How to Play Yahtzee
Roll five dice, keep the ones you want and reroll the rest up to twice more, then write the result into one of thirteen scoring boxes. Each box is used exactly once across thirteen turns. Score 63 or more in the upper section for a 35-point bonus, and 100 for every Yahtzee after the first.
The rules, step by step
- 1Roll five diceThe first roll of every turn uses all five. You then decide which to keep before rolling again.
- 2Keep and reroll, twiceClick a die to keep it and click again to release it. You get two rerolls, so three rolls in total, and you may keep different dice each time.
- 3Choose a box and write the scoreEvery turn must end with a box being filled. If nothing scores, you have to enter a zero somewhere — there is no passing.
- 4Each box is used exactly onceThirteen boxes, thirteen turns. Spending Chance on a mediocre roll early is a decision you will feel in the endgame.
- 5Chase the upper bonusSixty-three points across Ones to Sixes — three of each face — earns 35 more. It is the single largest swing on the card outside a Yahtzee.
- 6Add up the cardUpper section plus the 35-point bonus if earned, plus the lower section, plus 100 for every Yahtzee after the first.
Try it — the rules above, running
Turn 1 of 13 · game #20260726
Three rolls a turn
Upper section
| OnesTotal of every 1 | |
|---|---|
| TwosTotal of every 2 | |
| ThreesTotal of every 3 | |
| FoursTotal of every 4 | |
| FivesTotal of every 5 | |
| SixesTotal of every 6 | |
| Bonus at 630 so far | 0 |
Lower section
| Three of a kindTotal of all five dice | |
|---|---|
| Four of a kindTotal of all five dice | |
| Full house25 | |
| Small straight30 — four in a row | |
| Large straight40 — five in a row | |
| Yahtzee50 — five of a kind | |
| ChanceTotal of all five dice | |
| Yahtzee bonus100 each | 0 |
Total
0
Upper
0 / 63
Lower
0
Turn
1 / 13
Your statistics
- Played
- 0
- Won
- 0
- Win rate
- 0%
- Streak
- 0
- Best streak
- 0
- Best time
- —
A game counts as a win at 230 points or more, which is roughly the top quarter of ordinary play. Kept in this browser only.
Today’s game
Every roll is a pure function of the game number, so today’s game deals the identical thirty-nine rolls for everyone. Game #1567004040.
Keyboard
- Space / R
- Roll
- 1 – 5
- Keep or release that die
- H
- Advice — what to keep, or what to score
- F
- Full screen
What does each box score?
| Box | Requirement | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Ones | Any number of 1s | 1 per die |
| Twos | Any number of 2s | 2 per die |
| Threes | Any number of 3s | 3 per die |
| Fours | Any number of 4s | 4 per die |
| Fives | Any number of 5s | 5 per die |
| Sixes | Any number of 6s | 6 per die |
| Three of a kind | Three matching | Total of all five dice |
| Four of a kind | Four matching | Total of all five dice |
| Full house | Three of one, two of another | 25 |
| Small straight | Four consecutive | 30 |
| Large straight | Five consecutive | 40 |
| Yahtzee | Five matching | 50 |
| Chance | Anything | Total of all five dice |
How does the upper bonus work?
Add the six upper boxes. If they total 63 or more you get 35 extra points. Sixty-three is three of each face — one 1 short in Ones can be covered by a fourth 6 in Sixes, and it is worth planning the whole upper section around that arithmetic rather than box by box.
When is a second Yahtzee worth 100?
- The Yahtzee box must already hold 50. A Yahtzee box crossed off at zero earns no bonuses for the rest of the game.
- You still have to fill a box with the dice. The 100 is added on top of whatever that box scores.
- Under the joker rule, if the matching upper box is also full, you may put the dice in full house, small straight or large straight at their full value.
How do you win more often?
- Protect the upper bonus earlyThirty-five points is worth more than any lower box except Yahtzee itself, and it is far easier to bank early than to rescue late. Three of a face is par; four of a face buys you a whole box of slack elsewhere.
- Do not spend Chance earlyChance takes whatever the dice happen to total, which makes it the only box that can absorb a genuinely bad turn without costing you anything. Spending it on a 22 in turn two means a rotten turn eleven has to go somewhere much more painful.
- Cross off Ones before you cross off YahtzeeA zero in Ones costs at most five points. A zero in Yahtzee costs fifty, and it also throws away every 100-point bonus you might have earned later — the most expensive single decision on the card.
- Keep four of a run over a low pairA small straight is 30 points and needs one specific face from a reroll; a pair of twos is on its way to nothing much. When the dice offer both, take the run.
- Count what a reroll is actually worthWith a full house already in hand, rerolling the pair to chase four of a kind risks 25 guaranteed points for an uncertain gain. Late in the game, with the relevant boxes still open, that gamble is often right; early, with everything open, it usually is not.
Common questions about yahtzee
- How many turns are there in yahtzee?
- Thirteen — one for each box on the scorecard. Every turn fills exactly one box and no box can be reused, so the game always lasts exactly thirteen turns.
- What is the highest possible yahtzee score?
- 1,575: thirteen Yahtzees, the 35-point upper bonus, and twelve 100-point Yahtzee bonuses. It requires every one of thirteen turns to produce five of a kind.
Ready to stop reading? Play yahtzee on the full board, with statistics, deal numbers and unlimited undo.