How to play Yahtzee

Objective

Score more points than every other player by filling 13 different dice categories. Each category can be used once, so a weak roll may force you to take a zero in a box you hoped to save.

This page follows Hasbro’s Classic scorecard, including the 35-point upper-section bonus, 100-point extra-Yahtzee bonuses and Joker rules. Hasbro labels the game for two or more players without publishing a maximum; the catalogue’s ten-player cap is a practical table estimate, not a rules limit.

Setup

Give each player a score column. Use five ordinary six-sided dice and a cup. Everyone rolls all five dice; highest total starts, with tied players rerolling. Play then moves clockwise.

A game lasts exactly 13 turns per player because the scorecard has 13 category boxes.

Scoring

Upper section

Choose Aces, Twos, Threes, Fours, Fives or Sixes and total only dice of that number. A roll of 2-2-2-5-6 scores 6 in Twos, 5 in Fives or 6 in Sixes.

If your six upper boxes total at least 63, add a 35-point bonus.

Lower section

Category	Requirement	Score
Three of a kind	At least three equal dice	Total of all five dice
Four of a kind	At least four equal dice	Total of all five dice
Full house	Three of one number and two of another	25
Small straight	At least four consecutive numbers	30
Large straight	Five consecutive numbers	40
Yahtzee	Five equal dice	50
Chance	Any five dice	Total of all five dice

A small straight may be 1-2-3-4, 2-3-4-5 or 3-4-5-6. A large straight is 1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6. Repeated numbers do not extend a straight, though extra dice are harmless for a small straight.

Turns

Roll all five dice. You may stop and score immediately or set aside any dice and reroll the others. After the second roll, you may again keep or return any dice—including dice held after the first roll—and roll the rest once more.

After no more than three rolls, choose one empty category and write its score. A roll may qualify for several categories, but it fills only one. If you cannot or do not want to score it anywhere useful, choose an empty category and record zero.

Pass all five dice to the next player after scoring.

Extra Yahtzees and Joker rules

If you roll another Yahtzee after already scoring 50 in the Yahtzee box, mark a 100-point Yahtzee bonus. Then apply the Joker rule:

1. If the matching upper box is empty, you must score the five dice there. Five 4s score 20 in Fours.
2. If that upper box is filled, you may use any empty lower box. Full House scores 25, Small Straight 30 and Large Straight 40 even though the five equal dice are not those combinations; Three/Four of a Kind and Chance score the dice total.
3. If the matching upper box and every lower box are filled, use any empty upper box and score zero there.

If the original Yahtzee box contains zero, later Yahtzees earn no 100-point bonus. You must still use the matching upper box when it is open. If that box is already filled, apply the same Joker placement and fixed lower-section scores described above.

Worked example

You roll 2-2-3-3-5. Keep the two 2s and two 3s, then reroll the 5. It becomes a 3, giving 2-2-3-3-3: a full house.

You may stop and score 25 in Full House. You could instead record 9 in Threes, 13 in Three of a Kind or Chance, or reroll one or both 2s if a roll remains and you want a Yahtzee. Once you choose Full House, that box cannot be used again.

Winning

The game ends when every player has filled all 13 category boxes. Total the six upper boxes and add 35 if they reach 63. Total the seven lower boxes, add 100 for each valid extra-Yahtzee mark, then combine the two sections.

Highest grand total wins. If totals tie, the published Classic rules do not require a special tiebreaker; share the win or agree beforehand to compare upper totals or play again.

Common mistakes

• Taking four rolls. Three rolls is the maximum, including the first roll.
• Skipping a score. Every turn fills one empty box, sometimes with zero.
• Scoring only the matching set in Three of a Kind. Add all five dice.
• Counting a pair plus three unrelated dice as a full house. It requires a pair and a triple.
• Awarding the upper bonus for 63 overall. Only Aces through Sixes count toward it.
• Giving every later Yahtzee a bonus. The Yahtzee box must already contain 50.
• Ignoring the forced upper box under Joker rules. Use the matching upper category first when it is open.

Variants

Some electronic and regional games called Yatzy use different categories, bonuses or straight scores. Triple Yahtzee uses three score columns with multipliers. Those are separate scorecards.

House games sometimes let players roll simultaneously or add tie-break rounds. Those changes can shorten a large game but are not part of the Classic turn order described here.