There is no safest move in Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock: every one of the five throws beats exactly two others and loses to exactly two, so against a perfectly random opponent each has the same expected result. You win the five-move game the same way you win the three-move one, by reading the habits of a real person and choosing the counter that covers the most of their likely throws.
If you need the rules first, see Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock. For where the game came from (Sam Kass and Karen Bryla, later The Big Bang Theory), see the history of Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock.
The full win table
| Throw | Beats | Loses to |
|---|---|---|
| Rock | Scissors (crushes), Lizard (crushes) | Paper, Spock |
| Paper | Rock (covers), Spock (disproves) | Scissors, Lizard |
| Scissors | Paper (cuts), Lizard (decapitates) | Rock, Spock |
| Lizard | Spock (poisons), Paper (eats) | Rock, Scissors |
| Spock | Scissors (smashes), Rock (vaporizes) | Paper, Lizard |
Learn one trick and you never need the table: arrange the moves in the order Rock, Spock, Paper, Lizard, Scissors around a circle. Each move beats the two moves directly before it (wrapping around), and loses to the two directly after it. Rock beats Scissors and Lizard; Spock beats Rock and Scissors; Paper beats Spock and Rock, and so on.
The math: why balance is the baseline
With five moves, two outcomes win, two lose and one ties. So a random throw ties 20% of the time, compared with about 33% in the classic game, and wins and loses 40% each. That is the whole point of the design: fewer ties, faster decisions.
The game-theory answer is the same as in three-move RPS. The only unexploitable strategy is to throw each of the five moves 20% of the time, unpredictably. Any bias you show can be punished, and any bias your opponent shows can be exploited. If you want the underlying idea, our game theory page explains mixed strategies.
In practice, nobody is random. That is where you win.
Exploiting real opponents
I do not know of any published dataset of how people actually throw in the five-move game, so I will not give you invented percentages. What follows is reasoning from how people play the three-move game, where there is real data, plus the structure of the five-move table.
1. Watch for "classic-move comfort"
Many players are new to Lizard and Spock and still think in rock, paper and scissors. If someone keeps falling back on the original three, throw Spock: it beats rock and scissors. Paper is their remaining option, which beats Spock, so also consider Lizard, which beats paper and Spock but loses to rock and scissors. Pick whichever covers the two throws they lean on most.
2. Watch for novelty bias
The opposite type loves the new moves and throws Lizard and Spock far more than 40% of the time combined. No single throw beats both, because Lizard and Spock beat each other only one way: Lizard poisons Spock. The best cover is Lizard itself (beats Spock, ties Lizard) or Paper (beats Spock, loses to Lizard). Knowing which of the two they favour tells you which to pick.
3. Use the "two counters" rule
Every throw has two counters. When you predict a move, pick the counter that also beats your opponent's second most likely move. Example: you expect Rock, with Scissors as a backup. Paper beats Rock but loses to Scissors. Spock beats both. Choose Spock.
4. Apply what we know from three-move RPS
In our own data at wrpsa.com (3,020 throws from 943 players between 2026-07-29 and 2026-09-27, mostly against the computer, in the classic three-move game), players who won repeated the same throw only 20.0% of the time. Researchers at Zhejiang University (Wang, Xu and Zhou, 2014) found a similar win-stay, lose-shift pattern in the three-move game. Whether the pattern carries over to five moves is untested, but a sensible default is: after an opponent wins, do not expect a repeat; after they lose, expect a change. More on this in how to predict your opponent's move.
5. Mind the physical tells
Spock is the Vulcan salute, fingers split between the middle and ring finger, and some people find it awkward to form quickly. Lizard is a hand shaped like a sock puppet's mouth. A player who hesitates or telegraphs one shape early is giving you information. Keep your own hand in a neutral fist until the last beat.
A simple five-round plan
- Round 1: throw anything; you have no information yet. Watch their throw and speed.
- Rounds 2-3: note whether they stay in classic moves or reach for Lizard and Spock.
- After each result: if they won, expect a change; if they lost, expect a change too, and eliminate the move they just lost with.
- Pick the counter that covers their two most likely throws, using the two-counters rule.
- Mix yourself up: every few rounds, throw something your own pattern would not predict.
FAQ
What is the best move in Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock?
There is no best move in the abstract. Each wins against two moves and loses against two. The best move is whichever counters your particular opponent's habits.
Is Spock overpowered?
No. Spock beats rock and scissors but loses to paper and lizard, exactly the same two-and-two record as every other move.
Does the five-move game reduce luck?
It reduces ties, not luck. Against a random player you still win only 40% of rounds. Skill comes from reading people, as in the classic game; see our strategy guide.