FIVE DICE. THIRTEEN POSSIBILITIES.
Yahtzee.
Keep a few. Chase a little. Make your best hand.
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How to play Yahtzee online
The original: Yahtzee, first sold by the E.S. Lowe Company in 1956, now a Hasbro game. Ours is an independent version, not affiliated with Hasbro.
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.
Can two people play Yahtzee on one device? Yes — choose Two players and pass the device back and forth. Each player gets their own column on the scorecard, and the higher grand total after 13 rounds wins.
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 save in your browser, along with your mode and sound settings. Your best total also goes on the public leaderboard under your first name. You can change your name on your profile.
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