Yahtzee

How to play Yahtzee online

Yahtzee is the classic dice game of rolling, holding, and filling a scorecard. Each turn you roll five dice up to three times, keeping the ones you like, then score the result in one of thirteen boxes — and every box can be used only once, so the real game is deciding what to chase and what to give up. Play a full 13-round game against the computer, or switch to Solo and chase your own best total. Free in your browser, no downloads, no signup.

Yahtzee rules — the basics

• Three rolls a turn. Roll all five dice, then reroll any of them up to two more times. Click a die to hold it; click again to release it. You can stop and score after any roll.
• Score exactly one box. After rolling, pick one open box on your card — the dice score whatever that box's rule says, even if that's zero. Once filled, a box never changes.
• 13 rounds. The game ends when all thirteen boxes are filled. Highest grand total wins.
• The upper bonus. If your Ones through Sixes boxes total 63 or more, you earn a 35-point bonus. 63 is three of each face — every roll above that average banks spare points.

Yahtzee scorecard reference

Note that a Yahtzee also counts naturally as three of a kind and four of a kind (all five dice sum), but it is not a natural full house — a full house needs three of one face and two of a different face. The joker rule below is the exception.

Extra Yahtzees and the joker rule

Roll a second Yahtzee after the Yahtzee box is already filled and the joker rule kicks in, exactly as on the printed card:

• +100 bonus — if your Yahtzee box holds 50, every extra Yahtzee is worth a 100-point bonus, added automatically. (If you zeroed the Yahtzee box, no bonus — but the joker rules below still apply.)
• 1. Matching upper box open? You must score there — five 4s go in Fours for 20, and so on.
• 2. Matching upper box filled? Score any open lower box at its full value: Full House counts 25, Small Straight 30, Large Straight 40, and the of-a-kind boxes and Chance take the sum of all five dice.
• 3. Everything relevant filled? You must enter a zero in an upper box of your choice.

The game enforces this for you — when a joker applies, only the legal boxes light up.

Yahtzee tips and strategy

• Play for the bonus early. The 35-point upper bonus decides close games. Three of a face is par — grab four 5s or 6s whenever the dice offer them.
• Fives and Sixes carry the card. A weak Sixes box (12 or less) makes the bonus hard to reach; a 20+ box nearly locks it.
• Keep Chance in your back pocket. It's the universal escape hatch for a bust turn — spending it early on 14 points usually stings later.
• Zero smart. When a turn dies, sacrifice the cheapest box: Ones costs you almost nothing, and a long-shot Yahtzee is often worth less than it looks.
• Straights are about timing. Chase a large straight when you hold four in a row — chasing from three costs rolls that of-a-kind hands spend better.
• Count what's left. Late game, your open boxes dictate the roll — hold dice for the boxes you still need, not the hand that looks prettiest.

A little history

Yahtzee descends from older “luck with judgment” dice games like Yacht and Generala, and has been sold under its familiar name since the mid-1950s — the story goes that a Canadian couple played it aboard their yacht and liked it enough to have copies made. The design has barely changed since: five dice, thirteen boxes, and just enough freedom to make every scoring decision feel like yours.

Frequently asked

What beats what in Yahtzee — which boxes score the most? The Yahtzee box is the biggest single score: 50 points for five of a kind, plus 100 for each extra Yahtzee after it. A large straight scores 40, a small straight 30, and a full house 25. Three of a kind, four of a kind, and Chance score the sum of all five dice.

How does the 35-point bonus work? If your six upper boxes — Ones through Sixes — add up to 63 or more, you earn a 35-point bonus. 63 is exactly three of each face, so aim for four of a face when you can to bank spare points.

Can I play Yahtzee solo? Yes — switch the mode to Solo for a pure score chase with the same 13 boxes. The default mode is a full game against the computer.

Is Yahtzee free to play here? Yes — no signup, no downloads, no installs. Open the page and roll.

Does my high score save? Yes — your best final total, wins, and games played are stored locally in your browser, along with your mode and sound settings.

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