Printable Yahtzee rules

Yahtzee in one page

1+ players · 5 dice · cup · score cards · pencil

On each turn you roll five dice up to three times, setting aside any dice you want to keep between rolls, then write a score in one empty box on your card. There are 13 boxes (Aces through Sixes, three and four of a kind, full house, small and large straight, Yahtzee, and chance), so the game lasts 13 rounds. Add a 35-point bonus if your upper section totals 63 or more, plus 100 points for each extra Yahtzee, and the highest grand total wins.

In brief

• 13 rounds; fill one box per turn (0 if needed)
• Up to 3 rolls; keep any dice between rolls
• Aces–Sixes: total of that number only
• Upper total 63+ = 35 bonus
• 3 or 4 of a kind: total of all 5 dice
• Full house 25 · Small straight 30 · Large straight 40
• Yahtzee 50 · Chance = total of all 5 dice
• Extra Yahtzee = 100 bonus (only if Yahtzee box has 50)
• Joker: matching upper box first, else any lower box at full value
• All full: 0 in an open upper box
• Highest grand total wins

Setup

1. Give each player a score card column and a pencil. One cup and five dice are shared and passed around the table.
2. Each player rolls all five dice; the highest total goes first. Play passes to the left.
3. 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).

On your turn

1. Roll all five dice.
2. 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.
3. Roll a third time if you like. You get at most three rolls per turn, and you can stop after the first or second.
4. 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.
5. Pass the cup to the left. After 13 rounds, every box is full and the game is over.

Scoring

Winning

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.