rock, paper, scissors

I am notoriously bad at the game rock, paper, scissors. I think this is largely due to the fact that I call it paper, rock, scissors, thereby starting off on the wrong foot from the get-go. (These are redundant phrases, I recognize, but is it possible to say both in the same sentence without being repetitive?)

At any rate, today's Google How-To is "How to Win at Rock, Paper, Scissors". Not only is there a strategy, there are world championships. World Championships. I learned that the rookie male tendency is to start with the rock and the rookie female tendency is to start with the scissors. Do you know my rookie tendency? (I'm about to give away my secret for losing). I start with the pencil. I do not know why, but somewhere deep in my psyche, I have convinced myself that a viable position with rock, paper, scissors is the pencil. I think I have duped my sister (the pencil beats the paper!) but she is it.