yahtzee

my wife and i, we have a little weekend tradition. whenever we get the chance we love to sit down and play a few games of yahtzee. it's a guilty pleasure i know, and enjoyed all the more when the rain is falling outside. we'll put on a record and sit down, and for a little while, it's just the two of us despite the frequent interruptions from smaller people. the set we own is one of these retro revival kind in a wooden box that features an older set of graphics. it promises "an exciting game of skill and chance" and "fun for the entire family".
well certainly it is a lot of fun, and although i recognize the chance element, i am not so sure about the skill on my part. we usually play a rubber match, she and i, splitting the first two games. but more often than not it is she who ends up the victor while i must continually look to become a better sport at losing. i will admit though that there is some skill involved. it's the skill of knowing what the dice are trying to tell you. telling you what they want to be. you serve out a 1, 1, 3, 4, 5 and wonder "should i take a chance and try for that straight? or am i kidding myself? let it come naturally". from the first roll you get a sense of where this is headed. you're either right side up or upside down from the get go.
but if you can hang on, maybe change the odds by turning a bad roll into a full house, you get the feeling that you can do it. paying those rolls upstairs in averages of 3 to try and hit that bonus. trying to balance it all out while letting it ride. no easy task. and every once in a while it all comes together, and you get the feeling it's more skill than chance. but you're just fooling yourself. the dice knows what it wants to be. it's just teasing you along the way.