JACK 'N POY

This is the local version of Rock-paper-scissors. Though

the spelling seems American in influence, the game is really

Japanese in origin (janken) with the lyrics in the Japanese

 version sounding very similar to the "gibberish"

sung in the Philippines.

The lyrics:

Jack 'n' Poy, hale-hale-hoy! (Jack and Poy, hale-hale-hoy!)
Sinong matalo s'yang unggoy! (The loser becomes a monkey boy!)

Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game usually played by

two people, where players simultaneously form one

 of three shapes with an outstretched hand.

The "rock" beats scissors, the "scissors" beat paper

 and the "paper" beats rock; if both players throw the

 same shape, the game is tied. Other names for the

 game in the English-speaking world include roshambo,

 Paper, Scissors, Stone and other orderings of the three items.

The game is often used as a choosing method in a

way similar to coin flipping, drawing straws, or throwing

dice. Unlike truly random selection methods, however,

rock-paper-scissors can be played with a degree of

skill by recognizing and exploiting non-random

 behavior in opponents.

GAME PLAY

The players usually count aloud to four, or speak

the name of the game (e.g. "Rock Paper Scissors!"

or "Ro Sham Bo!"), each time either raising one

hand in a fist and swinging it down on the count

 or holding it behind. On the fourth count

(saying, "Shoot!" or "Go!") or on the third

count (saying, "Scissors!" or "Bo!"), the

 players change their hands into one of

three gestures, which they then "throw" by

extending it towards their opponent.

Variations include a version where players use

 only three counts before throwing their

gesture (thus throwing on the count of

"Scissors!" or "Bo!", or a version where

they shake their hands three times before

 "throwing." The gestures are

(in the three gesture version):

• Rock, represented by a clenched fist
• Scissors, represented by two fingers extended and separated, sometimes coming together
• Paper, represented by an open hand, with the fingers extended and touching, in order to represent a sheet of paper (horizontal)

The objective is to select a gesture which defeats that of

the opponent. Gestures are resolved as follows:

• Rock blunts or breaks scissors: rock defeats scissors.
• Scissors cut paper: scissors defeats paper.
• Paper covers, sands or captures rock: paper defeats rock.

If both players choose the same gesture, the game is tied and the players

throw again. The game is sometimes played as "best of three".