Yahtzee rules: the score card explained

Published September 29, 2026 · by mister-guiiug

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In short. Yahtzee is played with five dice: each turn you roll up to three times, then fill one of the thirteen boxes on your score card. A Full House scores 25, a Small Straight 30, a Large Straight 40 and a Yahtzee 50. Scoring 63 or more in the upper section earns a 35-point bonus.

Yahtzee is played with five six-sided dice and one score card per player. The goal is to fill the thirteen boxes of your card with combinations and finish with the highest total. Here are the complete rules, with worked examples.

How a turn works

1. Roll all five dice.
2. Set aside the dice you want to keep and reroll the others. You may also take back a die you set aside and reroll it.
3. Do it again if you like: three rolls at most per turn.
4. Write your result in one empty box on your card. You can stop before the third roll.

Every turn, you must fill a box, even if the dice match nothing: you then write 0. Once a box is filled, it cannot be changed. The card has thirteen boxes, so a game lasts thirteen turns.

The upper section: Ones to Sixes

The first six boxes each count a single face: Ones (also called Aces), Twos, and so on up to Sixes. You score the total of the dice showing that face.

Example: with 4, 4, 4, 2 and 6, the Fours box scores 12 points.

The 35-point bonus. If your upper section adds up to 63 points or more, you earn a 35-point bonus. The number 63 is three dice of each face: 3 + 6 + 9 + 12 + 15 + 18. A weak box can be made up elsewhere: four Sixes (24 points instead of 18) leave you 6 points of slack on the small faces.

The lower section: the combinations

• Three of a kind: at least three identical dice. Score the total of all five dice.
• Four of a kind: at least four identical dice. Score the total of all five dice.
• Full House: three of one number and two of another. 25 points.
• Small Straight: four values in a row, such as 2, 3, 4 and 5. 30 points.
• Large Straight: five values in a row (1 to 5 or 2 to 6). 40 points.
• Yahtzee: five identical dice. 50 points.
• Chance: any combination. Score the total of all five dice.

Example: with 3, 3, 3, 5 and 6, you can score 20 as Three of a kind, 20 as Chance, or 9 in the Threes box. With 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6, a Small Straight scores 30. A Large Straight can also be scored as a Small Straight.

Yahtzee bonuses and the Joker rule

Rolling five of a kind in a single throw is a 1 in 1,296 chance. Yet a game can include several Yahtzees, and two rules then apply.

The 100-point bonus. If your Yahtzee box already holds 50 points, every further Yahtzee earns a 100-point bonus. If you scored 0 there, there is no bonus.

The Joker. Either way, the new Yahtzee must still be written in a box, in a set order:

1. the upper box for the same face, if it is empty (five 4s go in Fours);
2. otherwise, any empty box in the lower section. Full House, Small Straight and Large Straight then score their full value: 25, 30 or 40;
3. otherwise, an empty upper box, where you write 0.

This is known as the forced Joker rule, and it is the one Miss Dice applies. Editions differ on the second step: Hasbro's current instructions have you fill Three of a kind or Four of a kind first, and only then Chance or another combination. Agree on the rule before you play.

Final scoring

Your total adds up the upper section, the 35-point bonus if you earned it, the lower section and any Yahtzee bonuses. The highest total wins.

A few tips:

• aim for the upper section early, for the 35-point bonus;
• keep Chance as a safety net for a bad turn;
• a 0 in Ones sometimes costs less than a wasted combination.

How Miss Dice helps

Miss Dice runs a complete Yahtzee game on a single phone that players pass around.

• Up to 8 players, each with their own score card.
• Tap a die to hold it, and the app counts the rolls you have left.
• The card shows what every empty box would score with the current dice: no more mental arithmetic.
• Bonus and Joker handled: the 35-point bonus, the 100 points for extra Yahtzees and the forced Joker order. The app explains which boxes are open and why.
• A wrong move can be undone, and a game can be resumed later. A QR code or a link also lets you continue it on another device.
• More games: 421, Pig, and a free roller for 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 or 20-sided dice.

Yahtzee is a trademark of Hasbro. Miss Dice is an independent app with no connection to Hasbro.

Frequently asked questions

How many points is a Full House worth in Yahtzee?

25 points, whatever the dice: a Full House of sixes and fives is worth as much as one of ones and twos.

How do you get the 35-point bonus?

Score at least 63 points in the upper section, from Ones to Sixes. That is the same as three dice of each face.

What do you do with a second Yahtzee?

If your Yahtzee box holds 50, it earns a 100-point bonus. Either way, it is scored following the Joker rule described above.

Do you have to fill a box every turn?

Yes. If no combination fits, you write 0 in the box of your choice. The game ends when all thirteen boxes are filled.

Are Yahtzee, Yatzy and Yams the same game?

They belong to the same family: five dice, three rolls and a score card to fill in. The boxes and their values vary between editions and households, so agree on the score card before you start.