Yahtzee is played with 5 dice and a scorecard over 13 rounds. Each player takes turns rolling the dice up to three times per round, aiming to make specific scoring combinations on the scorecard. After each round, a player must record their score in one of the 13 categories on the scorecard, and each category can only be used once.
Basic Gameplay Steps
- Roll all five dice on your first roll.
- Decide which dice to keep and which to re-roll on your second roll.
- Optionally, re-roll any number of dice up to a third time.
- After the third roll, choose a category on your scorecard to score your dice. You must score each round, even if it means scoring zero in a category.
- The game continues clockwise with each player taking turns until all 13 rounds are completed.
Scoring Categories
- The scorecard has an upper section where points are scored based on the count of ones, twos, threes, etc.
- The lower section includes special combinations like three/four of a kind, full house, small straight, large straight, Yahtzee (five of a kind), and chance.
- A Yahtzee (five identical dice) scores 50 points, plus possible bonus points for additional Yahtzees if you scored one already in the Yahtzee box.
- If no valid combination is rolled, you must mark zero in a category.
Winning
After all 13 rounds, the scores and any bonuses are totaled, and the player with the highest total score wins. The game involves both luck and strategy, including choosing how to score when roll results don’t match the ideal combinations. This overview summarizes the essential gameplay and scoring to get started playing Yahtzee effectively.
