The Devil's Quarter Game

[mantar247]

You die, and are brought before the devil to determine whether you will go to heaven or hell.

The Devil says that if you beat him at quarter placement game you can go to heaven. The rules of the game are this:

There is a large circular table. You and the devil each have an unlimited number of quarters. You take turns placing the quarters on the table. The quarters must be laid flat on the table, they cannot hang off the edges, they cannot overlap, but they may touch. A player loses when he cannot make a legal play (i.e. when it is a player's turn, and there is not enough room on the table for them to play another quarter).

The devil plays first, and you realize that you will lose.

What was the devil's first play, and what is his unbeatable strategy?

Edit: Oh god, I forgot to put some important rules, let me fix that.

so im sure this isn't right, but givin the stipulations in the rules of this game my best bet would be :

Spoiler:

the key lies in that it was never stated that only one quarter could be placed at any givin time. with an infinate number of quarters you dont need the other persons quarters too fill the space of the table, so obviously in his first turn the devil merely fills the entire table perfectly with quarters and chortles with glee as you shat yourself! its what i would do, and besides, he's the devil. you know thats the kind of trick he's going to use. plus you know after the first move that you've lost.

[jestingrabbit]

The devil's more devious than that.

It felt wrong doing it, but I've editted posiduck's post to make it clear that only one coin is played every turn.

[Random832]

That's more the kind of thing a demon would do than a devil, really.

Wait, I'm being told this isn't D&D? And that if it were, a demon would just eat you and not bother playing games with coins? Well, okay then.

(though I do have to wonder what sort of cosmology this is where the Devil has the authority to offer you a place in heaven at all.)

Spoiler:

Clearly, the only winning move is not to play. It's a test; by accepting the terms you have committed the sin of pride in thinking you can beat him.

[mward]

After the devil's first move: use your unlimited supply of quarters and unlimited time in which you can make a move, to file away all the rest of the table apart from just enough space to place one more quarter. Then make your move.

[jestingrabbit]

After the devil's first move: use your unlimited supply of quarters and unlimited time in which you can make a move, to file away all the rest of the table apart from just enough space to place one more quarter. Then make your move.

I keep making the same comments to people like you, I should write it out once and for all, but I'm too tired today.

[geekman]

Is the table Symmetrical?

[Roisterer]

So, I'll admit that I am not the most spatially aware, I did notice a trend in this discussion and am curious if it will bring any effect on the outcome.

Everyone, thus far, has been placing quarters touching the center quarter, that the Devil placed. Is there some way, by which you manage the gap between quarters that you can fit only an even number of quarters on the table, or will the symmetrical approach (assuming that the devil can directly mirror your placement) also negate this strategy?

[douglasm]

The symmetrical approach will negate every conceivable strategy, no matter how clever, that does not circumvent the problem by breaking one of the premises of the game. Moving the Devil's quarter, changing the shape of the table, and assuming the Devil might be imprecise in his placement can all potentially produce a win, but all of them are breaking the rules of the game.