Yahtzee Rules

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 Yahtzee Rules

Game Overview

Yahtzee is a game of luck and skill where players earn points by rolling five dice in different scoring combinations. A game consists of thirteen turns per player, one for each of the thirteen scoring categories. The objective is to achieve the highest possible total score.

In each round, a player gets three rolls of the dice, although they can choose to end their turn after one or two rolls. After each roll the player can save any dice they want and re-roll the other dice. The player has complete control as to which dice to roll. They can for example re-roll a die on the third roll that was not rolled on the second roll.

Equipment

A standard Yahtzee game consists of the following equipment:

5 Dice
1 Dice cup or shaker
1 Score pad
Pencils
Yahtzee Bonus chips

How to Play Yahtzee

1. Roll a die to see who starts. If continuing a series of games, the previous game’s winner goes first. Play continues clockwise.
2. Roll up to three times each turn. You may end your turn and record a score after your first, second, or third roll.
3. Fill in one empty box for the corresponding scoring category each turn.

First Roll

Roll all five dice. If you get the exact combo you want, mark your score card right away and end your turn. Otherwise, set aside any “keepers” and continue with your second roll.

Second Roll

Re-roll any or all dice you want, even “keepers” from the previous roll. You don’t need to declare which combination you’re rolling for; you may change your mind at any time. If you get the exact combo you need, mark your score card and end your turn. Otherwise, set aside any “keepers” and continue with your third roll.

Third and Final Roll

Re-roll any or all dice you want, even “keepers” from the previous roll. You must enter a score at the end of this roll, whether or not you like your dice. If your roll doesn’t suit any of your empty boxes, you have to enter a zero somewhere.

The Scorecard

The Yahtzee score card is split into two sections: the Upper Section for dice face values and Lower Section for the set combinations.

The Upper Section

To score in the Upper Section, add only the dice with the same number and enter the total in the corresponding box. The following roll, for example, could be scored as 12 for Fours, 3 for Threes, or 1 for Ones.

Your goal in the Upper Section is to score a total of at least 63 points - the minimum required to earn a 35-point bonus. The bonus points are based on scoring an average of three of each number: three for Ones, six for Twos, nine for Threes, 12 for Fours, 15 for Fives, and 18 for Sixes. However you may earn the bonus with any combination of scores that total at least 63 points.

The Lower Section

The Lower Section scores the following dice combinations:

Category	Description	Score
Three of a Kind	At least three dice showing the same face	Sum of all dice
Four of a Kind	At least four dice showing the same face	Sum of all dice
Full House	A Three of a Kind and a pair	25 points
Small Straight	Four sequential dice (1-2-3-4, 2-3-4-5, or 3-4-5-6)	30 points
Large Straight	Five sequential dice (1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6)	40 points
Yahtzee	All five dice showing the same face	50 points (first Yahtzee only)
Chance	Any combination of dice faces	Sum of all dice

Yahtzee Bonus Rules

A Yahtzee Bonus is awarded if you roll more than one Yahtzees. If you roll a second Yahtzee and have already recorded 50 in the Yahtzee box, you receive 100 bonus points. An additional 100-point bonus applies to any subsequent Yahtzees you roll. Put an “X” or check-mark in the Yahtzee Bonus box to indicate this bonus. To finish the turn, you then must enter a score in a regular scoring category according to the Joker Rules (see below). If you’ve already scored a zero in your Yahtzee box, you done messed up and do not receive a Yahtzee Bonus.

Joker Rules

After recording a Yahtzee Bonus, you must score the the total of the five dice in the appropriate Upper Section box. If this box has already been filled, then you score as follows in any open Lower Section box:

3 of a Kind: Total of all 5 dice
4 of a Kind: Total of all 5 dice
Full House: 25 points
Small Straight: 30 points
Large Straight: 40 points
Chance: Total of all 5 dice

If the appropriate Upper Section box and all Lower Section boxes are already filled in, you must enter a zero in any open Upper Section box. That’s right, it is possible to roll a valid Yahtzee, collect your bonus, and still have to take a zero. At least you’ll have an extra one-hundred points to console you.

Ending a Game

Once each player has filled in all 13 category boxes, the game ends. Each player then adds up their score as follows:

Upper Section: Add up the Upper Section scores and enter the total in the Total Score box. Enter the 35-point bonus in the Bonus box if you scored 63 points or more. Then enter the total in the Total box.

Lower Section: Add up the Lower Section scores, and enter the total in the Total of Lower Section box. Add 100 points for each check mark in the Yahtzee Bonus area.

How to Win

After each player has tabulated their Grand Total, the player with the highest score wins!

Additional Notes

1. It is possible that a certain combination can be scored in more than one category; for example, a Full House can be scored in the Full House, Three-of-a-Kind, or Chance categories. A player's individual strategy will help them to decide how to score it. Note that a five-of-a-kind cannot be scored as a Full House.

2. The original Yahtzee rules released in 1956 contain a misprint in the Joker Rules. The booklet stated that additional Yahtzees must be used as Jokers in the Lower Section and does not allow for their use in the Upper Section. This problem was corrected when the game was re-copyrighted in 1961.

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 More Yahtzee Rules

From time to time, a serious Yahtzee player is likely to encounter a situation that isn't covered in the Yahtzee instruction booklet. There are a multitude of unwritten rules, anachronistic regulations, and points of etiquette that frequently come into play during a Yahtzee game. Take your understanding of the game to the next level and learn more about Yahtzee online.

House Rules

Playing Yahtzee online is one of humankind’s greatest technological achievements. But electronic players miss out on one of the great joys of Yahtzee that only an in-person game can provide: the Yahtzee House Rules.

House Rules are any sort of regulation or variation to the standard game that serve as the de facto guide to gameplay for a particular venue. Going above and beyond the official instruction booklet, Yahtzee House Rules are a way for hosts to offer games with a unique flavor. These rules oftentimes alter the standard Yahtzee odds and probability, presenting new challenges and opportunities for players of all skill levels.

House Rules Rules

House Rules are determined by the game host and, while there are commonalities, can differ dramatically in both their frequency and intensity from one location to another. This is the beauty of House Rules, and also their danger. There are two general mandates that govern House Rules in all their derivative formations across all localities:

1. The Yahtzee host of a given venue has sole control over implementation and is the final arbiter of all House Rules. A game held in neutral territory will adhere to standard Yahtzee rules, unless a variation is unanimously agreed upon by all players.
2. House Rules must be openly and clearly declared to all players prior to a game’s first roll.

It is recommended that a maximum of two House Rules are used at a time so as not to dilute the game mechanics out of recognition. And because some veteran players may balk at a ludicrously overpowered variation, consent from game participants is heartily encouraged before House Rules implementation. But as with every other conceivable aspect of their character, all House Rules are dependent on the whims of the host.

Common Yahtzee House Rules

House Rules are certainly not required and many puritanical players maintain a strict originalist interpretation for any game played under their roof. But as variety is the spice of life, true Yahtzee devotees will learn from their unique experiences with the House Rules of foreign tables and incorporate new tactical strategy into their own games.

Mulligan or 4th Roll: The most common of all Yahtzee House Rules. Once per game, on a turn of the player’s choosing, she may roll one or more dice for a fourth time. This rule is typically applied to a turn that ends in narrowly missing a Yahtzee after the third roll. It is also useful when going for other high-value categories like the Large Straight.

The Mulligan often tempts a player on a cold streak into believing they can actually roll one single three to wrap up the Upstairs Section bonus after having been blanked on the previous nine rolls. Good luck with that!

Chance-Chance:This rule is a more focused version of the Mulligan and can only be invoked when a player chooses to score their Chance. Instead of recording the total after the third roll of a turn, the player may elect to re-roll for a fourth and final time. The player is required to roll all five dice and the resulting roll can only be scored as Chance.

The Chance-Chance is used as a last-ditch attempt to avoid a very low Chance score after the third roll. But nothing is guaranteed. Many players are stymied and end up with an even lower total. When rolling five dice, their sum averages to 17.5 points so most players only make use of the Chance-Chance when they have something less than 17 or 18 showing.

The Chance-Chance is denoted with a “c” or “cc” next to the numerical score in Standard Yahtzee Notation:



Bottom's Up: A rule that stipulates the player(s) must take a drink of an alcoholic beverage following the occurrence of a defined game event. For example, take a swig whenever someone rolls a Full House. Although not a favored variation for players who prefer to imbibe on their own terms, drinking mandates allow for a player to get quickly liquored. Some official tournaments, like the long-running New England classic organized by Yahtzee Nation, incorporate an intricate set of drinking rules into the competition. Because a game is most successful when all players are able to remain conscious until the end, alcohol and other mind-altering substances should be used with discretion.

Mega-Yahtzee: For one turn of the player’s choosing, she may add a sixth die to the shaker. This will juice the Yahtzee odds to assist with rolling a hard-to-score combination. In the extraordinary event that she rolls a Six-of-a-Kind, it is treated as a regular Yahtzee but includes a Mega-Yahtz Bonus of up to 1000 points.

Fool House: The player must score the Full House if it is rolled. This rule forces the player’s hand into accepting the Full House, even if it appears on the first roll of the game. Will it be a help or a hindrance? It can vary from one game to the next.

The Fool House rule makes it impossible to calculate a player’s Full House Dis Quotient (FHDQ), a powerful statistic used to evaluate Yahtzee strategy. The equation measures the number of times a player rolls a Full House in a game, before, after, and if they have scored it. The resulting figure offers insight into a how much a player focuses on the Full House as compared to other combinations. But under Fool House rules, no choice is available. House Rules can often cause unintended ripples downstream in the Yahtzee data cycle.

Battle Cry of Yahtzee: It is a common occurrence for players to shout out “Yahtzee!” in a fit of excitement after rolling the namesake. This behavior was popularized by TV commercials from the 1970s and 80s and rarely needs to be prompted as it is a natural expression of joy. But some hosts invoke their right to mandate the Battle Cry of Yahtzee, often with strict punishments for failure to comply. The Royal Dutch Yahtzee Federation, for example, has implemented a rule for all league competitions where the Yahtzee must be scored as a zero if the player refuses to shout out with glee after rolling a five-of-a-kind.

Implementing House Rules

A game host may wrestle with the question of which, if any, House Rules to use at their home Yahtzee table. It is not a decision to be taken lightly as any alteration to the game’s core mechanics risks warping it into a board game abomination. Yahtzee’s modern founders, after all, spent considerable time and effort in crafting a beautifully balanced game. It would be an insult to their legacy to mangle the gameplay with the insertion of unwieldy House Rules.

The best advice is to keep it simple. Don’t go overboard by trying to overhaul any of the game’s systems. Selecting one or two of the popular examples above is a good place start. From there, experiment with the styles that work for best for your strategic tendencies and experiment with adding or removing variants. Play to your strengths, as one of the main benefits of House Rules is to confer a home-table advantage for the host and her cohorts.

The ideal House Rule will do more with less. It is an element that adds a new dimension or fun twist without sacrificing the dignity of the original game. Consider using different House Rules for official tournaments at your venue than when playing casual games. And remember that it is considered proper Yahtzee etiquette to respect the preferences of your usual gaming compatriots if you regularly play with the same people. In the end, the implementation of House Rules is all about enhancing the Yahtzee experience. Keep this simple concept in mind when creating a new rule or regulation to make your Yahtzee table the talk of the neighborhood.

From The Yahtzee Blog

Yahtzee Strategy: The Joker's Gambit- The Yahtzee scoring category is the game's namesake and the only path to sky-high scores. The 100-point Yahtzee Bonus and potential Jokers are jet fuel for your grand totals. But does it ever make sense to roll a Yahtzee and pass it up? Sacrifice the Yahtzee with the Joker's Gambit to increase your score.

The Yahtzee Playing Surface - From dining room table to a sandy beach campfire, you can play Yahtzee almost anywhere. Changing the type of playing surface will cause it to interact with the dice in different ways.

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 Yahtzee FAQ

What happens when you roll more than one Yahtzee in a game?

This is the most-asked question in Yahtzee and the most misunderstood rule. Ever since a typo in the original 1956 Yahtzee set omitted all mention of the situation, rolling more than one Yahtzee has confounded rollers for decades.

Rolling multiple Yahtzees invokes what is known as the Bonus Yahtzee Rule and grants the player a 100 point reward for each extra Yahtzee. The player then records a score according to the Joker Rules, which mandates taking it in the Upper Section if the given number remains unscored. Otherwise the player may use the dice as a wild card in the Lower Section.

This often leads to the second most-asked question:

Is it really possible to take a zero after rolling a Bonus Yahtzee?

It’s a major bummer but entirely possible to score a zero after rolling a second Yahtzee. When it is late in the game and there aren’t many open scoring categories left, a player can easily be forced into this bittersweet result. If all of the Lower Section boxes are already filled, for example, the player is required to take it Upstairs. If the number in which the Yahtzee was rolled has been scored there, the result is a zero. The 100 Bonus Points, however, are always awarded so a player in this situation will certainly not leave empty-handed.

Is there any strategy in Yahtzee?

Yahtzee relies on the concept of randomness. Dice, after all, are the world’s original random number generator. So luck will always form one of the game’s foundational pillars. But the important role that chance plays in Yahtzee can sometimes obscure its many other facets. Skill, karma, organization, and strategy are all equally-important fundamental Yahtzee concepts.

The PROVEN Yahtzee strategy is one the most successful systems for maximizing a player’s potential. Developed by legends of the Yahtzee Pro Circuit, Park Hee-Soo and Claude Jenkins, PROVEN is a set of principles that can help guide your game to another level:

Prioritize the Upper Section Bonus - The Upper Section’s 35-point bonus is the second most important objective in a game of Yahtzee, behind only the five-of-a-kind itself.

Remain Adaptive – Achieve success by remaining open to new possibilities.

Organize - A well-managed approach to Yahtzee will benefit players of all levels. Choose a strategy early and keep your head in the game at all times.

Value the Yahtzee – It’s the name of the game. Keep it open on your scorecard for as long as possible.

Embrace Eventualities - Ones and Chance are the safe havens of the Yahtzee scorecard. Use them wisely to keep your head above water.

Never Back Down - Take control of the dice and stand up for your Yahtzee rights.

Can you tie a Yahtzee game?

An encounter with a tie game is inevitable for a long-term player. The official Yahtzee rules don’t address the subject so it remains the responsibility of the game host to develop a plan for dealing with ties. It will depend on each unique situation, but in most cases a tied game should pose no problem. This is particularly true in series play where the sum total of several games determines the outcome. In this case, a tie in a single match doesn’t matter and will stand as it was rolled. In a sudden-death tournament match, however, a tie will need to be broken.

You can break a tie in Yahtzee in a number of ways. The simplest method is for each player to roll a single die where the highest number wins. Or roll all five dice and use the highest Chance score to settle it. The most used tie-breaker in tournament play involves rolling up to three times in a single turn and using the best result as the determinant.

What is the highest possible Yahtzee score? The lowest score?

Under standard rules, the highest possible Yahtzee score is 1575 points. The player needs to roll 13 consecutive Yahtzees, many of which must be in a given number, earning hundreds of bonus points in the process. The Upper Section would be maxed out with five Yahtzees for 105 points before bonuses.

The lowest possible score is five points. In this scenario, the player would roll a zero in every category except for Chance where she scores five Ones. The odds of rolling either the maximum or minimum grand totals are exceedingly small.

Can Five-of-a-Kind be used as a Full House?

To score a legal Full House, the player must roll three dice of one number and two dice of a different number. Five-of-a-Kind is a Yahtzee, not a Full House.

What is considered a good Yahtzee score?

That depends on what your definition of good is. The centered player will find joy in even the lowest score. But statistically speaking, a capable player will score 250 points in roughly half of all games. High rollers who don’t have to score a zero for any category can land comfortably above 300. True high score aspirants can dream of rolling 500 points or more – it happens in less than 1% of all games.

Why is the game called Yahtzee?

Yahtzee’s inventor, E.S. Lowe, claimed that he got the idea for the game in the early 1950’s from a wealthy Canadian couple who played dice while sailing around the world on a yacht. So the name is a play on the type of boat upon which the game was created. But the couple have never been publicly identified and their absence remains a mystery to this day. This leads many to suspect that Lowe’s story was nothing more than a marketing gimmick, seeking to lure in customers with fantastic tales of board games from exotic locales like Canada.

Some experts doubt that Yahtzee was created either by Lowe or a random Canadian couple, but that it shares a common origin with the ancient dice game “Ya-Tsee”. This suggests a much more distant origin and gives rise to the possibility that 20th century gaming executives appropriated a sacred ancient ritual to amuse the middle class. Like the game itself, the etymology of Yahtzee is multilayered and aloof. Research into the matter is ongoing but we may never uncover the whole story.

How do you cheat at Yahtzee?

Game designers have put a lot of thought and effort into creating the perfectly balanced masterpiece that is Yahtzee. But some players choose to spit the face of fair play and use dirty tricks to succeed. Is your opponent willing to break the rules? Come to the table prepared. Here are the top six ways to cheat at Yahtzee:

  Con Job: A player may hustle their way into a game posing as a no-nothing bumpkin to catch their opponents off guard. A simpleminded demeanor and friendly countenance can lull players into a false sense of security. In fact, the Yahtzee predator is preparing to pounce. The con artist uses this ruse to gain a psychological advantage before the first dice are ever rolled, resulting in a relaxed atmosphere where additional cheats stand a greater chance of success.

  What's That?: One of the most basic cheating methods is the time-tested attempt at getting your opponent to look away from the gaming table so you can tamper with the game state or equipment. This is typically deployed with a sudden exclamation to the effect of, "Holy cow, what's that behind you!?" While your opponent's back is turned, a cheater could alter the outcome of their roll or even swap in substitute dice to misalign their balance. While it may not seem reasonable that a seasoned player would resort to such childish behavior, a cheating mind is liable to plumb such depths in their desperation.

  Dice Manipulation: The ideal set of dice exist in a state of equilibrium where each face has a perfectly equal chance of coming up on any given roll. But outside of a casino or a professional Yahtzee tournament, such a high level of craftsmanship is rare. The standard Yahtzee set from the local toy store includes a lower quality dice where the balance is not exact. This surely works against the notion of random number generation but its effects tend to equal out as all players use the same dice for every turn.

A cheater who is skilled in the art of distraction is able to insert and remove crooked dice from play at will. This so-called “dice mechanic” can slip in a loaded die to guarantee the six they need for their next Yahtzee but then extract it before the next player rolls. Techniques such as the “Mouth Switch”, where a player uses a pretend cough or sneeze to mask a die swap, or the “Casino Thumb Palm Dice Switch”, an adept illustration of sleight of hand, have been perfected by craps players in casinos worldwide. These routines, therefore, are at the ready for a would-be Yahtzee fraudster.

  Fake Roll: The fake roll is a discreet illusion, carefully play-acted by the roller to portray the appearance of randomized dice while they remain in a fixed position of their predetermined choosing. These types of trick rolls are often described by their perpetrators as “honest cheating”, in the sense that they require a high level of skill to pull off. But to even associate these techniques with the concept of honesty only accentuates the depths of their depravity.

Rhythm rolling is a popular concept amongst Yahtzee cheaters, but its reliability remains highly dubious. The technique involves the player taking advantage of precise, repeatable movements to control the movement of the rolled dice. In such a setup, the player ensures that the dice remain in a particular formation, whether in the hand or cup. Followed by a well-trained rolling movement, the idea is to exert absolute control over the dice’s trajectory and alignment to reliably convert the desired face.

Due to the lure of financial windfall that accompanies the perfection of dice manipulation, a booming cottage industry has sprouted up around educating the next generation of dice cheaters. Millions of dollars are made teaching the skills but the results are questionable. The success of a fake roller is oftentimes only in their own heads.

  Extra Roll: It is not uncommon for a Yahtzee player’s focus to drift during an opponent’s turn. Perhaps they begin to add up their score, plan their strategy for their remaining rolls, or chat with the other players. Not only is this poor etiquette, it opens the door for a cheater to exploit their distraction. If their counterparts’ attention is wandering, a dishonest player can attempt to roll the dice for a fourth time during a single turn. More often than not, the subterfuge will pass unnoticed.

This tactic becomes even more likely to succeed if the players are under the influence of alcohol or other mind-altering substances, a common occurrence in casual games. If questioned, a drunken “Hey that was only my second roll, right?” can provide cover as an innocent mistake, or serve to legitimize the illicit fourth roll.

  Math is Hard: Using creative addition to tally one's final score is one of the simplest ways to cheat at Yahtzee. Players who do not relish the task of calculating their total scores at the end of the game are typically not willing to do even more math to check an opponent’s tally. This lack of oversight leaves a wide latitude for Yahtzee cheaters to doctor their official scorecard. A player may choose to score Large Straights as 45 points, for example, as a way to pad his total. But if they truly believe no one is watching, the cheating may be even more egregious.

The most common method of unintentional Yahtzee cheating is bad math. So the scorecards of even well-intentioned and trusted players should be scrutinized for accuracy. Coincidentally, Yahtzee is a great way to teach math to children (or adults).

Did someone really write a book about Yahtzee?

There have numerous works of literature about Yahtzee, going back hundreds of years. Some researchers believe that passages in the I-Ching reference an early version of the game. Yahtzee has been featured in novels, instructional guides, strategy books, technical manuals, poems, comic books, and other forms of print media. Here’s one of our favorite haikus:

dice cacophony
anticipation rattles
sowing a yahtzee

But you’re probably thinking about Yahtzee experts Rick McCallister and Louise Proctor. In collaboration with the World Yahtzee Institute Press, the duo published The Yahtzee Manifesto in 2011 to raise Yahtzee awareness in a changing 21st century world. The book covers the Yahtzee basics, including strategy, tips, and higher concepts. Rick, Louise, and the entire team at the WYI remain committed to providing you with only the finest Yahtzee propaganda.