In the game "Rock, Paper, Scissors," two opponents randomly toss out hand gestures, and each one wins, loses or draws with equal probability. It's supposed to be a game of pure luck, not skill — and indeed, if humans were able to be perfectly random, no one could gain an upper hand over anyone else. There's one problem with that reasoning: Humans are terrible at being random. A couple of recent studies have provided insights into the patterns by which people tend to play the game. Abide by them and you’ll be riding shotgun and eating the bigger half of the cookie for the rest of your life. There are two paths to victory: eliminating one of your opponent’s options or forcing your opponent to make a predictable move. In both cases, it has to be done without your opponent realizing it. First, many players, especially inexperienced ones, tend to start with "rock". If you anticipate this, playing "paper" on the first round gives you an advantage. Secondly, don’t get into a pattern. Break it up, which confuses your opponent because they won’t be able to anticipate your move. Follow these simple rules and you'll be the winner.
