The Rules of Yahtzee The Rules of Yahtzee Standard Play Objective of the Game Yahtzee can be played in solitary or by a group. The group version simply consists of a number of players playing the solitary version simultaneously, with the highest score winning. I'll explain the solitary version, since that's what the applet lets you play (although you could use the "Clone Window" option to let multiple players play). The game consists of 13 rounds. In each round, you roll the dice and then score the roll in one of 13 categories. You must score once in each category -- which means that towards the end of the game you may have to settle for scoring zero in some categories. The score is determined by a different rule for each category; see the section on Scoring below. The object of the game is to maximize your total score (of course :-). The game ends once all 13 categories have been scored. Rolling the Dice You have five dice which you can roll, represented by the die faces at the top of the applet window. To start with, you roll all dice by clicking on the Roll All button.

After you roll all dice, you can either score the current roll, or re-roll any or all of the five dice. To re-roll some of the dice, click on the toggle button underneath the die face you want to re-roll, then click on the Re-roll button. This will re-roll the selected dice, leaving the unselected ones unchanged. You can roll the dice a total of three times -- the initial roll (in which you must roll all the dice), plus two re-rolls of any or all dice. After rolling three times, you must score the roll . Once you've scored the roll, you roll all the dice again and repeat the process. You continue until all 13 categories have been filled, at which time the game is over. Scoring Once you have the dice face combination you want to score, you score the roll in one of the 13 categories. You do this by clicking on one of the radio buttons in either the Upper Scores or Lower Scores box. Once a category has been scored, it is closed out for the rest of the game; you cannot change a category's score once it's been set. Each category defines its own scoring rules, as described below.

Upper Scores In the upper scores, you total only the specified die face. So if you roll: and score in the Threes category, your total for that entry would be 9. This same roll would yield zero points if you scored it in the Aces (Ones), Twos, or Fives category, four points if you scored it in the Fours category, or six points if you scored it in the Sixes category. When the game is over, if you score 63 or more upper points (an average of 3 die faces per category), you will get an upper bonus of 35 points. Of course do don't need to score exactly three die faces in each upper category to get the bonus, as long as the upper total is at least 63. Lower Scores In the lower scores, you score either a set amount (defined by the category), or zero if you don't satisfy the category requirements. 3 and 4 of a Kind For 3 of a Kind, you must have at least three of the same die faces. If so, you total all the die faces and score that total.

Similarly for 4 of a Kind, except that you must have 4 of the 5 die faces the same. So for example, if you rolled: you would receive 20 points for 3 of a Kind, but zero points for 4 of a Kind. Straights Like in poker, a straight is a sequence of consecutive die faces; a small straight is 4 consecutive faces, and a large straight is 5 consecutive faces. Small straights score 30 points and large straights score 40 points. Thus, if you rolled: you could score either a small straight or a large straight, since this roll satisfies both. Full House Again as in poker, a Full House is a roll where you have both a 3 of a kind, and a pair. Full houses score 25 points. Yahtzee A Yahtzee is a 5 of a Kind (i.e. all the die faces are the same), and it scores 50 points. If you roll more than one Yahtzee in a single game, you will earn a 100 point bonus for each additional Yahtzee roll, provided that you have already scored a 50 in the Yahtzee category.

If you have not scored in the Yahtzee category, you will not receive a bonus. If you have scored a zero in the Yahtzee category, you cannot receive any bonuses during the current game. You can also use subsequent Yahtzee's as jokers in the lower scores section, provided the following criteria have been satisfied: You have scored a zero or 50 in the Yahtzee category. You have filled the corresponding category in the upper scores section. For example, if you have rolled: the Fives category must also be filled. If this is the case, you can use the Yahtzee as a joker to fill in any lower scores category. You score the category as normal. Thus for the Small Straight, Large Straight, and Full House categories, you would score 30, 40, and 25 points respectively. For the 3 of a Kind, 4 of a Kind, and Chance categories, you would score the total of the die face. Chance Chance is the catch-all roll. You can roll anything and you simply total all the die faces values.

How to Play Yahtzee (with Pictures) - wikiHow How to Play Yahtzee Four Parts: Scoring in the Upper Section Scoring in the Lower Section Playing the Game Learning Strategy Community Q&A Yahtzee is one of the world's most popular dice rolling games. It's great for a game night with both large and small groups. The object of the game is to roll five dice in order to score combinations and get the highest total score. Yahtzee scoring can be confusing at first, but with some patience you'll be enjoying a game of Yahtzee in no time. Steps Scoring in the Upper Section 1 Review the score sheet. In Yahtzee, scores are kept on a sheet of paper containing a column of 13 boxes. On each turn, you must choose which box to fill in based on your best scoring option. If you are unable to enter a score, or choose not to, you must enter a "0" in one of your boxes. Each box can be filled in only once. 2 Learn about the upper section. The upper section boxes are scored differently than the lower section boxes. Your goal, in the upper section, is to score at least a 63.

If you have 63 points or more in the upper section, you get a 35 point bonus at the end of the game. The upper section contains six boxes labeled aces (ones), twos, threes, fours, fives, and sixes. You roll 5 dice in Yahtzee. To fill in the upper box, you combine the values on the dice with the same number. Then, you add the number to the appropriate box. You can only choose one box to fill in with each turn. [1] This can be confusing when discussed in the abstract. Let's look at an example. Say you roll the dice and you score two fives and three twos. As you have two fives, you could enter a score of 10 in the fives box. You have three twos, so you could also enter a total of six in the twos box. You have to choose which number you want to enter. 3 Choose where to score your points. You want to get at least a 63 to get the bonus, so choose wisely. In our above example, you might be inclined to score in the fives box, as this is a higher score, but be careful.

You can only fill in each box once. If you get four fives on your next roll, you miss out on a much higher score in that box. [2] Part 2 Scoring in the Lower Section 1 Learn about the lower section. The lower section scores are more complicated. Instead of simply listing numbers, phrases like "Three of a Kind" and "Full House" are written in the lower section. These are different combinations of dice that are all scored differently. Take some time to familiarize yourself with the lower section scores before playing Yahtzee. 2 Score a three of a kind. One value you can score in the lower section is a three of a kind. To score a three of a kind, you have to roll three of the same dice. With a three of a kind, you add all the values of your dice together. This gives you your total score for the three of a kind box. This can be confusing. Let's look at an example to clarify. Say you rolled three fives, a two, and a four. This could be scored as a three of a kind. You would multiply five by three to get the value 15. Then, you would add two and four.

This would give you a total score of 21, which you would write in the Three of a Kind Box. [3] 3 Score a four of a kind. A four of a kind is similar to a three of a kind. You can score in this box if you get four of the same dice in one roll. Then, you would score it by combining the values of all the dice. For example, if you roll four twos and a six, you can score a 14 in the Four of a Kind box. [4] 4 Score a full house. A full house is worth 25 points regardless of dice values. A full house is made up of three dice of one number and two dice of another number. For example, say you roll three 6's and two 5's. This could be scored for 25 points as a full house. [5] 5 Score a small or large straight. Small or large straights are scored when you roll dice in numerical order. For example, you roll a one, a two, a three, a four, and a five. A large straight is worth more points than a small straight. A small straight includes four dice in a numerical sequence.

For example, say you score a one, a three, a four, a five, and a six. You could score this as a small straight. A small straight is automatically worth 30 points. [6] A large straight includes five dice that move in a numerical sequence. For example, if you score a two, a three, a four, a five, and a six, this would be a large straight. A large straight is worth 40 points. [7] 6 Score a Yahtzee. A Yahtzee is one of the highest rolls you can score. A Yahtzee occurs when all five dice are the same number. A Yahtzee is worth 50 points the first time, regardless of dice value. Additional Yahtzees are worth 100 points. If you roll a Yahtzee after having already filled in the Yahtzee space, you get a 100 point bonus. [8] 7 Fill in the chance box. In the event you're unable to score in any other box, use the chance box. You can score any combination of dice in the chance box by totaling their numbers. For example, say you roll two threes and three sixes.

Two times three is 6. Three times six is 18. You would add 18 and 6 to get 24. You could then write 24 in the chance box. [9] 8 Calculate your total score. At the end of the game, you calculate your score. Whoever scores highest wins. Add the upper section scores together and write the total in the "total score" section. If you score 63 or over, add a bonus of 35 points. Total the scores in the lower section as well, adding 100 points if you scored any additional Yahtzees in the game. Then, add the upper and lower score together to figure out your grand total for the game. [10] Part 3 Playing the Game 1 Determine who goes first. You can play Yahtzee in a group of at least 2 players. If you have a big group, you can play in teams. To start the game, you first need to figure out who goes first. To do so, each player or team rolls all 5 dice. You would add all the values of the dice together. The player or team with the highest score goes first.

[11] 2 Roll the dice the first time. You can roll your dice up to 3 times in a game of Yahtzee. Yahtzee comes with a cup or shaker in which you place the dice, shake, and then spill them on the table. As you roll, you can strategize to try to maximize your score. In any roll, you can choose to keep some dice and re-roll others. To start, roll all five dice. [12] To help understand the process, let's look at an example. Say you roll a one, a three, a four, a five, and a six. You have a small straight with the three, four, five, and six. This would come to 30 points. However, if you re-roll the one and get a two, you would have a large straight. This means 40 points. [13] 3 Roll the dice a second time. If you're happy with your initial score, you can add your score to your card and complete your turn. However, you can also try for a higher score. Choose which dice you want to keep and which you want to re-roll.

In our above example, it would make the most sense to re-roll the one. This way, you have a chance at a large straight. Say you roll the one and get a three. You still do not have a large straight. However, you can roll the dice for a third time to try again. 4 Roll the dice a third time. If you're still unhappy with your score, you can roll the dice one more time. Once again, you can re-roll as many dice as you want. In our above example, say you re-roll the three you rolled in your second turn. If you get a 2, you can score it as a large straight. However, if you get another number you can still score it as a small straight. You can also fill in one box in the upper level. 5 Keep going until each player has taken 13 turns. Every player rolls the dice 3 times each for 13 rounds. As you go, you need to try to fill in all your boxes. Each box can only be filled in once, so make wise choices in terms of how you choose to count your scores. Part 4 Learning Strategy 1 Maximize your chance at a Yahtzee.

Yahtzee is a game of both strategy and chance. There are steps you can take to maximize your chance at a Yahtzee each round. Remember, after your first Yahtzee, each additional Yahtzee earns you 100 points. Early in the game, anytime you have a chance for a Yahtzee, take it over settling for a lower score. The earlier you score a Yahtzee, the better. This maximizes your chance at the 100 point bonus. [14] If you already have a Yahtzee, never settle for lower scores over the chance at getting a second Yahtzee. For example, don't score three 4's and two 2's as a full house. Instead, re-roll the 2's to try for a second Yahtzee. [15] 2 Go for the 35 point bonus. Trying to decide where to score your round can sometimes be confusing. However, keeping the 35 point bonus in mind can help you strategize. Higher scores with lower numbers, like the one and two boxes, are rare. It's to your advantage to score in the upper section if you roll a high number of twos or ones.

For example, say you roll four twos, a five, and a six. You can score a 6 in either the two or six box. However, you should aim to score in the 2 box. The highest you can score in the two box would be an 8 or 10. The highest you can score in the six box, conversely, is a 30 or a 36. You don't want to fill up the six box with a low score. 3 Aim for straights early on. You do not want a "0" score in any of the lower boxes. These boxes have the potential for high point values. Therefore, aim to get straights early on so you can then concentrating on going for Yahtzees. Be on the lookout for combinations like "two, three, four" or "four, five, six." Re-roll the dice as needed to get a straight early in the game. [16] 4 Score high Yahtzees in the upper section late in the game. A Yahtzee is fairly rare, even with good strategy.

If the score is tight, it's late in the game, and you have not scored a Yahtzee yet, it might be worth it to score high Yahtzees in the upper section. This usually guarantees you'll get the bonus, which may mean a higher score. For example, five sixes plus the 35 point bonus leaves you with 65 points. A Yahtzee is only worth 50. [17] However, keep in mind if you score another Yahtzee you risk getting 50 points as opposed to the 100 point bonus. Community Q&A How do I record the points if I roll a second Yahtzee? wikiHow Contributor You just take the points into the top section, if you don't have that number or you can take the chance if not used. Do you have to fill the Yahtzee spot with your first Yahtzee roll? wikiHow Contributor You can complete your sixes spot or your Yahtzee--it's your choice. The Yahtzee gets you a higher score, though. When did Yahtzee come out? wikiHow Contributor Yahtzee | Play it online YAHTZEE TOTAL SCORE Hi there!

Do you want to talk to other users of this game? Share stories about how bad Bill is as a partner, or send us your suggestions and questions? Get notified of new games and changes to old ones? Then check out our new Facebook page ! Did you accidentally turn off the theme? Click here to turn it on again . Advertisement Yahtzee Rules The objective of YAHTZEE is to get as many points as possible by rolling five dice and getting certain combinations of dice. Gameplay In each turn a player may throw the dice up to three times. A player doesn't have to roll all five dice on the second and third throw of a round, he may put as many dice as he wants to the side and only throw the ones that don't have the numbers he's trying to get. For example, a player throws and gets 1,3,3,4,6. He decides he want to try for the large straight, 1,2,3,4,5. So, he puts 1,3,4 to the side and only throws 3 and 6 again, hoping to get 2 and 5. In this game you click on the dice you want to keep.

They will be moved down and will not be thrown the next time you press the 'Roll Dice' button. If you decide after the second throw in a turn that you don't want to keep the same dice before the third throw then you can click them again and they will move back to the table and be thrown in the third throw. Upper section combinations Ones: Get as many ones as possible. Twos: Get as many twos as possible. Threes: Get as many threes as possible. Fours: Get as many fours as possible. Fives: Get as many fives as possible. Sixes: Get as many sixes as possible. For the six combinations above the score for each of them is the sum of dice of the right kind. E.g. if you get 1,3,3,3,5 and you choose Threes you will get 3*3 = 9 points. The sum of all the above combinations is calculated and if it is 63 or more, the player will get a bonus of 35 points.

On average a player needs three of each to reach 63, but it is not required to get three of each exactly, it is perfectly OK to have five sixes, and zero ones for example, as long as the sum is 63 or more the bonus will be awarded. Lower section combinations Three of a kind: Get three dice with the same number. Points are the sum all dice (not just the three of a kind). Four of a kind: Get four dice with the same number. Points are the sum all dice (not just the four of a kind). Full house: Get three of a kind and a pair, e.g. 1,1,3,3,3 or 3,3,3,6,6. Scores 25 points. Small straight: Get four sequential dice, 1,2,3,4 or 2,3,4,5 or 3,4,5,6. Scores 30 points. Large straight: Get five sequential dice, 1,2,3,4,5 or 2,3,4,5,6. Scores 40 points.

Chance: You can put anything into chance, it's basically like a garbage can when you don't have anything else you can use the dice for. The score is simply the sum of the dice. YAHTZEE: Five of a kind. Scores 50 points. You can optionally get multiple Yahtzees, see below for details. Multiple Yahtzees After months of requests from people about adding support for multiple Yahtzees I've finally added it. You can toggle multiple Yahtzees on and off via the Options menu. The rules around it are a bit complex, but I believe they are the right ones, at least according to . There are a couple of different cases: You already have a Yahtzee: You get a 100 bonus points in the Yahtzee box, but you also have a joker, which means that you can choose another move for the Yahtzee you just got. If the number you got yahtzees with has not been filled out in the upper section, then you must choose that. E.g.

if you get an additional Yahtzee with 2's, and you haven't filled out the 2's in the upper section then you must choose that, and get 10 points for it. If the upper section box is already filled then you can choose any of the lower region boxes, and they will be scored as normal. Yahtzee is a superset of 3 of a kind, 4 of a kind, full house and chance, but you can also choose small or large straight and will get the normal 30 and 40 points for those. You've already put 0 in the Yahtzee box: In this case you get no 100 point bonus, but you do get a joker, and can choose your move following the rules described above for jokers. Strategy tips Try to get the bonus. Focus on getting good throws with fives and sixes, then it won't matter if you put 0 in the ones or twos. You can always put in 0 for a combination if you don't have it, even if you have some other combination. E.g.

if you had 2,3,4,5,6 and the only things you had left were Ones and Sixes, then it would be better to put 0 in Ones than to put only 6 in Sixes. Maximum score The maximum possible score without multiple Yahtzees is 375, and you would get that by getting 5 ones (5), 5 twos (10), 5 threes (15), 5 fours (20), 5 fives (25), 5 sixes (30), get the bonus points (35), five sixes (30) for three of a kind, five sixes (30) for four of a kind, get a full house (25), get a small straight (30), get a large straight (40), five sixes for chance (30), get a YAHTZEE (50). 5 + 10 + 15 + 20 + 25 + 30 + 35 + 30 + 30 + 25 + 30 + 40 + 30 + 50 = 375!

YAHTZEE vs. YATZY In Scandinavia this game is called YATZY and has different rules, scoring and combinations. If you're from Denmark, Sweden or Iceland and are playing this game and thinking there's something wrong with it, then no, there's nothing wrong, they are just different rules. Check Wikipedia for a detailed list of the differences between the two games. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the game. If you have any questions or comments, send them to admin@cardgames.io . Back to game About Yahtzee This online version of YAHTZEE was made by me. My name is Einar Egilsson and over there on the left is my current Facebook profile picture! In the last couple of years I've made a number of simple online card games, including Hearts and Spades . After making seven card games and three solitaires I figured it was time to try something else, so I decided to make YAHTZEE (or YATZY as it's known here in Denmark, where the rules and scoring are also slightly different).

It's been a fun game to make, and I'm looking forward to seeing how well Bill will play against human opponents :) The game is made using Javascript, HTML and CSS, with jQuery and a couple of jQuery plugins used for animations. Since I have no artistic talent whatsoever I used graphics that I found at OpenClipArt , a great site with free graphics. Any questions, comments or requests about the game, please send them to admin@cardgames.io . Hope you enjoy the game! Yahtzee Instructions Sign in/Sign up Overview The goal of Yahtzee is to get as many points as possible by rolling combinations of five dice. You can roll up to three times, possibly choosing to just roll some of the dice each time. After you roll, you choose which slot to use based on the combination rolled. Different combinations of dice earn points differently. If you don’t meet the requirements for the combination you choose, you will get zero points for that slot. The game ends when you have filled in all the slots in the game.

The points are divided into two sections, the upper section and the lower section (to fit better on a computer screen, the “upper” section is shown on the left, and the “lower” section is shown on the right). Game Play Click the “Roll” button to roll the dice (duh!). You can keep as many of the dice as you want by clicking on the dice or the check boxes underneath them. You can uncheck a die if you decide you want to roll it later. After your three rolls are up, you have to choose the combination you want credit for (you do not have to use all three rolls). To choose a slot, just click the button with the appropriate combination on it. You can then roll again. Each button also has a keyboard equivalent. Click the "keyboard" link at the bottom or press "?" for a reference. Upper Section Points for the top section are determined by adding up all the dice that match the slot number.

For example, if you rolled a 1, 3, 4, 4, and 3, you would get 6 points in the 3′s slot (2 * 3), 1 point in the 1′s slot (1 * 1), or 8 points in the 4′s slot (2 * 4). If you get 63 points in the upper section, you will also get a 35 point bonus. To get 63 points, you need an average of 3 matching dice for each slot. The subtotal box will tell you if you are on track to get the bonus by showing how far behind or ahead you are. If the option to color code the top section or subtotal box is on, each box will turn red if you used less than 3 dice, blue if you used exactly 3 dice, or green if you used more than 3 dice. The subtotal box is colored similarly based on whether you are behind, on track, or ahead of where you should be to get the bonus. Lower Section The slots in the lower section are based on combinations. Each slot has a different rule for when you can get points for it and how the score is calculated.

The combinations are mostly based on poker hands and are listed below. The order of the dice does not matter—the only thing that matters is the numbers. Combinations Sum of all the dice 2, 2, 4, 6, 1 => 15 points Special Yahtzee rules The first time you get a yahtzee in a game it is worth 50 points (if you use it in the yahtzee slot). If you roll another yahtzee after you have already gotten the 50 points ( i.e. , you didn’t take a zero), you will get a 100 point bonus. You can also use additional yahtzees as wildcards on the bottom section if you have already filled in number you rolled on the upper section. For example, if you have used the 1′s, 3′s, 4′s, and 6′s on the top section and you roll a yahtzee in 5′s, you cannot use it as a wildcard but you could use a yahtzee in 3′s.

Since a yahtzee meets the requirements for a 3 of a kind, 4 of a kind, full house, and chance, it will always give you points in those slots. Extra yahtzees can be used as wildcards regardless of whether you got any points for the first one. Point preview If the “Show potential points for each slot” option is on (it is by default), each time you roll, the slots will show the number of points you would get if you used your combination in that slot (unless you would get zero points). Just because one combination would give you more points, does not necessarily mean you should use it there. For example, it may be better to use a four of a kind in 6′s on the upper section to get ahead on the bonus, even though you would get more points as a four of a kind. In other words, the point preview is not a recommendation—it’s just to help you calculate the score. The Yahtzee Rules Page Object of the game The object of Yahtzee is to obtain the highest score from throwing 5 dice. The game consists of 13 rounds.

In each round, you roll the dice and then score the roll in one of 13 categories. You must score once in each category. The score is determined by a different rule for each category. The game ends once all 13 categories have been scored. Game Start To start with, roll all the dice. After rolling you can either score the current roll (see below), or re-roll any or all of the dice. You may only roll the dice a total of 3 times. After rolling 3 times you must choose a category to score. You may score the dice at any point in the round, i.e. it doesn't have to be after the 3rd roll. Scoring To score your combination of 5 dice, you click one of the 13 boxes, or write it on the scorecard (scoresheet). There are two sections to the score table - the Upper Section and the Lower Section. Once a box has been scored, it cannot be scored again for the rest of the game (except the Yahtzee category), so choose wisely. Upper Section Scoring If you score in the upper section of the table, your score is the total of the specified die face.

So if you roll: 5 - 2 - 5 - 6 - 5 and score in the Fives category, your total for the category would be 15, because there are three fives, which are added together. If the One, Three or Four Categories were selected for scoring with this roll, you would score a zero. If placed in the Two or Six category, you would score 2 and 6 respectively. Bonus If the total of Upper scores is 63 or more, add a bonus of 35. Note that 63 is the total of three each of 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s and 6s. Lower Section Scoring In the lower scores, you score either a set amount, or zero if you don't satisfy the category requirements. 3 and 4 of a kind For 3 of a kind you must have at least 3 of the same die faces. You score the total of all the dice. For 4 of a kind you would need 4 die faces the same.

Small and Large Straight A Straight is a sequence of consecutive die faces, where a small straight is 4 consecutive faces, and a large straight 5 consecutive faces. Small straights score 30 and a large 40 points. So if you rolled: 2 - 3 - 2 - 5 - 4 you could score 30 in small straight or 0 in large straight. Full House A Full House is where you have 3 of a kind and 2 of a kind. Full houses score 25 points. i.e.: 3 - 3 - 2 - 3 - 2 would score 25 in the Full House category. First Yahtzee A Yahtzee is 5 of a kind and scores 50 points, although you may elect NOT to score it as a yahtzee, instead choosing to take it as a top row score and safegaurd you bonus. Additional Yahtzees . If you roll a second Yahtzee in a game, and you scored your first yahtzee in the Yahtzee box, you would score a further bonus 100 points in the yahtzee box.

You must also put this roll into another category, as follows; -If the corresponding Upper section category is not filled then you must score there. ie if you rolled 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 and the Fours Category is not filled, you must put the score in the Fours category. -If the corresponding Upper section category is filled you may then put the score anywhere on the Upper Section (scoring zero). In 3 of a Kind, 4 of a Kind, and Chance categories you would score the total of the die faces. For the Small Straight, Large Straight, and Full House categories, you would score 30, 40 and 25 points respectively. Chance You can roll anything and be able to put it in the Chance category. You score the total of the die faces. Scratch or Dump scores. You can score any roll in any category at any time, even if the resulting score is zero. Eg, you can take 2-3-3-4-6 in the 5's category. It will score 0.

This could be used near the end of a game to lose a poor roll against a difficult-to-get category that you've failed to fill (eg, long straight or yahtzee). Yahtzee Rules - How Yahtzee Works | HowStuffWorks How Yahtzee Works Image courtesy Hasbro The Yahtzee goal is pretty straightforward: You're trying for 12 different combinations of the five dice, and you get a certain number of points for each combination you roll. Each combination has a slot on the score card, and the goal is to fill each slot with the maximum number of points available for that combination. The 12 rolls and their corresponding point totals are: Up Next Ones --The best roll is five 1's. You get one point for each 1. Twos -- The best roll is five 2's. You get two points for each 2. Threes -- The best roll is five 3's. You get three points for each 3. Fours -- The best roll is five 4's. You get four points for each 4. Fives -- The best roll is five 5's. You get five points for each 5. Sixes -- The best roll is five 6's.

You get six points for each 6. Three of a kind -- Add up face values of all five dice. Four of a kind -- Add up face values of all five dice. Full house -- Three of any number along with two of any number will get you 25 points. Small straight -- Any four consecutive numbers gets you 30 points. Large straight -- Any five consecutive numbers gets you 40 points. Yahtzee (five of a kind) -- Any five of a kind gets you 50 points. You have three rolls on each turn to get the combination you want, and you can keep as many dice from each roll as you want. So if, on one turn, you roll a 2, three 3's and a 6 on the first roll, you might decide to keep the 3's and roll the other three dice again. If on that second roll you get, say, a 3 and a 5, you'll keep the 3. On the third roll, you're aiming for one more 3 so you can get the maximum number of points for the combination, which is 15 (or, of course, a 50-point Yahtzee).

If you roll a 2 on that last roll, you'll enter a "12" in the threes slot; or, if you would rather score for your Four of Kind, you could tally up the sum of the dice. There's also a "Chance" slot on the score card. Let's say you decided to keep the 2 and the 6 from that first roll and go for your Large Straight, because you already got your 3's and your Three of a Kind on a previous turn. And let's say you roll three 3's on your second and third rolls. That means you're left with no useful combination. In that case, you'll fill in your Chance slot. The point total for Chance is the total of all dice. That's the basic game, but there's more to it. If you're running out of time and you can't score for the boxes you have left, or if you don't want to use up a potentially high-scoring box with a measly roll, you can enter a zero in any slot. You'll have to decide when to sacrifice a box, or when to hold out and go big. This is where strategy comes in. Play Yahtzee!

High Score The Object is to obtain the highest score from rolling 5 dice (up to) 3 times. The game consists of 13 rounds, in each round you roll the dice and then score the roll in one of 13 categories. You must score once in each category. The game ends once all categories have been scored. First click Roll, Select as many dice you want to keep, if any. You get 3 Rolls before you Must make a selection in the Category of your choice (Full House, # of 5's, Etc...) Your score will automatically be added. Repeat this (13 Times) until All Categories/Selections have been filled in and the game will end, telling your Total & High scores.

1's (Aces) (Score is the Total of the 1's) 2's (Score is the Total of the 2's) 3's (Score is the Total of the 3's) 4's (Score is the Total of the 4's) 5's (Score is the Total of the 5's) 6's (Score is the Total of the 6's) 3 of a Kind is 3 of a Kind (Score is the Total of all 5 dice) 4 of a Kind is 4 of a Kind (Score is the Total of all 5 dice) Full House is 3 of a Kind and 2 of a Kind (Score is 25 points) A Small Straight is 4 in a row (1234, 2345 or 3456) (Score is 30 points) A Large Straight is 5 in a row (12345 or 23456) (Score is 40 points) Chance is your "Life-Line", choose Chance if you can't score anywhere else.

(Score is the Total of all 5 dice) Yahtzee is 5 of a kind. Feel Free To Yell "Yahtzee !" (Score is 50 points) Bonus, If the Total of your 1 through 6 selections Is 63 or more, you get 35 bonus points ! If you cannot use a category/selection, you Must enter it someplace anyway ! Think of it as Poker with dice (kind of) & Have Fun ! This Site Is Dedicated To My Friend Erldene Yahtzee Yahtzee Yahtzee is a dice game based on Poker. The object of the game is to roll certain combinations of numbers with five dice. At each turn you throw dice trying to get a good combination of numbers; different combinations give different scores. While luck plays a big role in Yahtzee, strategy makes a significant difference. The reason for this is that you score each combination just once, and the number of different combinations in which you can score is equal to the number of turns in the game. This means that you have to make wise choices about when to score in each combination and you have to be careful about what combinations you seek at each turn. Rules and Scoring The game takes thirteen turns.

Each turn consists of up to three separate rolls of the dice. On the first roll you roll all five of the dice. After the first and second roll, you can hold any subset of the five dice you want (including none of the dice or all of the dice) and roll the rest trying to get a good combination. After the three rolls (or after the first or second roll if you choose to stop) you must find a place among the thirteen boxes in the scorecard to put your score. The score you get depends on the box that you choose and the combination that you have rolled. After a box is used, you can't use it again, so you have to choose wisely. This means that, in general, you don't have to choose the box that gives you the highest score for the combination you have rolled, since it may be advantageous to save that box for an even better roll later in the game. In fact, there are many situations it which it makes sense to put a 0 in a "bad" box instead of a low score in another "good" box because doing so would block the good box for future turns. The Yahtzee scorecard contains two sections: the upper section and the lower section.

The Upper Section In the upper section, there are six boxes, each corresponding to one of the six face values of the dice. For these boxes, you enter the sum of the dice with the corresponding face value (and ignore all other dice). For example, if you roll 5 3 3 5 3 you may enter a score of 9 in the third spot or a score of 10 in the fifth spot. Bonus: At the end of the game, you get a bonus of 35 points if the total number of points you scored in the upper section is 63 or higher. The seemingly random number 63 corresponds to having scored a combination with three dice of the corresponding face value in each of the upper section boxes (though any upper section total of 63 or greater is rewarded with the bonus). The Lower Section Here you can score for various combinations. 3 of a kind: Score in this box if the dice include 3 or more of the same number. The score is the total of all five dice (unlike the upper section, where only the dice of one number are summed). 4 of a kind: Score in this box if the dice include 4 or more of the same number.

The score is the total of all five dice. Full House: Score in this box if the dice show three of one number and two of another (for example, 2 6 6 2 2). The score is 25 points. Small Straight: Score in this box if the dice show any sequence of 4 numbers (for example 3 2 4 4 5). The score is 30 points. Large Straight: Score in this box if the dice show any sequence of 5 numbers (for example 5 2 4 6 3). The score is 40 points. Chance: Score in this box with any combination. The score is the total of the five dice. Yahtzee: Score in this box if the dice show five of the same number. The score is 50 points. Yahtzee Bonus: If you roll a second Yahtzee and the Yahtzee box is already filled with 50 points, you get a 100 points bonus. If you roll a Yahtzee and your Yahtzee box is filled with a zero, you do not receive this bonus.

In either case, you must fill one of the other boxes on your scorecard using the "joker rules" as follows: if possible, you must fill the upper section box corresponding to the number you rolled. If that box is already filled, you must fill in any open lower section box. For the 3 of a kind, 4 of a kind, and chance boxes, this means scoring the total of all 5 dice. For the full house, small straight, and large straight boxes, this means scoring 25, 30, or 40 points respectively (even though you did not actually roll the corresponding combination). If the entire lower section is filled you must enter a zero in any open box in the upper section. Strategy Now we are going to review a little bit of strategy for playing Yahtzee. Basic Tips The following are generally regarded as the basic things to keep in mind while playing Yahtzee. You should generally aim for the 35 points bonus by filling the upper section with high scores (so as to get at least 63 points) near the beginning of the game.

If you roll a combination for which your available boxes give a low score, fill in a zero in the 1's box (or even the 2's or 3's), since high scores in the other boxes may compensate for this. Early in the game you should use the chance box only as a fall-back for when you are trying for a high point combination and fail. You want to keep the chance box available for a situation where your options are very limited. If you have a bad roll of the dice near the end of the game, you may enter a zero in the Yahtzee box or one of the other difficult combinations. If you roll a pair of 1's or 2's early in the game, go for a full house, straight, or one of the other high numbers you rolled. Keeping the 1's or 2's to seek a 3 or 4 of a kind will not get you many points. Plus, it is a good idea to keep the 1's and 2's boxes available for later in the game to have the possibility of putting a zero there.

As an example, if on your first turn your initial roll is 1 1 2 5 6, it turns out that keeping only the 5 is the choice that maximizes your expected score for the game. If you roll four of a kind with 4's, 5's, or 6's, take the points in the upper section if they are available, not in the 4 of a kind box. This will help you get the 35 points bonus at the end of the game. You should always try for a Yahtzee early in the game. If you roll a 3 or 4 of a kind on your first or second roll and you have the corresponding box in the upper section open, you should definitely go for the Yahtzee. Plus, if you saved your chance, 1's, or 2's boxes, you can score a zero there if you fail to get the Yahtzee. Advanced Strategy Any kind of advanced strategy for Yahtzee has to rely on calculating or estimating the expected final score you will get with respect to your current position in the game and the different possibilities you have for scoring. This is a very difficult task, since in general it involves too many calculations.

As with most board games, the best way to actually apply this principle is by playing a lot and developing some intuition as to what the best choices are. In general, you should be able to discard many possibilities just by looking at them, and then choose among the remaining ones in the best way you can. To get a grasp of the kind of calculations you would need to do in order to determine the best move in Yahtzee, we will consider the following simplified example. Suppose that you are playing a "1-turn Yahtzee" game (all the boxes are empty and you are tying to maximize your score for a single turn), and your second roll leaves you with 3 3 3 1 1. Which (if any) of the dice should you keep for the last roll? To solve this, observe first that since this is the 1-turn version of Yahtzee, all boxes are available and your only goal is to get the highest possible score in this turn. It should be clear that the only sensible choices are keeping everything (scoring 25 points for a full house) or re-rolling both 1's (trying for a Yahtzee). What is the best choice?

If you keep everything, the best score you can get is scoring the full house box, and you get 25 points. If you re-roll both 1's, three things may happen: You get two different numbers. This will happen with probability 5/6. In this case, your best score corresponds to either the 3 or 4 of a kind box, where you add up the five numbers. In this case, the maximum score you can get is 20 (if you rolled a 5 and a 6). You get two equal numbers, different from 3. This happens with probability (5/6) * (1/6) = 5/36. In this case you rolled a full house, and it is the best box to score in this case, since any other possibility scores at most 3 + 3 + 3 + 6 + 6 = 21 points. Thus, you score 25 points. You get two 3's. This will happen with probability 1/36, and you score 50 points for a Yahtzee.

With all this, we can say that the average score you get if you re-roll the 1's is less than Thus, we see that your average score when re-rolling is less than 25, so you should keep all the dice and score a full house. As you observe, even in this very simplified situation, the calculations get impossible to carry out during a game. Links You can find more information on Yahtzee's rules, strategies and history on the Internet. For instance, you can try Wikipedia. You can find an optimal Yahtzee player and proficiency test at here. Problems Some of the problems are very easy, but some are more involved, especially the last two. You may want to go over the review of basic probability before trying them. If you roll a die three times, what is the probability that you will get at least one six? Suppose that on the first roll you get 5 5 4 3 2. If you pick up one of the fives and try for a large straight, what is the probability you will succeed in the two rolls that remain? Suppose that on the first roll you get 6 5 5 3 2.

If you pick up one of the fives and try for a large straight, what is the probability you will succeed in the two rolls that remain? Is it the same as in the previous problem? In the top six rows of the score card you want to score at least three of a given number (especially for the high numbers like 5 and 6). Suppose you roll 6, 6, 5, 2, 1 the first time, and re-roll all non 6's on the next two tries. What is the probability you will end up with at least three 6's? Exactly four 6's? A Yahtzee (five 6's)? Suppose on the first roll you get 5, 4, 4, 3, 1. To try to get a large straight you pick up a 4 and the 1 and then roll again. If you get a 6 or 2 you keep it, and you re-roll the others. Of course if you happen to get a 2 and 1 on the second roll you stop and are happy. What is the probability you will end up with a large straight? What is the probability you will end up with a small straight?

Suppose instead you keep 5, 4, 3, 1, and re-roll 1 die. If you get a 2 you are happy. If you get a 6 you re-roll the 1. Otherwise you take a second chance at rolling the 2. What is the probability you will end up with a large straight? a small straight? Suppose you are playing a game where you can roll a single die one or two times. Your objective is to get a high number. After the first roll you can choose whether to keep the number you got or re-roll. Then the best strategy is to keep a 4, 5, or 6, while re-rolling a 1, 2, or 3 (try to convince yourself of this). Now suppose we play the same game but with the option of rolling the single die one, two, or three times. As before, after the second roll you should keep a 4, 5, or 6, and re-roll a 1, 2, or 3.

Can you come up with a strategy on what to do after the first roll such that the expected (or average) score you get in the three rolls game is better than the expected score in the two rolls game with the strategy we proposed? What is the expected score when playing with your proposed strategy? These types of calculations are useful in the actual Yahtzee game, for example when you are trying to score well in the chance box. It is the last roll of the game and you need a Yahtzee to win. After the first roll you keep the dice of the most common number you rolled and then re-roll twice to see if you can end up with all of that number. (We ignore the possibility that you change the number for which you are looking after the first roll, e.g., you only had one 5 after the first roll and then rolled two 4's.) In the case of a tie on the first roll, choose one of the numbers that appears the maximal number of times and keep only the dice with that number. What is the probability you end up with a Yahtzee? This problem is rather difficult, so don't expect to get a fast answer.

Here is a hint: first compute the probability of getting 2, 3, 4, or 5 of a kind, or all different numbers in the first roll; then try to compute the probability of passing from having i of a kind in a roll to having j on the next roll and try to use these "transition probabilities". In reality, if you are going for a Yahtzee and you keep two 4's after you first roll but roll three 5's on your second roll, you will try for a Yahtzee in 5's on your last roll. Repeat the previous problem, but now incorporating the fact that after your second roll you may change the number that you are seeking. Once again, if there is a tie, choose one number to keep. If you get all different numbers on your first roll, re-roll all of the dice. How to Make a Yahtzee Scorecard: 7 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow How to Make a Yahtzee Scorecard Are you away from home, have lost all the Yahtzee scorecards, and don't know how to set a new card up for use? Make up some new cards from scratch, by following the steps below in this article.

Steps 1 Grab a sheet of computer paper or lined/unlined notebook paper and fold it down the middle. Make sure you don't tear it from one corner to the opposite corner (thereby making a triangle). Fold it as if you were making a paper-styled greeting card. 2 Tear this half-sheet of paper off, to split the two sides apart. 3 Write the numbers 1-6 on each line of the paper (since the highest numbered side on any pair of dice is 6). This article will come back to point totaling (another column later). 4 Write down the special rolls which must include: 3-of-a-Kind, 4-of-a-Kind, Full House, Small Straight, Large Straight, Yahtzee, and Chance. Keep all these items on their own separate line. 5 Write down the reminder items of point totals for each of the items on their own separate columns. As long as you realize that the top 6 items are only a total of total amount of successful dice that fit the category, write down "Multiply by (x-number written on line) for each number of dice thrown" for each line.

The official scorecards say "Count and only 1s(they call them Aces), 2s, 3s, and so-forth). Bonuses for the total amount of points adds 35 points to the score at the end. Remind yourself of this fact, and write an area after the 1-6's that have totals for upper section and the bonus points (which, according to an official scorecard, says If score is 63 or over, and on next column write "Score 35". Add another line for the grand total of the top portion of the page. The special rolls area below has special rules. 3-of a Kind is the total number of points scored on all dice. Write down this information. 4-of a Kind is (again) the total number of points scored on all dice. Write down this information too. Full House has a flat-rate score of 25 points, so write down "Score of 25" as a reminder. Small-straights, which are a sequence of 4 successive dice, have a flat-rate score of 30, so write down "Score of 30" as a reminder.

Large-straights, which are a sequence of 5 successive dice, have a flat-rate score of 40, so write down "Score of 40" as a reminder. Yahtzee, the best rolls in the game, have a flat-rate score of 50, and can be achieved when all 5 dice display the same exact number of each and every one of them, so write down "Score of 50" as a reminder. Chance is the sum/total of all dice, so leave the next column blank. You can also flip the placement for Yahtzee and Chance around, and add Yahtzee bonuses, if you feel you might be able to get more than one Yahtzee (a rare occurrence for most players). Each extra Yahtzee bonus has a score of 100 per Yahtzee Bonus earned. Write down this scoring point total as a reminder, and create a space for amount of checkmarks you might earn. Realize that each checkmark though corresponds to one and only one extra bonus item 6 Play your game and write down your scores you score for each round of three rolls on the row on the paper.. Each successive column, will have your final scores.

Record your scores in each successive column. 7

Question: How many points does a Yahtzee score?
Answer: 50