Scrabble

Yesterday, I mentioned that I'm not really big on winning games which is a good thing, because I really suck at Scrabble. Still, it's a good illustration of what I enjoy about games.

I've been playing a fair amount of Scrabble lately, thanks to the Scrabulous application on Facebook. I enjoy the game, which isn't just about making words with the tiles. There's strategy involved in positioning and where to play the words to score maximum points. Like many games (poker, for example), the play of the game appears deceptively simple but rewards close attention and a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanics. Or it would, if I could just turn that understanding into better play.

Aside from a few decent bingos (where you play out all 7 letters in your tray in a single word), I have yet to truly put down a good run of words. I can take some small satisfaction that my win-loss record (2-13) is still better than the Miami Dolphins this season (1-15), but I have more faith that they'll improve more next season than I will in the next few games. The problem mostly seems to be that I'm playing against people who are really, really good at the game. However, another part of the problem is that I'm still working on the skill of assembling words out of the letters in ways to maximize points.

The dirty secret of my Scrabble play is that I'm often more attracted to playing a word that amuses me or makes some commentary on the game, than one that makes the most points. Of course, this makes it sounds like I'm purposefully choosing a losing strategy… I'm not. The other half of the dirty secret is that I haven't memorized the list of wacky Scrabble words that maximize points (did you know that EDS is a word?) and can, with a few strategic plays, move someone into the lead in the game.

At the moment, I mostly take pride in the fact that I can play a good enough game to keep my opponents on their toes and, hopefully, keep their interest. That should be enough, right?

Now if I can just figure out a word using I,I,I,I,I,U,S …