How many points is a full house in Yahtzee?

A full house scores 25 points no matter which numbers make it up. It needs three of one number and two of another, such as 3-3-3-5-5. Under the Joker rules, a second Yahtzee can also be scored in the Full House box for the full 25 if its matching upper box is already filled.

How do you get the 35-point bonus in Yahtzee?

Score a total of 63 or more in the upper section (Aces through Sixes). That's what you'd get with three of each number: 3 + 6 + 9 + 12 + 15 + 18 = 63. Extra points in one box can make up for a shortfall in another, so four 6s (24) cover a weak Aces or Twos.

What is the difference between a small and large straight?

A small straight is four numbers in a row, such as 1-2-3-4, 2-3-4-5, or 3-4-5-6, with the fifth die being anything. It scores 30. A large straight is five in a row, 1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6, and scores 40. A large straight also qualifies for the Small Straight box if that's the one you need.

What happens if you roll a second Yahtzee?

If your Yahtzee box already has 50, you get a 100-point bonus. Then you score the roll using the Joker rules: fill the matching upper box if it's open; if not, use any open lower box, where Full House, Small Straight, and Large Straight score full value. If both are full, put a 0 in an open upper box.

Can you score 0 in Yahtzee?

Yes. Every turn you must fill a box, and if your dice don't qualify for any box you want, you write 0 in one of them. That box is then used up. Players usually scratch Aces or the Yahtzee box late in the game, depending on how the game is going.

How many rolls do you get in Yahtzee?

Up to three per turn. Roll all five dice, keep any you like, and reroll the rest up to two more times. You can also reroll dice you set aside earlier, and you may stop after one or two rolls if you already have what you want.

How many rounds are in Yahtzee?

Thirteen, one for each box on the score card. Each player fills exactly one box per turn, so after 13 rounds every card is complete and you add up the grand totals. The highest total wins. There's no way to skip a box or fill two at once.

Yahtzee Rules: How to Play and Score

1Object of the game

Score the highest grand total after 13 rounds. Every turn you must fill one box on your score card, even if the dice don't fit anything and you have to write a zero. Planning which boxes to fill and which to save is as important as the rolls.

2Setup

Give each player a score card column and a pencil. One cup and five dice are shared and passed around the table.
Each player rolls all five dice; the highest total goes first. Play passes to the left.
Agree before you start on which Joker rule you'll use: the official forced Joker rule (explained below) or the free-choice version (see house rules).

3The play

Roll all five dice.
Set aside any dice you want to keep, and reroll the rest. You may reroll any or all of the dice, including ones you set aside earlier.
Roll a third time if you like. You get at most three rolls per turn, and you can stop after the first or second.
Choose one empty box on your score card and write in the score the dice earn there. If they don't meet that box's requirement, you score 0 in it. Every box can be filled only once.
Pass the cup to the left. After 13 rounds, every box is full and the game is over.

4End of a hand

A round is one turn for each player. After each player has filled one box, the next round starts. The game ends after the 13th round, when every player's card is full. Total the upper section, add the 35-point bonus if it reached 63, then total the lower section including any Yahtzee bonuses and add both halves for the grand total.

5Scoring

The upper section rewards collecting one number; the lower section rewards poker-style combinations. Three of a kind, four of a kind, and chance score the total of all five dice, not just the matching ones.

For	Points
Aces, Twos, Threes, Fours, Fives, Sixes	Total of that number only (three 4s in Fours = 12)
Upper section bonus (upper total 63 or more)	35
Three of a kind	Total of all 5 dice
Four of a kind	Total of all 5 dice
Full house (three of one number + two of another)	25
Small straight (4 in a row)	30
Large straight (5 in a row)	40
Yahtzee (5 of a kind)	50
Chance (any roll)	Total of all 5 dice
Yahtzee bonus (each extra Yahtzee, if Yahtzee box has 50)	100

The 63 target is three of each number: 3 + 6 + 9 + 12 + 15 + 18 = 63. Extra Yahtzees also trigger the Joker rules: score the total of all five dice in the matching upper box if it's empty. If that box is already filled, you must use an open lower box, and a Joker scores full value there (Full House 25, Small Straight 30, Large Straight 40). If the lower section is also full, you must write a 0 in an open upper box. You earn the 100 bonus only if your Yahtzee box already holds 50; if you scored 0 there, the Joker rules still apply but you get no bonus.

The yahtzee score sheet will do the adding up at the table.

6Winning

After 13 rounds, add up each card. The player with the highest grand total wins. If two players tie, most families share the win or play one more game to settle it. For solo play, try to beat your own best score.

7A worked hand

It's round 9 and your Yahtzee box already holds 50. You roll 4, 4, 4, 2, 6. You keep the three 4s and reroll two dice, getting 4 and 1. You keep the four 4s and roll the last die: another 4, so you have 4-4-4-4-4, a second Yahtzee. Because your Yahtzee box has 50, you earn a 100-point bonus. Now the Joker rules decide where you score. Your Fours box is already filled (you wrote 12 there earlier), so you must pick an open lower box. Large Straight is still empty, and as a Joker the roll scores the full 40. This turn is worth 100 + 40 = 140 points. At the end of the game your upper section reads Aces 3, Twos 6, Threes 9, Fours 12, Fives 20, Sixes 18. That adds to 3 + 6 + 9 + 12 + 20 + 18 = 68, which clears 63, so you add the 35 bonus for an upper total of 103.

8House rules

The rules above are the version most US players use. These are the variations you are most likely to run into; settle them before the first deal.

Free-choice Joker: Wikipedia describes a common alternative where you may score an extra Yahtzee in any box you like, and it only counts as a Joker (full value in Full House or the straights) once the matching upper box is filled. The official rule forces the upper box first.
Triple Yahtzee: Each player fills three columns of boxes, with the second column counting double and the third counting triple. It was sold as an official variant starting in 1972 and makes for a longer, higher-scoring game.
Yatzy scoring: Yatzy, the Scandinavian cousin of Yahtzee, uses a different score card with its own bonuses and straight values. If someone at the table learned Yatzy, settle on one score card before you start.
Bonus even after a scratched Yahtzee: Some families give the 100 bonus for any later Yahtzee, even if the Yahtzee box was filled with 0. The standard rule gives no bonus in that case.

9Mistakes people make

Three of a kind and four of a kind score the total of all five dice, not just the matching dice.
You must fill a box every turn, even if that means writing a 0. You can't pass.
The 35 upper bonus needs 63 points in the upper section, which is an average of three of each number, not 63 across the whole card.
The 100-point Yahtzee bonus requires 50 already in the Yahtzee box. If you scratched it with 0, later Yahtzees earn no bonus, though you can still use the Joker rules.

10Playing better

Chase the upper bonus early. Three of each number reaches exactly 63, so four 5s or four 6s give you room to come up short somewhere else.
Use Chance as a safety valve. Save it for a bad roll late in the game rather than filling it early with a mediocre total.
Know where to take a zero. If you must scratch, 0 in Aces costs at most a few points; 0 in Yahtzee early gives up 50 and any future 100-point bonuses.
Chase a Yahtzee from three of a kind. With three matching dice after the first roll, rerolling the other two gives you two chances to finish it.
Go for straights with open-ended runs. Keeping 3-4-5 gives you two ways (a 2 or a 6) to extend; 1-2-3 gives only one.

Yahtzee: questions people ask

How many points is a full house in Yahtzee?: A full house scores 25 points no matter which numbers make it up. It needs three of one number and two of another, such as 3-3-3-5-5. Under the Joker rules, a second Yahtzee can also be scored in the Full House box for the full 25 if its matching upper box is already filled.
How do you get the 35-point bonus in Yahtzee?: Score a total of 63 or more in the upper section (Aces through Sixes). That's what you'd get with three of each number: 3 + 6 + 9 + 12 + 15 + 18 = 63. Extra points in one box can make up for a shortfall in another, so four 6s (24) cover a weak Aces or Twos.
What is the difference between a small and large straight?: A small straight is four numbers in a row, such as 1-2-3-4, 2-3-4-5, or 3-4-5-6, with the fifth die being anything. It scores 30. A large straight is five in a row, 1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6, and scores 40. A large straight also qualifies for the Small Straight box if that's the one you need.
What happens if you roll a second Yahtzee?: If your Yahtzee box already has 50, you get a 100-point bonus. Then you score the roll using the Joker rules: fill the matching upper box if it's open; if not, use any open lower box, where Full House, Small Straight, and Large Straight score full value. If both are full, put a 0 in an open upper box.
Can you score 0 in Yahtzee?: Yes. Every turn you must fill a box, and if your dice don't qualify for any box you want, you write 0 in one of them. That box is then used up. Players usually scratch Aces or the Yahtzee box late in the game, depending on how the game is going.
How many rolls do you get in Yahtzee?: Up to three per turn. Roll all five dice, keep any you like, and reroll the rest up to two more times. You can also reroll dice you set aside earlier, and you may stop after one or two rolls if you already have what you want.
How many rounds are in Yahtzee?: Thirteen, one for each box on the score card. Each player fills exactly one box per turn, so after 13 rounds every card is complete and you add up the grand totals. The highest total wins. There's no way to skip a box or fill two at once.

YAHTZEE is a trademark of Hasbro. This page describes the rules for players and has no connection with the trademark owner.

Sources

Checked by Morgan Hale against the sources below. Last reviewed September 28, 2026.

Yahtzee Game Instructions (C2406), Hasbro. Read September 28, 2026.
Yahtzee, Wikipedia. Read September 28, 2026.
How to play Yahtzee: Official Rules, UltraBoardGames. Read September 28, 2026.

Also on the table: Farkle, Bunco, Backgammon, Phase 10.