Are you tired of losing the Battles of the Last Pizza Slice? Well, fear not: we've got a strategy for you. Thanks science!

According to a report done at a rock-paper-scissors tournament at Zhejiang University in China--and now you know there are rock-paper-scissors tournaments--there are patterns to how people play the game.

To play smart, classical game theory suggests players should completely randomise their choices - to remain unpredictable and not be anticipated by opponents.

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Losers, on the other hand, tended to switch to a different action. And they did so in order of the name of the game - moving from rock, to paper, to scissors.

After losing with a rock, for example, a player was more likely to play paper in the next round than the "one in three" rule would predict.

 

Well, there you have it! Research is helping you kick your friends' asses when it comes to getting to pick the movie, control of the remote, where you grab something to eat. You basically have as much power as a supervillain now. Use it wisely.

 

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