You play Yahtzee with five dice and a score sheet. Yahtzee is also known as Kniffel in Europe; the rules are virtually identical. The goal is simple: roll the best combinations and collect as many points as possible over thirteen rounds. Sounds easy, but every turn you have to choose which box to sacrifice — and that's exactly where the game lives.
On this page
What do you need?
For a game of Yahtzee you need:
- Five dice — regular six-sided dice. No dice on hand? Use the online dice roller — the Yahtzee preset sets up five dice and lets you hold dice between rolls.
- A score sheet — paper with the thirteen boxes, one per player.
- A pen or pencil to write down the scores.
- Two or more players — you can also play solo and try to beat your own record.
Objective of the game
You try to score as many points as possible over thirteen turns. Each turn you fill in exactly one box on your score sheet. Because there are thirteen boxes and thirteen turns, your score sheet ends up exactly full. Whoever has the most points after the last turn wins.
How a turn works
A turn consists of up to three rolls:
- First roll: roll all five dice.
- Second roll: set aside the dice you want to keep and reroll the rest. You may also reroll everything, or nothing at all.
- Third roll: one more time, you may reroll some (or all, or none) of the dice.
After the third roll — or sooner, if you're happy — you pick a box on your score sheet and write down the score for the dice showing. If your roll doesn't fit a valuable box, you have to "sacrifice" a box and enter a zero.
Note: you must fill in a box every turn, even when your roll disappoints. Sacrificing wisely — for example, putting a zero in the "ones" box when it wasn't going to score much anyway — is part of the tactics.
The score sheet and scoring
The score sheet has two parts: the upper section and the lower section.
Upper section
In the upper section you only add up the dice showing one particular number.
| Box | What you count | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ones | Sum of all ones | 1-1-1 = 3 |
| Twos | Sum of all twos | 2-2-2-2 = 8 |
| Threes | Sum of all threes | 3-3 = 6 |
| Fours | Sum of all fours | 4-4-4 = 12 |
| Fives | Sum of all fives | 5-5-5-5 = 20 |
| Sixes | Sum of all sixes | 6-6-6 = 18 |
Lower section
The lower section is all about combinations.
| Combination | Requirement | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Three of a kind | At least 3 matching dice | Sum of all 5 dice |
| Four of a kind | At least 4 matching dice | Sum of all 5 dice |
| Full house | 3 matching + 2 matching | 25 |
| Small straight | 4 consecutive numbers | 30 |
| Large straight | 5 consecutive numbers | 40 |
| Yahtzee | 5 matching dice | 50 |
| Chance | Anything at all | Sum of all 5 dice |
A small straight is four consecutive numbers (for example 1-2-3-4 or 3-4-5-6). A large straight is five consecutive numbers (1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6). "Chance" is your safety net: any roll at all can go there, and you simply add up all the dice.
Printable blank score sheet
No pre-printed score pad at home? Print a blank Yahtzee score sheet below for up to four players. Click the button to print only the score sheet — the rest of the page is left out.
Yahtzee score sheet — dice-together.com
| Box | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ones | ||||
| Twos | ||||
| Threes | ||||
| Fours | ||||
| Fives | ||||
| Sixes | ||||
| Bonus (35 if ≥ 63) | ||||
| Upper section total | ||||
| Three of a kind | ||||
| Four of a kind | ||||
| Full house (25) | ||||
| Small straight (30) | ||||
| Large straight (40) | ||||
| Yahtzee (50) | ||||
| Chance | ||||
| Yahtzee bonus (+100 each) | ||||
| Grand total |
The bonus and the Yahtzee bonus
There are two ways to grab extra points:
- Upper-section bonus (35 points): if you score at least 63 points in the upper section combined, you get 35 bonus points. 63 works out to an average of three dice of each number — a handy target while you play.
- Yahtzee bonus (100 points): if you roll a second (or third, fourth…) Yahtzee after you've already scored the first one for 50 points, every extra Yahtzee is worth 100 bonus points.
The Joker rule for an extra Yahtzee
If you roll a second Yahtzee while the Yahtzee box is already filled in, the so-called Joker rules apply. If you scored the first Yahtzee for 50 points, you get the 100-point bonus regardless. You still have to put the roll somewhere:
- First fill in the matching box in the upper section — five fours go in "Fours", for example.
- If that box is already taken, you may enter the Yahtzee as a joker in an open box of the lower section — including full house (25), small straight (30), or large straight (40), even though strictly speaking it isn't a full house or a straight.
- If those are full too, you enter a zero in an open box of the upper section.
End of the game and winning
The game ends once everyone has filled in all thirteen boxes. For each player, add up the upper section (including the 35-point bonus) and the lower section. The player with the highest total wins. A strong score usually lands between 200 and 300 points; anything over 300 is excellent.
Tips & strategy
- Chase the 35-point bonus. Try to score at least three dice of each number in the upper section. The bonus is a free 35 points and often makes the difference.
- Save "Chance" and "ones" to sacrifice. If you have a worthless roll, dump it in a box that wasn't going to score much anyway.
- Hold fives and sixes. High numbers carry more weight, both for the upper section and for combinations like "four of a kind".
- Don't force a full house or a small or large straight. If it isn't working out, use a sacrifice box instead of wasting a good combination.
Want to sharpen your feel for the odds? Then read exactly how big the chance of each roll really is.
Frequently asked questions about Yahtzee
How many dice do you play Yahtzee with?
Yahtzee is played with five dice. Each turn you may roll up to three times, and then you pick a box on your score sheet to fill in.
How many points is a Yahtzee worth?
Five matching dice (a Yahtzee) scores 50 points. Every extra Yahtzee after that is worth 100 bonus points, provided you scored the first Yahtzee for 50 points.
When do you get the 35-point bonus?
You get 35 bonus points if the upper section (ones through sixes) adds up to at least 63 points. That works out to an average of three dice of each kind.
What is a full house in Yahtzee?
A full house is three matching dice plus two matching dice, for example 3-3-3-5-5. A full house always scores 25 points.
Can you play Yahtzee with an online dice roller?
Yes. The online dice roller has a Yahtzee preset: one click sets up five dice, and you hold dice by tapping them — only the loose dice roll again. Want the dice big on your TV? The free Android app casts them to your Chromecast or Android TV.