10,000 in prize money available, with the winner getting $7,500 and a nice looking trophy.
The sport has hit the big time. Professional competitors hire trainers to help them develop strategy and coach them on how not to reveal their planned moves.
There are even strategy guides available for the “serious” RPS player. People compile statistics on their own tendencies of what they “throw” in a competition. They know if they throw “rock” after a round where they threw “paper” there is a better chance of their opponent throwing “scissors”…or something like that.
In doing research about RPS, I stumbled across some interesting tips that will help aspiring RPS players to join the big leagues.
You would think that playing randomly would be the best bet, but statistics show that using predetermined strategies offer the best chances of winning. Most of these can be set up when sizing up your opponent.
Serious RPS players know that most people have a tendency to throw Rock on their opening throw. Rock is an aggressive move and novice players tend to use it to start a match, and if they are falling behind. So if a pro recognizes a rookie, odds are they will come out with Paper to start.
Paper is considered a passive throw, favored by timid and defensive players. Pros claim to analyze their opponent’s posture and if they seem meek or shy, the veterans expect to see Paper come out.
Scissors, on the other hand (no pun intended), might have the same chances of winning as the other two throws, but it is the least used, and a careful observer can find the right time to knock out an opponent with a well-timed cut.
The game is also known as roshambo in parts of the world. The name comes from the ancient Egyptians who played a variation of RPS that probably involved papyrus and blades.
RPS has been around forever it seems, there are several “origin” tales of how the game came to be. But no matter who you believe, I can bet that you have played it at least once in your life, and if you think you have what it takes, you can even turn pro, so to speak.
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