Well, my opinion is that the old "3,5,7" is an underhanded ploy at best, truly beyond the pale as it were. No one true to the spirit of the sport would resort to such tactics. However, we must live in the real world, and I do realize that these sorts of tactics are used. You can't change the world by hiding from the truth.

One thing to realize is that the strategy of the game will TOTALLY change depending on whether you are playing 3,5 or 7. Myself, I tend to stick to 3. Closer to the spirit of the game in my opinion. But the other variations have their uses (just as chess has "bughouse" variations where the board is envisioned as a cynlinder, etc.) Many use extended matches to wear down their opponents, much as the brazilian jiu jitsu master will drop to a defensive position and...wait. Also, extended (best of 5 or more) games offer the opportunities for several "sub-games" in the main match, which raises the strategic possibilities considerably. Though I can't condone the ol' 357, if you DO choose to do it, I would offer the following advice: figure out ahead of time your optimal "best of" number, say, 7. Mentally, play the game as if you are already playing to 7, ie, configure your whole strategy to be a best of 7 strategy. This will undoubtedly confuse your opponent (see my "Scene Report-Washington DC" for an example of this.) One way to do this is to apply my mid-match positioning theorem: figure ahead of time what you want your middle (4th) throw to be. Work towards that, and you will find that you have created not only the desired outcome, but also the initial conditions *after the fact*. Kinda weird, granted, but the math behind it is solid.

Apart from that, I firmly agree with custardchuk's other statements re: "NEVER use these tactics in competition." and "I would expect you to send a healthy percentage of the win to Master Roshambolah to help kick his charity work along." We should all be thankful that we have the ability to even PLAY a best of 7, and we should always consider those less fortunate.

There is ample history of "I quit RPS" matches, and you may be able to gain some insight there.

One final thought: perhaps the BEST strategy is to agree to the best of (with or without the 100k bet), and if you lose, immediately take up the Japanese "Jan-Ken-Pon" which uses the same throws and results, just different names (which are included below in my "RPS/Martial Arts") Truly, you will no longer be playing RPS, but your conversion to Jan-Ken-Pon will infuriate your opponent to no end...especially since the two games can legally be played against each other in the same match (as per the Repatriation Act of 1948.)

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Comments:: Well, my opinion is that the old "3,5,7" is an underhanded ploy at best, truly beyond the pale as it were. No one true to the spirit of the sport would resort to such tactics. However, we must live in the real world, and I do realize that these sorts of tactics are used. You can't change the world by hiding from the truth. : : One thing to realize is that the strategy of the game will TOTALLY change depending on whether you are playing 3,5 or 7. Myself, I tend to stick to 3. Closer to the spirit of the game in my opinion. But the other variations have their uses (just as chess has "bughouse" variations where the board is envisioned as a cynlinder, etc.) Many use extended matches to wear down their opponents, much as the brazilian jiu jitsu master will drop to a defensive position and...wait. Also, extended (best of 5 or more) games offer the opportunities for several "sub-games" in the main match, which raises the strategic possibilities considerably. Though I can't condone the ol' 357, if you DO choose to do it, I would offer the following advice: figure out ahead of time your optimal "best of" number, say, 7. Mentally, play the game as if you are already playing to 7, ie, configure your whole strategy to be a best of 7 strategy. This will undoubtedly confuse your opponent (see my "Scene Report-Washington DC" for an example of this.) One way to do this is to apply my mid-match positioning theorem: figure ahead of time what you want your middle (4th) throw to be. Work towards that, and you will find that you have created not only the desired outcome, but also the initial conditions *after the fact*. Kinda weird, granted, but the math behind it is solid. : Apart from that, I firmly agree with custardchuk's other statements re: "NEVER use these tactics in competition." and "I would expect you to send a healthy percentage of the win to Master Roshambolah to help kick his charity work along." We should all be thankful that we have the ability to even PLAY a best of 7, and we should always consider those less fortunate. : There is ample history of "I quit RPS" matches, and you may be able to gain some insight there. : One final thought: perhaps the BEST strategy is to agree to the best of (with or without the 100k bet), and if you lose, immediately take up the Japanese "Jan-Ken-Pon" which uses the same throws and results, just different names (which are included below in my "RPS/Martial Arts") Truly, you will no longer be playing RPS, but your conversion to Jan-Ken-Pon will infuriate your opponent to no end...especially since the two games can legally be played against each other in the same match (as per the Repatriation Act of 1948.)

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