To play Yahtzee, roll five dice up to three times a turn, keep the ones you like, then write the result in one of 13 boxes on your scorecard. Each box can be used once, and the game ends when every box is filled. The highest total wins.
That's the whole game. Everything else is deciding which box suits the dice you just rolled. If you've played any dice game before, you'll pick it up in one round, and if you haven't, the walkthrough below takes a few minutes to read.
What you need
You need five dice, a cup (or just your hands), a scorecard for each player and a pencil. Two or more people can play, and you can play solo against your own best score. The official boxed game from Hasbro includes all of it. If you don't have the box, you'll find a paper version near the end of this page.
How a turn works
- Roll all five dice.
- Look at what you got and pick any dice you want to keep. Set them aside.
- Roll the rest again. This is your second roll.
- You can change your mind here. Any dice, even ones you kept before, can go back in for the third roll.
- Roll a third time if you want. You never have to use all three rolls. If you're happy after one, you can stop.
- Write your result in one box on the scorecard. If nothing fits, you must cross out a box and score zero there.
Once a box is filled, you can't use it again. After 13 turns, every box is full and the game is over. Add up the scores, add any bonuses, and the highest total wins.
The scorecard
The card has two sections. The upper section is for the numbers one to six. The lower section holds the combinations. Here's what each box scores, based on the official Hasbro rules.
| Box | What counts | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Aces (ones) | Any number of ones | Add up the ones |
| Twos | Any number of twos | Add up the twos |
| Threes | Any number of threes | Add up the threes |
| Fours | Any number of fours | Add up the fours |
| Fives | Any number of fives | Add up the fives |
| Sixes | Any number of sixes | Add up the sixes |
| Three of a kind | At least three dice the same | Total of all five dice |
| Four of a kind | At least four dice the same | Total of all five dice |
| Full house | Three of one number and two of another | 25 points |
| Small straight | Four dice in a row, like 2-3-4-5 | 30 points |
| Large straight | Five dice in a row, like 1-2-3-4-5 | 40 points |
| Yahtzee | All five dice the same | 50 points |
| Chance | Anything at all | Total of all five dice |
There are two bonuses. If your upper section adds up to 63 or more, you get 35 bonus points. That's the total you'd get from three of each number. And if you've already scored 50 in the Yahtzee box, every extra Yahtzee you roll later earns 100 more. Be careful: if you scored zero in the Yahtzee box, you don't get this bonus.
Strategy tips for beginners
Yahtzee is mostly luck, but a few habits will improve your results. Here's what I'd do.
- Aim for the upper bonus early. Three of each number gets you there. Sixes, fives and fours help the most, and low numbers can be a little short if you make up for it elsewhere.
- Keep the number you have most of. After the first roll, hold on to the pair or triple and re-roll the rest. It keeps both Yahtzee and the upper boxes alive.
- Don't chase a Yahtzee at all costs. It's tempting, but if the dice aren't helping after two rolls, take a safe box.
- Use Chance as your safety net. It accepts any roll, so save it for a turn when nothing else fits.
- Be patient with straights. Four in a row is common enough. Five in a row takes luck, so don't give up good scores to chase it.
- Cross out the least harmful box. When a turn goes badly, scratch aces first. It costs the fewest points.
There are plenty of tips online about the best order to fill the card, but I'd rather you simply enjoy the game for the first few rounds.
Common rule mix-ups
Must you roll three times?
No. You can stop after one or two rolls if you're happy with what you've got.
Can I re-roll dice I kept earlier?
Yes. Before each roll, you choose which dice to roll. Dice you set aside last time can go back in.
Does three of a kind only score the three matching dice?
No. It scores the total of all five dice, including the two that don't match. Four of a kind works the same way.
What's the joker rule?
It applies when you roll a Yahtzee but you've already filled the Yahtzee box. Here's how it works in plain words. First, you must score in the matching upper box if it's still open, so five fours go in the Fours box. If that's already filled, you can score the roll in any open lower box. In that case, full house, small straight and large straight give their full points. And if all the lower boxes are full, you must take a zero in an open upper box. If you scored 50 in the Yahtzee box, you also collect the 100-point bonus.
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Is a Yahtzee a full house?
Normally, no. A full house needs two different numbers. The joker rule above is the one exception.
Playing without the box
You don't need the official set. Five ordinary dice, a sheet of paper and a pencil are enough. Draw two columns. In the first, write the six numbers, a line for the upper bonus and a line for the upper total. In the second, write the seven lower boxes, a line for Yahtzee bonuses and a grand total. Keep one column per player, or draw a grid with each player's name across the top.
There are also free apps with Yahtzee-style rules if you're travelling. Some need an internet connection and some don't, so test one with airplane mode on before a long trip. Menus and options change from app to app, so if a setting isn't where you expect, search the app's settings for the word.
For more games like this one, take a look at my dice games page and the classic board games list. If you'd like to play on your phone, these free offline board game apps are a good place to start.
Frequently asked questions
How many dice do you need to play Yahtzee?
You need five dice. You roll them up to three times each turn and keep any you want between rolls.
How many turns are there in Yahtzee?
There are 13 turns, one for each box on the scorecard. When every box is filled, the game is over and the highest total wins.
How many points is a full house in Yahtzee?
A full house scores 25 points. It needs three dice of one number and two dice of another.
What is the upper section bonus in Yahtzee?
If your upper section adds up to 63 or more, you get 35 bonus points. Three of each number from one to six gives exactly 63.
Can you play Yahtzee alone?
Yes. Fill the scorecard on your own and try to beat your previous total. It's a relaxed game for a quiet evening.
