This simple, yet
diverting game requires nothing but you, your partner, and four
hands with five digits each.
The object of the game is to get the other player's hands out by adding the number of raised digits on one of your hands to the number raised digits on one of your opponent's until both his hands would be at or above five fingers up. Each player starts with one
finger on each hand up:
Player 1 Player 2
Left Right Left Right
1 1 1 1
Player 1 chooses a hand of his and a hand of his opponent's and adds
Turn 1: the number of raised fingers on his hand to the chosen opposing hand:
Player 1 Player 2
Left Right Left Right
1 1 2 1
^-----^
Turn 2: Player 2 now has a choice: he can either add two to one of his
2 1 2 1 opponent's raised digits, or he could add one. He adds one:
^---------------^
Turn 3: Player 1 now can add either 2 or 1 to either 2 or 1. He sticks with 1
2 1 2 2 again:
^-----------^
Turn 4: Player 2 can add 2 to 1 or 2 to 2. He adds 2 to one.
2 3 2 2
^-----^
Turn 5: Player 1 now has a chance to knock one of player 2's hands out by
2 3 X 2 bringing its raised finger count to five. He does so.
^-----^
Turn 6: Player 2 now has three choices: He can add his fingers to his
2 3 1 1 opponent's normally, or he can "split". A player can split when one of
*SPLIT* of his hands is out and the remaining hand has either two or four fingers
Turn 7: up. When you split, you halve the number of raised fingers on
2 3 3 1 your "in" hand and add the other half onto your "out" hand, bringing
^----------^ your "out" hand back into play.
Turn 8:
X 3 3 1
^----------^
Turn 9:
X 3 X 1
^-----^
Turn 10:
X 4 X 1
^-----------^
Turn 11:
X 4 X X At this point, the game ends and Player 1 is the victor.
^-----------^
Using this game as a decision-making tool in place of rock-paper-scissors can allow an experienced player to either get what he wants one hundred percent of the time or delay the decision indefinitely.