Yahtzee

You are about to read more about Yahtzee than you will ever need to know. It is a great game. The casual player thinks that Yahtzee is all about luck and, indeed, luck does play large part in whether one ultimately wins or loses. However, the seasoned Yahtzee player knows that subtle skill is involved throughout play. Every role of the die or dice leads to a choice. It is a choice about which dice to roll, which dice to hold on to, or where to fill in your score card. Each choice should be designed to optimize your chances of winning. You see, Yahtzee is not about the whim of luck, it is about the dynamic and painstaking manipulation of luck on a tiny tiny scale.

But all philosophy aside, Yahtzee’s most prized contribution to society is its unique nomenclature. Of course, very rare, has become ubiquitous as a rejoinder in casual verbal communications, but the original Yahtzeeism (if I may) is divisadero. Divisadero, meaning roughly that the numbers on the dice rolled can be divided into each other to equal the number that the roller was hoping to get, originates from the street of the same name in San Francisco.

The purpose of Yahtzee-speak is mysterious in nature. The game can technically be played without any knowledge of this vocabulary, but a certain enjoyment will certainly be missed.

Getting into how to play the game. Well, you can learn the rules from any brief tutorial, so I am more interested in talking strategy (although you should make sure to learn the rules first). Essentially, the primary strategy of the game is to allow yourself enough opportunities to get more points than your opponent or opponents.