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Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Racko

Dating is like a game of Racko.

Have you guys played Racko? Basically each player has a little rack(o) with numbered cards in each slot. The point of the game is to have your cards, through drawing and discarding, "read in any numerical progression from low at the front to a high number at the back." The first person to have them in order, wins.

The game is mostly luck, but there is some strategy involved. You have to look at your cards at the beginning and make a plan: which cards are you going to get rid of? Which are you going to keep? Is this card too high to start with? Is this one to low to end with? Then as you draw cards, you have to decide "is this going to help? should I discard this? which slot should I put it in? how important is it?" It's hard. And I'm not very good at it.

Did I mention it's like dating?

What order should they go in??

I suppose Racko isn't the only game that's like dating. Yahtzee comes to mind. Years ago a good friend of mine mentioned to me that she often participated in Yahtzee tournaments. When she first told me this, I had to laugh. I mean, if any game is based on luck, it's Yahtzee. I asked, "Is there any strategy to winning Yahtzee!?" And she said, "Yes. Go for the Yahtzee every time." In other words, take a risk and you could win big.

Dating is like a game of Yahtzee.

10 comments:

Katherine said...

Chutes and Ladders! Just when you thing you're gettin' somewhere good, you roll the wrong number, and down you slide! "Sorry" is also like dating - it takes so dang long to get out of Home, and when you finally do, someone comes along and knocks you back with the most sarcastic "apology" ever. Hmmm...these game choices may be way too telling of my attitude towards dating these days...

How about this: "Tag" is like dating - lots of chasing each other around? Hopscotch! No...can't think of how that's like dating, really. I don't know about others, but I don't hop a lot when I date, except maybe in anticipation? 4 square! Wait, I never could remember the rules for that one... Yeah, I'm sticking with my first two choices.

Elizabeth Downie said...

Katherine, remember when we proofread this post? But then the Wednesday in Wednesday Thoughts was spelled wrong and we missed that? Then it got published that way? Oops. hahaha

Anyway, your answers are somewhat telling, but understandable. I was also thinking about Uno but didn't really work. What about Charades? Each person is trying their best to get the other to understand but there are miscommunications along the way? And sometimes no understanding at all?

Jesse Davis said...

Hmm, bloody knuckles comes to mind...

Angela said...

I saw your title and thought: "Wednesday already?" and it's about to be overwith.

I can't think of any games...think think think.

violet50 said...

I like these games as metaphors. Pretty funny yet a bit of real life thrown in. Good ideas - Katherine's, too.

Brady said...

Dating is like Uno. You have to announce it when you get down to just one.

Brady said...

Dating is like Monopoly, and I can't get out of jail.

Dating is like Euchre. Seems normal enough, but I can't figure out how it works.

Dating is like Clue. (Enough said)

Dating is like Cribbage, Only a few people know how to play and you risk getting skunked.

(Can you tell I'm mentally going through my game collection and drawing comparisons?) Loved your Racko comparison, by the way!

Savd said...

I think we should have a game night, and definitely with Brady because I never have anyone to play cribbage with these days! :)

Ever heard of Skip-Bo? You have a pile of 30 cards (30 good years?!?) and the goal is to play all of those cards on one of 4 other piles in numerical order. But, if the card you need isn't available to play on, you just keep waiting, and waiting, and accumulating discard piles (baggage). It seems when you get on a roll, you can go through tons of cards at once, but then there is ALWAYS an intolerable dry spell... :)

Dr. J said...

My officemate Mike says he can beat an average Yahtzee game every time. According to him, there's definitely a strategy of playing the probabilities.

Liz Hughes said...

Dating is like Hide and go Seek. I hide in my room all day and night and don't talk to other humans but boys just don't come find me.