How do you play Yahtzee?

Yahtzee's core loop takes about a minute to learn: roll, keep, re-roll, then pick the best home for what the dice gave you.

Quick answer: Each turn you roll five dice up to three times, setting aside any dice you want to keep between rolls. Then you score the result in exactly one of 13 categories on your scorecard - each category can only be used once. After 13 turns the card is full, and the highest total wins.

The three-roll turn

You start each turn by rolling all five dice. Look at what you have, keep any dice you like, and re-roll the rest - up to two more times. You can stop early if the first or second roll is already great, and you can even pick up dice you previously kept. When the rolling is done, the five dice on the table are what you score. Play Yahtzee here to feel the rhythm immediately.

The 13 categories

The scorecard has an upper section - Ones through Sixes, each scoring the sum of matching dice - and a lower section of combinations: Three of a Kind, Four of a Kind, Full House (25), Small Straight (30), Large Straight (40), Chance (sum of all dice) and Yahtzee (50). Every category is used exactly once, so a bad roll must still be written somewhere - even as a zero. The rules hub covers every box in detail.

Bonuses and winning

Score 63 or more in the upper section and you earn a 35-point bonus; every Yahtzee after your first adds a 100-point bonus. After 13 turns you total everything up - a good solo score is 250 or more. If you'd rather learn with pencil and paper first, grab a printable Yahtzee score sheet and deal yourself in at the kitchen table.

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Related questions

What is the upper section bonus?

Score 63 or more points across the six upper categories - Ones through Sixes - and you earn a 35-point bonus. The threshold equals exactly three of each number: 3x(1+2+3+4+5+6) = 63. Chasing this bonus early is the single most reliable habit in good Yahtzee play.

What is a good Yahtzee score?

A good solo score is 250 or more. Casual players average around 150-200 per game, while skilled players average roughly 240-260 even without extra Yahtzee luck. Anything over 300 means the bonuses landed, and the theoretical maximum - 13 Yahtzees deep - is 1,575.

Which dice game is best for beginners?

Classic Yahtzee is the ideal starting point: 13 clear categories, three rolls a turn, and every skill it teaches transfers to the whole family. Generala is even leaner if you want fewer decisions. Once the basics click, Yatzy adds friendly pair categories, and Maxi Yatzy, Triple Yahtzee and Balut are the step-up challenges.