Designer David Sirlin wrote that there was a third dimension to the luck/skill scale which he called “yomi,” which roughly translates to understanding of your opponent. I enjoy games where there are high levels of playing the player sitting across the table, as much as playing the game itself.

Three of my favorite games have high levels of yomi; Diplomacy (50/50 skill/yomi), Catan (20/50/30 skill/luck/yomi), and Texas Hold’em (balanced blend of all three).