Yahtzee? You bet.

Of all the vices out there, things we may or may not have a natural disposition toward, for me, gambling is not one of them. I think it's so idiotically stupid to get sucked into the mindset that it's worth the risk and just keep going until you can't stop because you've come so far. Even back in the day, going to amusement parks with booths where you shoot something or toss a ring or whatever, i was not tempted in the slightest, unless the toy was cool and i knew i had a good chance of getting something. But some people can't resist. Ok, here's a dollar. Ok, here's one more dollar. Before they know it, they've spent and lost a fruitless $10. Not that that's a ton, but I can think of many better ways to use 10 bucks.

This is not to say i've NEVER gambled. I've played the slots now and then... maybe a dollar's worth. Also, poker is kind of fun, especially with gummi worms or something. But, i definitely have never had no problem getting sucked into it where it might become an addiction.

UNTIL.

until i decided to buy Yahtzee. I had never played Yahtzee before but knew it was a classic game and i'm always on the lookout for fun games, especially 2-man games because Sean and i are losers. T'is a strange, strange game, Yatzee. I don't know if you know how to play or not, but there isn't gambling involved exactly... there's no money you're betting, but you do take ridiculous risks when there's basically 0% probability of what you want to happen and you start to get the "gambler's mindset."

The goal in Yahtzee is to shake a cup of 5 dice and to get certain combinations. You try for 3 of a number, 4 of a number, or "Yahtzee" which is 5 of one amount. You also have to get a large straight (1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6), a small one (only 4 numbers in the straight) and a full house (2 of a kind, 3 of another).

It was extremely interesting how i felt myself starting to believe that if i gave the cup one extra shake or if i was going for a large straight and needed 2 specific numbers, that i'd get it. Because, sometimes, i did. On more than one occasion i rolled like a one, 2 twos, a four and 2 sixes and i was like, "i can do it! I will roll EXACTLY WHAT I NEED." ludicrous! so i scooped up the duplicate 2 and the 6's and voila, rolled a 3 and and a 4 and a 5, and Sean would roll his eyes and throw his hands in the air. absurd. Yet i started to believe that it was very probable and that i had some sort of control in any of it when really what it was was luck, luck, luck. Kind of like the "night of 6 sixes" (when Sean and I were playing pictionary against my sisters and we came back and won when we rolled six sixes in a row) I started to develop a relationship with the cup and the dice themselves. "stupid threes! Stop showing up! I don't care about you! I need fives! Why do they hate me.. fiiiives..."

For some reason its appeal has worn off a bit but looking back i realize we played every single night, sometimes more than 1 or 2 games, for at least a week. what the? what is going on? Yahtzee, you evil thing. It's fun though. But be warned, it can bring out the gambler in all of us.