David Cameron and his cabinet invited to rock paper scissors contest

Sept. 27, 2011 - PRLog -- Sally Raynes of Wacky Nation has long been an advocate of the game of rock paper scissors to settle all important decisions. Whether it’s what to cook for dinner or who pays for the next round of drinks, Sally has always raised her fist for battle much to the groans from those around her.

Now Sally has realised that the appeal of rock paper scissors could extend to much higher plains, in fact as high as the government.  Sally adds, ‘the decisions made for the economy by the coalition have hardly been roaring successes, so how much worse could they do by settling future decisions with a bout of rock paper scissors instead.  I would like to see George Osbourne and his opposite number decide the next budget, not by number crunching but with a game of rock paper scissors. Who knows Ed Balls beats George Osbourne over what to do with income tax and the British economy recovers not because of economic acumen but because Ed threw rock against George’s paper!’

For any politicians interested, the 5th UK Rock, Paper, Scissors Championships will take place in the JD Wetherspoon Knights Templar pub in Chancery Lane, central London on Saturday 22nd October 2011. The increasingly popular knockout tournament will see 256 competitors battle through the rounds with the sole aim to be crowned UK Champion.  

There is also a team event, so could we see a battle between the conservatives and labour? Who really are the best decision makers?

For the uninitiated, the idea of the game is for two people to go head to head, using one hand to imitate either a rock (clenched fist), a piece of paper (flat hand) or a pair of scissors (two fingers in a V shape). Each player then slams down their hand (called a throw) and reveals one of the three symbols and it’s then down to the game rules to determine the winner: Rock beats (blunts) scissors, paper beats (wraps) rock and scissors beats (cuts) paper. If both players draw the same symbol, the point is re-played. Perhaps surprisingly the game is not just about luck and avoiding elbow cramp. It's very similar to poker with a lot of bluffing and putting out mixed signals. For the experienced player there are well known gambits [three pre-determined throws] that are adopted in tournaments globally, including the ‘Avalanche,’ which is three successive rocks and the Fistful o’ Dollars, rock, paper, paper. There are the less well known ruses of ‘Cloaking’ and ‘Shadowing’ and of course the more dubious tactic of psyching out opponents, which can have a massive influence in such a simplistic sport. There may not be too much to the game, but people will always go to extreme lengths to gain that extra advantage.

A new Team RPS tournament has been added this year to attract more groups to attend and will play out the same way as above, adding to a more intense final and our RPS Challenge, (a street version of rock paper scissors) allows individuals to challenge anyone around the room to a game playing with a stake of fake money. This ensures that anyone that attends the event can get caught up in the excitement and adrenaline with hundreds of games going on all around the room at any one time.

Sally Raynes, Event Director from Wacky Nation says, “Politicians aside, this is the perfect night out for groups of friends, stag and hen does, and office teams. It will be four hours of wacky fun, excitement and tension and plenty of drinking; the best thing is that absolutely anybody could walk away as the UK Champion.” If you would like to find out more and register to take part, go to www.wackynation.com or www.ukrockpaperscissorschampionships.com. The contests will run between 5.30pm and 10.30pm and the venue address is the Knights Templar, Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1DT.

For more information Sally Raynes can be contacted on 01884 255896 and at info@wackynation.com ENDS

Notes to Editor UK Rock, Paper, Scissor Championships - Tips

Don’t think that the game is all down to luck, there are actually strategies (some tactical, some dubious, some just stupid) for winning rock, paper, scissors. Here are just a few things to think about…

1. Men are more likely to throw a rock on their first throw - if you play a bloke, throw a paper first
2. Throw scissors - If you come up against an experienced opponent, throw scissors. They will never throw rock at first.
3. Scissors is statistically the least thrown of the three moves - therefore paper is statistically the safest throw, but not if everyone follows tip no. 2.
4. Shadowing - change your throw at the last minute e.g. twitch your fingers to signal a scissors before reverting to a rock. 5. Cloaking - leave it to the very last moment before you reveal your throw – this requires your opponent to reveal his throw too soon, (not encouraged if the referee is watching too closely).
6. Use a gambit – a gambit is a strategic three-throw sequence, decided on beforehand. There are eight popular gambits listed below. The point of the gambit is to avoid becoming too reactive and there are tactical advantages for deploying gambits against the right opponent.
7. Study your opponent - do they look aggressive or passive? Can you imagine them throwing a rock or are they more a paper type? 8. Taunt the opponent! - tell them what you think they will throw and they may throw the opposite. Tell them what you will throw and expect them to think you’re bluffing. 9. Mind tricks - A recent study on decision-making in Rock, Paper, Scissors, published in the July 2011 issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, found that players often imitate their opponents' last moves. Human mimicry seems to be involuntary.
Rock Paper Scissors Gambits

The Avalanche - Rock, Rock, Rock (beginner’s choice)
The Bureaucrat - Paper, Paper, Paper (boring, but effective)
The Crescendo - Paper, Scissors, Rock (crank up the pressure)
Scissors Sandwich - Paper, Scissor, Paper (very cheeky)
Denouement - Rock, Scissor, Paper (the surprise factor)
Fistful o Dollars - Rock, Paper, Paper (won 1967 World Championship)
Paper Dolls – Paper, Scissors, Scissors
The Toolbox – Scissors, Scissors, Scissors (a lethal combination)
Wacky Nation – Scissors, Rock, Rock (craziness bordering on desperation)

About the organisers: Wacky Nation (www.wackynation.com) is committed to re-introducing lesser-known sporting events in the UK. Their aims are to further the popularity of alternative sports and exercise, such as backward running and remind people of the fun events that exist and that you don’t have to be incredibly fit to become a UK or World Champion. They have many more daft and utterly mad ideas to be unleashed into the world.

Whilst their website is arguably the authoritative source for all unusual and unique sports, contests and races. The Wacky Nation team have already written one book on 50 unusual sports around the UK and now in the middle of their sequel.

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Wacky Nation (www.wackynation.com) are committed to promoting and conceiving lesser-known sports in the UK and around the world. They have already organised the UK's first ever backward running race and have many more ideas for 2011 and beyond.