Games of chance and skill

Published by neil on January 23rd, 2008

I recently wrote about how I have little actual “luck”. This often manifests itself in games of chance - which I try to avoid like a celery and Marmite sandwich (that’s for another post). One might wonder why I spent much of my geeky teen years buried in Dungeons and Dragons since the level of dice use in that game surpasses any other.

In school I would play chess, draughts (checkers), even bridge for a little while, but the game that has always thwarted me is backgammon. I considered since it involves a combination of strategy and chance, that I might use that strategy to finally overcome my die-throwing handicap. No such luck. In fact, it became immediately clear that my usually strong ability to strategize had been demolished through adding that chance element. I can honestly say I can never remember winning a game of backgammon and so the mystique of Omar Sherif deepened with every loss.

One friend, Gerard Sands, if my memory is functioning this morning, would thrash me at backgammon in a remarkable way often leaving me agape at the speed of his victory with him clearing his pieces in a handful of die rolls, while my pieces moved around the board like extras from Dawn of the Dead (the original, not the “run around fast and hungry” version).

So when a link popped into my inbox about online backgammon - no, it wasn’t spam - I actually considered giving it a shot and revisiting the demoniacally inadequate die-throwing of my past. If I could only crack the strategy and discover how to move the pieces around to compensate for the devilry of the die. At least online I can hide my humiliation in private. But I know chance will win out and toy with me once more offering nothing more than astounding frustration. I’m going to stick with Jenga - do they do an online Jenga?

Tags: alarm, gadget, productivity, sleep
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