How to Never Lose at Tic Tac Toe

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Video written by Adam Chase
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[@sionsmedia8249]

I do like that Giraffe of Interesting is becoming a real full time character.

[@ThemakaroniLV]

They could bring back corollas tho

[@YoloMonstaaa]

Giraffe as interesting

[@milotheviewer]

I don’t know what you’re talking about. Giraffe as Interesting has always been an integral part of the show and is already established in the lore as a recurring character

[@eelsemaj99]

what are you on about. he’s always been here. as has calf as interesting

[@krischan7950]

I'm here for a different debate, either way it's established that right now giraffe as interesting is a full time real character. So what's his pay? Is the wage hourly or by commission, is it full time or part time. I NEED THE ANSWERS PEOPLE

[@TheosDeorum]

I was half expecting him to say "Step 1: Don't lose"

[@rj5848]

Exactly thats expected but he needs to make the video interesting so yeah

[@BabySonicGT]

Half

[@LeventK]

Chess in a nutshell

[@ferretappreciator]

That's a half as interesting fact, thank you!

[@azizzizo1]

Half as expecting

[@johnchessant3012]

3:32 "Mathematicians, who apparently have nothing better to do" As a math major, this is both hurtful and true.

[@TotalDrganMania]

As an engineer major, yeah makes sense

[@JohnSmith-kj2od]

I believe game theory is worth that insult

[@Banom7a]

cs major can relate

[@SpecterNeverSpectator]

@@JohnSmith-kj2od game theory deserves every insult.

[@l1mbo69]

@@SpecterNeverSpectator.. sounds like I'm missing something here Why exactly is game theory hated

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

"How do I know all this? Well I read the tic tac toe wikipedia page" And teachers say it's the most inaccurate source on the internet

[@Jonasm501]

I'm pretty sure he paid the guy from Wendover to read the Wikipedia page.

[@rj5848]

We all belong to youtube university which is better

[@LeventK]

Actually I found the strat when I was a kid.

[@blankb01-_-3]

Hey it's you again

[@1.4142]

My resume: Wikipedia scholar, KZbin university graduate, Reddit detective, Google maps geographer.

[@bradenculver7457]

Figured this out as a kid and became a tic tac toe god Yes I peaked in elementary school

[@dzikri8940]

same, but i used to play middle

[@FalseRadiation]

The trick is to not spam it or they'll eventually go first

[@Raf1507]

Same I was the best in my skl

[@PixelatedShadow]

@@FalseRadiation if they go first then you just have to go middle and then go inbetween to force a tie

[@jarlfenrir]

Same. Actually everyone was confused why I'm not going middle in the first move, so THEY moved in the middle, so most of the time game ended with a tie. When I was second, the output of the game was more random since I didn't figure out the sure tie strategy for some reason.

[@ordinary_magician]

I remember discovering some of these on my own as a kid and feeling like I’m some kind of genius or something

[@iafozzac]

Same, I found out about most of this by myself as a kid

[@tavasp]

I was pooping one day and was board so I decided to look at every possible tik tax toe outcome

[@pearspeedruns]

@@tavasp Tik tax toe sounds like something on the IRS website for kids

[@tavasp]

@@pearspeedruns lol

[@BigBoss-sm9xj]

Well in my mind youre still a genius

[@BelcarrigFarm]

Both giraffe as interesting and calf as interesting in one episode What's this , a crossover episode?

[@eelsemaj99]

well it was a long time coming. both are long running returning characters. should have predicted it really

[@OrangeC7]

@@eelsemaj99 Exactly, I'm not sure why everyone is so surprised that these two characters are in this video

[@iamverybigsad]

BoJack referense, nice

[@JasperNLxD]

But it was the medium-necked Giraffe. Wasn't that the extinct one?

[@eelsemaj99]

@@JasperNLxD he was only acting at being extinct

[@Soykaf_]

once me and my friends figured this out in middle school, nobody ever won a single game of tic-tac-toe ever again.

[@BigBoss-sm9xj]

Oof the secret was out and everyone lived a disappointing life until they died

[@Raf1507]

That why I never told anyone in primary skl

[@RGC_animation]

Then place it in middle, it's another solution

[@brambl3014]

Took you middle school to figure that?

[@tancg3015]

There's a bit more to it then starting either in the middle or a corner. Start from the side to stump someone who thinks they got the basics figured out. Mathematically, the odds of winning are smaller but psychologically this works better against more experienced players. This line of play is covered in the wiki page but not the one way you could end up in a winning "fork" position when you do not go first. It requires your opponent to make a mistake that only veteran players tend to make. Tic-tac-toe is figured out for sure, just not quite in the way most people say it is, which goes for much else in life too. Have fun working it out!

[@lincselo]

That's why where I'm from, we always played tic-tac-toe in an "infinite" board (like a whole page), where you have to collect five marks in one line. That way the game is much more interesting, with way more possible outcomes.

[@noamz9527]

And math notebooks in school were perfect for it.

[@eliturner7963]

I think you would like Go. It’s basically what you just described.

[@lincselo]

@@eliturner7963 Maybe, I'll try....

[@lincselo]

@@noamz9527 Exactly, the magic is in the simplicity!

[@oceanman_8370]

Tic tac toe isn't fun on its own but it makes a good building block for better versions of it

[@lilodinson2731]

This video just showed me how to never lose at Tic Tac Toe

[@oumarkoume7238]

@@LNB627 LUMBAGO

[@cyberlemon9840]

What a coincidence! Me too!

[@TracyNorrell]

This comment told me that @LlL Odinson saw how to never lose at tic-tac-toe.

[@lilodinson2731]

@@LNB627 I think so too

[@cyberlemon9840]

@@TracyNorrell This comment told that @Tracy Norrel saw how @LIL Odinson saw how to never lose at tic-tac-toe.

[@0mio0-1]

I’m boutta win every argument ever with this knowledge

[@lil0of]

You: *starts argument* Person 2: no, you're wrong You: *moves to the left*

[@heliumnetworking5103]

Not at all

[@Derek-kj9mt]

I never lost at Tic Tac Toe, and now everyone knows my secrets. Thanks HAI.

[@edgybitch2177]

Stop being boring and learn side theory then

[@ardendarling5613]

One of the first things I ever coded (that wasn't a part of my course on how to code) was a bot that plays Tic Tac Toe against you and will always win or end in a draw if you're smart enough to counter it. It took a couple days to code it all, but I was really happy with the result considering that I wasn't following anyone else's instructions and figuring it out all on my own. Coding that bot has permanently burned Tic Tac Toe gameplay strategy into my brain.

[@daviddasilva8326]

That's pretty cool

[@lizardlegend42]

Glad to see the return of Girraffe as Interesting. By which isn't a big deal or anything, he's always been your mascot after all

[@eelsemaj99]

lovely to see the return of calf as interesting too. nice to see them finally in an episode together

[@kimsmoke17]

Up next: How to win at Newark Airport using: Wikipedia, transportation logistics, and red clay bricks.

[@BetleyIsland36]

You can't win at Newark, all you can do is suffer

[@noobsquad2652]

No no no that will be on the totally unrelated KZbin channel Wendover productions because it's planes

[@jeffbenton6183]

@@noobsquad2652 But... bricks

[@dandagames6030]

you never win if you end up at Newark

[@renderproductions1032]

🤣

[@veetvoojagig389]

5:31 The girl in red goes through a whole bunch of emotions in a few seconds! 😂

[@iwatchwithnoads7480]

There's Niagara Falls down there

[@cplhotpockets]

2:12 "Ultra weak, which coincidentally happens to be the same kind of jokes we have in these videos" Self burn those are rare

[@TOSkwar22]

Not on this channel they're not!

[@sebastianoleary2743]

@@TOSkwar22 literally exactly what I was going to say.

[@quw1556]

you must be new here

[@cplhotpockets]

@@quw1556 oh no I was with this guy since Wendover was his only Channel oh, I just thought of mentioning his humor style now

[@AlienValkyrie]

@@cplhotpockets wtf are you talking about, HAI and the guy from Wendover are totally different people

[@riceyboi5606]

Hey Sam, good job on this!! Even if a few details were a bit off, you clearly put in a lot of effort to understand a complicated topic, and I appreciate you.

[@boiimcfacto2364]

What detail was off?

[@who2807]

🗣

[@61rampy65]

@@boiimcfacto2364 You are new here, aren't you?

[@boiimcfacto2364]

@@61rampy65 GODDAMIT how could I forget 😂 Ngl feeling like a disgrace to the HAI fandom 😭😂

[@61rampy65]

@@boiimcfacto2364 Nah, you're good. We all make mistakes.

[@tomasvrana1703]

This is one of the reasons why we never play 3x3, we always play 4x4 and 5x5 or even higer if we feel like it

[@Bacopa68]

Amazons is a better game. Numberphile has a good vid about Elwin Berlekamp and this game.

[@hurktang]

Do not play 4x4, it's a guaranteed win for the first player, it's not better, same for higher level tictactoe

[@bruce4139]

2x2 tic tac toe needs to be invented

[@quasi-intellecual3790]

@@bruce4139 first player will always win no matter what position

[@iamdanyc93]

@@hurktang you must be trolling

[@wilyriley_]

2 uploads in 2 days? What universe is this?

[@jetpackboy09]

How to never lose at Tic Tac Toe: *Step 1: Don’t play it*

[@FoxDren]

Which you would already know if you'd watched The classic 1983 movie wargames.

[@Xm0gcy]

*Step 2: Done*

[@abeeragarwal4516]

i looked at the title of this video, my eyes widened and i immediately clicked on it

[@FoxDren]

"the only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?"

[@Havron]

Global Thermonuclear War is a strong solved game, as there is only one winning move.

[@LZ-zi3ll]

My first thought as well haha

[@Hrydra]

“and the calf wins in purple” it’s clearly blue but only purple when it’s out of focus

[@wopadoop7568]

Bro I dont even need to watch the whole video to know that this is going to be a banger video

[@farhan4]

Now imagine the situation: 1. You want to play tic tac toe 2. Your friend is joining you 3. Both of you watch this Would you: A. Play something else B. Watch Wendover instead and start talking about the logistic of toys

[@eelsemaj99]

i hate that guy from wendover

[@farhan4]

@@eelsemaj99 same

[@patrikwihlke4170]

I first read the title as "How to Never Lose a Tic Tac"... Definitely got me curious lol

[@w6wdh]

Back in 1980, a Computer Science class at Stanford had us write programs in 4 different languages, including APL, a dense, math oriented language from IBM. I wrote a one line APL program to play tic-tac-toe that always won or tied. The program mirrored and rotated the grid to match patterns in 3x3 matrices that mapped out all possible moves, just as described in this video.

[@Tastical]

I was playing google tic tac toe and got bored after a 20 win streak and this is the first thing i see when i open youtube.

[@Lucifermontana]

POV: I calculated every situation in tic tac toe in 9th grade

[@p_mouse8676]

Actually, ultimate tic tac toe is a very nice variant, which is basically a game of tic tac toe in every field of a game of tic tac toe. It makes the game all of a sudden VERY interesting.

[@chrischeng9145]

What if they tie

[@tctrainconstruct2592]

basically, if you go first, go in a corner, and there are 2 continuations: -if they move on ANY edge, play in the center -otherwise, try playing in the opposite corner, otherwise just play in a random corner. And then continue by playing "naively": win if you can, avoid losing. Also, a game like chess could theoretically be solved, but it would require a lot of work. Antichess was only weakly solved (White has a mate in

[@petervh1301]

Fun fact: Tic tac toe is called "boter, kaas en eieren" in Dutch, which means "butter, cheese and eggs". I have no idea why.

[@Havron]

This is the most Dutch thing ever.

[@yeticoatabrigodeyeti160]

Tasty breakfast,.

[@ShahidKhan-uf8hd]

Hey Sam, good job on this!! Even if a few few details were a bit of, you clearly put in a lot of effort to understand a complicated topic, and I appreciate you.

[@peppermint_8]

Giraffe as interesting is BACK! Wooo!

[@eelsemaj99]

what are you on about?? he’s always been here

[@__skillz]

Sam's getting pretty good at this KZbin thing, would be a shame if he uploaded to the wrong channel soon...

[@funnycat9962]

I don’t know what you mean. Sam only has one channel.

[@jakerussell135]

@@funnycat9962 yeah, theres sam and the dork at wendover productions

[@tealmer3528]

He already did it once, I got the notification. He just took down he video right away and put it on the correct channel.

[@TransportofPerth]

@@tealmer3528 It’s a JOKE, we all know he did it, on pupose too after the first time.

[@MirzaAhmed89]

He literally only did that once. Stop banging on about it.

[@juniormynos9457]

I figured out the tik tak toe 'never lose' strategy independently 20 years ago. Also you can have a never lose scenario from starting at the middle point. And if you play against an opponent who knows these strategies and always plays first, you can draw all the games no matter which moves he takes. This is probably why there is no tik tak toe championships anywhere. All games will lead to a tie😂

[@Modo942000]

This video unironically helped me study for my upcoming AI exam which covers this specific topic. Half as Interesting just became fully interesting.

[@cpasr8065]

I remember discovering this, and destroying my classmates for weeks until they got suspicious of why I always never lost if I played a corner (I used to occasionally place my move somewhere else to mislead them).

[@sarmadali7191]

ikr, giraffe as interesting is my favourite mascot since I was a child!

[@joeym5243]

Alternate title: how to never have fun playing tic tac toe again

[@vladan9374]

Fun is overrated

[@tavasp]

I figured this out one day when I was pooping using toiled paper

[@AutismAndy]

Finally a video i can appreciate and use in the real world

[@smokert5555]

We may not know the technical jargon, but any self respecting adult figured all this out by the time they hit adulthood.

[@Hennessy198]

When HAI ends up teaching you game theory in 5 mins

[@genethebean7597]

I actually thought this was gonna be another brick scenario but nope actual Tic-Tac-Toe strategy guide.

[@Kangaroo693]

The Most Important answer. Now I am Undefeated

[@OG_CK2018]

I actually discovered these myself when was I doing some practice/analysis on this game to defeat my friends

[@rashmipatra9832]

Thanks man, now I can always make a bet with my lil bro

[@TransportSupremo]

Glad to say myself and my friend figured this out in school while "studying"

[@armitoth4147]

Me: I have to study for the next weeks exam Also me:watching vid about How to Never Lose at Tic Tac Toe

[@hououinkyouma77]

Next week ? I have an exam tommorow 😂😂

[@thetimetraveller2671]

I have to study for five exams (writing them all within 14 days), and I'm watching this too. I think I'm screwed

[@houseplant1016]

Yeah I feel the pain.

[@elliottstirrop4353]

okay but i’m impressed that i figured this out as a child

[@kathanshah8305]

2077: How to never lose at chess

[@musicforalifetime133]

this is one of the best transitions to the sponsor I have ever seen

[@hallowizer440]

0:10 it looks like you want to talk about lego bricks.

[@iplayyouplayletsplay9728]

I figured this out playing google tic tac toe impossible and then using what the impossible bot did to me to the medium bot.

[@jfitz6517]

"Well I didn't read it, I paid a writer to read it for me because years earlier I read the Wikipedia page on Capitalism." 🤣

[@siliconhawk]

as a computer science student, i loved this video finally something i can relate to.

[@noahsiddall1450]

"Do you want to totally ruin a fun little game from your childhood?" Monopoly did that when I realized it was a game AND the current state of the global economy. Don't get me started about the card game called "War".

[@FoxDren]

Never buy hotels on monopoly

[@TheElusiveReality]

giraffe has interesting is genuinely a recurring character at this point

[@barrbarbuzie3359]

Minimax? damn i just learned that on Python

[@williamhalsted4]

When I was about fifteen, I built a Tic Tac Toe game in Python and Pygame. After making a two-player mode, I set about writing a computer to play against. I coded the computer to play, and then had my brother play against it. I analyzed every game and then tweaked the algorithm that selected the computer's move. Eventually I figured out these principles, and I had programmed a Tic Tac Toe-playing computer that was unbeatable. Consequently I also became unbeatable at Tic Tac Toe.

[@nimitberry5257]

I remember learning min max algorithm in class. This was a very interesting way to explain it . 👍

[@muhammadarshaman6366]

Idk why but I find this topic quite interesting

[@bartholomewdan]

I find it half as interesting as other topics.

[@BelcarrigFarm]

@@bartholomewdan COMEDY GENIUS

[@Charly_5V]

Pls make a guide for Rock, paper, scisors XDDDDDDDDDD

[@harishrajnish7207]

have you seen an anime named "no game no life"? go see it if you haven't, you get your answer, and ya you're welcome.

[@Charly_5V]

@@harishrajnish7207 yes i have, but i need the half as interesting reboot XDDDDDDDDD

[@harishrajnish7207]

@@Charly_5V nice, actually I would also like to see that.

[@joycejames8461]

The major problem would be how Giraffe and Calf can demonstrate the hand shapes.

[@Inspirator_AG112]

When you figure out the three-corner strategy.

[@harishrajnish7207]

"chess is nothing more than a game of tic tac toe" there I said it, who can recognize the reference.

[@davidothecheetoh6832]

no game no life

[@harishrajnish7207]

@@davidothecheetoh6832 true man of culture, I respect you.

[@Holmaaron]

Not surprised at this awesome crossover of giraffe as interesting and calf as interesting, just very pleased.

[@oceanstaiga5928]

I remember doing this as a kid and feeling frustrated that the other kids sometimes were so dumb to not take the middle one multiple times in a row.

[@jakiseitz]

I thought everyone knew this and we all decided to end this game forever

[@FireStriker_]

Strange game. The only wining move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess

[@brighamruud5090]

Yes please

[@eribetra]

1

[@qwasr1278]

2

[@angelicaschuyler1011]

3

[@gameenthusiast12]

YOU BEAT ME

[@aaronl19]

6

[@emmie657]

@@gameenthusiast12 ruined it

[@flighted2513]

Figured all of this out as a kid. Tic Tac Toe is very simple. Two competent people will tie every time.

[@SuperGarryGamer]

I actually managed to figure that out when I was bored in school, didn't know it was the best strategy

[@thatfabana07]

This was so much needed But not now

[@rhlhappy]

It's amazing how subtly the film "Crash" was able to tell John Nash's story

[@lemerbrix1375]

Thanks for this, Sam, now I have 10+ people mad at me for destroying them in tic tac toe

[@Krishna-gb5ye]

How to win at tic tac toe? "Move to the corner."

[@arjunpersaud9283]

The Explanation actually started within the First 30 Seconds. I was so surprised I restarted the video

[@JDW1110]

I already knew this strategy. Now maybe my opponents will know the strategy. Thanks a lot HAI.

[@rossmurray6849]

There's a simple game I sometimes use to annoy people. You start with three piles of matches: with 3, 5, and 7 matches. Players can take as many matches as they want per turn from any pile, but only from one pile per turn. The objective of the game is to make the other player take the last match. If you know the winning combinations, you can always force a win whenever you go first (and whenever the opponent goes first but makes a mistake along the way). It doesn't even matter which pile you take from first; as long as you take only one match from any pile you can always force a win.

[@Expat47]

Back in the 50's there was a computer at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago that played TTT and never lost. I'm not sure but I think it's still there and, if it is, it's the size of a closet!

[@cookiecakeeater6340]

I figured this out on my own already

[@spearmintlatios9047]

For a project in computer science, I made a bot that can nearly always win if it goes first by using a priority system that analyzes the board to find and create these situations. I did miss some cases though as It was really inefficient.

[@xxmemestar69xx82]

I thought everyone knew this. Just have the first turn.

[@chrisg3030]

My variant on the game that I want to share with the world is 3 handed Tic Tac Toe. Three symbols: 0, X ,and Y, and on a 4x4 (rather than 3x3) grid, but you still aim to be the first to get your symbol in a line of just three. I tried it out and it works quite well. You don't always need to block off an opponent's line, you can leave your other opponent faced with the immediate need to do that, and branch off on your own. Maybe it models international conflicts.

[@Goatcha_M]

Same thing if you go centre first, if they go middle of any side you have won, if they go corner its a drawer. Worked that out when I was 10 or so. Also, Noughts always go first in Noughts and Crosses.

[@LeventK]

Ah yes, very very basic queen's gambit.

[@Stratelier]

Nim could have also made a good example -- e.g. if you have a pile of 5 sticks and each player can take 1 or 2, then the first player can always win (and this works regardless of whether taking the last stick is counted as a win or loss).

[@bbt305]

I knew this. Regardless, your content I hold to a high standard because your channels are many ppl fav. This felt a bit like a copout . I do appreciate the video though!

[@dantetre]

Hey Sam, good job on this!! Even if a few details were a bit off, you clearly put in a lot of effort to understand a complicated topic, and I appreciate you.

[@brightspark8052]

Now to use this knowledge to always lose

[@mixmasterasia]

The guy getting angry in the poker game was one of the funniest stock videos I’ve ever seen

[@iCryInMySleep]

gonna come back to this if i ever get into extreme debt

[@stephanginther9051]

I was in the Philippians with my dad and brother. I was 10 at the time. Dad and my brother were off doing something and for whatever reason I don't remember, I was left to play by myself. Then a little girl about my age was dumped in the same situation. She didn't speak English but I managed to mime well enough to teach her tic tac toe which we played in the dirt with a stick. I won exactly one game before she figured out the pattern. The best I could do was a draw from that point on. Never saw her again but man was she good at that game.

[@MahlonMiller]

That "Magnus Carlbot" joke caught me off guard, I laughed for like 2 minutes straight.

[@KanawhaCountyWX]

I've always used the corner strategy

[@captainbossman1016]

Time to try and beat the tic tac tome book.

[@diamondapple6664]

Somehow i found all this out 2 years ago on my own.