Have you guys ever heard of this game? It was forwarded to me by a friend. Please read first the article below before playing Petals Around the Rose
Bill Gates and Petals Around the Rose
In the book Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire, by James Wallace and Jim Erickson, on page 124 (Chapter 3, The Microkids), it says:
"The microcomputer group, including Gates, passed the time on the airport terminal floor by playing a dice game called Petal Around the Rose. Gates had not played the game before, but he was eager to try his competitive hand. The game had been developed by students at the University of Southern California. Five dice are thrown, and the player is told three things: the name of the game is Petal Around the Rose, the answer is always even, and there is a correct answer for each throw of the dice. The player is told nothing else. If someone gets the right answer five times in a row, it’s considered prima facie evidence they understand the game and they are sworn to secrecy.
It’s a difficult game. Some catch on after only a few throws of the dice, others need weeks, and a few never get it. Frustrated players falling into the last category have resorted to running computer simulations. Gates was one who never figured the game out. He did get the right answer five times in a row, but not because he understood what he was doing. He actually didn’t have a clue. But with his photographic memory, Gates was able to remember each correct answer from a previous roll by another player. With five dice, it was quite a feat of memorization.
Nelson Winkless realized that Gates was faking it when he picked up a piece of paper Gates inadvertently dropped in the aisle of the plane near his seat. On it Gates had written, peddle around the roses. Knowing the proper spelling of the name of the game was essential to solving the puzzle. His poor spelling guaranteed he would never figure it out."
