# How to Play Yahtzee: Rolling, Scoring and a Free Score Sheet Yahtzee rules in five minutes: five dice, three rolls a turn, 13 boxes to fill. Every scoring category and both bonuses explained, plus a free score sheet. Source: https://pips.club/yahtzee - Players: 1 to 6 - Dice: 5 dice, a cup and a score sheet - Type: Rolling for points - Level: Easy - Time: 30 to 45 minutes ## At a glance ### Thirteen boxes, thirteen turns Yahtzee is a dice game with a score sheet. Each turn you roll five dice up to three times, keeping the ones you like, and then write the result in one of 13 boxes. Each box can only be used once. After 13 turns every box is full and the highest total wins. Five of a kind is a Yahtzee, worth 50. ## Setup ### Five dice and a score sheet You need five dice, a cup to shake them in (or just your hands) and a score sheet each. One to six people can play, and it works well alone too. The sheet has an upper section (ones to sixes) and a lower section (the poker-like combinations). ## The first roll ### Who goes first Everyone rolls all five dice; the highest total starts. Play then goes to the left. You rolled 2, 4, 4, 5, 6: 21. West rolled 23 and starts. ## A turn ### First roll: look for a plan Roll all five dice. Look at what you have and decide which box you are heading for. This roll is 4, 4, 2, 5, 4. Three 4s: a good start, and it fits the Fours box, three of a kind and four of a kind. ### Keep some, roll the rest Put aside any dice you want to keep and pick the others up. Roll only those. You can roll twice more, three times in all, and you may change your mind about what to keep every time. You keep the three 4s and re-roll the two others. They land 4 and 6: four 4s. ### Choose a box When you stop, or after your third roll, you must write a score in one box. It does not have to be the best one, only a box you have not used. Four 4s and a 6 fits Four of a kind (the total of all five dice, 22) or the Fours box (16). ## Special rolls ### A box that fits nothing: scratch Every turn you must fill one box, even when your dice are no good for any of them. Then you write a 0, called a scratch. Pick the box you are least likely to need. Late in the game only Yahtzee and Large straight are free. You roll 2, 3, 3, 6, 6, which fits neither, so you scratch the Yahtzee box. ### Yahtzee: five of a kind Five dice all showing the same number is a Yahtzee, worth 50 points. If you roll another Yahtzee later, and you scored 50 in the Yahtzee box before, you get a 100-point bonus. Either way you must fill in a box, using the joker rule: the matching upper box first (five 4s go in Fours), otherwise any open lower box, and only if those are all full a zero in an open upper box. The joker rule applies even if you scored 0 in the Yahtzee box, but then there is no 100-point bonus. ## Scoring ### What each box scores Ones to sixes total of those dice Three of a kind total of all five dice Four of a kind total of all five dice Full house 25 Small straight (4 in a row) 30 Large straight (5 in a row) 40 Yahtzee 50 Chance total of all five dice A full house is three of one number and two of another. Chance takes any roll. ### The upper bonus If your six top boxes (ones to sixes) add up to 63 or more, you get a bonus of 35. 63 is exactly three of each number, so aim for at least three of a number when you can. Sixes are the biggest: three 6s is 18, which makes the bonus easy. ## Winning ### Thirteen turns, highest total wins The game ends when everyone has filled all 13 boxes. Add the upper section, the upper bonus if you earned it, the lower section and any Yahtzee bonuses. The highest total wins. A typical game is 200 to 250 points. ## Variants and house rules - **Forced Joker**: The official joker rule, and the one the practice table keeps to: if you roll another Yahtzee and the matching upper box is free you must use it. If not, you may score in any open lower box, and if all of those are full you must put a zero in an open upper box. It applies even when the Yahtzee box holds 0. - **Triple Yahtzee**: Play three score sheets at once. Everyone fills one sheet at a time, or all three together. - **Solo challenge**: Play alone and try to beat 250. It is a quick way to learn the odds. ## Tips - Chase sixes early. Three 6s alone makes 18, and the bonus needs 63. - Keep your options open for the first roll: pairs of high numbers are a better keep than a single die. - Use Chance as your safety box. It takes anything, so keep it for late in the game. ## Quick answers **How many times can you roll in Yahtzee?** Three times per turn. The first roll uses all five dice. After that you choose which dice to keep and re-roll the rest, twice. **What is the upper bonus in Yahtzee?** 35 points if the six upper boxes (ones to sixes) add up to 63 or more. That is three of each number: 3+6+9+12+15+18. **How much is a Yahtzee worth?** 50 points in the Yahtzee box. A second and later Yahtzee earns a 100-point bonus, as long as you scored 50 (not 0) in the Yahtzee box. **What are the straights worth?** A small straight (four numbers in a row, like 2-3-4-5) is 30 points and a large straight (five in a row) is 40. **Can you score zero in a box?** Yes. You must fill one box every turn. When your dice fit nothing useful, write a 0 in the box you are least likely to need.