Regarding Micro Machines, most of it is memorisation. Yeah you have to break, but with the faster cars, you could head straight off a table, because the best reactions won't stop you in time.
And with Multiplayer, I tend to be better than my friends, so I fake losing and work behind the scenes to dish out wins evenly. It's actually pretty fun, since there are perfect angles you can bump someone to knock them of a ledge.