Yahtzee strategy: what to keep and where to score

This guide uses the Classic scorecard on our Yahtzee rules page. Each turn you have up to three rolls, and each category may be used once. For scoring details and the Joker rule see the Yahtzee scoring guide.

Decide what you are aiming for after the first roll

Look for the strongest pattern in the first roll and keep those dice.

• Three or more of a kind: keep them and roll the rest. They can become a Yahtzee, four of a kind or a full house.
• A pair: keep it if nothing better is showing. High pairs (5s and 6s) are more valuable in the upper section.
• Four in a row (like 2-3-4-5): keep them for a straight.
• Nothing: re-roll all five dice or keep a single high die.

Chase the upper bonus

The upper section gives a 35-point bonus if the six boxes total at least 63. That is exactly three of each number. Three 4s in Fours is par (12), and you can make up for a low score in one box with a high one in another.

Do not chase the bonus at all costs. If a roll clearly fits a lower-section category, use it.

Where to put a bad roll

Every turn fills a box. When your roll doesn’t fit well, sacrifice the box that costs you least.

• Aces is the cheapest zero: at most 5 points are ever available.
• Chance can take any roll, so save it as a safe place for a poor turn later in the game.
• Avoid a zero in Yahtzee, Large Straight or Full House early, because they are worth much more.

Small straight and large straight

If you hold 3-4-5 and need a straight, keep those three dice and roll two. Small straights are common and worth 30; large straights are worth 40. Take the small straight when you have it if a large one is unlikely.

Yahtzee chance

A Yahtzee is rare. With good play it happens in a small fraction of games, so do not build your whole turn around it. Do keep sets of three or four equal dice, because they also fit Three of a Kind, Four of a Kind and Full House.

Three and four of a kind

They score the total of all five dice, so a high set is worth more. Fives and sixes are best.

Endgame

In the last few turns, list your open boxes and what you need. Aim for the categories you can still fill with a reasonable chance. Take zeros in low-value boxes before the high ones.