History Of Roshambo

Roshambo is a game that practically all children have played since they were small. Roshambo is actually the name of the popular game, 'rock, paper, scissors' and has been around for quite a long time.

It is interesting to note that the name of the game is actually an old word of Egyptian origin. Roshambo is a game that is usually used to decide trivial matters between two people and even to decide large matters like in a tournament or as a diversion.

Roshambo is an easy game to play where two players start by each making a fist. They then count 1,2,3, "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot' where both players simultaneously bounce their fists. On shouting shoot, each player changes their fists into one of three possible hands:
Rock as a clenched fist
Paper with fingers extended and palm facing downwards
Scissors with the forefinger and middle finger extended (and separated into a V shape)

The objective of the game is to defeat the opponent using the right weapon. If both players choose the same weapon, the game is a tie, and the game is played again.
Rock blunts scissors, rock wins
Scissors cuts paper, scissors wins
Paper covers rocks, paper wins

Though roshambo is an Egyptian word, there is a written record of the game that stems to about 200 BC in Japan. Roshambo was then referred to as 'Jan-Ken'. After being played in Japan, roshambo is thought to have been migrated to Europe in the mid 1700's. This is where roshambo is considered to be associated with a certain Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau.

This Jean Baptiste was none other than the French general who had sent to command an army that was meant to support George Washington in the American Revolution. It is not known how and why roshambo came to be associated with the 'Count of Rochambeau'; but since Washington had secured Cornwallis's surrender in Yorktown it presents some possibilities in a connection.

It is thought that this connection with the Count of Rochambeau is the reason for the name of the game being roshambo. There are other theories to the origin of the game called the Asian theory and the African theory which says that the game was created based on the creation of tools by early man.

The European theory is another theory where roshambo was considered to be an early pastime of Scandinavians or a game that had a Celtic tradition wherein its popularity spread from Portugal and to the rest of Europe. Following this European theory, it is believed that roshambo started from the Celtic settlers found in the northern regions of Portugal in the 6th century BC.

It is believed to have spread to the rest of Portugal in the 3rd century and then to the rest of the Spanish peninsula over a span of fifty years. After this, it is believed that it was the Roman invasion of Hispania that occurred in 1st century AD that made roshambo popular in Gallia and Italia.

However though the Romans were very well aware of the game, it was not introduced to the UK as they thought that the game would only make the UK colonies of that time rebel against the Roman Senate. It was the Portuguese armada of 350 AD who had come to England that formerly introduced roshambo in Britannia. Although it is very hard to find roshambo at casinos, there are a few online websites that do offer the game for real money including Ultimate Bet.