What you need
- Five six-sided dice
- A dice cup or shaker (optional)
- A score card for the table, or the free score keeper
Players and time
1 or more players. About 30 minutes.
The goal
Fill all 13 boxes of your score card over 13 turns, scoring as many points as you can with the dice you roll. The highest grand total wins.
Setup
- Every player gets a column on the score card, or you use the free score keeper.
- Each player rolls one die. The highest roller goes first, and play moves clockwise.
- Each player will take exactly 13 turns, one for each box on the card.
A turn
- Roll all five dice. You may roll up to three times in a turn.
- After the first and second rolls, you may set aside any dice you want to keep and roll the rest again. You can also pick up dice you set aside earlier and roll them again.
- You may stop after one or two rolls if you already have what you want.
- After your last roll you must fill in exactly one empty box on your card with that result. Boxes can be filled in any order.
- If your dice do not fit any open box, you must write a zero in one box of your choice. Once a box is filled it cannot be used again.
Special cards and combinations
- Upper section bonus
- If the six upper boxes (Aces through Sixes) add up to 63 or more, you get a 35-point bonus. Three of each number gives exactly 63.
- Yahtzee bonus
- A Yahtzee is five dice with the same number and is worth 50 in the Yahtzee box. Each extra Yahtzee you roll after that scores a bonus of 100: put an X in the Yahtzee bonus box and also fill in one of your empty boxes under the Joker rules below.
- Joker rules (placing an extra Yahtzee)
- First, score the five dice in the matching upper box (for example, five fours go in Fours). If that upper box is already full, score the total of the five dice in Three of a Kind or Four of a Kind. If those are full too, use Chance or any other lower box and score it at its normal value (a full house is worth 25, for example). The Hasbro sheet does not say what to do when the matching upper box and every lower box are all full. A fan-run reference, The Yahtzee Manifesto, says to enter a zero in any open upper box and still keep the 100-point bonus. That is not from Hasbro, so agree on it with your group.
- A zero in the Yahtzee box
- If you wrote a zero in the Yahtzee box, you cannot earn the 100-point bonus later. You can still place any extra Yahtzee using the Joker rules above, but only for normal box scores.
Scoring
Add the upper section, add the 35-point bonus if you earned it, add the lower section and add any Yahtzee bonuses. The sum is your grand total.
| Box | What you need | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | Any dice | Total of the dice showing 1 |
| Twos | Any dice | Total of the dice showing 2 |
| Threes | Any dice | Total of the dice showing 3 |
| Fours | Any dice | Total of the dice showing 4 |
| Fives | Any dice | Total of the dice showing 5 |
| Sixes | Any dice | Total of the dice showing 6 |
| Upper bonus | Upper section total of 63 or more | 35 |
| 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 a pair of another | 25 |
| Small Straight | Four dice in a row | 30 |
| Large Straight | Five dice in a row | 40 |
| Yahtzee | Five dice the same | 50 |
| Chance | Any dice | Total of all five dice |
| Yahtzee bonus | Each extra Yahtzee after a 50 in the Yahtzee box | 100 each |
Worked example
One finished card: Aces 3 (three ones), Twos 6, Threes 12, Fours 12, Fives 20, Sixes 18. The upper section adds up to 3 + 6 + 12 + 12 + 20 + 18 = 71. That is over 63, so add the 35-point bonus for an upper total of 106.
Lower section: Three of a Kind 22, Four of a Kind 18, Full House 25, Small Straight 30, Large Straight 40, Yahtzee 50, Chance 23. That adds up to 22 + 18 + 25 + 30 + 40 + 50 + 23 = 208. One extra Yahtzee was rolled, so add 100.
Grand total: 106 + 208 + 100 = 414.
Keep score with the Yahtzee score keeper
How to win
The game ends when every player has filled all 13 boxes. The player with the highest grand total wins. Neither the Hasbro instruction sheet nor the fan reference used here gives a tie-break, so tied players can share the win, play again, or settle it with a single roll-off, which one fan site mentions as a common choice.
Common house rules
This page covers the official rules only. If your group uses house rules, agree on them before you start.
Frequently asked questions
How many points do I need for the upper section bonus?
You need 63 or more points from Aces through Sixes to earn the 35-point bonus. Three of each number from 1 to 6 adds up to exactly 63.
Can I fill the boxes in any order?
Yes. You can fill any box in either section in any order. Each turn you must fill in exactly one box.
What if I roll nothing that fits an open box?
You must write a zero in one of your empty boxes. Choose the box you are least likely to need, and note that scoring even a single die in an upper box is usually better than a zero.
What are the Joker rules in Yahtzee?
They tell you where to put an extra Yahtzee. Use the matching upper box if it is open. If not, use Three of a Kind or Four of a Kind. If those are filled, use Chance or any other lower box and score it at its normal value, such as 25 for a full house. If only upper boxes are left and none matches, the Hasbro sheet is silent; one fan reference says to put a zero in an open upper box and keep the bonus.
What happens if I already scored zero in the Yahtzee box?
You cannot earn the 100-point bonus for any later Yahtzee. You can still place the dice using the Joker rules.
Is a small straight four dice in a row or five?
Four in a row (for example 2-3-4-5) is enough for a small straight and scores 30. A large straight needs five in a row and scores 40.
Do I have to keep the dice I set aside?
No. On each roll you can roll some or all of the dice, including ones you set aside earlier.
Sources
- Yahtzee instruction sheet (C2406), Hasbro (The publisher's instruction sheet for the classic game. Source for the 13 boxes, scores, bonus and Joker rules.)
- Yahtzee product instructions page, Hasbro (Hasbro's instruction page: 13 turns, up to three rolls, one box filled per turn.)
- Yahtzee rules overview, The Yahtzee Manifesto (A fan site, not the publisher. Used as a cross-check for the basic rules and for the two points the Hasbro sheet does not cover: a zero in an open upper box when an extra Yahtzee fits nowhere else, and ties.)
Yahtzee is a trademark of Hasbro. Rules and Scores is not affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro.