As Shunryu Suzuki says in his famous book, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In expert's mind there are few."
I played the heck out of that game when I was younger. During the holidays or when my nephews (sons of my oldest brother are around my age) would spend the weekends at my parents' house per the divorce agreement, we'd all sit around the kitchen table and play Yahtzee, Risk, and other assorted board games. Yahtzee and Risk were my favorites.
So now I'm thinking about the different options I have for strategy when Hannah and I play, not closing off the many possibilities for winning the game via diverse means.
But I have some questions and concerns about Yahtzee that I might not have thought of back then.
In the Upper Section once you add up the scores for aces, twos, and so on, if your total score is "63 or over," you "score 35" more points. So why that number, 63, a number that seems odd to me now? It doesn't even look strong. It's a wimpy number. It exudes wussiness. If I were to see 63 on an offensive lineman, the number doesn't exhibit greatness. I can think of no famous 63s in college football or the NFL. Even looking at the number, it's soft, all roundy and stuff -- not jagged lines that inspire greatness like 72 or 54 or 78 or 77.
Ok, maybe the above about 63 is a stretcher. But how did the R&D folks at Parker Brothers come up with this number I wonder. Was it based on weeks of playing the game, or did some statistician calculate the possible variations of total scores in the upper section and find the mean or median? I would assume the latter method is what went down, but I prefer to believe that a group of four folks playing for weeks on end, drinking cocktails, and scarfing down food at Hasbro HQ in Pawtucket, RI. I prefer that story. I have preferences.
From my perspective now, I have issues with how the Lower Section is arranged, an arrangement that I propose is the reason why I still have problems figuring out what beats what in poker. You see, in poker here are the hands in order of strength: straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of kind, pair, etc.
Now in the Lower Section of Yahtzee, it's all screwed up. From top to bottom it goes: 3 of a kind, 4 of a kind, full house, small straight (sequence of four), large straight (sequence of five), yahtzee (five of a kind), and chance. All you can see, there's no semblance of order here except for 3 and 4 of a kind. Statistical and organizational tomfoolery.
Because of this, to this day when I play poker, I still get an overwhelming feeling that a straight should beat a full house. I feel it in my bones. You see, Lg. Straight is right next to Yahtzee.
6 comments:
I love this post, especially how fiercely you proclaim 63's wimpiness! I also like the story about the Hasbro folks playing Yahtzee for days on end. Nice.
The answer to the mystery of 63 is boring: it's the sum total of what you'd get if you got three of each number from 1 to 6. In other words, Yahtzee asks you to make a decision each time you get four of a number: you can put it in your 4-of-a-kind, or you can put it up above and hope to get the bonus.
And yes, I was a math major in a former life. Then I decided that was way too nerdy -- so unlike me, you know.
Thanks Sandy and Babe.
The boring answer isn't too fun, Babe, so I'll keep thinking about the R&D folks shotgunning beers, eating appetizers, and smack talking to each other over there in Pawtucket.
And yes, 63 is wimpy.
Numbers such as 2, 8, 12, 15, 22, 24, 27, 32, 37, 40, 42, 44, 55, 80, 82, 84, 88, 95, 97, and 99 inspire fear.
I've been waiting for a team to have a really great player with number 0 for decades. Sportscaster: "Number Zero, Achilles Taylor, with the sack! He was on a safety blitz; the quarterback didn't even see him"
I still get an overwhelming feeling that a straight should beat a full house.
So, when do you want to play poker? :)
Also, I strongly recommend against Risk for your child (or anyone). It is really a bad game for a few reasons, the biggest being that one person can be eliminated while everyone else can keep playing (for hours sometimes). Also, it can be really difficult to catch up to someone with a lead. So the last few turns usually don't have any real meaning.
I recommend Ticket to Ride and Settlers of Catan for strategy games. Check out boardgamegeek.com for lots and lots of suggestions.
You've taken money from me in poker before, travolta, so you've already got yours.
Yeh, Risk can be a really long game. The losers would usually sit out by watching TV.
Thanks for the suggestions.
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