Yahtzee was launched in 1956 by Edwin S. Lowe, and it has been a staple of family game nights ever since. It uses five dice, and on each turn you may roll up to three times, keeping any dice between rolls. After that, you score in one of 13 categories, each used once per game. The rules are simple enough to learn in a minute, but the strategy of when to push for a Yahtzee and when to settle for a full house keeps players coming back.

The Basic Rules

A turn starts by rolling all five dice. After each roll, you can set aside any dice you want to keep and reroll the rest. You can do this up to three times. Then you must choose a scoring category that hasn't been used yet in that game. The categories are split into an upper section and a lower section.

The Upper Section

The upper section has six categories, one for each face of a die: Ones, Twos, Threes, Fours, Fives, and Sixes. For each category, you score the sum of all dice showing that face. For example, if you put a roll of 3-3-5-5-5 into the Fives category, you score 15 points. If the sum of your upper section scores is 63 or more, you earn a 35-point bonus. 63 is exactly the sum of three of each number, so the bonus rewards consistency.

The Lower Section

The lower section has seven categories:

  • Three of a Kind: score the sum of all five dice. You need at least three dice showing the same number.
  • Four of a Kind: score the sum of all five dice. You need at least four dice showing the same number.
  • Full House: 25 points. Three of one number and two of another.
  • Small Straight: 30 points. Four dice in sequential order, like 1-2-3-4 or 2-3-4-5 or 3-4-5-6.
  • Large Straight: 40 points. Five dice in sequential order, either 1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6.
  • Yahtzee: 50 points. Five of a kind. If you already scored a Yahtzee earlier in the game, each additional Yahtzee earns a 100-point bonus, and you also get a free Joker chip to use in the lower section.
  • Chance: the sum of all five dice. No special requirement; it is a safety net for bad rolls.

Strategy and Decisions

Because you can only use each category once per game, you need to plan ahead. Early in the game, you might aim for the upper section bonus by collecting numbers like Threes and Fours. Later, you may have to take a low score in Chance or a category that doesn't fit well. The 35-point upper bonus is often the difference between winning and losing, so many players prioritize filling the upper section with at least three of each number.

Another strategic point: if you roll a Yahtzee early, take the 50 points, but remember that later Yahtzees are worth 100 points each. Some players will reroll a good partial hand to chase a second Yahtzee, while others will take a sure score. The right choice depends on the state of your scorecard and the risk you are willing to take.

Variants of Yahtzee

Yahtzee has inspired several official variants that change the scoring or the number of categories.

Yatzy (Scandinavian Version)

Yatzy is the Scandinavian version of the game. It has 15 categories instead of 13. The upper section bonus is 50 points if you reach 63 or more. Straights are fixed: a small straight of 1-2-3-4-5 scores 15 points, and a large straight of 2-3-4-5-6 scores 20 points. The extra categories and fixed straight values give Yatzy a different feel, with less emphasis on the exact dice order.

Triple Yahtzee

Triple Yahtzee is played with three score columns. The first column scores normally, the second column multiplies its score by two, and the third column multiplies its score by three. You can choose which column to use for each turn. The multiplier columns let you take bigger risks for bigger rewards, and managing all three columns adds a layer of planning.

If you want to try Triple Yahtzee or other variants, you can play Yahtzee online at yahtzee.now, which also includes Nordic Yatzy, Yatzy Maxi, Generala, Kismet, and Balut.

The Launch and Legacy

Edwin S. Lowe launched Yahtzee in 1956. Lowe was a game entrepreneur who had previously popularized Bingo. According to the story, a couple introduced him to a dice game they played on their yacht, and Lowe saw its potential. He refined the rules, added the scorecard, and marketed it as Yahtzee. The game found a wide audience and has been in continuous production ever since. It is now owned by Hasbro and remains one of the best-selling dice games of all time.

Yahtzee's appeal is that it combines luck and decision making in a compact package. A game takes about 20 minutes, and the scorecard gives you immediate feedback on your choices. It also works well as a solo game, which is unusual for a commercial board game. The online version at yahtzee.now keeps the same rules and adds features like hints, statistics, daily challenges, and online multiplayer against friends.