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  I am betting a bag of coffee beans (won in an earlier match) against a BART card worth $1.70. This is very early in the evening. I started with a bunch of rocks, paper, and scissors; at this point most of them are still on the wall.
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  I am betting a bag of coffee beans (won in an earlier match) against a BART card worth $1.70. I win this match; the coffee and the BART card both go back on the shelves. The coffee is a popular item, and i use it as my stake in several other matches.
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  The coffee that I used as my stake against the BART card. For each item that I stake, I write down (on a tag, or, if possible, on the item itself) what i am betting it against. If I use an item as my stake multiple times, the tag begins to tell a little story about how much the item is valued.
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  Most people had pretty limited options as far as what to use as their stake. Potential bettors rummaged through pockets, bags, and purses to find an item(s) of equal value to the object that they desired. This person wagered a dollar against a dollar that I won previously. He walked away with both dollars.
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  One bettor wagered a pack of Marlboro Lights (with 11 cigarettes left) against my almost-full can of cold Miller Highlife. I won the match; she claimed she was about to quit anyway and thanked me for taking away the temptation.
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  A rock, a Prozac (won in a previous match), and a fabric patch cut from a pillowcase (bet as a group with the Prozac).
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  I started the evening with a rocks, scissors, and paper. The paper had the rock-paper-scissor cycle embossed on it and was quite popular. Many people also took a shine to the scissors (everyone needs an extra pair . . .), and some people even wanted the rocks. This rock was wagered (and won) against five 'ginger chews' candies.
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  A dollar (wagered multiple times), a couple of rocks, and an almost-full can of luke-warm Miller Highlife.
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  A half-full pack of two-flavor Nerds candy. It was first wagered against another pack of Nerds (different flavors). Then it was staked against 1/4 full tin of Altoids gum, a set of daily vitamins, and a calcium chew. I won both matches.
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  A snapshot of my winnings (and losses -- note especially the decrease of paper and scissors) midway through the evening.
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  It is very late in the evening and most people have gone home. A very tough-looking guy in a black leather jacket walks up and immediately decides that he wants the embossed paper. He rummages though his pockets and can't seem to find anything that he thinks is of equal value. Then inspiration strikes, and leather-jacket-guy fishes out a little bag with a glass pipe and some marijuana. He separates out a large bud and places it triumphantly on the table.
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  After a long evening of betting, this is my final take. Early in the evening I was on a hot winning streak and some people were suspicious, but my luck evened out. In the end, I think my winnings pretty much equaled my losses.

play rock, paper, scissors with me

Choose an item or items from the shelves.

Wager anything of equal value that you have with you.

Challenge me to a game of rock, paper, scissors.

The best out of three throws takes all.

My winnings will be put on the shelves.

This piece was first perfomed at Ego Park Gallery in Oakland, CA on April 7th, 2006.
These images are from this peformance.