A Roll of the Dice

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – In second year university I shared a three-bedroom apartment with two roommates. While we did not know each other that well before moving in together and all took different courses of study, we had one major shared interest – Yahtzee! And yes, I am talking about the fast-paced dice game that requires math, luck, and a little strategy. We played it by the hour.

There are things to be learned when you play a game of mostly chance – such as that it’s often a matter of probability, strategy and a keen sense of competitive hunger for the win. Since that time, the problem has been two-fold – firstly, finding anyone who really loves Yahtzee and secondly, finding someone who plays at the same level. There is still fun in playing with people who do not know to load up the top part for the bonus or waste turn after turn trying to create a straight.

The real magic happens when we have a shared interest and level of skill at the game. And I guess that is the way it is with so much – we need to connect, and keep connecting, with people with whom we share an interest with – people who can challenge us to try new things, think from different angles, feel a little overwhelmed and not get complacent in being sure of our next roll.

Getting all the dice to match in Yahtzee is 50 points. However, if you spend too many turns trying for a Yahtzee you waste the chances for so many other ways to get big points. We need to keep an eye for all opportunities.

And what is the main goal here anyway? It is about fun, leisure, connecting with others and, of course, bragging rights for a few minutes until everyone moves on to the next adventure. Roll on.

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