Kevin Wang, 2024 College graduate and current Engineering graduate student, won the top prize of $10,000 at the first New Jersey Lottery Rock Paper Scissors Throwdown.
The Rock Paper Scissors Throwdown was held in East Rutherford, New Jersey from March 29 to March 30. Ages ranged from 18 to 78 years old, with a relatively even distribution of men and women. 384 people attended the competition.
The New Jersey Lottery presents the first Rock Paper Scissors competition of its kind in the state.
The two-day tournament featured a total of $25,000 in prizes, with $10,000 awarded to the first place winner, $5,500 to second place, and $3,500 to third place. $1,000 went to those placing fourth through sixth and $500 went to those placing seventh through twelfth.
Participants were narrowed down in single-elimination, one-on-one rock, paper, scissors matches on Saturday. Those still standing after the first day moved onto best-of-five rounds, with Wang winning the finals in a best-of-seven match.
Rock, paper, scissors is considered one of the oldest games in the world. Versions of the game exist all around the globe, with some of the earliest references dating back to 206 BC.
"Rock Paper Scissors is the world’s foremost dispute-resolving mechanism," the competition's website reads. "The first-known mentions of the “sport” date back to the Han Dynasty in China."
Wang said he was visiting friends who suggested visiting the American Dream mall, where the tournament took place. He decided to enter but had never professionally competed before. In an interview with The Record, Wang said his strategy was to throw paper first because most people throw rock first.
“I plan to pay some bills, save some money, and take my friends out to dinner,” Wang said when asked how he planned to use his winnings by the event organizers.
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