Forty One

As we enter summer's post-holiday depths, there's little for men to do besides sink into hammocks, drink during the afternoon, and casually gamble. Instead of exhausting yourself shuffling cards, grab some dice and play a round or fifty of Forty One.Developed by a cadre of intrepid USC students, Forty One's a highly addictive time-waster playable virtually anywhere -- all you need's six dice and a surface to roll them on/frantically snatch money off when T.J. Hooker bursts in to demand that you snitch on Fat Louie. The goal: get the highest score on four dice, while the other two qualify your turn by showing a "four" and a "one" (a pairing responsible for the game's name and the jargon "snake eyes-nostrils-anus"). Start by rolling all six dice; after each throw, you must set at least one die aside*, either to count toward your score, or, if it's a four or one, help ensure your score stands. Once your turn's over, non-4/1 dice get totaled and the next player goes; whoever's closest to 24 wins the pot, and the right to pick his teeth with a knife.Holding out on removing your qualifying dice improves your scoring potential (more dice in play, better chance for sixes), but without a four and a one, your tally counts for d*ck -- leaving you to forfeit your hammock, drink in the morning, and find that the only thing casual this summer is your commitment to paying rent.