The rules of Yahtzee are simple and there are only a few key points to remember:

Once all players have taken 13 turns and recorded their scores, each player’s total is tallied up – including any relevant bonus points awarded – and the winner is the player with the highest total. Player two then follows the same process, with players taking ‘turns’ until they have played 13 each. For example, if the player rolled ‘two, two, two, four, six’ and chose the ‘twos’ option, they would record six points in this box.

Once the player has chosen the best scoring option available for their dice, the appropriate points total is recorded on the scorecard. Each scoring option can only be used once – with all options eventually covered across the player’s 13 turns. The player then chooses one of the 13 scoring options from their scorecard based on the dice at their disposal. At the end of the third roll, the player is left with the value currently showing on all five dice. They can then choose to ‘hold’ any or all their dice – meaning they keep the value currently shown on those dice – or to roll any of them up to two more times. Online games, however, are typically decided randomly.

The only equipment required to play Yahtzee is five standard dice and a scorecard featuring all 13 scoring options and space to record scores and potential bonus points.įirstly, players roll dice to decide who goes first – the player who rolls the highest total begins. The rules of the game are the same in all formats. Yahtzee can be played with physical dice or online, and as either a multi- or single-player game online. The name ‘Yahtzee’ is also given to the highest-scoring roll possible in the game – five of a kind. Players must choose one of 13 options each turn – with a potential minimum score of zero and maximum score of 50 points depending on the dice rolled and the option chosen. The aim is to choose the highest or most strategic scoring option for each turn to achieve the highest total score at the end of the game.

It is believed the game was invented by a Canadian couple – originally known as the ‘Yacht Game’ – and played with friends before becoming a worldwide hit.Ī game consists of 13 ‘turns’, in which players roll all five dice and choose from one of the possible scoring options. Yahtzee is a strategy game played with five standard dice.

Yahtzee dice game rules