IMPROVED STRATEGIES FOR ROCK PAPER SCISSORS. I posted here about strategies for winning rock paper scissors. I (and Mary Jane as well) had learned that the game was pure luck. My post was about an article in Slate by Brad Fox, the head referee of the World Rock Paper Scissors Society, who points out that some players are better than others, which shows that it is a game of skill. He points out frequencies that are useful—men tend to choose rock more, then paper, then scissors. Women tend to pick rock, then scissors, then paper. Fox thinks that poker skills are also important—the ability to read your opponent.
This article by Caitlin Dewey in the Washington Post reports on research (by scientists at China’s Zhejiang University) which establishes additional useful frequencies for when you play rock paper scissors. These frequencies help you decide what to play in response to your opponent’s last move. The frequencies are:
If a player wins, his next move will usually repeat his previous move.
If a player loses, he will usually switch as follows: rock changes to paper, paper to scissors, scissors to rock.