Yatzy dice game rules
Yatzy is played with five dice and a score sheet. On your turn you roll up to three times. Then you write your result in one empty box. When every box is filled, the highest total wins.
The game is a family favourite in the Nordic countries. These rules follow the Scandinavian score sheet, which has 15 boxes. Other score sheets are described in Variants.
- Players
- 1 or more (best with 2-4)
- Playing time
- 20-40 min
- Age
- 8+
- What you need
- 5 ordinary dice, a score sheet and a pencil
Updated: 2 November 2026
Getting ready
You need five ordinary dice, a pencil and a sheet of paper. Draw a score sheet with 15 boxes and a column for each player. Add rows for the upper section total, the bonus and the final total. The boxes and their points are listed under The score sheet.
The game lasts 15 rounds. In each round, every player takes one turn and fills one box. After 15 rounds the sheet is full and the game is over.
Decide who starts in any way you like. For example, everyone rolls all five dice and the highest total starts. Play then passes clockwise.
Your turn: three rolls
- Roll all five dice.
- Set aside the dice you want to keep. Roll the others a second time.
- Choose again what to keep, and roll the rest a third time.
- Write your result in one empty box in your column.
You can change your mind before each roll. You may pick up a die you set aside earlier and roll it again. You may even roll all five again.
You don't have to use every roll. If you already have what you want, you can score after your first or second roll.
You score the five dice as they lie after your last roll. Earlier rolls are not added to it.
The score sheet
The sheet has two parts. The upper section scores dice of a single number. The lower section scores combinations.
| Box | What counts | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Ones | Dice showing 1 | Total of those dice |
| Twos | Dice showing 2 | Total of those dice |
| Threes | Dice showing 3 | Total of those dice |
| Fours | Dice showing 4 | Total of those dice |
| Fives | Dice showing 5 | Total of those dice |
| Sixes | Dice showing 6 | Total of those dice |
For example, you roll 4, 4, 4, 2, 6. In the Fours box that scores 12 points. In the Twos box the same roll scores only 2.
| Box | What you need | Points |
|---|---|---|
| One pair | Two dice the same | Total of those 2 dice |
| Two pairs | Two pairs of different numbers | Total of those 4 dice |
| Three of a kind | Three dice the same | Total of those 3 dice |
| Four of a kind | Four dice the same | Total of those 4 dice |
| Small straight | 1-2-3-4-5 | 15 |
| Large straight | 2-3-4-5-6 | 20 |
| Full house | Three of one number and two of another | Total of all 5 dice |
| Chance | Any dice | Total of all 5 dice |
| Yatzy | All five dice the same | 50 |
In One pair, Two pairs, Three of a kind and Four of a kind, only the matching dice count. So 6, 6, 6, 2, 1 scores 18 as Three of a kind. With 5, 5, 3, 3, 6 you can score 10 as One pair, or 16 as Two pairs.
The straights must be exact. A small straight is 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. A large straight is 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Four numbers in a row are not enough.
Chance can rescue a poor roll. When nothing else fits, it still scores the total of the dice. That is why it pays to save it for later.
Filling in the sheet
After each turn you must fill one box. You can choose any empty box. It doesn't have to be the one that scores the most.
You fill each box only once. A score you have written can't be changed.
If your roll fits none of your empty boxes, you write 0 in one of them. This is called crossing out a box. You may also write 0 in any empty box even when your roll fits somewhere else.
Cross out the box that costs you the least. Often that is Ones, or a combination you don't expect to get, such as Yatzy.
The upper section bonus
If your boxes from Ones to Sixes add up to 63 or more, you get a bonus of 50 points. Write it in the bonus row under the upper section.
You reach 63 with three dice of each number: 3 + 6 + 9 + 12 + 15 + 18. A shortfall in one box can be made up in another. For example, four sixes give you 6 points to spare.
Yatzy: five of a kind
A Yatzy is all five dice showing the same number. In the Yatzy box it scores 50 points.
Like any roll, five of a kind also fits other boxes. Five sixes score 30 as Sixes or Chance. They score 24 as Four of a kind, 18 as Three of a kind and 12 as One pair.
Five of a kind is not a full house, and it is not two pairs. A full house needs two different numbers, and so do two pairs.
A second Yatzy earns no extra bonus. Score it in any empty box it fits. If the Yatzy box is still empty, you can of course score it there.
End of the game
The game ends after 15 rounds, when everyone has filled their sheet. Add up the upper section, the bonus and the lower section.
For example, your upper section comes to 65, so you add the 50 bonus. Your lower section comes to 140. Your total is 255.
The highest total wins. If two players have the same total, they share the win.
Variants
The 13-box score sheet
This sheet is common in Poland and in much of the world. It has 13 boxes, so the game lasts 13 rounds. The upper section stays the same, but the bonus for 63 or more is 35 points.
| Box | What you need | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Three of a kind | At least three dice the same | Total of all 5 dice |
| Four of a kind | At least four dice the same | Total of all 5 dice |
| Full house | Three of one number and two of another | 25 |
| Small straight | Any four numbers in a row | 30 |
| Large straight | Any five numbers in a row | 40 |
| Five of a kind | All five dice the same | 50 |
| Chance | Any dice | Total of all 5 dice |
There are no pair boxes. Each further five of a kind earns 100 bonus points. That holds only if your first one scored 50 in the Five of a kind box.
Sometimes both the Five of a kind box and the matching upper box are already filled. A further five of a kind then becomes a joker. It scores full value in any lower box: 25 for a full house, 30 and 40 for the straights. The joker must go in the lower section. Only when the lower section is full do you write 0 in an upper box.
Forced Yatzy
You fill the boxes in the order of the sheet, from Ones down to Yatzy. Each round you score the next box, even if that means a 0. Some players lower the bonus line to 42 for this variant: two dice of each number.
Triple Yatzy
Each player has three columns, so the game lasts 45 rounds. After each turn, you fill an empty box in any column. Each column is scored like a normal sheet, bonus included. At the end, the second column counts double and the third counts triple.
Poker dice without a score sheet
This simpler game has no score sheet. In each round, everyone gets up to three rolls, as in a normal turn. Then everyone compares their dice. The best combination wins the round. From highest to lowest:
- Five of a kind.
- Four of a kind.
- Full house.
- Straight: five numbers in a row.
- Three of a kind.
- Two pairs.
- One pair.
- None of these.
If two players have the same combination, first compare the dice that make it up. In a full house, compare the three of a kind first. In two pairs, compare the higher pair first. If those are equal, the other dice decide. If they are equal too, the round is a tie. Before you start, agree how many rounds a player must win to take the game.
Frequent questions
What is the aim of Yatzy?
To score as many points as you can on your sheet. Each turn you roll up to three times and fill one box. After 15 rounds, the highest total wins.
Can you reroll a die you kept earlier?
Yes. Before each roll you choose again which dice to keep. So you can roll a die you set aside after your first roll, or even all five dice.
Do you have to use all three rolls?
No. You can score after your first or second roll. Three rolls are the limit, not a requirement.
What if your roll fits no empty box?
Write 0 in one empty box. This is called crossing it out. You choose which box. It usually costs the least to cross out Ones, or a combination that is hard to roll.
How many points do you need for the upper section bonus?
63 or more, which is three dice of each number from Ones to Sixes. The bonus is 50 points. A shortfall in one box can be made up in another.
What happens with a second Yatzy?
On the Scandinavian sheet, nothing extra. Score it in any empty box it fits, such as Sixes, Four of a kind or Chance. The 13-box sheet gives it 100 bonus points, as long as your first one scored 50. See the variant "The 13-box score sheet".
Is 1-2-3-4-5 a small or a large straight?
A small straight. The large straight is 2-3-4-5-6. On this sheet each straight is one exact set of numbers. Four in a row don't count.
Does five of a kind count as a full house?
No. A full house is three dice of one number and two of another. Five of a kind is a Yatzy. It also fits One pair, Three of a kind, Four of a kind, Chance and its upper box.
What is the Chance box for?
It takes any roll and scores the total of all five dice. It saves a turn when nothing else fits, so it is worth saving for later.
Do you have to fill the boxes in order?
Not in the basic rules. You may score each turn in any empty box. Filling the sheet from top to bottom is the variant "Forced Yatzy".
How many people can play Yatzy?
Any number, but it plays best with two to four. In a bigger group you wait a long time for your turn. You can also play alone and try to beat your own best score.
What if two players tie?
They share the win. For a single winner, agree on a tie-break before you start, such as one roll of all five dice.
What is the highest possible score?
374 points. It takes five of a kind in each upper box, the best roll in every lower box, and the bonus. Nobody expects to get there.
Is Yatzy the same as poker dice?
Not quite. Both use five dice and combinations named after poker hands. In Yatzy you fill a score sheet over many rounds. In poker dice, players compare their dice after each round. See the variant "Poker dice without a score sheet".
Why do some score sheets give 25 for a full house?
Different countries use different sheets for the same game. The 13-box sheet has fixed scores for the full house and the straights, and no pair boxes. See the variant "The 13-box score sheet".
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