Yahtzee rules and scoring

• A turn
• Upper section
• Lower section
• Bonus Yahtzees
• Scorecard

Roll five dice up to three times a turn, keeping the dice you want and re-rolling the rest. Every turn ends by writing a score into one of thirteen boxes — and once a box is used, it's gone. Thirteen turns each, and the highest total wins.

Taking a turn

• Roll all five dice. Set aside any you want to keep, then re-roll the others — up to two more times. You can stop after any roll.
• You can change your mind between rolls: a die you kept after the first roll can go back in for the third.
• After your last roll you must fill one open box on your scorecard. If nothing fits, you scratch a box by writing 0 in it.

Upper section

Box	Score
Aces	Sum of 1s
Twos	Sum of 2s
Threes	Sum of 3s
Fours	Sum of 4s
Fives	Sum of 5s
Sixes	Sum of 6s
Upper bonusIf the six upper boxes total 63 or more.	+35

63 is exactly three of each number (3 + 6 + 9 + 12 + 15 + 18), so the bonus is a steady target: get three of a face in every upper box, or bank a four of a kind in one to make up for a pair in another.

Lower section

Box	Score
3 of a KindAt least three dice the same.	Sum of all dice
4 of a KindAt least four dice the same.	Sum of all dice
Full House 222  55Three of one number and two of another.	25
Small Straight 2345Four in a row: 1-2-3-4, 2-3-4-5 or 3-4-5-6.	30
Large Straight 12345Five in a row: 1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6.	40
Yahtzee 66666Five of a kind.	50
ChanceAnything at all — your safety net.	Sum of all dice

Bonus Yahtzees and the Joker rules

If you've already scored 50 in the Yahtzee box, every further Yahtzee earns a +100 bonus — and you still have to place the roll somewhere on your card:

• First choice is forced: if the upper box for that number is open, it goes there — five 4s score 20 in Fours.
• If that box is taken, the roll is a Joker for any open lower box, and the fixed boxes pay full value however the dice look: Full House 25, Small Straight 30, Large Straight 40. 3 of a Kind, 4 of a Kind and Chance score the five dice.
• If every lower box is gone too, you must write a 0 in an open upper box.
• Scratched your Yahtzee box for 0 earlier? A later Yahtzee earns no bonus, but the same placement rules still apply.

Winning

After thirteen turns every box is full. Add the upper section and its bonus, the lower section, and any Yahtzee bonuses — highest grand total wins.

Quick answers

Can a Yahtzee count as a Full House?

Only as a Joker. If your Yahtzee box is filled and the matching upper box is taken, five of a kind can go in Full House for 25 — or either straight.

Does a Large Straight also count as a Small Straight?

Yes. 1-2-3-4-5 contains four in a row, so it can score 30 in Small Straight if that's the box you'd rather fill.

What's the highest possible score?

1,575 — thirteen Yahtzees in a row, with every bonus and the Joker rules working in your favour. You won't see it.

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